"Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!

A farewell, and then forever!

Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,

Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.

Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,

While the star of hope she leaves him?

Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me,

Dark despair around benights me."

-Robert Burns, Ae Fond Kiss

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Chapter One

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Tifa did not know how long she sat on the bathroom floor, but she knew that eventually her sobs faded into nothing. It was almost as if she could no longer hear her breathing, and the only sign that she was still alive was her scalp hurting from where she had pulled at her hair. The pregnancy test still lied on the floor mere inches from her feet.

"Tifa?" Denzel's voice came muffled from the other side of the door. "You in there?"

She seemed shocked out of her sorrow then, as she hastily wiped at the tear tracks underneath her eyes with the palm of her hand. Her nose was still running, and she was afraid that she would talk in a voice that was indicative of her crying. But she was able to clear her throat adequately enough and control her voice so that she sounded as if nothing was amiss.

"I'll be out in a sec, sweetie. You need something?"

"I need the bathroom!" There seemed to be a laugh in his voice, and it made Tifa smile slightly. She forced herself to get up, though her muscles were strangely tense. It had to be all the stress, but she still winced slightly as she found her footing. Barret was usually the one to take out the trash…if it was paranoia, she did not know, but she hastily put the test back into the box and hid the box in her shorts pocket. She would throw it away later.

Examining herself in the mirror was a hard feat. She looked nothing like she had earlier that day. Her eyes were bloodshot while her face seemed unnaturally pale, and her eyes were still puffy. She could not remember crying like she had since Aerith's death. And that was with Cloud…

Thinking of him made her fists clench and her breath quicken, but she controlled her tears. Since when did she turn into such a crybaby?

"Tifaaaaa…." Denzel's voice came from the other side of the door again, this time more insistent.

There was blood on her chin from where she had bitten her lip. She hastily wet a tissue and rubbed it away, though there was nothing to be done about the cut. Her bottom lip was swollen visibly, and red around the slight break in the skin. How would she explain this one to Barret?

"Coming," she forced herself to answer in as cheery a voice as she could muster. The paranoia still set in, and she also hid the bloodied tissue in her pocket. No one could find out…at least, not yet. The shame was too much for her as it was.

She opened the door, and for once she was thankful about Denzel's lack of concern for her as he rushed past her and into the bathroom. Marlene was still in the room the two shared, examining the small metal jacks on the floor. Tifa tried to walk by unnoticed but Marlene was now bored without her playmate, and called out to her.

"Tifa! You wanna play with us?"

"Not now." She gave the familiar motherly voice she had found herself using so often lately…but these were not her children. She had always loved children but now…thinking about it brought the same lump in her throat that threatened tears. She pushed them back again. She would not think about Cloud right now. "I…have to get ready to open the bar. You and Denzel have fun, okay?"

Marlene gave a cute nod of her head, allowing a high-pitched sound of approval that was more like a hum in her throat. At this same time Tifa heard the toilet flush and kept walking before Denzel got out. He was always the more inquisitive one…he was such an adult, even at his age. She could never stop wondering at what could have happened had Barret not showed up when Bahamut had been summoned…

Down in 7th Heaven, everything was quiet. She decided not to turn on the stereo until opening time. The phone on the wall seemed to be the only blaringly white object in the entire bar, and she found herself continuing to glance at it. For a moment she thought about calling Yuffie… she needed someone to talk to, and Yuffie was as close to a sister as she had. But she was even ashamed to tell her friend. And so, all thoughts of the phone left her mind as swiftly as they had come.

Every time she thought about Cloud she started to think of…no, she would not. She even shook her head as if that would rid it of the memories she no longer wished to keep. What sort of mess had she gotten herself in to?

Regardless of her will power, she found herself lost in thought. There was no cohesiveness to them but they floated through her memories just the same. Everything was just like a bad dream…and maybe she could just…

Bang!

She was not easily shocked, but she felt herself jump. The glass she had been drying fell out of her hands and shattered on the floor. Even this seemed to be shocking, as she had never dropped a glass before. And all at a knock on the door!

Bang! Bang!

"We're closed!" She nearly yelled, to match the same tone of the insistent knocks of whatever asshole decided…

"Fuckin' open the door, Tifa!"

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Author's Note: I don't own anything, yadda yadda. Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I hope this story can continue to keep everyone's interest. And we're all wondering what happened with Tifa and Cloud…maybe the next chapter, maybe not!