Lost and Found

“Lost and Found”
Chapter 7: Hope
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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)
*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
~***********************************************~

Zack gathered his belongings from his motel room that night and moved back in at Cloud and Tifa’s house. Unfortunately, he refused to sleep in the same bed as Aerith and she practically stomped her foot in frustration when he insisted on taking the couch or Marlene’s unoccupied bed. Now that she’d gotten over the shock of confirming her pregnancy, Aerith was quickly adapting and ready to consummate the bond she shared with Zack again.

“Why? In case you haven’t noticed, there’s nothing to protect me from anymore!” Aerith argued behind the closed door of the office she was using as her bedroom.

“Because I swore I wouldn’t have sex with you again until after we’ve been married,” Zack reminded her stubbornly. “Call it homage to my parents. They’d be disappointed in me if I didn’t respect you, babe.”

Aerith pursed her lips. “You’ve slept with other women before without that noble streak getting in the way,” she accused.

Zack winced. “Yeah, I know. They weren’t you though. You’re not just a fling…you’re my girl.”

Aerith faltered under his logic. When he put it that way, she really couldn’t blame him. She tried one last card, hoping she could out-reason him. “Zack, does a document and a pair of rings really matter that much? I’m already pregnant. I think under the circumstances your parents would understand.”

Zack was the one to waver now. His eyes flicked over her uncertainly and he shifted boyishly on his feet as he struggled with his desire and her logic. “I…guess you make a good point,” he murmured. “I just wanted to show you I can be a decent guy. I want more than your body, sweet stuff.”

Aerith’s tension began to fade and she reached up and put her hands on his shoulders. “I already know you’re a decent guy. You’re more than decent…you’re practically a knight in shining armor. You don’t have to prove anything to me and you don’t need to keep up this guilt of yours.” She rose on her tiptoes and sought his mouth out with hers.

Zack’s arms went around her waist as he returned her kiss. He was chaste about it at first but his passion grew after a moment and with a soft groan, he became more aggressive. He pulled her firmly against his body and lifted her off the floor, stepping backwards toward the bed with her. Aerith held onto him desperately and returned the caress of his tongue against hers. Her breath quickened with her pulse and her loins ached with need. She thought she was finally going to get what she wanted when Zack sat down on the mattress and held her in his lap. He nibbled, licked and sucked at her mouth with erotic urgency and she could feel the hardness of his arousal pressing against her outer thigh.

“Zack,” Aerith breathed as his lips traveled to her neck and his fingers began to flick open the buttons on her blouse.

She shouldn’t have spoken. Apparently, hearing her gasp his name made him realize where this was heading and he stopped abruptly and swore. “See?” Zack told her in a rough, frustrated voice. “I can’t even kiss you without wanting to hump you silly. Look at what I almost did!”

Aerith’s mouth fell open with annoyed disbelief. “Are you really going to stop now? Zack, I want to.” She slipped a hand under his crew shirt and boldly began to explore the muscles of his stomach and chest. When his breath caught, she pressed a firm kiss against his lips to shut him up and she tried to push him down on the bed.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Zack gasped, grabbing her exploring hand and looking her in the eye.

“I’m trying to be intimate with my fiancé,” answered the Cetra petulantly. “But he’s being a big dumb doofus about it.”

Zack couldn’t refrain from laughing with delight. “The ‘big dumb doofus’ is kind of torn right now, Aerith. You know I want you.” He glanced down pointedly at the tent in the crotch of his pants before grinning at her. “Let’s compromise, okay? Give me tonight to work things over in my head. If I can’t settle on a decision by tomorrow night, you win by default. Do we have a deal?”

She sighed. She couldn’t force him to make love to her, after all. “I suppose I’ll have to live with that.”

“Thanks, baby.” Zack gave her a bright smile and kissed her tenderly. He eased her off of his lap and stood up, stretching to ease the tension in his shoulders and back. “I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ve got to be on the site early tomorrow and you should get some sleep too, so you and Tifa can hit the shops for a dress.”

Remembering that wedding gowns cost money, Zack pulled his wallet out and thumbed through his gil. He grimaced at the amount he had but he shrugged and pulled most of it out. “Here. This ought to be enough for a down payment until my next paycheck comes in.”

Aerith shook her head and refused to take the gil. “No, Zack. I’m not going to let you blow so much money on a gown I’m only going to wear once. I don’t need anything fancy and I can rent one or sew one myself, if I have to.”

Zack scratched his head and frowned. “Aerith, I want to give you a nice wedding.” He said it in a plaintive voice and he gave her that puppy-like expression that made her melt.

Aerith stood up and closed the short distance between them, putting her arms around his waist and hugging him. “Quit being so sweet,” she murmured with a fond smile. “You’re trying too hard and you’ll exhaust yourself. We’ve got to prioritize and we’re going to need things for the baby more than I need a fancy wedding dress, okay?”

“Oooh,” Zack said on inspiration. “You need to get a doctor, too.”

“I’m pregnant, not broken,” countered the young woman.

Zack pulled back to look at her with a sober expression. “Yeah, but you need prenatal care, vitamins and a diet plan, sweetheart. You’re not just looking after yourself now, you know?”

Aerith winced. She hadn’t even considered all of that and she really should have. It just proved to her that Zack was capable of being level-headed when it mattered. “You’re right. I’ll look into that tomorrow while Tifa and I do our window shopping.”

“I still wish you’d let me buy you a nice gown,” Zack murmured, rubbing her back.

“There’s no need for it,” Aerith insisted smoothly. “I’d rather buy a full wardrobe for our baby and work on getting our own place.”

Zack smirked ruefully at her. “I hate it when you’re so practical. Here, take some money with you tomor—“

“I have my own money,” Aerith informed him. “I can take care of the doctor bills, Zack. You just concentrate on our home, okay?”

He sighed, feeling inept but unable to refute her logic. “Gotta do what the lady says,” he murmured.

~******************************~

Early the next morning after Zack left for work, Cloud made a suggestion that Tifa thought was brilliant as the two women were heading out the door.

“Hey Tif, why don’t you take Aerith to your doctor? She’s going to need one.”

Tifa stopped and looked at Aerith with a smile. “That’s a good idea. What do you think, Aerith? My doctor’s really fair with the medical bills and I like her. You do need to start getting prenatal care. I can phone in a morning appointment and we can do our shopping afterwards.”

Aerith nodded without hesitation. “I trust your judgment. If you like her than I’m willing to give her a try.”

Denzel grumbled crossly and pushed his scrambled eggs around absently on the plate. Cloud smirked softly at the boy, knowing he was trying his best not to be jealous over Zack and Aerith’s forthcoming wedding. Denzel understood what was going on and though he obviously knew Aerith wasn’t for him, he couldn’t be expected to drop his crush on her immediately.

“Denzel, don’t be late for school,” Tifa advised as she walked out the door with Aerith.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.

Cloud finished his breakfast and patted the boy on the shoulder in passing as he went to clean his dish and put it away.

~****************************~

Tifa couldn’t get an early morning appointment for Aerith, so they had a couple of hours to burn before going to the clinic. She took Aerith to a dress rental shop across town first and when they didn’t find anything there that really suited her, they went to a standard dress shop to look for something that could be altered or serve as a reasonable substitute. Aerith found a pale pink dress that she really liked but Tifa shook her head.

“It needs to at least be white,” insisted the barmaid.

“That’s just tradition to represent purity,” Aerith argued as she admired the mermaid-cut gown. “Since I’m not a virgin anymore what difference would it make to tradition?”

Tifa tried to think of a counter-argument for that, but she had to admit her friend had a good point. It was a lovely dress too, if a bit plain. “Why don’t we ask the clerk to set this aside for you, then? We can look at a couple more places after your appointment and lunch and if you still want this one, we’ll come back for it.”

“I can agree to that,” Aerith said with a nod.

They had to pay a small fee to put the dress aside but inwardly, Aerith was almost sure it was the one for her, so she didn’t mind. They left the shop and Tifa drove them back across town to the clinic not far from her home and business. They walked through the doors together and Aerith had to fill out some papers before checking in. Tifa helped her with them, since the Cetra wasn’t as familiar with medical forms. Having no health insurance, Aerith was at a bit of a disadvantage financially but Tifa picked this clinic because they allowed bulk billing.

“You’re all set,” Tifa told her friend when she looked over Aerith’s forms.

She turned the paperwork in and they waited to be called back. She noticed Aerith biting her lip nervously and she patted her hand supportively. “Don’t worry. Dr. Marsh is really good and she’s gentle when she give examinations.”

“Oh, it isn’t that,” Aerith assured her softly. “Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. I just wonder if I should have a professional pregnancy test done here. I want to be sure. I’d really hate to disappoint Zack, after how excited he was yesterday when the stick test came up positive.”

“And I’ll bet you want to be sure for your own piece of mind, too,” guessed Tifa. “Don’t worry, she’ll give you a blood test before she starts you on any prenatal vitamins anyway. That’s standard practice.”

“Aerith Gainsborough?” Called one of the nurses from the hallway.

Aerith and Tifa stood up and went to the nurse. “Down this hallway and into the second room on your left, please,” directed the nurse.

~**********************************~

They left the clinic with a few pamphlets containing pregnancy and birth information, a list of suggestions concerning diet and exercise. Tifa was right and Aerith did like the doctor. The woman was middle-aged, light-hearted and reassuring. She told Aerith she would get the test results sometime tomorrow and she wanted to get her started on prenatal care as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed.

They had lunch in a local deli and tried three more dress shops after that. Aerith was surprised to find a cream-colored dress that was the same cut and fashion as the pink one she’d put aside in the other shop earlier. It was even less expensive than the one she originally picked out. Seeing the approving look in Tifa’s eyes, Aerith decided to take it. She could wear a pink or pale blue sash to add a little color to it, if she needed to.

They left the store with her new dress and by the time they returned to the house, Aerith was having one of her attacks of “evening sickness”—only this time it was a bit early because she was worn out from all the shopping. Tifa took her new dress and put it away for her while Aerith made tracks for the bathroom. Denzel saw her hurrying his way down the hall and he politely opened the bathroom door for her, guessing by the pallor in her complexion and the way her hand was clamped over her mouth that she was going to be sick. Aerith blurted her thanks before shutting the bathroom door behind her and retching into the toilet.

“Has Cloud come home yet?” Tifa asked her adopted son as she exited the small room Aerith was staying in.

“Not yet,” Denzel announced. “He left a message saying he was running late because he got a flat tire on the way home.”

Tifa nodded, unsurprised. Cloud usually ran into minor complications like that once or twice a month. “Do you need any help with your homework?”

“No, it’s just spelling. I’ve got it handled.”

“Okay. I’m going to open up the bar. When you get hungry, just let me know and I’ll have Aerith or my barmaid mind the bar while I cook something for you.”

“I can cook for myself,” Denzel said with a shrug. He winced when he heard Aerith’s tortured heaving. “Besides, I don’t think Ms. Gainsborough is in any shape to pour drinks, right now.”

Tifa considered him for a moment before going into the kitchen and looking through the fridge. There really wasn’t anything healthy to put together there, and she didn’t want him eating a sandwich or chips for dinner. She checked the freezer and found a frozen casserole she’d made last week for just such an emergency. She pulled it out and put it in the oven, setting the temperature and the timer.

“That will take a couple of hours to cook but make sure you listen for the timer and pull it out when it goes off,” Tifa instructed as Denzel joined her into the kitchen. “And don’t forget to use oven mitts. I don’t need to end up rushing you to the emergency clinic with burns.”

Denzel heaved a sigh but he nodded. As much as he pretended otherwise, he appreciated Tifa’s lectures because they reminded him that she loved him.

~*******************************~

“Feeling better now?” Tifa asked as Aerith came downstairs into the bar. She still looked a little pale but the green tint had faded from her skin.

Aerith nodded and made herself a glass of ice water, sipping it as she began to wipe down the surface of the bar. “If I’m not pregnant, there’s got to be something else wrong with me,” she complained.

Tifa gave her a sympathetic look as she started setting up the chairs around the tables. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’ll see…they’ll call you tomorrow and you’ll have your confirmation.”

Aerith studied her searchingly, wondering if all the support Tifa was giving her might be wrecking her inside. “Tifa, are you okay?”

Tifa didn’t look at her. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”

Aerith struggled for words. “Well, because you and Cloud have been trying…and I got pregnant by accident. It doesn’t seem fair.”

Tifa shot a patient smile over her shoulder at the Cetra. “The only thing that’s going to get on my nerves is you constantly asking if I’m okay. I might envy your pregnancy but I don’t envy how it happened and I know it’s scary for you right now. I’m your friend, remember?”

Aerith nodded and finished drinking her water. She still felt a little bad about it but Tifa was capable of rising above her own problems. Maybe Aerith could find some way to help her and Cloud out, if they weren’t successful soon. Aerith furrowed her brows and thought it over. Yes, with her abilities, there just might be a way for her to give her friends a boost, if they really needed one. She kept her thoughts to herself as she continued working. It was too soon to worry about that and she had to think about how she would go about doing it, anyhow.

Zack came in just as Tifa set the last chair down. He greeted them both with his customary, warm smile and he ducked under the bar to catch Aerith around the waist and give her a squeeze and a “hello” kiss.

“So, how’d it go today?” he murmured.

“We found a dress,” answered Aerith. “It’s not a formal wedding dress but it’s pretty and comfortable. I can doctor it up a little if I need to.”

“Great! So what happened with the doctor? Did you get some prenatal vitamins and an appointment schedule?” Zack’s enthusiasm was evident and it made Aerith smile.

“They’ll call tomorrow when they confirm the test was positive,” she explained. “Meanwhile I’ve got some information pamphlets and a list of things I should eat more of and avoid eating.”

Zack pulled back and gave her a puzzled look. “But you’ve already gotten positive test results.”

“The doctor has to confirm it before she starts her on prenatal appointments and vitamins,” Tifa chimed in, seeing the awkward expression on Aerith’s face.

“Oh, okay.” Zack kissed Aerith again and ducked back under the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. “So where’s Spike? Still out on the road?”

“As far as I know,” Tifa answered. She turned the sign on the door to “open” and unlocked it before getting behind the bar and grabbing a beer from the cooler for Zack. “Want the TV on?”

“Nah, I’m fine chatting with you two,” answered Zack. “So what else did you do today?”

Aerith shrugged. “Nothing special. We shopped, went to the clinic, had lunch and shopped some more.”

Zack took a swig of his beer. “Um…yeah…that’s juicy. Maybe you could turn that TV on for me after all, eh Tifa?”

With a smirk, the brunette complied. The door chime rang as someone came in and she turned to see Cloud walking through the door. He nodded a greeting to Aerith and Zack but his eyes were fixed on Tifa. A bit concerned that something was wrong, Tifa ducked under the bar and prepared to circle around to greet him. He approached her without slowing or stopping and his Mako-bright eyes were oddly intense.

“Cloud, is everything okay?” Tifa asked as he closed the distance.

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he put an arm around her waist and practically dragged her with him towards the stairs leading to up to their living space.

“Cloud, what are you doing?” Tifa’s voice was practically shrill with alarmed surprise as she tried to resist.

“Something we should be doing every chance we get,” he answered in a low voice, continuing to drag her.

“B-but…the bar! Customers are going to start coming in and my barmaid isn’t here yet!”

Cloud looked at Aerith and Zack. “Can you guys handle it for a while?”

The other couple looked at each other with raised eyebrows before Zack nodded and hid his mouth behind his hand. “Sure, buddy. Go for it.” He dodged as Aerith balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “What’d I say?”

Cloud nodded and didn’t waste another moment. He pulled his sputtering wife with him and hurried up the stairs while Zack snickered and Aerith fumed.

“Geez Cloud…why not just clunk her over the head with a club, next time!” Aerith called after him.

“Like you did with me?” Zack’s voice countered.

Aerith grumbled in response.

~**********************************~

Tifa stumbled in behind Cloud as he pushed the door open and pulled her in with him. She opened her mouth to snap at him but he picked her up and caught her lips in a searing kiss before she could blurt a single thing. He kicked the door shut unceremoniously behind them as he carried her down the hallway.

“Oh, yuck.”

Cloud paused at the exclamation of disgust and he peered into the living room, where Denzel had just looked up from his homework to see him mauling Tifa while carrying her. He flushed a little but he refused to allow it to deter him. “Do your homework.”

Denzel immediately dropped his eyes. “I’m going to need brain bleach,” he griped as he scribbled something down in his notebook and shook his head.

Cloud swiftly carried Tifa the rest of the way to their bedroom and pushed the door open with one foot. As soon as he carried her through the door, he leaned back against it to shut it again and he kissed her hard when she started to speak. This time, she was smiling into his kiss and he knew he’d get no further arguments from her.

Cloud carried Tifa to their bed and he deposited her on it and immediately started taking her shoes and socks off. She helped him, finding herself highly turned-on by his abrupt aggression. This was how it had been before he’d gone away to seek a cure for Denzel’s Geostigma…before he’d contracted it himself and become estranged from her. She imagined it helped that they were trying to conceive but it seemed the more his guilt faded, the more his passion and confidence grew.

He kicked his shoes off and yanked his socks off once he was finished with hers and his hands busily undid her jeans and pulled them down with deft haste. Tifa pulled her legs out of them and she didn’t resist as her panties came off next. His hands slipped under her t-shirt and fumbled with her bra clasp for a moment before unhooking it. She helped him pull the garment off but he shook his head when she started to remove her t-shirt.

“Leave it on,” he said in a lust-ravaged voice. The thought of taking her in her t-shirt made his libido flare to painful levels and he groaned softly as he nibbled her lips and started working on getting his pants undone. “I’ll make it up to you later,” he promised, some part of him feeling a twinge of guilt over what he knew was going to be a frantic coupling.

Tifa could have told him there was nothing to make up for. She was ready for him, having reacted strongly to the way his body language said he had to have her right now. His fingers stroked experimentally against her moist slit as he undid his pants and she moaned and pushed into the touch. His thumb brushed against the hardened little nub and she bucked and grabbed his ass desperately.

“Roll over,” Cloud suggested in a gasp.

Tifa didn’t question him. She did as he demanded and she gasped as he grabbed her hips and pulled her down so that her upper half was lying on the mattress and her feet were planted on the floor. He bowed over her and she felt his breath against her cheek as he urged her legs further apart with his thigh and shifted behind her. Tifa bit her lip on a moan as his cock nudged into her and drove in deep. He panted heavily against her ear and brushed her hair aside as he started to pump. His hands caught hold of hers and squeezed them in a gesture that was half restraining and half supportive and he groaned heavily.

Tifa lifted her head and tilted it back, calling his name breathlessly as he took her with vigor that made her body shudder all over. She shifted her hips back and forth, trying to keep up with his thrusts and keep her voice down at the same time. His hands released hers and one of them clamped over her mouth, while the other one slid between her body and the mattress to fondle her breasts one at a time. Tifa’s muffled outbursts of pleasure grew louder as his humping became more enthusiastic and she pulled so hard on the bed sheets that she tugged them free from under the mattress. The hand that was stroking her breasts slid down to cup her right hip and Tifa allowed him to guide her motions.

Cloud’s soft hair tickled her cheek as he nuzzled her neck and nibbled her ear. Despite his forceful thrusts and rough groans of pleasure and need, his lips were gentle in contrast. She turned her head and pried his hand away from her mouth so she could kiss him full on the lips. Their tongues caressed and Cloud slowed down the speed of his thrusts and deepened them. He slipped both hands under her body to cup her breasts and he broke the kiss to rest his chin on her shoulder.

Tifa felt the familiar tension mounting in her pelvis and she wriggled against him desperately, letting him know she was close. He knew what she wanted and he provided it, thrusting in at different angles until she gasped sharply and nodded. He kept at it and she panted with growing ecstasy as his pumping drove her closer to the brink. She felt his body tensing and she knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Tifa made herself relax and she concentrated solely on feeling his hard length sliding in and out of her. She listened to the sound of his low moans, appreciating the passionate timbre of his voice. Within moments, the throbbing began and she bowed her head and whimpered in approval.

He kept his thrusts steady until her clenching slowed down and he could no longer hold back. Cloud lost control as the pleasure broke and he bucked his hips in a sharp, fast rhythm and embraced Tifa around the waist. He cried out raggedly as he started to come and he pushed deep into her and held it there, filling her with his release. He closed his eyes as it died off and he kissed her on the shoulder and neck.

“Bought you something,” Cloud murmured breathlessly after a moment.

“Did you?” Tifa asked, smiling lazily as his weight pressed her down on the bed.

His lips moved with sated tenderness over her skin. “Mm-hmm. It’s in my jacket.” He eased off of her and helped her scoot further onto the bed before pulling his pants back up and fastening them. He reached into an inner pocket of his jacket with a little wince. When he produced a small cardboard box, he sighed with relief. “Thought I might have crushed it.”

“What is it?” Tifa sat up and looked at the box curiously as he handed it to her.

“Kind of an apology gift,” Cloud answered, lowering his eyes.

Tifa tried not to grin as she took the box. “So you planned this before you even came home.”

Cloud shrugged, his face flushing a little now that his lust was appeased. “I just had a feeling…open it.”

Tifa did as he advised and pulled the lid off of the little box to reveal a small glass hummingbird. It was connected to a string and a suction cup, presumably so that it could be hung on a window to catch the sunlight. She smiled and cupped the back of Cloud’s head to pull him closer for a kiss.

“That’s sweet,” she murmured. “Un-necessary, but thoughtful.”

“So you like it?” Cloud peeked at her and she wanted to squeeze him until he popped.

“Very much. You don’t have to bring me a gift when you jump me, though.” She smirked and felt a blush rise in her cheeks to match his. “I think it was pretty obvious I had fun, once I got over the surprise.”

Cloud shrugged again. “I just want you to know I appreciate you, even when I’m acting…like a caveman.” He thought of Aerith’s last words before he dragged Tifa into the house and he grimaced. She wasn’t exactly wrong in her observations and he’d been so horny by the time he got halfway home he knew he was going to pull a Neanderthal move on his wife.

“You weren’t being a caveman,” Tifa chuckled. “You were passionate. I liked it.”

~**************************************~

Tifa pursed her lips and tried not to blush when she returned downstairs to bartend and both of her friends gave her knowing looks. Her hired barmaid had arrived and she was serving a round of shots and a pitcher of beer to a table of four. Tifa cleared her throat as she ducked behind the bar and surveyed the handful of customers in the tavern. Zack sidled over next to her and winked—she did her best to ignore him but he nudged her while she was checking the liquor to see if she needed to restock any of it.

“Stop that,” Tifa muttered out the corner of her mouth. “Act your age.”

“Someone’s face is red,” he murmured, unperturbed. Aerith thankfully had more tact than her fiancé and she’d already gone around to the small room behind the bar to get her flower arrangements ready for sale.

“If someone’s face is red,” Tifa countered, “it’s only because someone else is acting like a pervert.”

“That hurts, Tif.” Zack was grinning at her, belying his claim that she’d hurt his feelings. “I’m just trying to be supportive of you and Chocobo Head.”

“Then do it without trying to humiliate me.” Tifa smirked sidelong at him, finding it difficult to retain annoyance with the light-hearted fighter. This was the Zack she knew and loved. No matter how irritating his playful teasing could be, she’d missed him and she was glad they’d managed to bring him out of the darkness. The earlier grimness and coldness he’d expressed while under Sephiroth’s corruptive influence had been jarring for her, and she could only imagine how much it had hurt Aerith to see him that way.

“So where is our golden boy, anyhow?” Zack asked her as he filled a mug with draft for one of the customers at the bar. “Is he afraid I’ll pick on him if he comes down?”

“Would you blame him if he was?” countered Tifa with a reciprocal nudge of her own. “But no, he’s not hiding from you. He’s moving his desk and computer into our bedroom and he’s got some financial figures to go over.”

Aerith came out with her basket of flowers and she overhead what Tifa said. The Cetra frowned with guilt and bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. “If I weren’t sleeping in his office, he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Tifa insisted. “He just didn’t want to invade your privacy by working in your room, is all. You know you’re both welcome to stay with us, for as long as you like.”

“It could get pretty crowded here if we stay too long,” Zack muttered. He glanced at Aerith and his eyes automatically went to her slender waist and flat stomach. “Remember, it’s not going to be just the two of us at the end of the year.”

Tifa shrugged and started walking to the other end of the bar, where one of the patrons was waving for service. “That’s still a long way off and even if you don’t have a place by then, we’ll make due. Both of you just stop worrying about it, okay?”

~***********************************~

Later that evening after closing the bar for the night, they wound down together in the living room and watched the late news. Denzel was playing a handheld game in the armchair and the adults were lined up on the couch. Zack had his arm around Aerith and she was leaning into his embrace sleepily, with her head on his shoulder.

“Another bombing this afternoon by the terrorist group known as ‘AVALANCHE’ caused an estimated two-hundred thousand gil worth of destruction to the electricity plant near Junon harbor this afternoon.”

Everyone tensed and Zack sat up straighter and leaned forward as Cloud turned the volume up with the remote. The reporter went on to explain that six workers were killed in the explosion and twenty-three were injured. The camera cut to a live feed of Rufus Shinra himself, who was standing outside of the recently built WRO/ShinRa headquarters in Junon.

“Now Mr. President…are these the same terrorists that attacked your company’s Mako reactors four years ago?”

“No, they are not,” confirmed Rufus. “This group is made up of entirely different people and I suspect they’re using the name ‘AVALANCHE’ not only to create public confusion, but also as a sad attempt at irony.”

“You say ‘irony’, Sir. Does that mean you can confirm that the leader is in fact the former Weapons Department Director of ShinRa?”

Rufus’s mouth pressed into a hard line. “As far as we’re able to tell, that’s correct. Whether Scarlet is the actual leader or acting on behalf of an unknown enemy has yet to be seen.”

“What are ShinRa and the WRO doing about this threat, Sir?”

Rufus’s sculpted face took on a slightly irritated expression. “We’re tracking them and organizing a strike force to end the threat. In the meantime, I advise all civilians to report any suspicious activity they see to the WRO domestic security hotline. Do not attempt to intervene yourself if you see someone conducting terrorist activities. Notify the authorities and evacuate the premises immediately. Any tips leading to the capture of this group will be rewarded, naturally.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Back to you, Terry.”

The interview ended and the camera switched back to the anchorman, who began to report less serious news before moving on to the weather report. Cloud glanced over and Zack and saw the stony expression on his face. He muted the television and looked at his friend full-on.

“If they need our help, they’ll contact us.”

Zack nodded, his eyes still narrowed on the TV. His hand absently rubbed Aerith’s shoulder and he seemed to be deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind, Zack?” Tifa asked, though she could guess it had something to do with fantasies about his hands wrapping around Scarlet’s throat.

“I think it’s time for me to get in touch with ShinRa and tell them what I know about Scarlet and her tactics,” Zack admitted with a grimace. “Sooner or later this crap’s going to hit closer to home and I don’t want that happening.” He impulsively squeezed Aerith and dropped his free hand over her belly in an unconscious, protective gesture.

Tifa smiled in response to Zack’s vigilant action and words, thinking he was going to make a great father despite his moments of apparent immaturity. “I think that’s the right thing to do.”

Denzel glanced up from his video game and frowned. “You’re turning yourself in?” the boy asked. His eyes went straight to Aerith. While he was a little jealous of Zack’s relationship with the pretty Cetra, he didn’t want to see Aerith sad or alone. He was old enough to understand her situation and he didn’t like to think she might be stuck having a baby without Zack at her side.

“That’s kind of an extreme way of putting it,” Zack answered dryly. “I’m going to offer them some information to help bring Scarlet and her gang in…or get rid of them—whichever happens first. Hopefully my help will be enough to convince them not to arrest me.”

Cloud considered the situation silently for a moment, before speaking up. “I’m sure Rufus already knows where you are, since he had Reno and Rude come with us when we got you. If he wanted to arrest you he’d have already tried it by now.”

“I think Rufus knew you weren’t yourself when you were with Scarlet’s group,” Tifa offered. “He deliberately threw hints at us and encouraged Cloud to get you out of there before he sent the strike teams to Fort Condor. I don’t understand his methods but I think in his own way, he was trying to help.”

“Even so,” Cloud added with a frown, “I wouldn’t talk to Rufus first. If you’re going to do this, talk to Reeve. The president’s shady when it comes to guessing what he’ll do.”

Zack chuckled. “Didn’t he help out against the Remnants and fund the WRO in the first place? From what I’ve seen he’s not like his father.”

“But he also tried to have Tifa and Barret executed as scapegoats when Meteor was summoned,” Cloud reminded.

Zack’s expression hardened. “Right. That. I see what you mean and now I remember why I started calling him ‘Ruthless Rufus’ while I watched what was happening from the Lifestream.”

Cloud nodded. “He helps when it suits him the most and he doesn’t mind turning around and stabbing the same people he’s helping in the back if he thinks he’ll get more out of it. Tomorrow, we’ll call up Reeve and you can talk to him about it.”

“Sounds cool.” Zack agreed. He lowered his eyes and sighed. “Man, Rufus’s Dad really messed him up, didn’t he?”

Cloud shrugged. “I don’t care what made him the way he is. Just remember not to assume anything when it comes to him.”

~************************************~

Zack decided to accept Aerith’s invitation to join her in her bed that night, but to her supreme irritation, he kissed her and held her with careful restraint…and he was fully clothed in a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt. She didn’t own any “sexy” nightgowns but she tugged the hem of her long garment up and threw a bare leg over his as they cuddled under the sheets. The action provoked a deeper kiss from him, followed by a slow caress of his hand up her outer thigh. Aerith parted her lips coaxingly and his tongue carefully eased in to stroke hers. It only lasted for a moment before it retreated and he broke the kiss, but it made her desire for him spike to the point where her stomach did a flip—like she was on a roller coaster.

“Zack, I won’t break,” she complained softly as she planted little kisses over his jaw and chin.

“I know that,” he snorted. “I’m just trying to keep it tame, here. I meant what I said when I told you I’d rather wait for our wedding night, sweet cheeks.”

Aerith came close to biting him in her frustration.

~You stubborn, stupid jerk! You did this to me and now that my hormones are going crazy, you won’t do anything about it!~

She somehow refrained from criticizing him out loud. As satisfying as it would be to her temper if she cut loose and reminded him again of how stupid it was to be noble now, she knew how stubborn Zackary Fair could be. Maybe a compromise could be worked out? She hadn’t gotten the chance to explore him, the one night they were together. She’d been too nervous, too self-conscious and too shocked by what was happening to do it. The male body was still a stranger to her and at least some of her frustration might be appeased if she could familiarize herself with Zack’s. She remembered what he looked like naked and she groaned before she could stop herself.

“What was that?” Zack asked with a breathless laugh when he heard the sound uttered against his skin.

Aerith poked him in the ribs, making him jump. “That was me suffering because you won’t cooperate,” she said peevishly. “Zack, did you know that some women get…er…more…um…excited…when they’re expecting?”

“Excited?” He frowned thoughtfully at her as he repeated the word. Seeing the look in her eye, he caught on quickly. “Oh, you mean horny?”

Aerith blushed and nodded, lowering her gaze. “You’re the one that did this to me, so I think you should fix it.”

Zack laughed some more. “What are you going to do to me if I don’t do what you say?” His amusement was growing as rapidly as Aerith’s annoyance and he knew he was on the road to trouble, but he just couldn’t resist teasing her a little.

“You’re talking to a cavewoman, remember?” Aerith reminded, only half-joking. “My staff’s right under the bed, mister. Don’t make me reach for it.”

“Ah, right,” Zack agreed, biting off a snicker as her eyes flashed in the moonlight. “You know, we don’t have to go all the way to take care of that. I just have to control myself long enough to ‘fix it’.”

“If you’re that afraid of losing control, you don’t have to do anything but lay here.” Aerith smirked when he gave her an openly confused look. “You never gave me the chance to get to know your body, Zack. I think I could be happy with that, for now.” She slid her hand over his chest and rested it against his heart while she waited for his response.

“Umm…” Zack was at a loss for words. He was used to making the first move and for someone as sweet and pure as Aerith to be so aggressive threw him for a loop. “You sure about this?”

He got his answer a moment later when the hand that was resting on his chest slid down and pulled the covers down before burrowing under his shirt. He embraced her and closed the short distance between their mouths for a kiss. His first instinct was to reciprocate but he knew that if he touched her too much, his desire for her would get the better of him and he’d break his oath. Zack murmured her name against her mouth and deepened the kiss as her hand delicately explored his chest and stomach beneath the t-shirt. He slid his hand around from her back and rested it on her hip, fighting inwardly to resist the temptation to grope.

Aerith’s actions were hesitant but determined. She returned his kisses and her hand slowly slipped down lower, until it was caressing his abdomen just above his waistline. Zack shivered against his will as her fingers skimmed the fine dusting of hair starting below his navel and traced it down where it grew thicker. He murmured a muffled warning into her mouth as her fingers began to slip under the elastic waist of his jogging pants. She pulled her lips away from his and looked at him with curious jade eyes.

“Is it really that hard to control yourself, Zack?”

He blurted a shaken laugh before he could stop himself. “Hard…hmmm, good choice of words there, sweetheart.” He tensed involuntarily as her hand eased into his pants and he drew a deep breath. “Aerith, I’ve never let things go this far without…you know.”

“Then you’re just going to have to try,” she countered smoothly. Gathering her courage, she held his gaze as she slid her hand fully into his pants and easily located the straining bulge in his underwear. She was unreasonably perturbed that he’d worn undies underneath the pants and she sighed.

“I never would have thought you’d be such a prude, Zack.” She swallowed her shyness and felt him up through the cotton boxer briefs, making his eyes flutter shut briefly with pleasure. Zack really did have an arresting pair of eyes, in her opinion. The intensity of the Mako shading made the amethyst color stand out, complimenting his fair complexion and raven hair. He had some of the thickest eyelashes she’d ever seen on a guy before—which was probably why he made women melt when he cast his “come hither” looks at them.

Aerith watched his lips part and listened to his soft, restrained groan as she gently squeezed him through the underwear and stroked up and down the length of his hardness. He opened his eyes again and they flashed in the darkness briefly, before his mouth caught hers once more in a more demanding kiss than before. She parted her lips to allow his tongue access when it stroked insistently against them and she stroked it with her own as it thrust into her mouth.

Now more aroused than shy, Aerith pushed her hand into his underwear to grasp his cock. It was warm and rigid and velvety in her hand. She brushed her thumb over the spongy, mushroom head of the organ and found it damp with a bit of slippery fluid. Zack’s breath caught again and he squeezed her around the waist. His pelvis rocked as if it had a mind of its own, pushing his sex further into her gripping hand. Aerith had no real experience with pleasuring a man but she was very good at listening to her instincts. She took advantage of that talent and paid careful attention to his reactions as she experimentally fondled, stroked and squeezed his erection.

“Baby, that’s so good,” Zack breathed, his breath hot against her neck as he burrowed his face there and drew deep, ragged breaths. He was gently pumping his hips, unconsciously urging her on despite his earlier reluctance. Aerith obliged gladly, fascinated by the feel of his rigid shaft and the different expressions, sounds and physical reactions she was drawing from him. His hand was squeezing her bottom but he made no other moves to touch her. She felt a tremor go through his body and she knew he was struggling to restrain himself. It made a thrill go through her and she sought his lips out again, this time initiating the kiss with aggression that surprised her.

“Zack,” Aerith breathed when he broke the kiss after a moment to moan huskily. She never would have imagined herself feeling so confident and so…possessive. The more she provoked those sounds from him, the more she wanted to feel his hard flesh thrusting inside of her again. She knew he wouldn’t make love to her without some heavy coercion on her part, though.

~I’ve already pressured him enough and gotten my way. Maybe it wouldn’t be unfair for me to manipulate him after the way he seduced me that night, but he wasn’t thinking straight then and I don’t have that excuse now.~

Zack’s ragged warning broke into the Cetra’s thoughts. “Aerith…if you keep that up I’m gonna cream on both of us.” His body was tensing of its own accord and he was panting harder with each moment.

Though she wasn’t familiar with the slang, Aerith understood what he was telling her. She knew she should stop before it happened but she told herself that would be unbelievably cruel of her, to get him so excited only to quit at the last minute. Playing on the cautious side, she shifted so that she could move her other arm out from under her and she tugged his shirt up a bit, then followed with a brief struggle to pull his pants and underwear down enough to expose him.

“You’re not going to stop,” gasped the ex-Soldier with a crooked grin. “Are you?”

Aerith smiled at him and blushed, shaking her head. “Nope. I don’t want to and I don’t think you really want me to, either.”

Zack clenched his jaw, trying to hold back another moan. “For such an innocent little thing,” he panted, “you’re pretty aggressive.”

Aerith shrugged and lowered her eyes. She caught sight of her hand stroking up and down the stiff length of his naked cock and she stared in fascination. This was the first chance she’d had to get a good look at it and she was chagrined to realize she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She’d heard people describe the male penis as ugly or weird before, but now that she had the opportunity to scrutinize the organ up close herself she couldn’t agree with those assertions. She wouldn’t call it “pretty” but Aerith didn’t find anything “ugly” about it, either. The only adjective she could think of for the way it looked to her was “interesting”.

“I wouldn’t look too close,” warned Zack with a breathless chuckle. “You could get something in your eye pretty soon and from what I hear, the stuff really burns.”

Aerith then realized that she’d been unconsciously moving her head lower in her study of his groin. She blushed even harder than before but she didn’t stop fondling him. Little beads of clear, syrupy fluid kept forming on the tiny hole in the tip of his glans and she smoothed her thumb over them each time, slicking the fluid over the cap of his sex until it glistened in the moonlight. He tensed a little more each time she did this and she forced her eyes away from the sight to look at his face again. Zack was biting his lip and there was a flush creeping over his cheekbones. When she smoothed another drop of liquid over the head of his cock, his face tensed and he gasped. Intrigued, she rubbed the tip in little circles with the pad of her thumb while gripping the length of his sex.

“Ah…oh, honey…that’s…unh!” Zack hissed through his teeth and trembled, revealing that the slit she was stimulating was highly sensitive.

Unable to resist, Aerith kissed his panting mouth and reached down with her other hand. She rubbed the head of his cock with it while stroking the length with her other hand and the results were quite satisfying. Aerith never imagined she’d see Zack Fair looking so vulnerable. Even less likely to her was the possibility of ever hearing him whimper like that. She was vaguely aware of the slippery moisture in her panties as her lust made her body naturally prepare for something that wasn’t going to happen.

“Aerith,” Zack groaned, humping her stroking hand mindlessly. “That…that’s it for me, baby…I’m…I’m coming…ohhh…ahh…” He buried his face against her neck again and his body went completely taut.

Aerith felt an odd sense of power and satisfaction as Zack’s straining sex pulsed in her grip and he shuddered against her. She felt a warm spurt of fluid against the hand that she was stroking his glans with and she looked down and watched another spurt ejaculate from his sex. His face felt heated against her skin and for a moment, she feared he’d forgotten how to breathe. With one last shivering grunt, Zack expelled the last of his seed and went limp and trembling against her body.

“I don’t care what anyone says,” Zack panted after catching his breath. “Doing it to yourself is nothing compared to having it done to you.”

Aerith didn’t immediately comprehend what he was saying, but she blamed that on her own fascination with his softening groin. He gasped in a way that told her he was overly sensitive and she stopped stroking him and gently held his sated length in her hand as he recovered. She kissed him tenderly, ignoring the mess on her hand and nightgown.

“I liked making you feel good that way,” Aerith admitted in a bashful whisper. She was grinning like a fool but she couldn’t help it. True, she was still practically throbbing with unrelieved need but the experience of making him groan and shudder like that had been very gratifying, for her.

Zack looked at her somewhat sheepishly before glancing down at the blotches of evidence he’d left in the wake of his pleasure. “Um…there’s really no way to get a guy off without making a mess like that,” he apologized.

Aerith chuckled, feeling giddy. “It’s okay. I’m not completely ignorant about this kind of thing, you know. I do read.”

The partial leer Zack gave her made her immediately wish she’d phrased her comment differently.

“What kind of stuff do you read that has this sort of thing in it, hmm?” He nuzzled her cheek and brought his lips to her ear, kissing her on the temple. “Does my girl like smut?”

“No!” Aerith shivered in response to the feel of his lips even as she cringed with mortification. “Unless you think biology is smutty!”

Zack shrugged and pulled back to grin at her. “It can be, with the right author.”

Aerith gave him a mock slap on the chest. “You’re going to ruin the afterglow, Zack.”

He grimaced. “What afterglow? I’m the only one that got off.” His eyes roved over her and she blinked when she felt his cock stir in her hand. “I could fix that, though. I might need to put an icepack on my balls to keep ‘Little Zack’ in line but I hate to leave a lady unsatisfied.”

Aerith giggled at the mental picture of Zack torturing himself with a cold pack to see to her needs. “You talk like it’s a separate person.” She gave the shaft that she was holding a single, gentle pull and it started to thicken in her hand again.

Zack groaned and shut his eyes. “Now look here, if you want me to take care of you, you’ll have to stop doing that.” He reached down and guided her hand away from his groin. “This thing might as well be a separate person, gorgeous. It’s got a mind of its own and sometimes it stands at attention just from the sight of you.”

“You don’t need to take care of me,” she insisted with sleepy satisfaction. “That can wait until later.”

“You sure?”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “I’m tired, anyway. I just wanted to get to know your body a little better.”

He kissed her swiftly and looked around with a frown. There were no tissues on hand and he’s have to pull his pants up to leave the room and clean up in the bathroom—which would result in messing his underwear and jogging pants. He spotted the laundry basket across the room and he shrugged. Those clothes were dirty anyhow…a little spunk wouldn’t make a difference. He scooted away from his lover and sat up carefully, avoiding getting any of the mess on the clothes he was wearing.

“Be right back,” he told Aerith as he got up and awkwardly crossed the room to grab one of his t-shirts out of the basket. He wiped himself off and returned to the bed, checking to be sure none of it got on Aerith’s nightgown before requesting that she hold her hands out for him to wipe off. “It’s not the best way to clean up, but at least you can go wash your hands now without the gunk all over them.”

Aerith found his comment strangely funny and she laughed softly. “It would have made opening the door a little tricky,” she agreed.

Zack smiled and tossed the shirt back in the basket before offering his hand to her. She took it and allowed him to help her up. She was about to comment on what a gentleman he was being as she walked to the door, but his hand lightly swatted her on the butt as she passed by him and she gave him a dirty look, instead.

Zack spread his hands and responded to her glare with a wolfish smile. “Can’t blame me for taking some liberties, after that.”

~**************************************~

-To be continued