Tifa woke up at her usual time, alone in her bed. Their bed, she thought, if only Cloud would make a move to join her. She rubbed her face before sitting up and yawning. Her eyes glanced at the clock; it was five thirty. With Yuffie staying over for the next week still, she needed to get to the shower before the Wutaian princess got her hands on the hot water.

She sneaked into the bathroom after getting a towel and turned on the shower. She undressed herself, then hopped in. She really wished Cloud would help her bridge that gap in their relationship. Hadn't she made it abundantly clear that he was fully welcomed back? That she wanted him there? Maybe she should be a little more vocal, but she didn't want to press the subject. They were a family, but what if his feelings were drifting away from her?

Tifa pushed those unnerving thoughts aside as she massaged shampoo into her hair. He didn't have to sleep in his office. Yuffie had a better room than he did at this point, how fair was that? She had taken over the guest room after everyone else had left a week ago, claiming she needed to stay in the area for reasons unknown to Tifa. Maybe she found a materia cave nearby, and she was using Seventh Heaven as her base of operations. Well, Tifa would see about getting a small share of the treasure as rent payment.

Her mind continued to ramble as she wiped at the mirror and brushed her teeth. Maybe she would have to tell him, because he wasn't getting the hint...but if he wasn't interested, could she handle that? Yes, yes she could. She handled him abandoning them for nearly a month. But this possible scenario was different, wasn't it? Cloud had been distant before Denzel came into their lives, then he came closer again, if not the same as when they first began their new lives together. Now, it felt like something in between, something that could go one way or another. She tired of the ache and need of her heart.

As Tifa left the humid confines of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around her torso and her slightly damp hair clinging to her shoulders, she thought she heard a male snicker. Her brows creased together. It almost sounded like Cloud's laughter, just different. She looked down the hall towards his office, then watched him clumsily open the door and head towards the bathroom. His glowing blue eyes came closer, and as the bathroom light hit his face she noticed the cheesiest grin warping his features. "Um, morning, Cloud," she murmured awkwardly.

"How's it goin'?" He picked at the waistband of his pajama bottoms, then stifled a giggle.

Her frown deepened. "I'm...doing alright. Cloud, are you feeling okay?"

"Never better, why?"

"You just seem a little..." Tifa's voice faded as she tried to think of the right word to use. There wasn't anything wrong with him being happy so early in the morning, it was just very strange. He was quiet until he had his morning coffee. "A little chipper. Did you get a large payment for a delivery, or a new upgrade for Fenrir?"

Cloud flippantly waved his hand. "Yeah, somethin' like that. Ah, I'm gonna take a shower before our special guest gets up. I'll see ya downstairs."

"Um, alright." Tifa turned on her heel to go back to her room and get dressed. What was up with Cloud now? Did Yuffie put a hyper into his water canteen? Certainly though, hypers never made him act like this. He would become agitated and more excitable, he wouldn't become giddy and dismissive.

After a few minutes she was downstairs and starting breakfast. The coffeemaker was slowly filling up and the the pan on the stove was greased. Tifa decided on blueberry pancakes. Everyone liked those, especially Cloud. She began working on them, only taking a moment to glance Yuffie's way as she quietly left the guest room and went up the stairs while scratching her rump absentmindedly.

Usually she would at least say hello.

Tifa dismissively shrugged to herself, making pancake after pancake as her home slowly woke up. She heard Cloud and Yuffie whispering to each other as they came downstairs, quieting as they came close. They fixed up their coffee and sat at the bar. Yuffie sounded like she was chastising Cloud about something. Tifa turned her head. "Everything alright, you two?"

They looked up at her. Yuffie nodded. "Yeah. Sleep well?"

Tifa's brows came up. "Mhm. Did you?"

"Yeah. The guest room is pretty comfy." The ninja sipped on her coffee.

Cloud huffed. "I think I gotta crick in my neck from that mattress. It feels like I'm sleepin' on a bag of dried beans," he groused. A mischieveous grin settled on his lips. "I wish there was another bed I could sleep on..."

"The guest room is taken," Yuffie replied before taking another sip of coffee.

"I wasn't talking about you."

Tifa was about to ask what had gotten into him when the children came downstairs. She went about finishing the pancakes, and was a little surprised when she noticed Yuffie pouring two glasses of juice for the children. She somehow remembered which juice was their favorite, too. It was a kind gesture, she thought.

Tifa sat between Cloud and Yuffie, the former daintily eating his breakfast while the latter poured syrup over her stack, then cut large swaths of pancake to shovel into her mouth. Cloud snickered. "You're gonna choke if you eat like that, Yuffie!"

Yuffie finished her bite and scowled at her friend. "You eat like a pretty little princess, Cloud."

Denzel tugged on Cloud's arm, and he turned his way. "Um, Cloud, can we go out somewhere today?"

He ruffled the boy's hair gently. "Yeah, sure, squirt! We can do stuff. Marlene, d'you wanna come, too?"

Marlene nodded happily at the suggestion of doing stuff. "Yeah! How about a movie?"

"Yeah, sure."

Tifa turned when she felt Yuffie's hand very gently and tentatively touch her arm. "Hey, you wanted to go clothes shopping today, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah." Tifa was wondering if she was stuck in a dream. Cloud and Yuffie were acting very, very strange.

Yuffie seemed to relax as she sat on her stool. There was something strange about her eyes and her uncharacteristic, soft smile. "Great."

After breakfast was done the three adults cleaned up, and after a while Cloud took the children to a movie after giving Yuffie a wink and a thumbs up before closing the front door. Tifa looked back at the ninja to see her rubbing her face and sighing.

Tifa put her hands on her hips. "You two are acting awfully strange," she remarked.

Yuffie waved her hand dismissively. "He's probably just realizing...what he has. Don't you think he'd be a little exciteable after almost dying?"

A small chuckle left the pugilist's lips. "I suppose so, but what about you?"

The ninja shrugged. "Just feeling a bit chill today, I guess." She clapped her hands together. "So, how about that shopping? I love clothes shopping!"

The tone of voice Tifa heard made it sound as if Yuffie was faking her enthusiasm. "...We don't have to go if you don't feel up to it."

Yuffie shook her head, then grabbed Tifa's hand. A small blush creeped onto her cheeks. "Let's mo— I mean, let's get goin'."

The shop was a few blocks away, and the entire time Tifa observed her usually chipper friend. How she walked in a more sure way, her eyes holding a familiar gaze that watched her surroundings for trouble. Tifa had to get her to talk for once. It was strange how little she was talking, and every time she tried to talk a lot she went on a bit of a tangent.

When they arrived they looked about the aisles for this and that; a pair of jeans to wear on a day off, a blouse that Tifa found pretty on Yuffie. When they came to the dress section, the familiar glint of mischief found its way into the ninja's eyes. "Hey, how about a new dress?"

Tifa blushed before longingly looking at the dresses. She wasn't one to get dolled up very often at all, but she wouldn't mind have a special dress to wear sometimes. But... "I...don't think I have a need for a dress right now, Yuffie."

Yuffie's face dropped all pretense amusement. "Why not?"

Tifa looked down at her calloused hands. "Well, I...um..."

"Hey, you can tell me, y'know!" The ninja dragged her friend to a pair of chairs to sit down. "What's going on?"

Tifa wrapped a few strands of hair around her finger. "I...I don't know, Yuffie." Her eyes became downcast again. "I don't know if he wants me anymore."

"Why would you think that?" Yuffie whispered.

Her cheeks burned as she played with her fingers. Did she really want to divulge this? "I mean, you've been at the bar. Cloud...he hasn't really made a move, has he? I don't know. Maybe he lost any interest since he was gone for so long.

"I mean, I...want him to be happy. I shouldn't be so selfish." She glanced up at Yuffie, who looked like she had been slapped. "I'd just like to know straight from the chocobo's mouth."

"You know he's crazy about you," she countered.

Tifa shrugged. "I don't know. It's been a while since he showed it." She let out a defeated sigh. "It doesn't matter. Let's pay for our things, Yuffie."

Yuffie shook her head. "We're getting you a dress, then you two are going on a date." She got up and bee-lined for the dress rack.

Tifa stood up and briskly walked over. "No, Yuffie! Don't tell him what I said, please!"

Yuffie paused and looked her in the eye with a quirked up eyebrow. "How come?"

Tifa fidgeted where she stood. "I don't want him to fret."

Dark indigo eyes looked downward towards the floor, then back into Tifa's ruby orbs with a warm smile. "Alright, but you better get a dress just in case he warms back up. Uh, nothing too showy. He might drool all over you," she said with a blush.

"Fine, I'll get a dress." They looked through the rack at several different dresses. Yuffie looked to her right, then grabbed a lovely little red dress. She handed it to Tifa. "Hm. Red?"

Yuffie nodded. "I wanna see it on you."

Tifa shrugged, then went into the changing room. It fit her perfectly, to her surprise. She opened the door and walked out, sliding her hands against the fabric that partially covered her legs. She gave Yuffie a quizzical look as the ninja's eyes darkened. "...Are you alright?" She really needed to stop asking that, she thought to herself.

"Uh, yeah. That dress looks amazing on you, Tifa." She shifted her legs around a little while looking uncomfortable. Her face was flushing.

"Don't tell me you're getting the hots for me, Yuffie."

Yuffie shook her head and looked down. "Nope, not at all."

Tifa rolled her eyes and marched back into the changing room. She decided it would be best to avoid the city's tap water in case that was the reason Yuffie and Cloud were acting so strange. Still, it was a very nice dress. She would buy it, just in case.

The two left the store after purchasing their clothing and walked towards the bar. "Things will get better," Yuffie claimed out of the blue.

Tifa turned her head. "Oh?"

The ninja nodded. "Yeah. Just trust him, okay? Even if he hasn't been at his best."

"Hm."

They returned home to a still empty house. Tifa decided to clean up some more, and Yuffie helped her. Beds were made, reciepts picked up, windows cleaned and floors washed. It felt nice when there was another person helping her, but Tifa wished it was Cloud. At the very least he was spending time with the kids, she thought. That was a big step in healing the family.

Cloud came home hours later with a large bag of Wutaian food for dinner, telling Tifa that she shouldn't have to cook all the time. She had to agree. It was nice to eat something different, anyway. The children regaled Tifa of their day with Cloud, how the movie was great and how they went to an arcade afterwards. They showed off the little plushies they won; a cactuar and a moogle.

As the day came to a close Tifa found herself in her room, alone again. She had a book open in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. She was wondering if she had made a mistake when she divulged her feelings to Yuffie earlier. Did it matter? Maybe she would get an answer quicker if she opened her big fat mouth.

The door creaked open, and Cloud's gently glowing eyes met hers as he came into the bedroom, dressed in a white T-shirt and black bottoms. He still seemed energetic, until he gently placed something on the dresser. He blinked, then looked around the room. Cloud suddenly looked rather sheepish. "Uh, evening, Teef."

"Evening," she replied as she put her book away. "...Did you need something?"

His feet looked like they were glued to the floor. "Yes, I-I did."

She nodded once, slowly. "Okay...?"

After a deep breath his eyes grew determined, and he walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. "I, um...Well..."

Tifa leaned forward, then put her hand on his shoulder. "Cloud?"

He shyly turned his head towards her, one azure eye peeking out behind a mess of golden spikes. "It's getting kinda cold in the office, and I..."

"I miss you," she whispered. Her hand squeezed the muscles of his shoulder.

Cloud turned his body to face her. Tentatively, he put his hand on her cheek, then slowly, cautiously, drew his face closer to her, and he bumped his forehead to hers. "I just had a lot on my mind lately. I didn't mean to make you sad."

Did Yuffie tell him? Tifa supposed it didn't matter. Maybe it was the final kick in the ass he needed. Her hand found its way into his soft, spiky hair. "I understand."

"Do you?"

She shrugged. "There's not much I can do, if you're trying to figure things out."

"Right. But you were never the issue. I'm just an idiot."

Tifa tried not to smile at that. "Well, you're my idiot, then."

Cloud's face relaxed into a smile, and Tifa soon found him kissing her. After over a month, a kiss. His lips were soft and addictive, and soon she found herself laying on her bed, cradled in his arms. Her heart beamed in her chest as for the first time all day, things finally felt right.

As for Cloud, he found that Yuffie's scheme to use a new materia called "Soul Switch" actually worked out. He owed her big, but it had been worth it.