Disclaimer: Right to the point: Final Fantasy VII belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and SquareEnix.

In case you haven't read any of my stories, be warned, I do not have time to proofread. Yes, that means that you will encounter the occasional typo, misspelling, or grammar error…So, yes, early apology for that. Sorry.

And if you are wondering, this is the epilogue for one of my stories called Dirty Dishes; however, it can be read individually as well. There are a few things that could be understood better if you have read the other story first, but it is not necessary.

Here is my Valentine's present to the rest of the CloTi fans. I hope that you enjoy this.

So without further ado, I humbly present you with "In the End, There's More to It Than That."

On with the story!

NMM In the End, There's More to It than That MMN

Cloud rubbed his eyes as he lifted the goggles from his face. He was tired and it was getting very late. He was parked outside a shop he'd just made a delivery for. The owner came out, running fingers through his red-hair. Cloud stretched his neck; he couldn't believe how much things had changed. There he was about to shake the meat-seller's hand, the man he had sworn he hated a few days back. Or was it month's. Or years. Whatever it was, it really didn't matter much. Things were different now.

"How you been?" The man asked.

"Fine." Cloud said simply.

"And Tifa?"

"She's good."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." The red-head felt around in his pockets and pulled out a small box wrapped in yellow paper. "My wife wanted to give this to her. Could you please deliver it?"

"Sure." Cloud took the box. "Thank you."

"Nah, she deserves it, you're very lucky to have her. She's a wonderful woman."

Cloud blushed. "Yeah." He rubbed his neck hating the sudden silence. "Well, I better get going."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye."

Cloud turned Fenrir's engine on and drove slowly as he let the motor warm up. When the engine was ready, he drove quickly making record time as he pulled into the Seventh Heaven's garage. It was dark and cold. Cloud parked Fenrir across from Tifa's car and stretched again. He was getting very sleepy. He took his boots off to make sure he wouldn't wake anyone and quietly made his way to the bathroom.

He washed his face and arms. The wind had chilled his skin and the warm water felt wonderfully. He slipped out of his 'work-clothes' and into his pajamas. Cloud slid his t-shirt on as he headed to the kitchen to see if he could find something to eat. He found some cookies and ate a few before heading to the bathroom again to brush his teeth. He saw his dirty clothes on the laundry basket and remembered Tifa's present. He took it out of his pants and laid it in the living room; he'd have to remember to give that to her. He was very tired and decided to go to bed.

He rubbed his arms as he walked to his room. His skin was still cold. Cloud half-way tip-toed to the bed and got underneath the blankets as quietly as he could.

"Cloud?"

"Yeah?" He whispered.

"I'm glad you made it okay. I heard in the news the weather was terrible."

"It wasn't that bad. I'm sure it's been worse before. Besides, it's warm in the house." He was finally under the blankets and was about to close his eyes when he felt Tifa's warm hands on his face.

"You're cold. If you're not careful you'll get sick."

"I'm fine." Cloud said kissing her hand. "It's nice here. I won't get sick."

He tried to kiss her, but Tifa took his hands. "Even your hands are cold." She held them tightly and Cloud felt his wedding band cold against his fingers.

"If you hug me I won't be cold." He said tentatively.

"How about you hug me instead?"

That sounded just fine to him. He scooted closer to her in bed and let her get comfortable. Cloud rested his head against hers and laid his hand over her tummy. His eyes closed. He could hear her breathe softly. It was wonderful to at last be like this; with her head resting on his arm and her hair soft against his cheek. He opened his eyes again and watched her sleeping. From the window, a few streaks of light came in and played beautifully on her skin and hair. For a while, he didn't feel the time flow by. His eyelids closed slowly and he was about to finally fall asleep when–

"Tifa, she kicked me!" Cloud said in an exited whisper.

"What Cloud?" Tifa said trying to face him.

"She just kicked me. I haven't felt that until now. Remember she'd never kick whenever I'd try to feel it." Cloud was smiling broadly and he couldn't stop talking. He couldn't believe that he'd finally felt his baby kick.

"Cloud," Tifa said laughing.

"What? Aren't you excited?"

"Oh, yes. I'm very excited to experience childbirth." Tifa said sarcastically. "…I hope he has your eyes."

"No, she's going to have your eyes."

"I think I'd rather he'd have my hair. But I don't know, you're hair would be great. Either way, he'll be very handsome."

"But I think she'll be more beautiful with your eyes."

"I guess we'll just have to wait, won't we?"

"Yeah," Cloud said. "Yeah…So how much longer?"

"A few days…maybe."

"It's that close?" He said.

She nodded. "Yes, that close."

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too."

Cloud felt her hair tickle his arm as she moved nearer to him. He smiled and kissed her. "Denzel wants a sister."

She laughed. "No, he wants a brother more–wait, what time is it?"

Cloud twisted his neck to see the alarm clock. "It's 1:48."

"We better sleep. If not, there may not be Sunday pancakes."

"Yeah." He hugged her and ran his fingers through her hair. Cloud kissed her forehead and heard Tifa giggle. "Goodnight, Tifa."

"Goodnight, Cloud."

He pulled the covers nicely over their bodies and rested his head against hers again. He swore he could hear her heartbeat, but maybe that had been his, or the baby's. There was a spike bothering his eye and he pushed it away. As he did, he realized that his skin wasn't cold anymore. Cloud closed his eyes again feeling incredibly happy. He fell asleep smiling and not knowing if he'd already been dreaming to begin with or if it was really the truth.

NMM To Be Continued MMN

Tah dah! How about it? If you review I will deeply appreciate it. I know it's a bit early to post Valentine's things, but I couldn't help myself. I had this written down ready to post as quickly as I could because I had asked for a certain amount of reviews and in return I'd post this. Since the amount didn't come, I couldn't help myself. I had to post it. So, hope you like it.

And yes, this is chaptered. There will be at least one or two more parts, I'm still deciding. I think I might have it all up by the end of February. I'll try in any case.

This is dedicated to those of you who have followed my writing so far; if you've read Dirty Dishes or Green Beans, or any of my other things, this is for you!

Oh, and did I mention to review?

Thanks for reading; oh, don't you just love CloTi?