AN/ Oh, yeah, chapter 3 is here! Really, I don't have much to say, so, here it goes!

Distractions

Month Three

Ok, really, she'd meant what she wrote in that note to Reno. Really, she had! Only, it hadn't exactly worked out that way… The crew had been in Midgar, and Tifa had been left behind (again!). Ever since Yuffie had mentioned her wild night of fun to the entire gang, Cloud refused to take her with him on missions. So, she was left on the Highwind…with Vincent…

Yeah, he was great company…

So, she'd gone for a walk. Just a simple, harmless little walk, which she'd planned to return from A.S.A.P. Turns out, though, that Reno likes to take harmless little walks through Midgar, as well.

They ended up at his place.

Tifa leaned her head back against the soft pillow, and growled in annoyance. Once more, she tugged at the pair of handcuffs clasped around her wrists that trapped her on the bed. Reno had left her, to go get a package of cigarettes.

Damn him to hell!

When she heard the front door click open, Tifa sighed in relief, and smiled. She really needed to get back to the ship soon. Everyone would start to wonder again. She was already sure Cloud thought she was some cheap whore. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but suddenly stopped.

"Reno? You here?" Called a deep masculine voice

That definitely wasn't Reno.

Shit… What was Rude doing here??

Tifa was suddenly very glad that Reno had closed his bedroom door, but that didn't help her much when Rude would decide look behind door number one. Oh, what a surprise he'd get, too.

This was bad… Very, very bad…

Where the hell was Reno?!

Biting her lip in agony, Tifa listened closely as the heavy boots made their way to the door. When the door knob turned, she heard the front door click open again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tifa let her eyes slide closed when she heard the front door slam shut.

Renos' eyes widened when he saw his partner standing outside his bedroom door, and he dropped his bag to the floor. Placing himself in front of the door, Reno smiled up at his mysterious partner.

"Rude, buddy. What are ya doin' here?" Reno questioned, leaning against the door frame.

Rude raised an eyebrow in question, and replied quietly, "Rufus wants to know when you're coming back to work…"

Reno sighed heavily, and said, "I'll be back in tomorrow, ok? Now, um, I've kinda got company in there, so we'll have to talk later." Reno quickly motioned his partner out of his apartment and into the hall, without as much as a 'good bye'.

Running his fingers through his hair, Reno picked up his grocery sack again, and walked into his room. Tifa was right where he left her, only this time, she was glaring full-heartedly at him.

"Ok, maybe hand-cuffs weren't such a great idea, after all." Reno admitted as he pulled out the key from his pocket. Tifa replied with another glare. As soon as the cuffs were off, Tifa pushed him back on the bed with a smirk.

Before he could even smirk, Tifa had cuffed Reno to the bed, and stolen the key. "No, they were a great idea, Reno." Tifa finally replied coyly as she unbuckled his belt. "They just look better on you." With a smirk of her own, she tugged his pants down around his ankles, and straddled his hips.

When she'd gotten back to the airship, all heads turned to Tifa and she gave them each a quizzical look when they didn't look away. She raised an eyebrow, and demanded, almost harshly, "What are you all staring at?"

Yuffie suddenly burst out laughing hysterically as she pointed to belt loop. All eyes once more fell to the object in question and Tifas' widened in horror; the handcuffs were firmly clasped around her belt loop.

That bastard... So, that's what he was doing when he was giving her that farewell hug! Ohhh, she'd get him back; yes, she would... And it would be painful.

...One week later, with Reno...

Dear god… What had Tifa done to him…?

He'd just… What in the hell was wrong with him?! Even Elena knew something was off, and that girl was about as observant as a box of crayons!

She raised her eyebrow in question as she glanced over her blue-clad shoulder. Reno…was holding the door open for her… It was kind of freaking her out.

Reno quickly let go of the door as if the handle burned his hand, and he looked down at the offending appendage in horror. Maybe he was possessed, or something… That would explain his sudden lapse in judgment, wouldn't it?

Yes, possession would definitely explain why he was screwing the enemy on the side, and being nice to Elena. Maybe he should find an exorcist…?

...A few days later, with Tifa...

Did people frown when a hero screwed one of the villains…multiple times? Probably. Tifa was betting that there was some unwritten rule about it somewhere in the hero handbook. She'd look it up, if she could, but it was most likely shoved up Clouds' ass at the moment…

Crap! Insulting the leaders' sense of righteousness was probably a no-no, too!

Tifa sighed heavily as she lay intertwined in Renos' limbs, and let her eyes slide closed. She would stop if she could, but he was so damn sexy! And not to mention, he pretty much showed up in every town they were in… It was too hard to stay away from each other when they were so close.

Glancing over at a clock, Tifa saw that it was already creeping over into the early hours of the morning. She lightly kissed him on the cheek, and slid out of bed. Really, Tifa didn't want to leave, but she'd made a deal with her friends; she'd always come back before sunrise, in case they needed to leave.

As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she glanced over at Reno once more. She should just end it now, before he could hurt her, but she just couldn't handle it. Reno had come to mean so much to her, and letting go of him would kill her.

Running her fingers though her hair, she glanced over at him to see him wide awake, and a pang of guilt stung at her heart. How could she even think of leaving him?

"Going already, babe?" He mumbled, putting an arm around her waist as he sat up. When he pulled her into his lap, he rested his head on her shoulder. "You're supposed to wake me up before you go..."

With a smile, Tifa cupped his cheek without looking at him, and leaned back into his embrace. "I just woke up myself. I was just planning some devious tourture method to get you up, but now you've ruined it..." Tifa replied softly, and craned her head back to place a kiss on his cheek.

Reno suddenly reached forward, and fumbled around in his desser drawer for a moment until he found what he was looking for. "Close your eyes." He whispered in her ear, and she obliged, her curiousity peaked.

With a chuckle, Reno brought out a thin gold bracelet with two hearts dangling on the end. He quickly fastened it around her wrist, and told her to open them again. When she looked at the bracelet, Tifa was forced to choke back tears.

It was possibly the most beautiful piece of jewelry she'd ever owned. She looked down at it lovingly as it hung around her wrist, and suddenly wrapped her arms around Renos' neck in a fierce hug.

They'd had sex multiple times before. Hell, it was practically the only thing they did together.

What followed, though, was the first time the two ever made love.

It was also the first time they forgot about protection...

...Later that night, with Tifa...

"Wow..." Yuffie murmured, catching Tifa by the wrist to stare at the bracelet, "This is so pretty...! Where'd you get it?" The younger girl was amazed, to same the least. That bracelet had to have been at least ten thousand gil, from the looks of it.

With a blush, Tifa pulled her wrist back to her chest with a smile. "He gave it to me..." She replied softly, and looked away from Yuffies' questioning eyes.

Yuffie was the only one Tifa had told what she was doing to. She still left out the name of that person, though. There was absolutely no way in hell Tifa would tell the young ninja. Yuffie was sweet and all, but that girl couldn't keep a secret to save her life. The good thing was, Yuffie understood.

Even though she pried, Yuffie really didn't care who Tifa went to see, night after night. She was just happy to know that there was someone out there who cared about Tifa.

Yuffie whistled in appreciation, and couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of it. "That's a mighty expensive present, you know..." Yuffie commented, giving Tifa a knowing smile.

Turning her eyes to the ground, Tifa said, "He didn't actually say it, but...I think he loves me, Yuffie... And I think I love him, too..."

Yuffie shook her head with a smile gracing her lips. "I think you were in love before you realized it, Tifa. I've known you were head-over-heels since the Gold Saucer. Don't know why it took you so long to figure it out..." As she turned away from the older woman, a tinkling laugh escaped her throat.

...With Reno...

He was such a damn sap...

What the hell was he thinking when he gave her that bracelet?! Trinkets like that showed commitment, which wasn't what was going on. Nope, not at all. No commitment here. Check your dialing, 'cause you've got the wrong damn number!

He just, ya know, hadn't slept with anyone else...since their first kiss...

Ok...he was commited...

Damn it all to hell!

Reno sighed heavily and burried his head in his hands. This was really bad... Commitment to Reno was practically a ring on her finger...which could definitely not happen, by the way. That was probably against company policy, or some shit like that...

This was wrong, on so many levels... He should break it off now, before Shinra found out, and had him killed. Or worse...they would kill Tifa...

Reno quickly shook his head to clear it of the image of her lifeless body. It was a job they'd send the Turks after, too. Elena and Rude would be the ones to end her sparkling existence...

Wait... 'Sparkling existence'? Where the fuck had that come from?! That thought had been way too sentimental for Renos' liking. Ok, he was getting desperate... He needed someone else's opinion on this situation, and he needed it now, damn it!

Reno wheeled himself over to his desk via rolly chair, and pressed a button on his phone. He could practically feel himself sinking to a new low... God, asking for help sucked...

"Yes, boss?" Elenas' perky voice questioned over the intercom.

"Elena, I need you in my office, pronto!" Reno commanded, trying to sound stern, so she'd hurry her ass over here.

"Right away, boss!" Elena replied, and was standing in front of him in less than a minute. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Reno motioned to the couch for her to take a seat. "Elena, answer me seriously... If I tell you something, can you swear to keep it a secret?" Reno questioned, running his fingers through his hair. Elena nodded silently, though slightly confused.

"Good..." He murmured, and let his shoulders slump forward in defeat, "I've been sleeping with Tifa Lockeheart..."

Elenas' eyes widened in shock, and her jaw fell open. "Wh-what? Sir, you've got to be kidding! She's part of Avalanche, for God's sake!" Elena shouted, jumping to her feet to pace in front of Reno.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Reno replied harshly, his mouth curling in a sneer. He tugged as his fiery locks of hair until they threatened to pull free, and let his head fall unceremoniously onto his desk. Quietly, he added, "I don't know what to do, Laney..."

Sighing quietly, Elena sat on the edge of his desk, and looked him over. Honestly, he looked like shit. "If you really like her, Reno, then you've gotta break it off... If Rufus finds out about her, he'll have someone follow you to find her, and then he'll kill her. Don't you get it? You stay with her, and she dies. Do you want that to happen, Reno?" Elena questioned, cocking her head to the side. She knew she was being harsh, but it was the only way to get the point across.

"Laney, you don't get it... I think...I think I might love her... Not the temporary, 'I'll forget you next week', but the forever kind. I don't want to let her go..." Reno explained, looking up at his female partner.

Elena ruffled his hair like he was a child, and said, "Everyone knows something's up with you. Everyone can see the change. It's little, but it's there. Rufus will notice, too. You're far more distracted than usual, and...he'll find out."

She slowly got up from his desk, and walked back out of the door to her own office. Reno stared after her in utter depression...

Because Elena was right.

He had to end it...

...Three weeks later, with Tifa...

It'd been almost a month since she last saw him, and she'd been irratible with everyone, with the exception of Yuffie. Hell, she'd almost strangled Cloud the other day, when he said something about how she didn't go out anymore. Yuffie ended up having to tackle the other woman to the ground. Needless to say, emotions were running high on the Highwind.

For the past week, Tifa had been sick to her stomach, too. She'd been throwing up left and right, regardless of where they were. It was really quite annoying, in her opinion.

Once again, she found herself hunched over the toilet, retching out her guts. Yuffie stood behind her, holding back the other girls' hair. When Tifa finally stopped, she dropped down to her knees on the bathroom, and leaned her head against the wall.

"I don't know what the hell's wrong with me, lately..." Tifa mumbled, letting her chocolate brown eyes slide closed.

Yuffie cautiously sat down beside her, and quietly suggested. "Tifa...maybe you're pregnant...?"

Tifas' eyes quickly shot open, and she shook her head. "No, that can't be it. We-we were always safe. We always used-" Tifa started to rant, but suddenly stopped as she remember the last time they'd been together.

"Except for last time..." She whispered in realization, and burried her head in her hands. "What am I gonna do?"

With a heavy sigh, Yuffie set her mouth in a grim line, and replied, "I know you don't wanna tell me who it is, but I think you need to. I swear to you, Tifa, I'll help you, but... I've gotta know what I'm getting myself into, first."

A harsh bark of laughter tore from Tifas' raw throat as she looked up at the younger girl. "Promise you won't hate me?" She questioned softly. When Yuffie gave a small nod, Tifa continued. "I've been sleeping with Reno..."

Yuffies' eyes widened in shock, but the young ninja said simply, "Oh."

Tifa smiled to herself, and murmured, "You know, he's really not that bad... He's actually really sweet, and I know he really cares about me..." Holding up the bracelet still clasped around her wrist, her eyes misted over with tears.

"But I haven't seen him in almost a month... I don't think he wants to see me anymore..."

...Two days later, with Reno...

He was going crazy. It'd been almost a month since he'd seen her, and he was losing it. Reno kept on telling himself he only wanted to see her so he could end it, but deep down he knew he was lieing to himself. It worked out better that way.

Of course, he couldn't put it off for much longer. It was probably killing her, too. He'd have to end it soon.

With a heavy sigh, Reno opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a palm-sized circle. He clicked it on with the button on top, and a small map of the world appeared. A small glowing dot blinked continuously in Rocket Town. He clicked it off, and pocketed the small locater in his jacket.

Quickly he strode off out of his office, and took the elevator down to the parking garage. He then drove off to the Chocobo Ranch, where he stashed his Gold Chocobo. It would only be a few hours before he arrived in Rocket Town.

...Later that day, with Tifa...

Waiting for repairs to be finished sucked. Tifa was bored out of her mind, and she didn't want to sit around Cid's house, waiting with the others. With a heavy sigh, she glanced out the window, and swore she saw a head of flaming red hair. Standing up, she dragged Yuffie out of the house, saying, "Come on, let's go shopping."

"Tifa!" Yuffie whined, dragging her feet as they went, "I'm tired... Come on, don't make me go..."

When they were both outside, Tifas' eyes quickly scanned the crowd for him again as she quietly replied, "I saw him. Reno's here..."

Yuffie bit her lip and kept quiet as she followed obiently behind Tifa. After looking for over half an hour, Tifa gave up and plopped herself down beside the materia store. "You can go, if you want. I'll come back later..." She murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Without a word, Yuffie left. She knew Tifa just needed to be alone for awhile.

With a heavy sigh, Tifa rested her head on her knees as tears silently tracked down her cheeks.

...With Reno...

Just as he was about to walk into the shop, he heard her sob, and it nearly tore his heart out. Cautiously, Reno walked over to the alley beside the shop and her sitting there, head burried in her arms, and crying. Reno silently sunk to his knees beside her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. He completely forgot that he was there to put an end to it all.

When Tifa looked up at him in realization, a smile slowly pulled at her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, peppering him with kisses. "Reno, I missed you so much..." She murmured softly against his skin.

"I know, babe. I missed you, too." He replied quietly, and pressed his lips harshly against hers. Tifa braced herself on an elbow, and brought her other hand up under his shirt to run along his well-toned chest. He sighed against her mouth, and Tifa wasted no time in slipping her tongue inside.

Renos' fingers ran through her long hair with one hand, while the other stroked the creamy white skin of her thigh.

"Tifa..." A soft, unemotional voice said suddenly.

The two lovers instantly pulled away from each other and looked up to see Vincent Valentine towering above them. Tifas' cheek instantly colored, and she pulled down the hem of her skirt, which had ridden up. She stood up and pulled him aside.

"Y-you can't anybody, Vincent, please..." Tifa begged, fisting his cloak in her small hand. Vincents' cold eyes glanced down at her hand, and she instantly let go of it. Her eyes shifted down to the floor in embarrassment, but Tifa suddenly looked up again with more determination.

"Please." She said again, firmer this time.

Vincent glanced down at Reno, who was still sprawled out on the ground, and then back at Tifa. "I have no personal grudge against the Turks. It is no business of mine what you do in your free time." He replied steadily.

Tifa sighed in relief and her shoulders sagged under the weight of her secret. She should've known that Vincent wouldn't mind... He really was a good guy, underneath it all. "Thank you..." She murmured, appreciation showing in her eyes.

Vincent nodded curtly, and turned away to walk back out of the alley. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, "By the way, Cloud is looking for you." With that, he rounded a corner out of sight.

"That was close..." Reno said as he stood up, dusting off his pants. Tifa quickly turned to press a bruising kiss against his lips and smiled.

"Meet me at midnight outside the Highwind. I need to talk to you..." She whispered, and walked briskly out of the alley way.

With a heavy sigh, Reno let his weight sag against the grimy wall of the alley. That wasn't exactly what he'd meant to happen... He was supposed to end there, but when he saw her...

God damn it all! He'd just have to do it tonight...right when he saw her.

And then, everything would finally go back to normal...

...Right...?