FFVII Halloween Special

"Cloud! Tifa!" Marlene called from upstairs, running down the stairs as she came towards the two adult.

Tifa laughed at the sight. Marlene had been messing around with the face paints, trying to decide what she should be for Halloween, so there were streaks of random colors all over her skin. "Yes?" she asked curiously, bending over slightly as she rested her hands on her bent knees.

"Denzel's trying to scare me with his ghost stories! Tell him to stop!" Marlene whined, her bottom lip sticking out as she pouted.

Tifa couldn't help but smile at the girl. She looked quite cute, with her arms crossed, her chin held high, and that little pout. She stood up straight, looking over at the blond she had come to love of the years, who was cleaning up a few dishes behind the bar. Her eyes shined when they met with his gaze, like they always did when he looked at her.

The corners of Cloud's mouth turned up in a small smile as he looked at Tifa before turning his gaze back to Marlene. He put the dishes that he held, down in the sink as he walked over to the young brunette. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "Why don't we go have a talk with Denzel then. Sound good?" he asked, a joking edge to his tone.

Marlene grinned and nodded. "Mmhm!" she said happily, the fake tears and her frown wiped from her face. She clung to Cloud as he carried her up the stairs, feeling safe in his arms. She liked how Cloud would go out of his way to spend time with her and Denzel when he didn't have to work. It was quite different from before the time when Kadaj and his gang, Loz and Yazoo, tried to take over Midgar. It was nice having Cloud around the house again.

Cloud placed Marlene down when he reached Denzel's room. "Denzel, Marlene's been telling me that you've been trying to scare her." he said, standing in the doorway.

Marlene squeezed in beside him, placing her hands on her hips as she frowned at Denzel.

"Aw, come on! I was only joking. Plus, it's Halloween!" Denzel said with a lopsided grin, laughing at the expression on Marlene's face.

"Well, it wasn't funny!" Marlene complained, looking up to Cloud for help.

Cloud couldn't resit giving a soft chuckle as he listened to the two bicker. "Leave the scaring for tonight, will you?" he directed to Denzel.

The young boy sighed and plopped down on his bed. "Fine..." he grumbled.

Marlene giggled in satisfaction, but before she could walk out of the room, Cloud nudged her with his elbow. "Thanks." she said quickly to Denzel before skipping out of the room.

Cloud followed her out, taking his time to walk down the stairs and back to the bar.

Tifa smiled up at him, walking over to meet him halfway. She put her arms around her his neck, Cloud slipping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She giggled, resting her head against his chest. "Mmm, I love you." she said softly, but happily.

"I love you, too." Cloud said, a small smile growing on his face. He leaned down and kissed her hair lightly, closing his eyes as he drank her in.

"Denzel!" Marlene's cry echoed through the building, followed quick after by Denzel saying, "I didn't do it this time!"

Tifa sighed, pulling away and turning towards the stairs. "I've got it this time." she said and winked at Cloud before jogging upstairs. "Oh, and could you start with the decorations? It would be a big help." she added quickly, glancing back behind him.

"Yeah, sure." Cloud said and nodded, hearing light footsteps run against the room above him. He watched Tifa disappear up the stairs before turning and walking back to the bar. He took the box of decorations from the table and began digging through the items, taking out the things they usually used out of the box.

Cloud smiled slightly as some of the decorations withdrew memories of him and Tifa. Ever since he and Tifa decided to live together with the kids, they had spent every Halloween together. He wanted to make this Halloween special for her. He knew Tifa had always liked Halloween, he had always enjoyed spending it with her.

Cloud quickly went to work on setting up the Halloween decorations. He was almost finished by the time Tifa walked back downstairs.

"Wow, it looks great down here." Tifa said, coming up from behind Cloud. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his back. She closed her eyes and you could hear the smile in her voice.

Cloud gave her a small chuckle as he finished hanging the bat decoration he had been holding. "Thank you." he replied softly, turning in her arms so he was facing her. He rested his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Tifa giggled lightly, closing her eyes as she let the moment last, not wanting anything to interrupt them.

Cloud rocked her back and forth slightly, muttering a few words under his breath that made her smile. He would lean down to kiss her every now and then, some kisses lasting a lot longer than others.

The two stood there for a while, just resting in each others arms for as long as they could, knowing they were going to be interrupted sooner or later. Marlene and Denzel were always running around and acting up on Halloween, since they were always so excited.

"Hey, I need to get going. I have to pick up a few things before the kids start coming out. See you later." Tifa said, pulling away slightly. She stood on her toes, kissing him quickly before stepping out of his arms. She wanted to stay with him, the desire to hug him and kiss him was strong, but she knew she had to finish up with preparing for Halloween. She longed for his touch, liking the way his arms felt around her. She slowly walked away, giving Cloud a small wink, knowing she'd be right back in his arms tonight once everything was finished for the night.

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Everything was prepared for Halloween night. The bar was starting to fill with customers and many children had already come up to their doorstep for candy. The kids had been sitting around anxious all day, wanting the night to come so they could do out.

"Cloud!" Marlene said and giggled, running down the stairs with Denzel by her side. "Can we go now? It's already dark!" she pleaded, her eyes shining with excitement.

Cloud smirked slightly and nodded. "I don't see why not, I think it's about time." he said, Denzel and Marlene whooping with glee. He put his hand on Marlene's back as he led her out of the Seventh Heaven. The two children grinned at each other, ready for a night of goodies and surprises.