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Chapter 10

Tifa POV

Tifa felt nicely refreshed after her first full dreamless night of sleep in weeks. She tiptoed quietly across the hall to Cloud's room, cracking the door open to take a quick peak inside. Cloud was fully asleep and Tifa smiled softly, loving this moment of just watching him without him knowing.

When Cloud had asked her if it was alright if he lived with her at Seventh Heaven, she'd had to use all of her self restraint not to say "Hell yes!" right there on the spot. She had even convinced him to help her out with the bar at night, so now she had extra much needed help for free AND her best friend around all the time.

Tifa smiled to herself as she stood at the stove, making Cloud's favorite breakfast of French toast and sausage. Soon enough, the scent of cinnamon and sugar wafted through the air and Cloud came downstairs, just like she knew he would.

"Good morning!" Tifa greeted him brightly. The best thing about living with Cloud was that there was no awkward adjustment between them, everything just felt…right.

"What's the occasion?" Cloud asked skeptically, taking the plate of breakfasty goodness from her before she could reply.

"Can't I make my best friend's favorite food without an ulterior motive?"

"Not usually," he answered, pausing before taking a bite of his French toast. "What do you want?"

A little hurt, Tifa pouted. "It's just a way of saying thank you for finally trusting me, I guess, you know, after last night and all. And also for the moral support in my singing," she added sheepishly.

Cloud officially felt like a jerk and so apologized, not wanting to seem ungrateful for all she had already done for him. "I'm sorry, Teef, I just was surprised. And thank you for this. All of it: the room, the job…everything." Tifa felt her cheeks burn as his gaze bore into her, that last word of everything conveying so much more than the obvious.

The gleam in her eye exposed her real purpose and he sighed, muttering "Of course, it couldn't be that simple." With that little introduction, Tifa dove in with her favor.

"See, the thing is, Yuffie's birthday's coming up. She's going to be eighteen, and I thought it'd be nice to take her to that new club, you know? Make it a night to remember and all." He stayed silent and so she pressed on. "I know how you hate crowds and well, most people, but she'd really like all of her friends to be there." He glanced up at her dubiously and she laughed.

"Yes, that means you too. You consider Yuffie a friend, don't you?"

" I guess so, I just never thought about it before."

This just might work she thought, and so she kept on going.

"Come on, it'll be fun! Something new won't kill you, you know. Plus you're the last one holding out."

She could see his stern look of refusal start to slip and so she went in for the kill, so to speak.

"Vincent agreed to come already." Or he will, once I get the determination to beg him to come, for Yuffie's sake. Yuffie won't because she's secretly crushing on Vincent but I'll make it work; I have to.

It worked like a charm. Cloud perked his ears up at this new development, since his manliness could possibly be in question.

"Vincent; billowing red cape, secluded, undead creature of the night, has agreed to this rowdy public gathering?"

"Yes," she said aloud, More or less. Tifa pointedly avoided his eyes and ignored Cloud's abuse of sarcasm to focus on convincing him.

Tifa could see the wheels turning in his head as Cloud thought his choices through from every angle possible. It will make Tifa and Yuffie happy, everyone else has already agreed, and maybe I can find out if anything passed between Vincent and Tifa at any time. Making up his mind, Cloud casually agreed.

"Alright, but on one condition."

Tifa's elation dropped a notch, since Cloud's "conditions" were usually somewhat unreasonable and she braced herself for what he would demand.

"I'm not dancing."

"I can handle that, but with Yuffie, you never know. It is her day after all." Tifa smiled brightly but slipped at the thought of her next mission. Determined, she headed out to find Vincent.

Tifa fingered her ring nervously as she walked deeper into the enchanted wood of the Forgotten City, searching for her isolated friend. She hadn't been there much since Vincent had confessed his feelings; it just felt wrong, like trespassing on his territory. Emotions from her last time in this place rushed to her as her mind was transported back to that fateful night…

Flashback

Tifa ran blindly through the bright forest, tears streaming down he cheeks, only stopping when she impacted solidly with Vincent's chest. He caught her in his arms and held her as she sobbed hysterically into his shirt front. She was so far gone that all she wanted was comfort, someone to want her, that she didn't pull away but let him hold her there.

"Cloud…he's…gone! Vincent, he just left without a word!" she was finally able to manage before stifling her still flowing tears and burying her face once again in the comfort of his form. He didn't speak, he just held her gently, softly rubbing her back until she relaxed and her breathing steadied in the warmth of his arms encircling her waist.

Thankful for his compassion, she pulled back and looked up into his pale face and garnet eyes reflecting the surrounding glow of the forest as he lightly wiped away the last of her tears. His touch thrilled her in a way that she didn't think possible since her heart belonged to Cloud; but she enjoyed being wanted, being needed for once that she didn't back away.

She knew she was tempting fate; she knew how much he cared for her and things had been uncomfortable ever since, those last few weeks, but she didn't care. Recklessly, she pulled herself close and laced her fingers behind her neck before glancing at his startled eyes. She didn't stop then, like she should have, but made it complete with a deep and desperate kiss. That kiss held all of the hate, fear, despair, she had been holding for her entire, all to come to a head after Cloud left.

Tifa felt Vincent recoil in shock before he kissed her feverishly in return, his hands moving from her waist up her back and entangling in her hair. Suddenly, he forced himself to pull away, effectively breaking their contact while letting Tifa's mind clear a bit. Noticing his now undazed look, she processed what she had just done and blushed accordingly, truly ashamed of her irrational behavior and not looking him in the eye, avoiding the pain she would see. Thinking with your body instead of your mind is never good, Lockheart. Damn temptation.

"I'm sorry, I don't ..."

"It's okay. I understand." Vincent didn't sound okay as his breathing tried to get back to normal after the sudden rush of emotions they had shared only a few moments before. She finally looked at his face and noted how kind and gentle he truly was. Most people would assume being a vampire, Vincent would be a thoughtless killer but she knew that was unfair and not true of him in the slightest. He had a thoughtful look on his face and curiosity getting the best of her, she asked what he was thinking about.

"It's just that, when you kissed me…you tasted like…pain. Fear. Anger. Despair. I know that's not who you are." Vincent's words stung as she realized how much he had actually taken from her…not her heart but a tiny piece of her soul seemed visible to him and free for the taking.

"Are you so sure that that's not the real me?" she said bitterly as all of the emotions he said came rushing back, burning her inside.

" I know you don't believe that of yourself." He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders, focusing her attention on his words.

"Yes, I am certain that you, Tifa, are not made of misery and sorrow. You are full of truth, happiness, courage, joy and above all, love. I know that all of the other emotions, all the pain and sadness, happened in your life, but they do not embody you."

She smiled wanly at him before he released her arms, giving a small smile of his own before disappearing amongst the trees.

But that was a long time ago, or so it seems even though only a few months have passed. Tifa reasoned with herself as she almost once again ran straight into Vincent. It was as if her thoughts had called him to her, and she didn't doubt that it was possible. Reflexively he caught her, and noting the similar position of the last time they were alone together in this forgotten place, he released her before putting some distance between them. She forced herself not to flinch at his detachment but pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.

"I see Cloud has returned," he stated, casually prodding the touchy subject. Was he trying to make this harder than it already was? If so, he was doing very well. Tifa made forced reserve as she said, "Yes." He knew damn well Cloud was back and so she felt a subject change in order.

"Actually, it's Yuffie I'm here for."

"She has a birthday next week," he stated calmly, very aware of the comings and goings of people even though he avoided them by nature.

"Right, so I'm getting the gang together for a little celebration for the occasion…at a club downtown." He stood there silently watching her as she tried to convince him further.

"It'll only be only for a little while, and then we can all head back to the bar for gifts and a night cap, okay?"

His garnet eyes pierced through hers as he stated simply, "I'm in."

Shocked at how easily he approved, she couldn't stop herself from asking skeptically, "That's it? You're in? I don't have to beg?"

He chuckled softly. "Only if you feel like it."

Heat rose to her face and he said gentler, "Of course not, I'm doing this for Yuffie on her special day."

Grateful for his tact, her lips curled up into a small smile. "Thank you, Vincent," she said before walking away, unaware of Vincent's eyes still on her retreating form. "You're welcome," he sighed under his breath before turning and heading in the opposite direction, away from Tifa until he had to see her yet again with Cloud at Yuffie's party. The image haunted him for the rest of the night.

Cloud POV

Tifa was no where to be seen and Seventh Heaven opened for the nightly rush in less than 15 minutes. Cloud paced in front of the bar's counter and nearly jumped out of his skin as Tifa snuck up behind him and playfully poked his side. Realizing it was Tifa, he relaxed somewhat before he mockingly vowed, "You'll pay for that."

"Oh really?" she said coyly, crossing her arms and effectively enhancing her ample chest, distracting him momentarily as he fumbled over his tongue before finding a comeback.

"You'll see," he managed semi-seriously as she walked over to unlock the door. "It'll have to wait then," she tossed over her shoulder as she threw open the front door, officially making the bar open for the night.

Cloud had been good with holding off his revenge until he couldn't wait any longer. Right before her performance, he saw her head upstairs and so followed her, catching her alone in the hallway. It was the opportune moment, and so he pinned her to the wall and tickled her mercilessly until she slid down the wall in a heap of giggles.

"Told you I'd get you back." He smiled, watching her catch her breath.

"I thought it would be later than sooner," Tifa replied, punching him playfully in the arm. Cloud helped her to her feet and headed for the stairs, only to see a good number of the bars patrons looking up curiously towards the noise and wondering what exactly was so funny. Tifa pulled him back quickly into the seclusion of the hall and burst into another bout of laughter at Cloud's perplexed and somewhat embarrassed expression. He finally gave in to his own laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation and both stayed like that until Tifa had to hurry onto the stage for her nightly requested performance.

Tifa POV

Tifa danced around merrily on the stage as she sang ♫ Every time we touch, I get this feeling♪ and was greeted with approval from her audience at her change of pace. She was so caught up in her happiness that she didn't have room to worry about every one watching her, she just lived in the moment and it turned out alright. The song ended and she thanked every one before giddily jumping off the stage, welcomed by Cloud's still playful look from earlier events of the evening. Heading back to where he stood, she started to follow him before something blocked her path.

It turned out to be a rather burley figure who had wanted to wish Tifa congrats on her new singing career. Always courteous, she looked up at the man's face and started to reply as recognition dawned and her words died in her throat. It was the guy from table 8, the one that Barett and Cid had handled before, and he was up to his old tricks again as he pinned her arms to her sides in an uncomfortable and unwanted embrace. In a flash, Cloud was there, ripping the guy's arms away from her body before dragging him to the door and throwing him out into the breezy summer's eve.

"Are you alright?" he asked, all concerned as he lead her to a near by bar stool.

"I'm fine… I could have handled him by myself, you know." She replied, trying to make the mood a little lighter since she didn't always like serious Cloud.

"Oh, really?"

"I had everything under control."

"It didn't look like it from back here." Cloud's voice was filled with concern, and Tifa put a hand on his arm for comfort.

"Well, I did..."

He looked up from her hand on his arm to her face, before she added quietly, "but thank you for handling it. You know how I hate to break things."

With a soft chuckle he replied, "Of course," knowing full well how she had the tendency to loose her calm in a fight.

"Good, as long as that's clear."

Tifa was comfortably back behind the bar, oddly relaxed among the chaos of bartending solo. She had left Cloud on his own reluctantly after he got rid of who she referred to as Hands On Jerk to get back to work and felt a twinge of guilt for it. Looking at him out at a table all alone and not talking to anyone only worsened the feeling.

Wait, he wasn't alone anymore. Tifa's guilt vanished as she eyed the bubbly blond girl who was thrusting her chest out to get Cloud's attention only a few inches from his face. This worked as Tifa watched, awestruck at his wide eyes and uncertain smile, causing Tifa to try and ignore the sudden rage building up at the pit of her stomach.

I have no reason to be jealous. It's not like Cloud's mine.

Yeah, right, her conscience shot back, giving Tifa the extra push she needed.

Asking Cid to cover the bar for her, which wasn't always a good idea since he had the tendency to drink the orders more than hand them out, she made her way towards the busty bimbo and Cloud. He so far had unsuccessfully thwarted her advances, if he had even tried since she was now halfway in his lap, running her hands on anything she could touch.

Tifa cleared her throat loudly to be heard over Blondie's giggly whispers in his ear and enjoyed the deer caught in the headlights and about to get hit look cross his face as he finally saw her. He tried to extricate the ditz on his lap as he stammered helplessly, "T-t-tifa! I-" Cutting him off with a stern glance, Tifa turned back to Miss Clingy.

"Do you really need to give women a bad name by acting and dressing like that? I mean, really, don't we have enough to deal with already without cleavagy slut bombs such as yourself shamelessly throwing themselves at unwilling men? Its girls like you who scare all the decent men away, so be gone." To make a point, she made a shooing motion with her hand and Blondie was no longer perky, but a little irked as she retorted, "I don't see why it's any of your business."

"If I have to see it, it's my business." Tifa snapped as Blondie slunk off Cloud's lap sulking before spotting her next victim in the shadows of the corner. Vincent only had to glare with his flaming red eyes before she wisely changed her mind and searched for a new target.

Tifa didn't even know that Vincent came around the place anymore but he handled himself lightly so she smiled warmly and he acknowledged it with the classic male head nod. She turned back to Cloud who was smiling as well for some reason and seemed to be completely oblivious to how mad she actually was.

Cloud POV

"Come here," she commanded as he followed her back to the bar loyally, still smiling like an idiot. He decided to razz on her little by whispering "you're jealous" into her ear and was delighted to see her freeze momentarily; if only he could see the look on her face.

"Stay here and keep your hands to yourself."

She was mad, he could tell in the commanding tone. "But I didn't-"

"Just sit down," she sighed.

"Yes dear." He didn't mind letting Tifa boss him around and so he sat down but couldn't help enjoying this jealous and possessive side of Tifa. It was kind of a turn on. Cloud continued to stare at her until she said "What?" in a cutely irritated sort of way.

"You are jealous."

She just went back to work, her flaming cheeks speaking louder than words ever could.