AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the response! I'm actually supposed to be studying for Applied Mechanics, but instead here I am and god curse whoever invented the subject! May he feel the pain of everyone he inflicted this curse on!

Anyway, daily rant over. By an almost unanimous decree this story's title will change to "The One That Got Away" effective from next chapter onwards.

I know I promised action and cameo's for this chapter, but the intro ended up a lot longer than I initially planned so sorry about that. But here's more character developement and interaction so enjoy!

XXX

Morning came a little too soon for Cloud's liking. If it weren't for the incessant ringing of his alarm clock, the detective would have gladly turned and gone back to sleep.

As he forced himself out of bed, he was only slightly happy Aerith had done as he said and didn't wait up for him. He had found his wife peacefully asleep in bed when he returned home from dropping Tifa off at her place.

Tifa? Oh right, he had been assigned a new case. Joy.

Deciding he could wait until after breakfast to take a shower, he walked towards the door. Aerith, she really was the perfect woman, she had even closed the door so Denzel and Marlene's breakfast bickering wouldn't disturb him.

Smiling to himself at the memories of the two arguing constantly and listening to them at it, Cloud's smile dropped off his face as he heard a new, masculine voice joining in. A voice that was all too familiar.

Frowning as he pushed open the door, Cloud beheld the sight before him.

Marlene and Denzel were happily scarfing down their cereal, with Aerith smiling as she sipped at her coffee, there was nothing out of the ordinary there. Instead, sitting next Aerith, chatting animately with her was a man.

He was tall, over six feet, with jet-black hair and tightly muscled. Most guys would be intimidating with such features, but this man wore an expression of puppy-like innocence on his face, it was impossible not to feel comfortable around him.

Unless your name was Cloud Strife of course.

"Hey Cloud!" Aerith said brightly. "Look who turned up in the night!"

"What's up bro!" The man said.

"Zack," Cloud replied, with a smile on his face and holding out his hand.

"Come on Cloud! That's not how brothers greet each other!" Zack said with all the exuberance of a dolphin, leaping up and enveloping Cloud in a bear hug.

"Good to see you too!" Cloud managed to choke out.

"Zack, if you wouldn't mind easing your grip on my husband, I kind of need him alive for my credit cards to work," Aerith gently admonished the man. Zack was sometimes like a child packed into his large body.

"Oh yeah right!" Zack said with a blush, dropping his younger brother quickly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cloud asked his wife, unable to keep a grin off his face. Zack was contagious!

Aerith giggled. "You just left when Zack turned up. I figured you'd be tired when you got home, so we decided to surprise you!"

"Dad! Dad!" Denzel shouted. "Uncle Zack said he was gonna take us ice-skating when Marlene gets home!"

"Calm down boyo!" Cloud laughed, invoking his nickname for his son. "Indoor voice!"

"Yeah and he said he'll help me bake cupcakes later!" Marlene added, with just as much volume.

"Well that's great!" Cloud smiled. "But before you guys can have fun with Uncle Zack, you need to get to school young lady! And someone else has to get to daycare," he added with a pointed look at Denzel.

A collective groan went through the kitchen, including Zack's. As the kids hurried off, Marlene heading to the school, which was across the street and Denzel skipping off to the daycare next door, Cloud turned to his brother.

"So what's the deal?" He asked.

"What? A guy needs an excuse to visit his brother?" Zack asked looking mortally offended.

"Cloud, ease up on him will ya?" Aerith laughed. "The man just got here and already you're giving him the third degree!"

"Let's just get the nasty stuff out of the water first huh?" Cloud replied.

"Okay fine, I kinda uhm..."

"Zack."

"Lost my job!" Zack burst out.

"You got fired again?! Zack what the hell?" Cloud demanded. "Come on! How long is this gonna go on?"

"Look I'm not trying to shack up on you or anything!" Zack said, looking as though he might faint at any moment.

"Cloud aren't you being a little harsh?" Aerith said, giving her husband a furtive look.

Cloud massaged his head. "Look, I'm not trying to be a nag or anything but Zack you're twenty-eight years old! You should be stable by now!"

"We can talk about this some other time Cloud!" Aerith snapped, comforting Zack who looked distraught at Cloud's disappointed stare. "Sorry he's a little grumpy, he's paid leave got taken away!"

"Understandable," Zack said dismissively. "So how's things going? The kids look great!"

"Yeah they're doing perfect!" Aerith replied enthusiastically.

"And what about you two?" Zack asked, looking between them.

Cloud groaned and tucked into his breakfast. Just leave them to it. He vaguely heard Aerith and Zack gossiping away about something or the other.

Zack was a sociable person. Think Paris Hilton with muscles, that just about sums him up. Aerith for her part was just happy to have an interactive listener to the neighbourhood stories.

"So passion still there?"

Cloud's head snapped up to attention at the question. Oh no! Zack did not just fucking go there!

"I don't know Zack," Aerith replied with an air of confidenciality, as if Cloud wasn't in the room. "We still do it! But the spark's gone!"

And Aerith? Curse her, this is mutiny woman! Mutiny! Betrayal! High treason dammit!

"Ever try spiking his coffee with boner medicine!"

"Zack his a cop! He can sniff shit like that out!"

Since when did Aerith curse?

"Uhm in case you two haven't noticed, I'm right here!" Cloud muttered irritably. "And I don't need any boner medicine to help me out, I'm pretty good in the sack!"

"Cloud how would you know?" Zack demanded. "You can't exactly have sex with yourself! And masturbating doesn't count!"

Cloud expected some backing from Aerith, but the foul woman, may her soul rot in hell, giggled. That's right! She giggled, like a bloody school-girl!

Cloud was spared the bother of answering by a knock on the door.

Cursing under his breath he grumpily stalked towards the door and flung it open.

"What?" He snapped before seeing who it was.

"That's attractive," the woman commented with a quirked brow. "Mind it I come in?"

Cloud quickly gave her the up-down. She was dressed decently, nicely in fact. Wearing a denim jacket with jeans. Her long hair was draped over one shoulder in a loose, but neat braid. Well aside from her tight fitting leather suit, she seemed to have a distinct sense of style.

All the same, Cloud could almost hear the drool from Zack's mouth the second he laid eyes on her. Tifa would probably beat him senseless! Battery was not a case he wanted to sort out!

And as for Aerith? Cloud had to force down a shudder. Better not to think what Aerith would do.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Cloud began.

"Cloud! Don't be rude, let our guest in!"

Once you see what she looks like, you won't be so enthusiastic, Cloud thought.

Tifa looked at him expectantly, with a sigh, he moved aside.

"By the way," Tifa said with an evil smile. "I love the pyjama bottoms!"

Oh hell! Why did he choose today to wear the bright, stripey pants Aerith and the kids had gotten him for father's day. Wait? Why did it matter. This was his fucking house! Why did she make him shy.

"Aren't you gonna introduce us, Cloud," Tifa asked, gazing at Zack and Aerith with a midly confused look.

As Cloud had anticipated, Aerith had looked completely murderous, and Zack...well you never could tell.

He gulped. "Tifa, this is my wife Aerith and my older brother Zack. Tifa's my new partner.

Tifa smiled at them, Zack had enough sense to smile back, but Aerith, without dropping the look of seething fury, nodded.

"Uhm Aerith, I don't think he'll be needing the boner medicine," Zack whispered in a conspiratory fashion.

"Why not Zack?" Aerith replied with a deep frown. "Because he won't have a dick to get a boner when I'm done with him?"

"I was thinking maybe because she is boner medicine," Zack said.

Aerith made a noise that sounded like a growl, squeal and roar all at the same time.

"Listen," Zack said quickly. "Divorce isn't an option. Think of the kids!"

"Who's thinking of divorce," Aerith whispered. "Murder is more likely. At least than we have the insurance money!"

Tifa proved to possess an inconveniently sharp sense of hearing. "Impotence run in the family?" She asked Cloud.

"Not that I'm aware," Cloud replied, trying not to seem offended.

"Well if you need boner medicine and you have a wife that looks like that, I think you should get checked up," Tifa replied.

Woman are strange creatures, anyone could tell you that. Cloud, cracking good detective that he is, would be lying if he said he could crack the code that is a woman.

All he knew was that Aerith had suddenly gone from seething, to warm. Flattery, he thought, she probably only heard Tifa calling her pretty in that entire sentence.

"Well, anyway I'm here to tell you that I've looked into the victim's background, home adress, everything. But I think we should go see the doctor and get the autopsy first," Tifa said as Zack and Aerith busied themselves. "You did call and make an appointment right?"

Shit, Cloud thought. I was gonna do it this morning, but then Zack. "Not yet."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Okay, just as well I made the call and got us a ten a.m. appointment. Gives you enough time to shower. I'll meet you at the lab."

With that she turned and strode to the door. "Nice meeting you guys," she smiled at Zack and Aerith.

"She seems nice," Aerith said after the woman had left.

"Only because she said you were pretty!" Cloud snapped, feeling irritable with everything.

"Come on Cloud, its the principle of women. See by giving the complement and acknowledging your marriage, Tifa has thrown the gauntlet down, shown she is no threat, see?" Zack explained.

"And how would you understand that?" Cloud asked.

"Spend enough time around and actually pay attention when they talk and you might learn something," Zack shrugged.

"Now see!" Aerith said, elbowing Zack. "This guy gets me!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna shower, then I'm off! Zack, what you gonna do today?"

"Uhm..."

"He'll hang out with me at the shop," Aerith offered, refering to the small florist she ran.

"Sure why not!" Zack said excitedly.

Cloud laughed. "Alright both of your funerals, not mine."