I'll get you back for this.

Oh, she had said it. And yes, she had absolutely meant it. But as the days ticked by, Tifa's prospects for exacting revenge on Vincent for that cruel, cruel trick he had played on her were becoming increasingly bleak.

Ever since the party had left that creepy deserted hotel, it had just been one thing after another: Getting back to Nibelheim, passing through the mountains to get back to Rocket Town, encountering the President and stealing a plane, being shot down in that plane and drifting in the ocean, embarking on a mad hunt for something called a keystone…

Nibelheim, at least, had been pretty uneventful. Tifa had already gotten over the initial shock of seeing her supposedly-burned-to-the-ground hometown just as it used to be, so on the second visit the scenery had lost some of its interest. She still felt a certain nostalgia in the air, seeing the well and her house and her piano, but it had all become a bit strange and tainted for her.

Instead, her mind was filled with memories of the last time they'd passed through—when they'd found Vincent in the basement of that dark and dilapidated old mansion. Who'd have known that the 'thing' that Hojo had locked in the cellar would be a man?

And not just any man, of course. Tifa hadn't expected any experiment of Hojo's to… to look like Vincent. She couldn't quite say that there was immediate attraction—at first she felt sympathy for the man, having been hidden away in a coffin for so many years, but the sympathy swiftly faded into intimidation when those intense red eyes met with hers. The attraction came shortly afterwards.

Yes, her relationship with Vincent certainly developed in an interesting way. To be sure, she found him incredibly good-looking right off the bat. However, it was more of a childish crush, a fantasy that would never make it to reality, something too good to be true and therefore couldn't be pursued. But she quickly came to realize that Vincent was not a work of art to be admired from afar and quietly appreciated. He was a real man with real feelings and real needs—feelings and needs that she seemed to share. How suddenly he had turned her world upside down with just the faintest brush of his fingertips over her thigh, while she squirmed awkwardly in his lap, entirely convinced that he and everyone else in the car could hear all the dirty thoughts racing through her head.

And then that game ensued—that crazy, crazy game that she was rapidly losing her head in. She had sworn to get him back, but unfortunately it was at exactly the wrong moment, right when the team had been far too busy to allow for her to indulge in such frivolous things. It was so painfully ironic: there had been times when she'd tried to avoid him like the plague, lest she fall into yet another situation that she was too hormone-crazed to get herself out of, and now, when she really wanted to, it was almost impossible to get him alone.

She would have accused him of planning it that way, if he were in any way capable of doing that sort of thing. But, at any rate, her threat of getting him back was looking more and more foolish with every night that passed while her brain hadn't spawned even the barest trace of an idea for a comeback.

There had been a few lame attempts over the past couple of weeks, but they couldn't really be labeled as any kind of success or victory. One notable incident involved her 'accidentally' leaving a pair of her panties in his room when she had done everyone's laundry. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd thought that was going to accomplish, but it was something. However, she regretted her actions very soon afterwards, when she stepped out of the bathroom after a shower—thankfully wearing at least a towel—to find him standing in the hallway with the offending garment in hand.

It had taken a bit of coaxing to get it back from him.

"I wonder," he said, eyebrow raised, concealing his amusement with a serious expression, "Do these belong to you?"

There was something oh so bad about seeing the delicate fabric in the grip of his very sharp and dangerous claw. She pulled the towel tighter around her body and tried to settle the butterflies in her stomach, unable to believe she'd gotten herself into this one. "Yes, they are," she admitted, stepping closer. "And if you're through with them I'll take them ba—"

But as she reached her hand out to slip the cloth from his fingers, he abruptly moved his hand away.

"I should think not," he chastised. "If you were so careless as to leave these in my room, then I suppose it is your loss," He took a moment to look them over. "I must say, I admire your taste."

She blushed a little, resolve fading fast, and made yet another grab that he easily out-maneuvered. "But…" she pouted, "What if I need them?" She sighed to herself. Apparently looking pathetic wasn't going to help her. "You know…" she said softly, moving close enough to press herself against him, simply PRAYING that she had secured that towel well enough, "For later…"

That got a smirk out of him. His free hand came to encircle her waist and pull her closer, then wandering a bit too low to be considered innocent. "They would only serve to get in my way," he whispered seductively, still not QUITE distracted enough to allow her to take her underwear back.

"But…" she protested yet again, placing a hand on the arm that still held the garment just out of her reach, "Haven't you ever heard that anticipation makes the experience more worthwhile?" she said with a teasing note in her voice, rather eager to throw his words back in his face.

"Yes, and it is quite true. But only so much anticipation can be endured before you begin to…" His gripped tightened and her breath hitched momentarily, "…test my patience…" His voice had dropped so low that she could feel it reverberating in both of their bodies.

She swallowed, remembering her task. "Well, then, I'll just have to…" She leaned in close, almost close enough for their lips to touch, the promise of a kiss heavily implicit, fingertips trailing down his arm to retrieve the lost clothing while she had his attention sufficiently diverted, "…test your patience," And just as he moved in to close the scant distance between them, she pulled away, impish grin playing across her face, and slipped out of his grasp, disappearing into her room before she made an even bigger fool of herself.

No, she definitely wouldn't categorize that as a win. At least she had gotten her panties back—she shuddered to think what it would be like if Vincent were caught walking around with telltale lace sticking out of his pocket.

But maybe things would be different now. The Gold Saucer definitely invoked feelings of mischief in its visitors. Maybe the bright lights and playful, colorful characters would spark some kind of inspiration within her. At any rate, it would be nice to relax for a bit. The 'horror' themed décor wasn't exactly soothing, but the bed was comfortable and it had been far too long since they'd stayed somewhere with a decent shower.

Before she could further contemplate her cozy bed or a hot shower, she heard a knock on the door. She should have known. There was the perfect opportunity to exact her revenge, and she was still agonizingly devoid of any semblance of a plan. She stopped a moment to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothes and take a deep breath before answering the door. She was actually a little surprised to realize just how happy she was to see him there.

Vincent looked happy too, but it was only from all the time she spent with him that she was able to tell. To the untrained eye, he looked as emotionless as ever. "Would you be interested in going out for a while?"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "Yes, I would," But first she wanted to change into something nice. "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes?" She suddenly caught sight of her hair in the mirror. "…Make it twenty."

He nodded. "Twenty minutes it is then."

She just hoped twenty minutes was long enough to make herself look as nice as she really wanted to look. It was odd—even after all this time, she still felt a little nervous with a distinct thrill of giddy excitement about going out with him. Perhaps it was just the very idea of being in the Gold Saucer, of all places. It was flattering to know just how far out of his element he would go for her: something about Vincent and happy dancing moogles just didn't seem to go together.

Twenty minutes later, she was glad she had once again allowed Aeris to talk her into going shopping. The outfit wasn't much, especially not after some of the things Vincent had seen her in, but Tifa was relatively pleased that the fabric was slit just high enough on the sides, plunged just low enough in the front, and hugged her curves just tightly enough in the middle. All in all, she felt she looked good enough to be seen in public with the most attractive man she'd ever had the pleasure of spending time with. It did her self-esteem some good to receive attention from someone like Vincent, so she may have been a little anxious to hit the attractions and really flaunt her date.

Yes, there was a definite spring in her step as she strode into the lobby to find him waiting for her, a swell of elation in her heart as he affectionately put an arm around her and guided her outside…

Tifa tried not to giggle when her assumption about Vincent and a theme park being mismatched proved to be completely spot on. He seemed so hopelessly lost, eyes traveling from cotton candy stands to roller coasters to underpaid employees dressed as wide-eyed, cheerful characters. His plight was truly comical, but she felt a pang of compassion knowing that he undoubtedly was only doing this for her.

"So," she said, grinning from a combination of amusement and appreciation, "Where do you want to go first?"

He masked a sigh. "I haven't the slightest idea."

If she were to be honest, she didn't really have a clue what she wanted to do either. If she were on a typical outing at the Gold Saucer, she would probably eat a lot of overpriced, poorly prepared junk food and hop on the nearest thrill ride. But a date with Vincent was very different than her everyday excursions—she would have to think of something more appropriately romantic.

She squeezed his hand. "Why don't we just walk around for a while, and maybe we'll find something?"

He seemed to find the idea agreeable and somewhat of a relief, so the two began their stroll through the park.

She knew better than to be disappointed that their wandering was mostly uneventful. It wasn't exactly surprising to her that Vincent didn't find much that interested him, though she struggled to resist the urge to get him to try his luck in the shooting gallery. Something told her that he wouldn't appreciate it. She had to admit, even she found the Gold Saucer a little overwhelming at times.

But still, Tifa had mixed feelings about the silence that persisted between them throughout the evening. On one hand, the ringing in her ears was telling her that even if they'd been trying to talk to one another, their words would be lost among the loud music and the shouts of happy children. But the sun had set and the kids and parents had all gone home. The park was certainly a much different place at night. Softer lights and music replaced the harsh ones that were ubiquitous during the day. The atmosphere was calmer, more toned tone—implicitly more adult. That aspect reminded her that a lack of words was common between her and Vincent—they had a tendency to communicate in the… non-verbal sense.

It was a method she was all-too-happy to indulge in when a crowded room and prying eyes only allowed for subtleties, but now that she finally had him alone, she wouldn't mind really making the most of it.

"Hey Vincent, how about a ride on the gondola?"

But she was as tapped for conversation as she was for revenge, right when she had the perfect opportunity for both. She settled into her seat in the sky car, briefly reflecting on when she'd been there before with Cloud. Then, she had felt too awkward to look at him, instead staring out the window at the chocobo races and fireworks. But with Vincent, she couldn't even stop herself from gazing into his eyes—and she only felt awkward realizing she was so far away when she could on the other bench, next to Vincent. She promptly remedied the situation.

It felt so right snuggling up next to him, feeling his arms around her. She hadn't noticed how chilly she'd gotten until she realized how much warmer she felt being close to him. Of course, it was but a reminder that she was once again crossing over into dangerous territory. As she got more physical with him, she stood less of a chance of starting a conversation, let alone coming up with some kind of very-justified payback.

"So…" she said, idly tracing patterns on his chest with her finger, before abruptly pulling away as she became aware of what she was doing. "We haven't talked in a while," It was possibly one of the most unspectacular things she could have come up with, but she was grateful for anything at all.

He shifted a bit in his seat. "Yes. I have not seen much of you since you decided to leave… something of yours in my bed," he said with a hint of amusement.

Tifa cleared her throat. "Well, I, uhhh—"

"And how very unkind of you to take it back after leaving it for me," he chided.

"Unkind of me?" she asked, blushing indignantly. "You can hardly talk after what you did to me when we were staying in that abandoned hotel," she accused.

"Perhaps I would apologize if I didn't know you enjoyed it."

The smirk was evident in his tone—she didn't dare trying to meet his eyes. She squared her jaw, pretending she hadn't heard him. "I'll get you back for that."

"So you have been threatening," he said, sounding unfazed.

"I will," she repeated, "…I'll think of something." She was sounding less and less convincing as time went on, even to herself.

"Hmm," His claw flexed just barely around her waist. "And if you don't?"

Tifa blinked slowly. How had that question never occurred to her? It had all been very simple, even from the beginning when it had all seemed so terribly complicated. Full of lust and danger, but easy enough to understand—back and forth, just like a tango. He would make a move, and she would counter. He would counter her counter and the whole thing would start over again.

But she had never thought about what it would mean if their little game were to end. Even if she did manage to come up with some brilliant way to get him back, they couldn't keep going the way they were forever. There would have to be come kind of conclusion. It was clear enough, of course, what the obvious outcome would be. The teasing façade would have to fall, and they would be left in the wake of the lustful feelings they hadn't been fighting so much as dancing around. They would succumb to what was so inevitable for two people so full of passion.

However, it was never really that simple. A game was a game but a relationship was a whole world of complications that couldn't be infiltrated without a lot of care. And was a relationship even in store for them, or would they merely be embarking on something that was perhaps fulfilling for the moment, but far more hurtful in the end when the heart wasn't in sync with what the rest of the body was experiencing?

Thoughts like that made her wonder if it wouldn't be better to drop the whole idea altogether. But even that concept put a bad feeling in her stomach. Vincent had been a major facet in her life for a while now, even if she didn't quite know exactly what their relationship was. The thought of going back to being friends after everything that had happened just didn't seem right.

She finally risked looking at his, eyes wide and searching, wondering if he had intended to make her mind race so intensely with his simple question. "I…"

She was so uncertain about so many things. But as she caught the look of longing in his eyes, she knew she wanted him. Not just as a satisfaction of desire, but as the man she'd gotten to know over the passing weeks. That much she was sure about. Timing, however, made her doubtful. Timing, among other things. But it had been a very long while since logic told her what to do.

The movement of the gondola suddenly halted and the doors opened with a hiss, jarring her from her reverie. She and Vincent stepped out of the car and back into the rapidly emptying theme park, intending to head back to the hotel.

Their silence had resumed as quickly as it had left. This time, she didn't mind as much. She needed to think. Before she even had a chance to comprehend it, they were standing outside the door to her room. "Vincent…" she murmured leaning into him, silently begging him to give her what she wanted. He swiftly obliged with a kiss, pulling her closer.

All of a sudden footsteps sounded behind them and her eyes flew open in time to see Cloud and Aeris coming up the hallway to their rooms. She stepped out of Vincent's embrace before they were seen. Her eyes briefly met with Cloud's as he walked into his room and shut the door.

Tifa looked at Vincent and an unspoken message passed between them. He nodded, mostly to himself. "Good night, Tifa." And all too soon he was gone.

Aeris lingered, sporting a strange look on her face. "Did… did you know Cloud has really bad motion sickness?"

Tifa smiled slightly. That clearly wasn't what Aeris had wanted to say. "Yeah, I did."

Aeris's grimace intensified. "Well, I didn't, and I took him on the rollercoaster. Let's just say that could have gone a lot better."

"Yeah, I…" Tifa sighed, "Yeah, I bet. I don't even know why he'd agree to go on something like that."

Aeris shrugged. "I think he only wanted to come out with me tonight because he wanted to talk to me about you."

"…Talk about me?"

"He didn't… But I know he wanted to."

Tifa knit her eyebrows, not sure what to say.

Aeris cleared her throat. "Anyway, I won't keep you. I'll go to bed so you can go off and do whatever it is you're planning on doing, like I don't know."

"I—"

"G'night!"

Tifa looked around the empty hallway and at the door to her room. She knew she wasn't going in there. Not yet. She waited a few moments before striding off to her destination. She was more than a little apprehensive standing outside his door, and it was a minute or so before she gathered the courage to knock. She hoped he wasn't asleep, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't be too upset with her for waking him if that happened to be the case.

It felt like forever before he opened the door, and when he did, no words passed between them, he just silently moved out of the way and let her inside. She cautiously sat on the bed, not sure where else to go, wringing her hands.

"Cloud… can we talk?"

XXXXXXXXX

A.N.: Dun dun dun. It's so not like me to end a chapter that way, but oh well. I'm just happy this chapter is finished, even though it actually ended sooner than I had intended. But I think it works pretty well this way. And I apologize for any mistake because it is 3:30 AM (Delayed opening in school tomorrow!)

So anyway, I got this done tonight as a Valentine's gift to all of you : ) Please read and leave lovely reviews! I do miss them so and am so very appreciative of the wonderful feedback I get for this fic.

And I PROMISE no more 4-month lapses in writing XD No worries.