It was past midnight, and in the streets, everything was silent except for the sound of rain hitting the pavement and rooftops. Almost everyone was asleep in their beds: exhausted from the previous day, but for the first time in so long, sleeping peacefully and contently. It had been so long since anyone had had such a happy day. The day had started out horribly, with children missing and Bahumut attacking...but for once, the day had a happy ending.

Sitting outside Seventh Heaven, Tifa smiled as she formed these thoughts. The rain had drenched her hair and clothing, but she paid it no mind. She was beginning to go numb, but standing outside with the rain pouring around her, made her feel closer to Aeris. Tifa's face grew solemn, and she extended a hand, letting the water droplets gather in her palm. She closed her eyes, and she could almost imagine that Aeris was standing next to her.

"I owe you everything..." Tifa whispered softly.

Tifa ducked her head, not wanting to cry. Today was a happy day...she told herself. I shouldn't be crying. But a few tears mingled with the rain on her face. Tifa knew, that before today, she had been on the verge of losing everything. Hours and hours ago, she had no idea where Marlene and Denzel were; all she knew was that they had been kidnapped by an enemy whose strenght surpassed hers by far. And she had only just found out that Cloud had Geostigma too.

She shook her head, water flying out her hair. She didn't want to think about any of that. Cloud and Denzel could have died from Geostigma...Denzel and Marlene could have been killed by their kidnappers...Cloud could have died from the gunshot...There had been so many different ways she could have lost everything she loved. But they were all alive. Thank to Aeris, who was not.

"I don't know how to thank you..." Tifa sighed, cupping her chin in her hand.

Tifa couldn't even begin to explain how much it meant to her to see smiles on everyone's faces again. Especially Cloud's and Denzel's. A small smile curled up on Tifa's lips. It meant the world to her, to see Denzel laughing and playing with Marlene, free of pain. It meant everything to her, to have to spend an hour herding Marlene and Denzel into bed, because they were having so much fun laughing and playing. Before, Denzel would spend pain-filled hours in bed before drifting off into a restless sleep, and Marlene would sit next to him sadly.

Aeris brought us hope again...Tifa thought. She titled her face back as the rain got harder. And she brought Cloud and Denzel back to me. A full smile blossomed on her face. Everything was going to be alright. Her family wasn't falling apart anymore; Aeris had given them all a second chance. She closed her eyes, and she knew that Aeris was there, and that she always had been.

Tifa didn't open her eyes as she heard the door open behind her. After a moment, she felt someone sit next to her on the step, and she smiled softly, face still tiltled into the rain. Thank you...she told Aeris silently. Thank you for putting my family back together...

"Everything alright?" Cloud asked quietly.

She opened her eyes and turned towards him. He looked worried and a bit shy, as though he was afraid she didn't want him there. Tifa smiled. It had been so long since she had seen anything but regret in his eyes when he looked at her. Now he looked just the way he looked when they sat at the well together so long ago.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked unsurely when Tifa turned her face back into the rain.

Smile still on her face, Tifa began talking.

"I was so scared today..." she admitted softly. "It's still hard to believe how close I came to losing everything."

Cloud was silent, and for a moment all they could hear was the rain.

"But Aeris saved us, didn't she?" Tifa whispered.

"Yea..." Cloud agreed, his voice barely audible over the rain.

A puddle was forming at Tifa's feet, and she gently splashed her bare feet in it. She smiled, remembering the newly-cured children splashing around in the church.

"Today when we were all together in the church," Tifa began. "I could feel Aeris there with us..."

"I could too." Cloud said softly.

Tifa smiled. She wondered if Cloud could feel Aeris now too. Tifa turned towards him to ask, but stopped when she saw him tilting his face into the rain, as she had done minutes ago, and she knew the answer. She watched him for a minute, before leaning back and letting the rain run down her own face.

When Tifa opened her eyes again, Cloud was watching her, the look in his eyes unreadable. When he realized that she was returning his gaze, he jumped a little. His mouth opened and closed again quickly. Tifa titled her head curiously. Cloud seemed to be struggling for words. Tifa gave him an encouraging smile, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Cloud immediatley shut his mouth, a curious blush staining his cheeks.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, touching his arm gently.

He jumped at her touch, and sandwiched her hand in between both of his.

"Have you been out here long?" he asked her. "You're freezing."

Tifa looked at her hand in between both of his, and wanted more than anything to ask him what he was going to say before, but Cloud began talking again before she could ask.

"Tifa...you're going to make yourself sick." he said lowly.

The concern in his voice made Tifa smile.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked, peering at her curiously.

She let the smile spread across her face and turned towards Cloud. With the hand Cloud wasn't holding, she reached out to touch his left arm, the one that had been infected. The skin was healthy and clear, slick with rain water.

"You're better now." Tifa stated softly.

Cloud seemed to realize she wasn't only speaking of the Geostigma. He looked down at her hand in his and nodded.

"I'm better now." he confirmed.

Tifa let her hand slide off his arm and looked out at the rain again.

"You know..." she said softly. "I'm sorry about some of the things I said the other day...I didn't mean to be so harsh...I was just scared, that's all."

Cloud shook his head, water flying off his hair.

"Don't apologize." he told her, sighing. "You were right...I was running."

His eyes were lowered to the ground.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me." he said, a trace of the old guilt back in his voice.

"Hey..." Tifa said gently, tugging on his hand. "Don't be like that. Everything turned out okay, didn't it?"

He met her eyes slowly and she smiled.

"We've been given a second chance." Tifa told him. "Let's do it right this time, okay?"

It took a minute, but finally Cloud returned her smile and nodded.

"Okay." he agreed.

Cloud and Tifa stood up slowly, drenched with rain. Tifa felt Cloud place a tentative hand on her shoulder, and she turned towards him. That unreadable look was back in his eyes again, but suddenly Tifa understood what he wanted.

Tifa hugged him tightly, face burried in his shoulder, arms around his neck. His ducked his face into her wet hair, arms holding her against him. Tifa squeezed her eyes closed. It had been so long. Even as the rain got heavier, and they grew colder, neither of them moved. They held each other closer, savoring the moment, as they felt the large gulf that had formed between them in the past months, slowly close.