Tifa's Gift

Rating: PG
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Cloud/Reno, Rufus/Reeve, Barret/Tifa
Warnings: None
Summary: Rufus has to find a way to deal with a rather large white elephant.
Notes: Ice Lady pointed out I don’t do much with Tifa, so I thought it might be nice to give Cloud’s favourite girl the spotlight. She had fun

Tifa would never admit to it put loud, but she didn’t like Rufus Shinra. Oh she had forgiven him for the terrible things he had done, it just seemed right to forgive him now that he was trying so hard to be a good person. But she didn’t like him in the least. She had survived yeast infections that were more dear to her. She did not like his smug demeanour, his predatory sensuality, his arrogance, the way the whole world seemed to grind to a halt the moment he entered the room… did NOT like the man.

So she was considerably less than thrilled when she opened the door to Cloud’s home and almost walked smack into him. She gagged and made a face. She hated his cologne, too. It probably cost more than her car, and smelled like… well… to be blunt… he had just screwed something, or it had screwed him. Either way the thing he had screwed was not human.

“Isn’t that always the way?” Rufus said dryly as he caught her by her shoulders. “A man gets married and suddenly women are flinging themselves at him.”

Well she’d certainly like to fling something at him. She tried to be polite as she pulled back.

“Hello, Rufus.”

“Hello, darling. Come in search of the other half of that outfit?”

Rufus didn’t much like Tifa, either. She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him down to her height, drawing her fist back threateningly.

“Watch it, rich boy, or I’ll bitch-slap you back to Midgar.”

His eyes narrowed. “Try it, toots.”

The door opened, and Rufus and Tifa backed off. Barret stood in the doorway, looking at the pair as they blinked innocently at him, the absolute picture of guilt. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“What you doin’ here?” Barret asked Rufus.

“Just visiting my niece.”

Barret, now that Rufus was working for the environment instead of against it, liked Rufus just fine. They even occasionally hung around together. It made Tifa want to scream.

“Kin sure is a cute little thing,” Barret said, grinning. Then he paused, sniffing. “Ooh, what smells goooooood?”

Rufus held out his arm, and Barret sniffed. “Yeah that’s it! What is that?”

“It’s called ‘After Midnight’.”

“That’s nice. I don’t normally go for things like men’s cologne and all that, but that’s real nice.”

“Isn’t that the stuff that’s made with animal extracts?” asked Tifa sweetly.

Rufus shot her a look as Barret’s eye began to twitch with impending rage.

“Technically that is very true. However, the… ‘extracts’ in question are donated freely by the males of the species, and because this stuff is so expensive the little wild kitties that donate it are now protected where they were once hunted, and their forests are no longer being torn down. So you see? I buy one bottle of cologne and save twenty acres of rain forest.”

Great. Cat cum. THAT was why he smelled like he had just screwed something. Smug bastard.

“Is it expensive?” asked Barret.

“Painfully. But since I happen to know for a fact your charming lady enjoys it immensely, why don’t you take this bottle I just bought and I will get some more at a later date. After all, forty acres is better than twenty.”

“Thanks Rufus, that’s real decent of you.”

“Really Rufus you shouldn’t,” said Tifa, teeth gritted, staring daggers.

“No trouble. After all it’s for the animals.”

“Yeah, Tifa, it’s for the animals.”

And she got to smell it. Oh. Yay.

Reno came into the room, his tiny daughter in one arm, and wrapped his lean body around Rufus, who returned the embrace.

“Man you smell good,” he purred.

Well there was proof it attracted felines all right. Tall skinny gay ones. Tifa sank into a chair, smiling when she saw Cloud walk into the kitchen.

“Hi daddy,” she said.

He gave her a small smile. “Still getting used to that.”

He paused and sniffed Rufus. Great. Rufus had discovered a way to get every male on the planet to follow him around. She hoped Nanaki pinned him against a railing and humped him.

“Staying for dinner?” asked Reno as Rufus gently took the tiny infant from his brother, cradling her close.

“No, Reeve and I are flying to Nibelheim. I have to leave in a few minutes. But I still have a little time to cuddle you. Hello darling.”

“Nibelheim?” said Cloud. “What are you doing up there?”

Rufus nuzzled Kin, who giggled, eyes bright. Her wild golden and red streaked hair was kept in check with a little yellow headband that had a pink flower in it. On her feet were matching yellow and pink booties, and she was dressed in a tiny frilly white dress that Tifa knew had to have come from Rufus. No way could Cloud and Reno afford designer baby clothes.

“Meeting with a contractor, actually,” said Rufus. “We’re having the old Shinra Manor torn down.”

“Torn down?” said Reno.

Rufus shrugged, gently rocking Kin. “Well all it is doing is rotting where it stands. I can’t sell the thing, and I have certainly tried. But there is this detail in real estate law about full disclosure, and oddly enough most people do not want a mansion whose past history includes vivisection on humans and carries the warning label; ‘may still have undead genetic mutations in basement’. Of course if Vincent was still down there we could probably have got a few dollars for him.”

Cloud grinned. “You know when Tifa and I were children in Nibelheim we heard rumours about a black and red ghost there.”

“Yes that was probably him. You know my grandmother Dame Lydia lived there until she died. It was her house.”

“I heard of her!” said Barret. “She was a great lady.”

“Dame Lydia?” inquired Reno.

“She was a great patron of the arts,” said Rufus. “Also a firm believer in giving young ladies a chance to achieve their dreams. She set up scholarship funds, schools for girls, things of that nature. She was a very great lady. She would have been devastated had she known some of the things being done by her son.”

“I saw her a few times,” said Cloud. “I think Tifa and I were about six when she died. How old were we, Tifa? Six? Could not have…” Cloud paused, cocking his head, noticing the expression in her brown eyes. They were huge, shimmering with pending tears, and her slender fingers were driving into the arm of the chair as she fought to control herself.

“Tifa?” asked Barret, looking concerned. “Are you all right?”

Tifa felt as if her heart was about to burst in her chest, killing her. “I’m fine!” she said, her voice edged with anguish. “I’m just fine! I certainly don’t care about some stupid house! It’s not even my house. Why should I care?” She then rose from the chair and fled in tears. Rufus, Reno, Cloud and Barret just stared in astonishment.

“All right, I give up,” said Rufus. “What is eating her?”

“Oh I think I know,” said Cloud softly. He turned to face his friends and husband. “Tifa’s mother worked for Dame Lydia when Tifa was just small. As I said we could not have been more than six when she died. Tifa would go to work with her mother, because her family was too poor to afford someone to mind her while she was out of the house.”

“And that is the sort of thing Grandmother would have done,” said Rufus. “If I remember, the upstairs sun room was set up as a play area for employee children.”

“Tifa’s mother died less than a week after Dame Lydia did,” said Cloud. “The happiest time in Tifa’s life was in that manor. After it was abandoned she would go there often. She swore one day she would buy the place and restore it, but…” He shrugged.

“Well even run-down and falling to bits it would still be expensive,” said Barret. “The lot alone must be worth a king’s ransom. No wonder she’s so upset. Hell I’d be upset too if the last place me an’ my mom were together was gonna be torn down. But what can we do? Ain’t no way we could afford that place!”

“Just restoring it would be a full-time job, yo,” said Reno.

“Not to mention the expense,” said Cloud. “It’s a ruin.”

“I’d buy it for her if I could,” said Barret. “But ain’t no way I could afford that. Tifa and I are just everyday working folks. We don’t even have an actual home. We live over her bar.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Rufus. “I had no idea.”

“Well, ain’t really your problem,” said Barret. “It’s your house. If the place is falling down and you can’t use it, may as well tear it down.”

Tifa meanwhile sat on the stairs and wept, a little shocked at herself over how she was taking the news. Why was she so heartbroken? It was Rufus’ house; certainly the man had a right to tear it down. And what was she supposed to do with that huge old barn anyway? Just because almost every dream she had as a child was tied up with it. She remembered sitting in the sun room, having tea with tiny china tea sets, facing porcelain dolls in fine lace frocks. If she thought hard she could even remember Rufus himself as a slightly traumatized and painfully shy five-year-old, a little boy in a sombre blue suit who rarely moved or uttered a word until his parents were gone and it was just he and his grandmother.

Why hadn’t she remembered Rufus being there before? They had played together as children during the few brief weeks he had been at the mansion to visit his grandmother. She told him she would grow up to be a queen. He wanted to be a knight. Then his father came for him, and he was once more a slightly traumatized and painfully shy five-year-old little boy in a sombre blue suit. She remembered feeling dreadfully sorry for him as he left with the cold and disapproving people who bred him.

She wiped at one eye, telling herself to stop crying, even though she knew it was useless. What did she need a mansion for anyway? She couldn’t pay for it, and she’d hate to have to clean it. But… she couldn’t help feel as if Rufus’ announcement was like a death-knell for her dreams. She had been a princess there, not the daughter of the maid. She would grow up to be a beautiful queen, and she would marry Cloud, and they would have children, and live happily ever after. Except Dame Lydia died, her mom had died, bad men took over the beautiful house, and nothing seemed to go right after that. Cloud eventually left town, and all that was left for her to do was roam the mountains in solitude. Then she had her encounter with the Rabid Tiger, up close and personal in the reactor; an encounter she was pretty sure left her unable to have children. She didn’t know for sure. She really didn’t want to know. So she took her birth control pills and lied to herself. Some things just did not bear facing.

“Tifa?”

She sniffed and pushed her hair back, seeing Barret. She smiled, looking a little chagrined.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just… overreacting.”

He gently took her hand, his large brown eyes warm and sympathetic. He was such a mush. He hid it well, but… he was doomed to a life of mushery.

“Nah you’re not. Cloud was just telling us how important that old house is to you.”

She sniffed. “Cloud’s a fink.”

Tifa heard Rufus respond. “Ugly, too.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to look at the tall man, dressed in his usual white suit.

“Look don’t you have a hostile takeover to launch or something?”

“No, I don’t think so.” He pulled out a small black notebook and looked in it. “But I do have a busload of nuns to torture.”

She wiped at her eyes again. “A knight,” she said.

His expression became puzzled. “I beg your pardon?”

“You were going to be a knight,” said Tifa, as Barret stared in confusion. “I was going to be a queen, and you were going to be a knight.”

He thought for a moment, and then a faint smile appeared on his face. “I believe you’re right. My, but that was a long time ago, wasn’t it?”

“So what happened?” she asked, sniffing.

Rufus took a pair of white driving gloves from his coat pocket, slowly and meticulously pulling them on, not looking at her as he spoke. “Some dreams die due to circumstance. Those are the ones we recall with a smile as we mourn their demise. Some, on the other hand, are beaten out of you so hard and so fast you can’t think why you dreamt them in the first place, and you dare not weep for them because if you began… you would never stop.”

He adjusted his gloves and walked down the stairs, long white coat blowing as the helicopter that had come for him slowly lowered itself to the street. Tifa watched him depart, seated cold and composed in the helicopter as it rose, sending up clouds of dust. They watched until the helicopter was out of sight, then Barret glanced at Tifa.

“What were you two talking about?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing important. Come on, let’s go inside.”

***---***

Rufus stared at the contractor, attempting to choke out his words. Finally, his tone rife with utter disbelief, he screeched; “Five million gil?!”

“At least, sir.”

“To rip the damned thing down? For five million gil I could restore the bloody thing and still have a million gil left over!”

“Sir you have to understand, this is not a simple demolition job. There are tunnels to collapse, terraces to reinforce, not to mention the main line for the town’s drinking water is fed in through pipe lines laid under the mansion. And once the mansion is down that whole hillside will have to be reinforced, because the stone walls behind the mansion prevent the hill from dropping mud onto the town…”

Rufus held up a hand. “All right, I get the picture.” He then muttered to himself; “Should have just torched the dump and collected the insurance.”

“Sir?”

“I’m thinking.” Rufus looked towards Reeve, who seemed more than a little amused by all this. “And what are you smiling about, my darling?”

“I’ve just never heard you balk at spending money before.”

“Well you just did.” Rufus leaned forward and kissed him gently. Reeve closed his eyes and savoured the brief moment, ignoring the clearly-horrified contractor. “But you must admit it is a lot of money to spend to end up with a heap of useless rubble.”

Reeve nipped him, then returned the kiss. “I do. So what are you going to do with it?”

Rufus raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea but I know what I would like to do with you.”

“Not in public, Rufus.”

Rufus sighed. “All right, let’s go take a look inside. Perhaps an idea will hit me. Or a loose ceiling tile.”

“Or perhaps I will just drag you into a dark corner,” said Reeve.

“You won’t have to drag me, I assure you!”

They walked into the old mansion, and gazed around. Even in its despair, it was still beautiful. The stained glass windows were still intact, likely due to random appearances by frightening beasts and the reluctance of the local children to get too close to the place. The floor tiles were coming up, and dirt and debris brought in by animals had encouraged plant life to take hold. Vines grew up the walls, and the upper landing was sagging dangerously. But if he closed his eyes, somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint echoes of a little boy and a little girl.

“I’m a princess! When I grow up I’ll be a queen!”

“I’m gonna be a knight and chop bad people’s head’s off!”

Perhaps he could consider himself a once-fallen knight, seeking redemption. He slid an arm around Reeve.

“So what do we do with it, my love?” he asked.

Reeve shook his head. “I don’t know. What would your grandmother have done with it?”

“Probably made it into a home for unwed mothers, but with the history of this place, that strikes me as a very, very, bad idea.”

Reeve laughed. “Well you could always just give it to Tifa.”

“I could but that would be a pretty cold gift. The property taxes alone would be more than they could afford, even if I didn’t charge them a cent for the mansion itself. Then there would be the restoration fees, and I’m sure those old water lines beneath the place must be in need of repair. Why give her something she can’t possibly hope to keep or care for?”

They roamed slowly through the imposing old building, through the old music room, down the hall into the old kitchen and pantry, upstairs through the sun room, bedrooms, studies, and drawing rooms. The old mansion smelled of damp and mold, and as they walked up to the second level, the stairs creaked threateningly.

“This sun room had just the best acoustics,” said Rufus. “It was originally the music room but Grandmother thought it was too small. And, as you can see, it is. But the sound carries so beautifully. I used to sing in here at the top of my lungs. Much, I expect, to the agony of those forced to listen.”

Reeve smiled. “I bet you have a beautiful voice.”

“I rather suspect you’re biased, my love.”

Reeve laughed. “Quite possibly. But try. I’ve never heard you sing.”

“That’s because I love you and do not wish to harm you.”

“Try anyway.”

Rufus rolled his eyes, then muttered; “Don’t say I did not warn you.” He stood uncomfortably for a moment, and cleared his throat. And when he began to sing, Reeve was utterly astonished at the beauty of his voice as it echoed around the small room, singing part of an old folk song.

”Oh the man that I work for is a richer man than me.
But somehow in this world, faith, we never can agree.
He has big towering mansions, and castles over all.
But I’m somehow quite contented in my little marble hall…”

“Rufus, that was beautiful.”

Rufus just shook his head, smiling faintly. “You’re biased my love. Funny I thought of that song, though. It was Grandmother’s favourite. I once overheard one of the maids telling Grandmother I had no business singing of humble things, but she just laughed.” He sighed quietly. “She was the only member of my family who truly loved me. I wasn’t permitted to spend any time with my Uncle Aldus. I rather suspect he knew of Reno and a few other juicy secrets. I was devastated when she died.” He looked around, as if seeing the mansion as it had been so many years ago. “She loved this house. How can I rip it down?”

“What will you do with it?” asked Reeve.

“I’ve no idea. Not the faintest clue. I can’t live here; I’m not exactly popular in this town. I can’t convert it into anything, such as a school or an orphanage or a bed and breakfast, who would come here?”

“How about a center for paranormal research?”

Rufus gave Reeve a jaundiced look. “Darling don’t you think this town has rather had enough of Shinra scientists?”

Reeve chuckled. “You’re right. But there must be some…” Reeve stopped speaking and blinked, brown eyes becoming large.

“My love, you look as if you just had an epiphany.”

Reeve looked towards Rufus. “What has Shinra Industries needed since Sephiroth destroyed the tower?”

“Well a place in which to archive all the files and data we’ve collected but I hardly…” Rufus drew a breath. “We could use this house as an archive! Once it is restored that is. There’s certainly enough room.”

“You’ll need an archivist.”

“I think I might just know one.”

***---***

Tifa opened the door to that apartment that she, Barret and Marlene called home, and found herself staring at a couple of Turks; Rude and Elena to be specific. Once upon a time that would have frightened her.

“What are you two doing here?” asked Tifa, bleary and tired. It was too early in the morning for visitors.

“We’re here to kidnap you,” said Elena.

“Can I brush my teeth first?”

“Sure. I’ll make coffee.”

Tifa showered, brushed her teeth and dressed. Then, after she had eaten breakfast, she was hustled out of the apartment and into the street.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Sorry, kidnap victims are not allowed to ask questions,” said Elena as she tied a bit of cloth over Tifa’s eyes.

Tifa sighed. Then she was assisted into a helicopter, and felt the machine rise high into the air.

“So,” asked Elena, “how’s the bar doing?”

“Awful. Just awful. Kalm’s not much on night-life. Looks like Barret and I will have to close the bar. I’m dreading telling Marlene. We might have to go back to Midgar and sell the chocobos and she will be just crushed. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Not with this blindfold.”

They flew along, finally landing after rather a long flight. When they set down, she could hear a great deal of very industrious noise. She was led out of the helicopter, and at long last the blindfold was removed. She was extremely distraught when she saw she was before the old Shinra mansion, which was surrounded by workers and machinery. And there, before her, was Rufus. She was tempted to strike him.

“You brought me here so I could watch you tear the place down?” she demanded.

“Much as the idea appealed to me, no.” Rufus handed her a box.

Tifa accepted the box, and, after giving him a puzzled look, opened it. Inside were a crystal tiara, a letter, and an old key.

“What am I supposed to do with these?”

“Well you put the tiara on and read the letter.”

Tifa gave him a strange look, but shrugged and put the tiara on. Then she opened the letter and began to read;

TO QUEEN TIFA, ON THE DAY OF HER CORONATION, DAME LYDIA SHINRA AND SIR RUFUS SHINRA DO HEREBY BEQUEATH TO HER ONE RUN-DOWN USELESS AND MOST LIKELY HAUNTED OLD MANSION.

Expenses associated with afore-mentioned run-down useless and most likely haunted old mansion (hereafter referred to as RDUAMLHOM) to be borne by Rufus in the event Queen Tifa agrees to move in, restore the RDUAMLHOM to her royal satisfaction and keep an eye on the archive that is to be stored there.

Tifa read the letter three times. “I… I don’t understand…” she said weakly.

“I’m essentially giving you the mansion,” said Rufus. “You may live in it, restore it, treat it as your home, but I will pay for the expenses, maintain ownership on the property, and pay for your services as archivist. Assuming you would want the job.”

“So… all I have to do is… organize an archive and… the mansion is mine?”

“Well I warn you,” said Rufus. “The archive will be an enormous one. Just getting it in order will be a full-time job. And I have no idea how long the restoration process will take, and I can’t swear it’s not still crawling with monsters of some sort but it just seems to me a much better idea than tearing the place down.” He smiled at her. “Assuming you are amenable to all this.”

She was still rather stunned by the offer he had just made. “But… we… we’ll need a place to stay while…”

“I’ve taken the liberty of renting a cottage until the place is suitable for habitation.”

“And… all I have to do is…?”

“Restore the mansion and look after the archive, yes. Both rather large tasks but I think you are up to it.”

“And if I say no?”

He shrugged. “Somebody else may have the position. I’m not forcing you to do anything. If you do not wish to take the job and leave Kalm that is entirely up to you.”

Tifa sat down hard in a most undignified manner. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to agree to anything right this moment.”

“Not to you, I mean to Barret!”

Rufus smiled. “How about ‘you may now address me as Your Majesty’?”