A/n: Holy crap! I'm writing the epilogue! I'm one chapter away from being finished! (Gasp) I'm sure I'll be writing more fics, but this was the granddaddy of all my fics. And it was my first... Please review, please please!!
Disclaimer: Only the storyline is mine.
oOoOoOo
A ray of sunshine woke Tifa; she yawned and stretched, careful not to wake the sleeping form beside her. She listened to his steady breathing and leaned over him, watching him sleep. She ran her fingers through his silky blonde hair, and watching him smile in his slumber. He was so adorable when he was sleeping.
The bedroom door slowly opened. "Tifa, you awake?" Rufus poked his head in the doorway and watched the scene, smiling.
Tifa looked up at her husband. "I didn't even realize he had crawled into bed with us last night. He must've had a nightmare." She slowly looked back at her sleeping two and a half year old son.
Rufus shook his head. "Either that or Rachael told him another horror story."
Tifa grinned. "I think she needs to quit hanging around Reno."
The little boy asleep beside Tifa suddenly woke up, bright, cheery crimson eyes filled with sudden fear. "Mommy! Wachael tol' me anover ghost stowy!"
Tifa shook her head. "I swear."
Rufus smiled, then quirking an eyebrow, tuned to look behind him outside the bedroom.
"Hi daddy. I just had breakfast. Is mommy in your room?" A tiny blonde girl tugged on Rufus' sleeve.
"Yes, sweetheart, but first, what did I tell you about telling Daniel those stories?"
Rachael looked uncomfortably at her father with sapphire eyes. "Uh... not to?"
"Right. Don't make me tell you again young lady." He said with a stern look.
"Yes, daddy." She responded with a bright smile. She was an adorable four year old with her father's eye and hair color, but her mother's facial features.
Rufus' daddy-look broke down and melted into a smile. "Go on." He told his daughter, opening the door for her.
She ran straight to the bed and jumped up onto it. "Mommy, what's this?" She asked Tifa, showing her a glove-like thing with metal on the knuckles.
Memories flooded Tifa. She laughed. "This is very old, where did you find it?"
"Uncle Reno was going through some boxes and found it, told me to show it to you."
Her mother smiled. "Well, it's an old martial arts glove. I'm sure they've improved them."
Rufus sat down on the bed next to his wife and gave her a kiss good morning. "So, how is the new addition to the family?" He asked, putting a hand on Tifa's growing belly.
Daniel carefully crawled up to his mother's side and put an ear to her stomach, listening for either kicks or a heart beat, but his expression of determination with his tongue stuck out, listening hard, made Rufus and Tifa chuckle.
"I think she's just fine."
"Oh, it's a she now?"
Tifa smiled a swung her feet out of the bed, letting them hang above the carpeted floor. "Yes, I can feel it."
Rachael stood up on the bed and toddled to her father and hopped onto his back, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
Rufus smiled and grabbed his four-year-old daughter and started to tickle her mercilessly.
Little Daniel sat down in his mother's lap.
The door opened wider and a small head poked around to peek at what was going on. Flaming red hair mad the little character hard to miss.
Once away from her daddy's tortuous tickling, still laughing, she pointed to the door. "Faith! You're supposed to be with the rest of your brothers and sisters!" Rachael scolded and ran to the door to pick up the red kitten.
A young boy of about five opened the door. "I brought her up here Rachael." The young boy had red hair, about as red as the kitten's he held. His soulful brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
"And why are you up here?" A taller version of the boy asked in a demanding tone.
The boy looked up at his father. "...Uh, did I say brought? I meant chased her up here..."
Tifa laughed. "Reno, I think Hunter is your clone."
The taller redhead laughed. "Yeah, well, Daniel is a close match for Rufus, too. By the way, I followed this rascal up here when Dark Nation and Red XIII started freaking out that their kittens were gone to play hide and go seek. Hunter, your mom wants you."
The young Reno look-alike suddenly looked very frightened.
Faith purred in Rachael's arms, her emerald green eyes almost laughing at Hunter.
"Now we have to round up the rest of them. Come on kids, let's go find 'em." Reno said, motioning for all the kids to follow him.
Hunter, Daniel, and Rachael with Faith in arm followed Reno out the door, leaving Rufus alone with Tifa.
He lay back on the bed, arms behind his head, giving a huge sigh.
Tifa followed suit and laid her head on his chest.
Rufus kissed the top of her head, and brought an arm around her shoulder, caressing her arm. "You know, I'm still getting used to this 'daddy' thing. I just hope I'm never like my father when it comes to raising kids."
Tifa looked up at him, smiled and gave him a warm kiss. "Sweetheart, you will never have to worry about that. You're a great dad."
He turned to face her and kissed her soft lips. He thought about his friends and family, knowing that this was the one thing he missed when he was a child: Happiness. After his mom died, there was none of it. But as if it were fate, he met a little girl two months later who changed his life. This little girl laid beside him now, a beautiful woman, wife and wonderful mother of two beautiful children and another on the way.
He now had what he needed, and he thanked God that Tifa had still kept faith in him when he was out of control. Her fire and optimism had melted his ice and despair, and he was finally fulfilled.
His kissed his lifelong companion once again, reminded of what he had to go through to get to this point in life. He knew he had something now that he never would have experienced without Tifa, Elena, Reno, or his children: Love.
oOoOoOo A/n: Oh my gosh. I'm finished... Twenty chapters, and I'm finished! I finished a fic! (Celebrates) Guys, I really need you to review, even if it's the whole fic in retrospect. Please tell me what you think. Thanks, and thanks to everyone who read this fic to the end! Luv ya!
Kage3
Disclaimer: Only the storyline is mine.
oOoOoOo
A ray of sunshine woke Tifa; she yawned and stretched, careful not to wake the sleeping form beside her. She listened to his steady breathing and leaned over him, watching him sleep. She ran her fingers through his silky blonde hair, and watching him smile in his slumber. He was so adorable when he was sleeping.
The bedroom door slowly opened. "Tifa, you awake?" Rufus poked his head in the doorway and watched the scene, smiling.
Tifa looked up at her husband. "I didn't even realize he had crawled into bed with us last night. He must've had a nightmare." She slowly looked back at her sleeping two and a half year old son.
Rufus shook his head. "Either that or Rachael told him another horror story."
Tifa grinned. "I think she needs to quit hanging around Reno."
The little boy asleep beside Tifa suddenly woke up, bright, cheery crimson eyes filled with sudden fear. "Mommy! Wachael tol' me anover ghost stowy!"
Tifa shook her head. "I swear."
Rufus smiled, then quirking an eyebrow, tuned to look behind him outside the bedroom.
"Hi daddy. I just had breakfast. Is mommy in your room?" A tiny blonde girl tugged on Rufus' sleeve.
"Yes, sweetheart, but first, what did I tell you about telling Daniel those stories?"
Rachael looked uncomfortably at her father with sapphire eyes. "Uh... not to?"
"Right. Don't make me tell you again young lady." He said with a stern look.
"Yes, daddy." She responded with a bright smile. She was an adorable four year old with her father's eye and hair color, but her mother's facial features.
Rufus' daddy-look broke down and melted into a smile. "Go on." He told his daughter, opening the door for her.
She ran straight to the bed and jumped up onto it. "Mommy, what's this?" She asked Tifa, showing her a glove-like thing with metal on the knuckles.
Memories flooded Tifa. She laughed. "This is very old, where did you find it?"
"Uncle Reno was going through some boxes and found it, told me to show it to you."
Her mother smiled. "Well, it's an old martial arts glove. I'm sure they've improved them."
Rufus sat down on the bed next to his wife and gave her a kiss good morning. "So, how is the new addition to the family?" He asked, putting a hand on Tifa's growing belly.
Daniel carefully crawled up to his mother's side and put an ear to her stomach, listening for either kicks or a heart beat, but his expression of determination with his tongue stuck out, listening hard, made Rufus and Tifa chuckle.
"I think she's just fine."
"Oh, it's a she now?"
Tifa smiled a swung her feet out of the bed, letting them hang above the carpeted floor. "Yes, I can feel it."
Rachael stood up on the bed and toddled to her father and hopped onto his back, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
Rufus smiled and grabbed his four-year-old daughter and started to tickle her mercilessly.
Little Daniel sat down in his mother's lap.
The door opened wider and a small head poked around to peek at what was going on. Flaming red hair mad the little character hard to miss.
Once away from her daddy's tortuous tickling, still laughing, she pointed to the door. "Faith! You're supposed to be with the rest of your brothers and sisters!" Rachael scolded and ran to the door to pick up the red kitten.
A young boy of about five opened the door. "I brought her up here Rachael." The young boy had red hair, about as red as the kitten's he held. His soulful brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
"And why are you up here?" A taller version of the boy asked in a demanding tone.
The boy looked up at his father. "...Uh, did I say brought? I meant chased her up here..."
Tifa laughed. "Reno, I think Hunter is your clone."
The taller redhead laughed. "Yeah, well, Daniel is a close match for Rufus, too. By the way, I followed this rascal up here when Dark Nation and Red XIII started freaking out that their kittens were gone to play hide and go seek. Hunter, your mom wants you."
The young Reno look-alike suddenly looked very frightened.
Faith purred in Rachael's arms, her emerald green eyes almost laughing at Hunter.
"Now we have to round up the rest of them. Come on kids, let's go find 'em." Reno said, motioning for all the kids to follow him.
Hunter, Daniel, and Rachael with Faith in arm followed Reno out the door, leaving Rufus alone with Tifa.
He lay back on the bed, arms behind his head, giving a huge sigh.
Tifa followed suit and laid her head on his chest.
Rufus kissed the top of her head, and brought an arm around her shoulder, caressing her arm. "You know, I'm still getting used to this 'daddy' thing. I just hope I'm never like my father when it comes to raising kids."
Tifa looked up at him, smiled and gave him a warm kiss. "Sweetheart, you will never have to worry about that. You're a great dad."
He turned to face her and kissed her soft lips. He thought about his friends and family, knowing that this was the one thing he missed when he was a child: Happiness. After his mom died, there was none of it. But as if it were fate, he met a little girl two months later who changed his life. This little girl laid beside him now, a beautiful woman, wife and wonderful mother of two beautiful children and another on the way.
He now had what he needed, and he thanked God that Tifa had still kept faith in him when he was out of control. Her fire and optimism had melted his ice and despair, and he was finally fulfilled.
His kissed his lifelong companion once again, reminded of what he had to go through to get to this point in life. He knew he had something now that he never would have experienced without Tifa, Elena, Reno, or his children: Love.
oOoOoOo A/n: Oh my gosh. I'm finished... Twenty chapters, and I'm finished! I finished a fic! (Celebrates) Guys, I really need you to review, even if it's the whole fic in retrospect. Please tell me what you think. Thanks, and thanks to everyone who read this fic to the end! Luv ya!
Kage3