Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all its characters and events are owned by Square Enix, this is none profit and I own nothing but the fictional storyline I have created.

Chapter 1: Hold You Head High

The day everything came crashing down. Or maybe the first of many to occur. I was born in the small town of Nibleheim. It wasn't a very big or interesting town, but it was my home. I loved it here, when I started going to school I made many friends. And even though I had many friends, I only ever wanted to be with one person. My best friend, Cloud Strife. We were inseparable, never without the other. He knew all my secrets and I knew his. I really thought our friendship would last forever. One day, I remember this day like it had been imprinted into my mind, I was outside playing alone, since Cloud had been very sick and his mom wouldn't let him out till he got better, my dad came out to me, tears in his eyes. I didn't understand why he was hurting so, being only seven at the time. I started crying with him, crying for him, begging him to stop the never ending pools of tears. I held onto him, wanting his tears to subside. With his voice quaking with many emotions I didn't understand at the time, he told me my mom was gone. Her cancer that had been slowly killing her finally won. My mom tried her best to fight it, never giving up even though she knew it was no use, but in the end she wasn't strong enough. I didn't really understand at the time, but I did know that mom was gone now. She had left me and dad forever. He and I cried for what seemed like hours until at long last, all the tears that could be shed were. My father did something very irrationally after that. I didn't go to school for a few days and at mom's funeral, dad made a decision. We were going to leave Nibleheim and move to the big city. Thoughts of my mom plagued him here in Nibleheim and he knew, for both our sakes, we needed to move on. Life had to go on after her death. He got transferred to Midgar, and we left almost immediately. I never got to say goodbye to my home, my friends. I never saw Cloud ever again.

Dad made a promise when we settled into our new home, "I will always be here for you. Through thick or thin, know I will always be here."

That promise took me through life. The thought that someone was there for me, that someone would catch me when I fell and patch up the wounds, that was all I needed. I forgot everything about my life before Midgar. I started over. Started a new life. I started at a new school, though I didn't have any close friends like I did before, but things were back to normal. Dad and I got through things and we were as happy as we could possibly be.

I never thought that happiness would be taken away from me for a second time. He was out working late, later than usual to get his reports done in time. He called me up to let me know he would be home really late, and I said I'd wait up for him like I usually did even when he told me not to. This had become like a norm to us. "I'll be home late tonight." "Alright, I'll see you when you get home." "Don't wait up for me, Hun, you're going to be tired tomorrow." "Fine I'll go to bed," which I never did and waited up regardless, "I love you dad." "I love you too, Tifs."

I never saw that phone call as our final goodbye. We cherished every moment we had after mom left us sure, we always said 'I love you' at any moment as if it could be our last. I just never thought it would ever actually be our last this soon. I waited up all night, getting a blanket and dosing off on the couch, adamant to still wait up for him. I was woken up by a phone call. The clock on the wall said it was about three in the morning. Must just be dad saying he's working really late and just going to stay at the office and sleep on the sofa he innocently insisted on having for these occasions. The caller id was unknown though. Who in their right mind would call at this untimely hour?

"Hello? Lockhart residence…"

"Is this Tifa Lockhart?" the voice on the other side asked, sounding so serious it made me worry.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm calling from the Midgar emergency centre…"

I cut her off, heart pounding in my chest I thought it might burst right out, "What's happened?! What's going on?!"

"You're dad. He died on the way to the hospital. He was hit by a truck head on. The medics were surprised he even made it out the car alive…" the receptionist rambled on, trying to make the panicked girl on the other side, I don't know, feel better maybe.

How was anything going to make me feel better? I was alone. I relived the same fear and hurt I had the day my mom died. The only difference was I was no longer an innocent child that didn't understand.

The phone slipped from my hand, the lady's voice on the other side sounding frantic, as I crumbled to the floor. Never ending tears spilled from my eyes, what now? How would I go on this time? Did I even have a safety net to catch me this time?

I don't know how long it had been or what had happened really after that phone call. I simply sat there, phone still off the receiver, crying. There were knocks at the door, I paid no notice of them, lost in my own sorrow. More knocks, where they calling my name? I didn't know. Then I felt strong arms heave me from the floor, must have got a key from a neighbour or broke down the door, but I was being carried off and out of my home, broken and in tears.

The person driving the car I found myself in said I hadn't left the house in two weeks. The funeral happened without me even being aware of it. What would I have said if I had gone? I haven't said a word since that dreaded phone call. They continued to tell me that I was moving back to Nibleheim, the only legal guardians being my grandparents. They agreed to take me in after their son's untimely death, me being all they had left of him. Quite frankly, I didn't care where they took me, I would still be sobbing in my house if I hadn't been forcibly removed from my spot.

The view of my old hometown coming into view, nothing had changed since I was last here nine years ago. There were a few new houses built, due to possible new comers moving here, but all the old houses and I can only imagine old families were still here. I saw a lot of kids running around, kids scatter all over the town during summer vacation. Passing steal gates I saw the beautiful house that belonged to my grandparents. The Lockhart residence was known for its beauty around the town. Being one of Nibleheim's founding families, the Lockhart bloodline ran far back. I was escorting in, across the porch covered in white roses, no doubt in memory of the member they had just lost. The rose's sweet scent caused new tears to well up in my eyes, but not be shed. I couldn't cry anymore. My grandparents hugged me, closing the door after the stranger brought in all my things. Nothing was said as they simply held me, not even any tears. Then I broke, I wasn't done crying, and the warmth they showed me reminded me of the warmth I would never feel ever again.

"Please don't cry." My grandmother silently pleaded, verging on tears herself, "Things may seem bad, awful even, but your dad wouldn't want to see you like this. He'll always be with you everywhere you go."

My tears just kept coming; my grandfather gave me a glass of water, which I took without question. Feeling the cool liquid flow down my throat, I calmed down a little, my tears becoming less until they inevitably came to an end.

"There's a good girl."

I smiled a weak smile at my grandfather who was trying to make me feel better.

I was steered towards the staircase, "Let me show you your new room, maybe you'll start to feel better after some alone time."

She left me in front of the door, "I'm going to see to some dinner, I'll come get you when it's ready." She didn't wait for a response, knowing the chances of one were slim to none, and simply left to get on with her duties.

The room they gave me was beautiful. I never used to stay over at their place when I was younger, so I had never seen the rooms. Even in my state I couldn't help my look around in awe. A big bed was situated in the middle of the room, a desk to my left and a walk in closet to my right. Straight ahead of me were a big window and a window seat before it. I walked further in to take a better look around. Passed the desk was a door which lead into a spacious bathroom. Everything a teenager could wish for. But nothing could bring back my father; nothing could fix the hole his absence caused. After putting all my stuff away in the various places, not wanting to be a bad house guest, I sat on the window seat and merely stared out the window, not looking at anything in particular.

My grandmother came up with some tea, handing a cup to me as she sat down beside me, "Your wounds will heal, Honey, time heals everything."

Would it really heal all this?

"You'll find the memories you have will mend your heart, he will help you push forward and continue living. And I believe that with everything inside me. He did it once; he wouldn't let you go through the second time on your own."

She was right, she was always right. I couldn't manage a smile but I hugged her tight, maybe I could pull through this, one day at least.

Sipping our tea we wordlessly sat beside each other, staring out the window. She held my hand, the connection symbolizing I won't have to go through this all alone.