A/N: Yeah well I have to finish this train wreck anyway. Maybe. Thanks to Kelleyj17 for betaing and being a sounding board!

"This morning: Monsters Among Us."

"Hello, viewers! Very recently it had been leaked by very concerned citizens that any werewolves that were involved with the Edge Incident had been relocated to Rocket Town. The people there worry if they're next on the menu of these strange, aggressive beasts that masquerade as humans.

"Dave's child has had an encounter with one already. He claims the wolf boy began attacking his daughter, Dawn, as she played in one of Rocket Town's parks."

"Ah, they're talking about you, Denzel!" Marlene pointed at the screen as Dave appeared on it, looking slightly distressed.

"If I was a werewolf, that stupid brat woulda really got it," he grumbled as he sat on the floor near Zeph, nursing a small cup of coffee. Zeph gave him a look that quietly asked if he were joking.

Tifa gave a stern gaze at the back of his head. "Denzel."

Barret mumbled something into his mug, and he was given a sharp glare by Tifa. He shrugged. "Jes sayin'."

"She was mindin' her own business when one of those savages shoved her over! It didn't help matters any when its mother came over, tryin' to grab little Dawn up. The kids helped get them away, though."

A sigh left Tifa's lips before she rolled her eyes. She sipped her coffee as she lounged on the sofa, watching the television with resigned interest. Shera sat next to her with a mug in hand, and Cid had a hand on the top of the forest green sofa, leaning over her and watching with a withering, critical stare.

"Man, fuck Dave and his shitty high horse."

"There will be a town meeting tonight at six to discuss the newcomers. While some are justifiably alarmed like Dave, others are taking a more optimistic view."

"Yeah, I know one of 'em. He's a good man, just a bit quiet."

"I heard he's the one that killed all those werewolves in Edge!"

"They seem strange, but they've been quiet and living with the Chief. If he's gonna trust them in his house, then they're probably alright."

Cid slurped on his coffee. "Well, damn. At least the whole town isn't in a tizzy."

"That Dave guy is gonna be trouble, I can feel it," Barret replied.

The blond pilot grunted in agreement. "He's known to be a blowhard, but under the circumstances he might get some of the more paranoid folks in a frenzy."

"It seems that Rocket Town is a community divided. Are these werewolves sinister troublemakers, waiting to prey on the innocent, or are they truly looking for a quiet life and peaceful interactions with humans? Perhaps we will find out this evening."

Tifa cringed as she stared at the television, now featuring a local commercial for a mechanic. "They're televising the town hall?"

Cid cursed under his breath and he shrugged after standing up straight. "I guess they are now. I can't tell them to piss off, under the circumstances."

Shera nodded. "But I'm sure Cloud can help talk some sense into everyone."

"It's not quite that," Tifa began, "it's that he's going to be on television, and I doubt Rocket Town's residents will be the only ones tuning in." She took a long drink of her coffee. "That mob will know we're here."

She had to wonder if they would even bother with them anymore, now that they were on another continent. Perhaps, Tifa thought, the mob they had angered thought them out of their hair now that they had been exiled from Edge. They certainly wouldn't have the same power Shinra did at its height, not by a longshot.

"That mob doesn't know who they're dealin' with, either." Barret gave his metal arm a pat. "We're AVALANCHE, we ain't just anybody!"

"We don't need them anywhere near the children, if they're still interested in us."

"When Cloud gets back, we should probably discuss what to do," Shera concluded. The rest agreed before anxiously going back to what they were doing.

Cloud arrived a couple of hours later, after dropping off Jack at the WRO building to talk to Reeve. The WRO president had left Cid's house before anyone but Shera had woken up, and to Tifa's knowledge he would be ignorant of the media in town. The truck was parked near the backyard and he entered alone, noticing all eyes were on him. "Mornin'," he greeted.

"Morning," Tifa greeted back as she walked up to him.

He had the smallest of smiles on his face as she approached, but quickly remembered what he wanted to say. "Uh, it turned out Jack wasn't infected somehow."

Zeph raised his brows. "He wasn't?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. We don't know why, either."

"Oh. Maybe he can go back to Edge, then," Marlene replied.

"...He doesn't think his friends will trust him."

"I think we have more important things to worry about than Jack," Tifa interrupted. She told Cloud about the morning news. He made a face at the mention of media being added to the town hall; he didn't like the thought of being in the limelight. "We might have to get the kids away from here, until the Turks find them.

"I don't think it's a big risk...but it's something to consider," she continued. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and there's nowhere to run if they do…"

"We'd have to hide you, too."

She crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not helpless."

Cloud took a deep breath through his nose and held it for a second before huffing. Tifa was always stubborn, and he didn't feel like getting into an argument right now over her safety. "I know. Well, I'm gonna freshen up, and we can figure out what to do later."

After he was cleaned up, Cloud went out to the backyard with Denzel and Zeph in tow. "Tonight might be a little hectic, so let's just...enjoy some time together." He needed time to clear his thoughts, and he wanted time with the boys if they might have to be sent away eventually.

Denzel cocked his head as he looked at what was laying in the backyard. It was big, hairy and dead. He looked up at Cloud for some sort of answer. "What's that?"

Cloud's cheeks turned rosy. "Uh, I hunted a boar this morning."

"Why?" Zeph asked with a tinge of morbid curiosity.

"...Because I wanna chip in somehow," he replied almost timidly. "It's good meat."

Denzel came up to the dead boar and bent over it. He wrinkled his nose up. "It kinda stinks."

"Well, we gutted it before we brought it into the truck, but yeah. I guess it's still gonna stink a little bit." Cloud rubbed the back of his head, then came up to the boar and pointed at a large slit in its belly. "Anyway, this thing is gonna help feed everyone."

"How did you kill it?"

"Uh, I snapped its neck." Cloud positioned the boar so that his teeth marks weren't visible. It was on its back now. "I'm gonna skin it first." He took out a sharp knife from his pocket, and began to carefully peel the hide back from one side of the boar. "It's not so bad, see?"

Zeph studied the thin white layer of fat that was left behind. "What does boar taste like?"

"It's almost identical to pig, just a bit gamey."

"So, what does pig taste like?"

Cloud looked up at the blond haired boy just as he was about to begin on the other side. "You know...pork? Bacon? Ham?"

"Wait," Denzel began. "They're all from the same animal?"

"Yeah." Maybe Cloud wasn't a cook, but he knew animals. He supposed it was because he was a country bumpkin at heart. "It's a versatile animal."

He continued to skin the boar, then took notice of Hirdthag hauling over a large ice chest. "We're gettin' another one ready. Might hold it all."

"I guess I wasn't thinking about the size..."

Hirdthag shook his head. "Nope. Probably after the biggest boar you could find."

Cloud rolled his eyes and began focusing on the cuts. He was biting his lip as he tried to find where to begin. He heard a sigh from his father, and he looked up at him again. "You don't remember, do you?"

"It shouldn't be much different than a deer..."

Hirdthag took the knife from him. "Fine, I'll teach the three of you."

He began to show them where the individual cuts were on the boar. The belly, the backstrap, the ribs and hams. Eventually they had the entire beast dismantled. "So, that's how you cut up a boar."

"Uh, thanks for the lesson, Gramps." Denzel watched as the last bit of meat was dunked into the icy water of the second cooler. He had a pensive expression on his face.

Hirdthag nodded, then cocked his head ever so slightly. "You alright?"

"Yeah."

"You can't lie to a werewolf about things like that," he pointed out.

"Denzel," Cloud began, "you're worried about leaving again, aren't you?"

Zeph sighed. "We both are. Marlene is, too. I think we'd feel safer if we're all together. With you."

Denzel nodded. "Besides, we can fight now."

"Fighting people is a lot different than fighting monsters," Cloud warned.

"You do it all the time."

Cloud bit his lip. Yes, he had been and would continue to do so. "...I have. But I think that means you should leave the fighting to us."

After they had brought the coolers into the garage and near the old freezer Cid somehow kept running they joined the others, including Reeve, in the kitchen. Yuffie was absent, but she was looking after Penny and Ithey, they were told.

"So we have to be at the town hall," Cloud explained. "But I don't think all of us have to be there."

Tifa shook her head. "The children can stay with Yuffie while we're gone." She looked at Barret. "Would you stay with them, too?"

He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "You sure you ain't gonna need some more people there?" His query was a bit of a grumble.

Cloud let out a huff. "I can handle it."

"You can handle fightin', not talkin' to a bunch of folk!"

"Barret, we just think it would be best if you were there with the children while we were gone," Tifa replied in a diplomatic fashion. "Just in case."

Barret nodded after a few moments of silent contemplation. "Yeh. We'll be rootin' for ya!"

"D'you really think someone is out there already?" Denzel frowned at how cautious they were being. They skipped town, but how would the mobsters know where they were now? It took them awhile to find Cloud in Edge, but maybe it was because of his odd hours and a city to comb through.

"Well, no," Tifa replied. "But we aren't really sure how everyone is going to react." She knew Denzel at the very least wasn't exactly dazzling the neighbors with his behavior.

Cid rubbed his nose once with the side of his index finger before crossing his arms. "Guess we should hang back until it's time."

Cloud nodded. He was becoming even more anxious about the town hall this evening. Tifa caught his attention when she very gently tugged on his arm. "I'd like to do a little shopping before then. Wanna come?"

"As if you had to ask," he murmured.

The walk to the store wasn't too long despite their leisurely pace. Some people watched them closely and others ignored them completely. Cloud kept her close to him, using his senses to catch any whiff of danger. All he picked up was the scent of anxiety and a little fear here and there, but nothing too worrisome.

The door to the grocery store opened and they walked through. A chorus of fruit and vegetable scents hit him, cool and earthy to his nose. Tifa picked up a little handbasket. "I just need a few things."

"Would you like me to carry that?" Her feet had been swelling on and off since before they left Edge.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It won't be anything too heavy."

A grunt passed his lips, but he relented. He followed her as she looked upwards at the signs for whatever aisle she was interested in. After passing a few she turned, and Cloud huffed through his nose as the scent of dozens of spices and herbs hit his nose. Dry, aromatic, pungent, sharp, fragrant scents. He raised a brow.

"You brought home the bacon," she teased. "Well, I'd like to cure the belly into bacon, but there's no way to smoke it. So I'm gonna get some ingredients for pork belly stew."

"Oh." He felt disappointed in himself for not asking how the bacon was made first, but whatever Tifa had in mind was probably going to be just as good, he thought. "Guess I'll have to try again later."

Tifa smiled at him, then began searching the spices. "Yeah. But until then, we have a grocery store that sells bacon."

Cloud couldn't help but laugh lightly at that. "That's true. Maybe I'll pick some up."

"Alright. I'll be right here."

He hesitated a moment, watching as she went back to studying the different glass containers filled with earthly colors. A grocery store was safe, and he would just be over near the meat counter. Cloud squeezed his fists a few times before turning and searching out the bacon, near a back corner. Tifa would be fine, just like in Edge before they had to flee. He would be close by.

There was a long case filled with meat from the local area farms, and a few freshwater fish that were in season being offered. The butcher could be seen periodically through the round window in the flap door that led to a room where meat was undoubtedly carved up; it looked as if he was busy with one of the machines from the sounds of it. That was fine, Cloud thought. He wasn't quite ready to speak to anyone right now.

In fact, he would have loved it if there had been some premade packages.

Cloud found himself staring at the large bacon slab that rested peacefully between a display of sirloin steaks and pork loins. How much should he get? Reggs wanted to have his own room in the WRO building again, so it would be only him and his father to worry about destroying the bacon supply in Cid and Shera's house. Would the others want some too? It was his bacon, but it should be shared, he decided. He could get more later.

He sighed through his nose as he continued to look over the bacon slab.

"Can I help you?"

Cloud looked up from the meat case and into a pair of dark brown eyes regarding him quietly. The butcher was a bit taller than the warrior, and built thickly around the chest and arms from what he could see. The butcher looked to be middle aged, with a bit of a tan. He cleared his throat, then pointed at the slab bacon. "I'd like to get some bacon."

"Okay. Uh, how much?"

His eyes went from the butcher, back down to the bacon, then back up. "...Two pounds?" Was that enough?

The butcher stared at him quietly for a painstaking moment, then leveled his gaze. "Two pounds?" He was given a nod in response. "Uh, how thick?"

How thick? Cloud's mouth parted just a little as he contemplated the simple question. Why did he not ask Tifa about bacon thickness? Usually he didn't need to think about it because it was already done. The butcher seemed to pick up on his silent dismay. "I'll just cut it about as thick as most everyone takes it, alright?"

Cloud nodded once, then looked back at the meat display. That was enough socializing for now. He blankly watched the butcher go to work on his order, all the while thinking about tonight. What was he going to say, and in front of cameras no less? Did he really have to be there? Yeah, sure, he was the alpha male, but did he have to be for this? He would rather stay away from prying eyes.

"Here ya go. Two pounds of bacon."

The blond took the plastic bag in his hand. "Thanks."

The butcher studied him, then hesitantly asked, "...do you eat a lot of bacon?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, if your family goes through a lot of bacon—"

Cloud shook his head. "Just me," he murmured. "I-I gotta go. Thanks again." He turned around and walked off to find Tifa, bacon in hand. He could tell the butcher was curious, he knew and he wanted to ask questions, and Cloud wasn't in the mood to answer them.

He turned the corner into the aisle he left Tifa in to find her talking to another person. With everything that had been happening, it sent red flags up in his mind, until he noticed Tifa's relaxed body language. Her eyes found his as he quietly approached, and she smiled more. The other woman turned to look, her hand near her mouth. She looked a little anxious at his approach.

Tifa brought her hand forward towards him, and he took it as he came close. "Get enough bacon?" she teased in a disarming fashion.

"Mhm."

"Cloud, this is Meg. She's one of Cid's neighbors." She motioned towards the mousy haired woman, who was very shyly offering her hand. Cloud took it, and gave it a very gentle shake. "Meg, this is Cloud, my husband!"

"N-nice to meet you," she squeaked out as her hand fell back to her side. She looked like she was in the company of a supposedly trained Behemoth.

He nodded. "Same." His cheeks felt like they were burning. He wondered if he should be used to this by now, being treated as a potential time bomb. Which he wasn't, so long as there wasn't a threat, and this woman definitely wasn't a danger to Tifa.

"We were just discussing the town hall tonight," Tifa began. "She was curious about it."

"Oh, uh...curious?"

Meg fumbled with her handbasket, a bit pale in the face. Cloud pursed his lips, then shook his head. "...It's alright. I'm used to it," he lied. He turned to Tifa. "Ready?"

"You're the one who helped Cid distribute the Geostigma cure, right?" Meg blurted out.

Cloud looked back at her, stared, then slowly nodded.

The woman smiled a little at his shy admittance. "You must be an alright guy, then."

He felt his blush grow, but a familiar smugness tugged at his chest. "Thanks. Well, maybe we'll see you tonight?"

Meg nodded. "Yeah, I'll try to get a seat."

After saying goodbye Cloud and Tifa walked off towards the registers, a contemplative silence between them. Tifa's fingers glanced his arm, drawing them closer together. "Maybe Dave didn't have as much of an effect as he thought he would."

"Maybe? She was pretty scared."

Tifa let out a short, quiet laugh. "She was. She was asking me questions before you came back. You know, the usual."

"Hm." Cloud looked towards a free register. "What did you tell her?"

He noticed she was grinning, and he quirked up a brow. "I told her you can look a little scary sometimes, but you're really just a big puppy."

Cloud scoffed at her description of him. "Marlene said it. I'm a big, bad, wolf."

Tifa laughed harder and leaned into him. He found his hand holding her waist as he savored the sound. "More like a naughty dog!"

He was starting to chuckle a little himself. It was like a small release before the stress the evening would bring, something he could cherish in the moment. There was progress being made in their favor, a little at a time. Maybe they needed more, faster, but shouldn't he be happy that people were at least willing to try and tolerate him?

Maybe there was hope, after all.

xxxxxxxx

"It's a full house out there," Cloud calmly remarked from his spot near the stage as he peeked from the edge of the deep blue curtain. He was rubbing his fingers together continuously. His eyes glanced down at his clothing; did he look down-to-earth enough? A white shirt, open red plaid over shirt and blue jeans was boring, he hoped.

Cid shrugged after taking a glance at the audience. There was some local news station in the back of the hall and people anxiously stood about because of the lack of seating. "They can't be too worried if they're gonna sardine themselves like that," he drawled out.

"I guess you're right."

Reeve sipped on a water bottle as he stood in silent contemplation; he then walked by to begin whatever speech he had in mind for those in attendance. Cloud wondered what someone like him thought about before having to talk to the masses. Did he clear his mind, did he go through what he was going to say? The blond breathed through his nose and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms as he began to take calming, deep breaths. What would he say? What would they ask of him? What would he do if they wanted them out of the town as a precaution?

A huff blew through his nose. He had promised Tifa he wouldn't run away from them, his family, anymore after he returned home. When he had realized how much damage he caused by not being there, how much he was needed, he made that promise to her, as solemn and serious as the one on the water tower. But what would he do? Tifa had to stay in town in case anything happened during her pregnancy.

Maybe, he thought, he was overthinking.

He peeked his eyes open to spy her rubbing her baby bump. He couldn't stay away from that for long, he knew that much. The changes to his body would make it very, very hard for him to willingly leave. The thought made him frown; how did his father stay away? Then again, he really hadn't stayed away, not like Cloud had done in the past. Hirdthag had been a shadow in the woods and mountains, hidden but always nearby. Causing trouble, and solving it, too.

"Cloud?"

His eyes opened further as Tifa approached him. "Mm?"

"It's almost time. Ready?" She tilted her head to the side a little in a playful manner, trying to lighten the mood.

He shook his head. "I better get out there."

Hesitantly, Cloud walked out and onto the stage with Cid. Reeve was looking at him with his arm outstretched in a welcoming manner. Shelke stayed by Tifa's side, the brunette watching and silently cheering on Cloud as he came towards one of the microphones. She had decided to hang back as a small dizzy spell struck later in the day, and was sitting on a chair that faced him.

There were way too many eyes on him. The camera in the back wasn't helping his nerves either. Or the news reporter boldly trying to get his attention with a wave. Cloud swallowed, all the while taking in the various scents. It was more anxious than anything, which meant they were feeling just like him. Except for the part where he was to be judged acceptable for the town.

Maybe he could make them feel a little better, like Meg. She was there, too.

He coughed into his hand quietly. What should he say? "I, uh, hello." Cloud took a deep breath. He couldn't waffle now. "Thanks for coming...I wasn't expecting this much interest in me.

"I'd like to not be a bother until we leave Rocket Town." How much would he have to lay bare? He hated this.

"Mr. Strife, Mr. Strife!" The reporter's hand waving became more aggressive. "What do you plan to do until then?"

Now how was he supposed to answer that? "Not stick out like a sore thumb?" He shrugged helplessly. "I guess it's too late for that."

There were a few nervous chuckles from the audience. He figured that was a good sign if anything. "We aren't here to bother anyone."

"Your damn pup bothered my daughter!" It was Dave, second row from the front.

Cloud sighed away from the microphone. He was about to retort, but Cid decided to answer the challenge instead. "The kid's normal, unlike yours! Learn to raise your daughter right, you jackass!"

"I'm not talkin' to you, Cid!"

"You are now!" The crusty pilot pointed at Dave with a gloved finger. "You gotta start shit where there wasn't any. Not only that, you start shit with my friend, the same one that saved your sorry ass with the Geostigma cure!"

Cid waved his hand towards Cloud, who was trying to look as unfazed as he could while attention continued to mount on him. "Look, the kid's not good with public speeches. He likes to stay outta the way. Not much for eatin' people, either."

"What about the one that killed that man? Is it here?" asked a worried voice from the crowd.

Reeve waved his hand disarmingly as he walked towards the microphone that Cid relinquished to him. "That was more complicated than mindless killing."

"So you're usin' 'em for political murders?!"

"A person has a right to use lethal force in self defense in Edge. That was all it was." Reeve, Cloud knew, wasn't the type to use capital punishment, let alone do political assassinations. "Anything less, and he wouldn't be here. I wouldn't risk a town or city like that."

A woman in the back stood up, looked about in an effort to not interrupt anyone, then yelled out "but what if they snap?"

"We aren't rabid dogs," Cloud murmured loud enough into the microphone.

Cid rolled his eyes. "Did ya see any of them last night? No? Cause they weren't here!"

"Well, where were they?" asked the reporter.

"Far from anyone, just to be safe," Cloud replied. "I...know I can make people uncomfortable. I don't want that."

There was some quiet muttering amongst the crowd. The anxiety was lessened a little, if Cloud could count on his nose. He licked his lips and pressed on. "I'd like a chance to prove we're not trouble."

Dave was still standing and giving a look, obviously unpersuaded. "You say you aren't trouble, but you're breeding!" He pointed at the blond, who narrowed his eyes at his pathetic challenger. "You're bringin' more monsters into the world. What's to say it isn't some long term plan?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Dave," Cid groused loudly.

"Our baby isn't a monster." Tifa had come up front, replying to Dave without a microphone. "And neither is Cloud. Don't we have a right to live peacefully?" she asked of the crowd. "Isn't everyone safe?"

"How do we know you aren't lulling us into a false sense of security?" Dave waved his hand about. "Any one of us could be next!"

Cloud was baffled that this man continued to press in such a hostile way. Even the people he sat near were beginning to show signs that he was getting out of hand. "I'll stick to bacon, thanks," he replied blithely.

There was a chuckle from somewhere in the hall. Quickly, the blond noticed the butcher from earlier laughing quietly. Cloud perked up when he saw him stand from his seat. "He's gonna be good for business!"

"You're a butcher, of course you're gonna be happy!" someone ribbed. There were a few more chuckles that rippled through the hall.

Cloud found himself smiling a little at the exchange. A tension he hadn't noticed was slowly easing off of his shoulders. There were still people there that were hard sells, but he didn't think he would win everyone over as it was. Especially not Dave.

He looked towards Tifa, who had a slight blush on her cheeks as she covered her mouth, giggling softly. She noticed his gaze and smiled back at him, subtly puckering her lips in a familiar gesture. His own smile grew slightly, then he looked back at the crowd. The reporter was trying to get a few statements from Reeve and Cid.

Would everything be alright in Rocket Town? Would they be tolerated for a few months? It was looking that way.

That was until he heard the familiar, sickening sound of gunfire.

He quickly looked over, where Tifa had been standing, and took stock of the situation on instinct. Cid had quickly grabbed Reeve and covered him, and there was a strange man walking towards Cloud with a rifle. He remembered him faintly, a local on the outskirts of Rocket Town that he had delivered parcels to seldomly. Quiet, lonesome, and always with that denim hat on, even now.

A shot was fired, but the blond easily dodged it. Another and another came, but he barely noticed the burn of the metal or the sting as the bullets hit his shoulder. One grazed him and whized on by, another lodged into his shoulder as his skin thickened into hide beneath his clothing.

It sent the hall into further chaos, creating a stampede to get to the doors. He wondered where Tifa was as people shouted and screamed and hollered, and soon after found her on the ground. The scent of her blood struck his nose, and then all he saw was red, and all he heard was ringing and his rage filled roar.