This is it. Are you ready?

And can you give me everything...?

Everything, everything.

'Cause I can't give you anything.

And you wait, if you wait I will trust in time that we will meet again.

If you wait, I will trust in time that we will meet again.

London Grammar, If You Wait

It's funny. I used to be sad about the thought that I'd outlive many of my friends.

Now that I'm dying, I wish I had just five more minutes.

Five minutes to say all the things I never said.

Five minutes and a final kiss.

Five minutes for one last smile.

In a flash, it's all right there in front of me. Decades of memories. Decades of mistakes. Decades of sacrifices. Decades of achievements.

And I find it's not quite enough.

I want more.

I want Vincent like air in my lungs. Want the smile he reserves only for me. Want the patient way he listens and allows me to come to my own conclusions. Want the way his hands run through my hair when he's about to kiss me. Want the way he strips away the layers until I'm naked and vulnerable. Want the way his breath hitches in his throat when I'm slowly working his body into mine. I want the way he loves me more than anything I've ever wanted before.

It's overwhelming. Frightening. And sad.

And everything that I've come to understand as love.

As the Lifestream flows through my throat and down into my lungs, it's power enters me, kicks me back into consciousness and I'm consumed again by memories. Memories of what is, what was and what never will be.

I remember Cloud, when he was still Cloud and not another version of Zack. He was so young. Innocent. Determined.

I think I fell in love with him that night at the well. It took a long time for me to get over that love and to understand that the boy that I cared for, the boy that existed that night, doesn't exist anymore. It's not his fault and I don't blame him, but it doesn't mean that I have to live my life pretending that I still love him.

Even though that's how the story ended.

Even though that's what was expected of me.

Even though I felt like shit for not being able to fix what was irrevocably broken.

I see us. In a different world. A world where Shinra didn't destroy our town and our lives. We live in a little house in Nibelheim. Cloud's mom visits, so does my dad. We're happy. Different people. I smile more. Cloud laughs. We have a dog and, though we talked of having kids, it never seems to work out.

It's fine though, we have each other.

We sit under the stars, like when we were young, and make up stories for the celestial bodies in the sky.

And we're happy.

And then I see what is.

Cloud is alone and searching for the girl that got away. The girl who loved the shadow of a man that she thought she knew, but ended up loving the puppet just the same. I'm alone, but not for long. Vincent comes into my life.

We're friends. More than friends, comrades and confidants. I find that, while I like to talk, Vincent is a great listener. And when he does talk, his few sentences amount to more than I can say in hours. He's handsome. I never noticed when we were fighting for our lives, just noticed that dark intensity and sadness. He's not as sad anymore, not since he said goodbye to Lucrecia and stopped blaming himself for Sephiroth.

And suddenly I'm Aerith. And she's—I'm crying. Tseng is mumbling something about duty and being responsible for leading a team. He's betrayed me. Come to take me to Shinra.

I can't let him.

They'll turn me into another one of their experiments.

If Zack were here, this would never have happened. But he's gone...and Cloud...Maybe Cloud will?

Tseng looks conflicted. "We need to get out of here. This whole sector is about to be destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"They're dropping the plate."

"But everyone will die!"

Tseng shrugs. "You're my only concern."

"But you lived in Sector 7—there are good people here! We have to warn them!"

"That's not our concern..." But he has the decency to look ashamed. He can't look me in the eyes.

The memory shifts.

I'm Tifa. Confused by how Aerith can be so forgiving, so loving...after all she's been through.

Maybe if I was more like her, Cloud would...

"Are we terrorists?" I ask Barrett.

He gruffly replies, "Freedom fighters."

Does the ends justify the means...? All those people died because they wanted to get rid of AVALANCHE. But draining the planet of mako...Were we wrong to fight Shinra the way we did?

Because of what we did, how we stopped Shinra and eventually Sephiroth, we still have a planet to live on.

And Aerith...Her sacrifice saved us.

A memory of what's yet to come?

I've lived a long time. I feel old, but I don't look it. Vincent is with me. We talk about something that happened on the Highwind—something that happened with Cid and Red. Red's still with us, but Cid has long since passed. So much time and so much death, but it's not as sad as it used to be. I know where they are now. Where I can find them. Maybe, one day, I'll get to be with my friends again in the Lifestream. But I wouldn't want to leave Vincent. Not without him.

I hold his hand. It's strong and cool in my grasp, something to do with how he'd been altered...So long ago.

I still own the house in Costa del Sol. We visit often. I'm in bed with him. We've just made love. Every time I'm with Vincent it's special, but I love the afterglow the most. Laying against his chest, I can hear his irregular heartbeat. It's comforting, even if it is an inward manifestation of the marks Shinra left on him.

He traces the curve of my spine. I trace the lines of his scars with my lips and tongue. He laughs, but it's strained.

I give him a wicked smile and descend...

The memories fade. Getting black now. A hand takes mine. I'm not alone—is it Vincent?

A laugh—high and feminine—at my ear sounds so familiar.

I smile. I won't die alone.

Tifa. Don't be so silly. As if I'd ever give up on you! Miss you...But now's not the time.

Such a wonderful friend to me. I hope she knows how much I treasured her. The warmth surrounding me says that she does.

But now...

I only wish...

Vincent...I love you...

I stare out at the horizon. I'm on the Highwind. Everyone is chattering incessantly around me, but I've grown used to it.

Maybe even come to enjoy it.

But I'm worried.

I hope Tifa is safe.

Such a little thought. Innocuous. But I feel something more bloom within me as I allow the words to take root within.

I hope...

I want...

I need.

But she belongs to him...

And I belong to the past.

But when I'm the first person she seeks out after managing to escape from Shinra, it gives me hope.

"Vincent!" she exclaims as she darts towards me, all boundless enthusiasm and positivity. How does she do it?

I'm more than slightly surprised when her arms wrap around me. Hold me tight. How long has it been since I was last touched by another? Especially with affection?

I can't remember, but I find my body responds. My arms wrap around her, if a bit stiffly at first, and I barely manage to keep myself from bending forward and burying my face in her thick hair.

Reveling in her scent.

I'll smell like her now. It's going to drive me mad.

She looks up at me, eyes bright and happy. "I'm so glad you're with us."

I don't know what to say, so I stick with, "So glad you're alright, Tifa."

She laughs a little, wasn't what she was expecting? What was she expecting? I let my arms drop a little, giving her an out, but she stays—tight and close.

"Did you miss me?" She looks hopeful. How could I tell her that I missed her like a piece of my own body? A phantom pain that only subsided once she bounded across the Highwind bridge and safely back into my life.

I settle for, "Yes, Tifa. I missed you." It comes out a little hoarse, with more emotion than I'm used to showing, but she has a way of doing that to me.

Making me feel things that I'd long thought were suppressed.

Almost on their own, my fingers seek out the edge of her jaw, gently tilting her beautiful face upwards.

"Vincent?" she asks, voice husky. She licks her lips—Invitation? Unconscious reaction. I have to restrain myself from making more of this moment than first intended.

Full. Plump. Gorgeous blush. I want to capture that lip between my teeth and then sooth my rough bite with little teasing kisses.

But I'm Vincent. And she's Tifa.

So I lean forward with more bravado than I thought I possessed and place a gentle kiss on her brow.

My fingers tingle. My body wants to pull her in. Hold her close. Make her as senseless as she makes me, but it's not right. Not now. She's still Cloud's...And I'm still Lucrecia's...

But maybe...One day, when we belong to ourselves again...

I pull back slowly and give her a moment to adjust. With a smile and a nod, I move back and make my way towards the deck.

For the first time in a long time, I want a cigarette.

I want a drink.

I want more.

But I'm patient and I can wait.

I can wait forever.

Tifa...Tifa...Wake up.

I hear a voice calling softly, but I ignore it. I know if I wake up, I'm going to have to face the reality of my situation.

Cloud. Suffering the effects of Mako poisoning. Mideel all but destroyed. I can just stay asleep and forget it all happened.

But the voice is insistent. And slightly unexpected...? Who's calling me?

Vincent.

Vincent is calling me.

I need you to come back to me, Tifa. I don't want to do this without you...

A pause. Voice hoarse with emotion. "I love you."

Vincent loves me? What do I matter to him? I'm just some mercenary girl, trying to stop a madman from destroying the planet.

Except...

It's been a decade since Mideel was destroyed by Weapon.

You're so close. Just a little further, a light and airy voice urges me.

We'll see each other again one day. But not today...Today, someone is waiting for you.

And I can feel her smile.

It's warm and bright and I miss it terribly.

And then, it clicks.

The Lifestream has the power to keep memories alive, kind of like a collective consciousness. At least, that's what it's always seemed like.

Aerith's smile.

Cloud's past.

Sephiroth's insanity.

All exist within the Lifestream. Time is endless and eternal. We're all alive because we were never born, we were always a part of the Lifestream and it was always a part of us.

And in this way, it calls out for us to protect it from those who would harness its powers for evil. Keep it safe forever. For us.

And sometimes, it protects us as well. Keeps our memories safe so that, if we forget, it can help us remember.

And now I know.

I know why I remember seeing Vincent on the Highwind. It's the moment I started to fall in love with him, even as I tried to convince myself that I was supposed to settle for Cloud. To try and fix him.

Vincent was broken, but so was I. The difference is that while Vincent and I work together, Cloud was only ever able to work with himself.

And I don't blame him, not anymore. He's been through so much. But I don't have to put up with it. I know I can do better—and I have.

Once upon a time, it was my voice calling out for Cloud that brought him back from the depths of the Lifestream, and now...

It's Vincent calling mine.

I fight to regain consciousness because it hurts and parts of me want to slip back into that beautiful oblivion, free of pain and expectation.

But other parts fight. Want and need and claw me back to life.

Back to him.

Strong arms are wrapped around me, holding me tight against a warm body. Someone lays me on my side and I choke up what feels like a bucket of Lifestream.

"I guess we're even for the Behemoth," says a wry voice, but it sounds relieved and emotional.

Vincent!

I can't talk. Too much liquid in my lungs. But I cough and sputter and drag myself closer to him. I wrap myself around his legs and just hold tight while my body tries to rid itself of excess water.

He holds me back and is kind enough to pretend not to notice when I start to cry. I hate crying, but I hate almost losing him more.

We can die. The Lifestream could flow in and replace the air in our lungs and drown us. Take us forever. We might not age, but we're not invincible.

Sometimes, I forget. Even as the materia puts us back together. Even as Vincent's accelerated healing keeps him safe. I forget and then life comes along and gives me a huge fucking reminder.

We sit together. Wet and cold, but alive.

"I love you," I say, and I mean it. I've known for a while, but I never said it. Too scared that he wouldn't say it back. Too afraid of getting my heart broken again, but now I don't care. If I die someday, I don't want Vincent to not know how I feel.

Even if he doesn't say it back when I'm conscious.

He's silent for a long time. Long enough that I start to get pretty anxious, but then I just let it all go. It's fine. He doesn't need to say it. I know he loves me and I know how hard that is for him.

His fingers get lost in my thick, wet hair and I turn my face to kiss the palm of his hand. He pulls me up along his body and buries his face in the curve of my neck. Holds me tighter.

"I love you, Tifa," he replies, so softly I almost don't hear him.

I laugh a little. "I know."

Covered in Lifestream and blood and sweat and tears, it's the most soul-shattering, complete, romantic moment of my life.

I love him so much it hurts and I'm so grateful for the chance to finally let him know.

"I thought I'd lost you," he says into my hair.

"Can't get rid of me that easy," I try to joke, but he just holds me closer. The coppery scent of his blood reaches my nose and I realize just how closer I got to losing him.

"Let's not do this again, okay?" I suggest.

"Agreed," he agrees.

It looks like the Lifestream spat us out into one of the rivers that runs along Mount Nibel. I shuffle a bit and dig around for my PHS and luckily it's not dead—thank the gods for my waterproof case.

GPS says we're not too far from where our rendezvous point is, which is welcome as hell.

Both Vincent and I are beat and exhausted.

We manage to get ourselves up and I do a quick heal with some materia, but we're going to need stronger spells and actual medicine. Vincent and I are able to hobble our way back to the meeting point, to the pleasure of a very much relieved Reeve, who then radios for everyone else to stop looking for us.

We sit on a makeshift bed as one of Reeve's medics uses cure on us, then cleans and binds Vincent's wounds.

"We thought you two were dead," Reeve says and he has the decency to sound more than a little guilty.

"You should be so lucky, Reeve," I promise with a cough. Lifestream's still making its way out of my lungs. The medic checks to make sure that I'm not at risk for secondary drowning, but it looks like I'll be fine.

"Were you able to track Sephiroth?" I ask. The whole situation is so weird. We'd thought that the experiments had all been destroyed during our run through the reactor. How could they still be functional after all this time? Was there more going on here than I'd thought?

"No, but I'm assigning a team," Reeve says distractedly while his PHS frantically rings.

"He saved Vincent and I. I don't think this Sephiroth is like the one we hunted," I offer. Reeve gives me a short nod, but I know he's planning on being more cautious with this. Last thing he needs is another end of the world scenario because he didn't take a threat seriously enough.

Maybe the Lifestream was giving Sephiroth another chance at life? Certainly wouldn't surprise me, I mean, I'm still here—and Vincent, too.

Is it all one big choice? Aerith felt that she needed to become one with the Lifestream, like Bugenhagen, but what happens if you don't want to become a part of the Lifestream? What if you want to live outside of that mythical and mysterious world? Did it care? Could it care?

I know I didn't want to die. Know that I put that out there and that someone was listening.

And the Lifestream pushed me right back into Vincent's arms.

Sometimes, we're given a choice. Not always, but I think if you want something bad enough, your will can determine the outcome.

And I was determined to live my life with Vincent.

And he with me.

Was it the same for Sephiroth? Who was waiting for him to return? Did he have someone in his corner, cheering him on? Hoping that he'd go out and live a life, free of sadness and Shinra?

I hoped so. As much as I've lost because of him, I've long since forgiven him. Still afraid of him, most definitely. But forgiven.

It's impossible to move on when you hold on to the darkness of the past.

And now...Vincent's lips on the shell of my ear bring me back into the moment.

"I was thinking we might take this further," his deep voice rumbles, a delicious shiver flowing through my body in its wake.

"Oh? How so?" I turn and curl into him, tucking my face into the curve of his neck. I make sure that my lips tease and pull at his skin as he replies, but he doesn't seem to mind. If anything, his wandering hands are urging me on.

That poor medic. No wonder she's over with Reeve now.

Voice low with desire and emotion he suggests, "Move in together?"

I sigh against his neck and, for a moment, it seems like he's tensing for rejection. Silly, Vincent.

"It's high-time you suggested that. I've only been on your ass about a permanent residence for, oh, I don't know, years."

He laughs and I nuzzle my nose into his throat, delighted.

"So it's not a problem then?" he asks as he traces the claws of his gauntlet along the curve of my hip. Dangerous. Sexy. Loving.

He's so much to me.

I purr a little before answering. "Not as long as you're able to do your own laundry." I slip a hand low and slowly drag my nails along the inside of his thigh.

Private. We need to get somewhere private.

Almost dying brings a lot of things into sharp focus. Desire. Love. Sadness. Happiness. And right now I wanted to work on getting very happy with Vincent.

And very naked.

Vincent startles me when he speaks over my head, "Reeve, how long before we regroup? Tifa is exhausted. I'm going to take her to the inn."

Reeve gave Vincent an odd look. Vincent isn't usually direct, more like a voice of reason, but when he wants something, Vincent gets it.

"Oh, that's fine, Vincent. Take a buggy. We'll debrief later at the inn." Reeve seems to understand Vincent's protective vibe and sends us off with a wave.

A short time later, we're at the inn.

Reeve has the entire inn on reserve, so I grab a key from the front desk and we slowly make our way up the stairs and into one of the private rooms.

We're both hurt.

Tired.

And exhausted.

And completely unwilling to let each other out of our sights.

"Shower?" I suggest. I'm not planning for it to be super sexy, because we're both pretty disgusting from the Lifestream and, you know, almost dying, but if anything happens—I'm not going to stop it.

"Please. Help me with the bandages?" Is his voice deeper than normal? We've never showered together, so it'll be a new experience for us both.

Slippery, wet, Vincent. Yes, please!

Now to keep from hurting each other.

The bathroom is small and the shower even smaller, but we'll make it work.

I help peel the leather from Vincent's body, which takes longer than I'd anticipated.

"How do you do this by yourself?" I ask, exasperated.

"I'm an early riser and I have a lot of patience."

"I can see why you stopped wearing your armor fulltime, this shit is ridiculous!" Okay, so maybe I'd thought it was ridiculously hot once, but now that I have to take it off, I'm missing the simplicity of slacks and sweaters.

When only his pants are left, I leave Vincent to his own devices and work on my own clothes.

"The skirts were for mobility and ease of taking off later," I start as I pull my top off.

"So it wasn't just to distract our enemies?" Vincent teases as his eyes lower to my chest.

I flick the clasp of my bra open and let my breasts spill out.

"Sorry, what were you saying, Vincent? Distract who?"

He licks his lips before answering and my nipples bud in reaction.

Oh, please, please do what I think you want to!

"I'm not going to make it out of this shower in one piece, am I?" he says, voice strained.

I turn away from him and slip my pants and panties off before teasingly pull my hair up, exposing the curve of my neck. "That depends on how flexible you are, Vincent."

He lets out a low laugh.

Forget Vincent. This is going to ruin solo showers for the rest of my life.

And I was absolutely right.

We lose track of time in the shower.

And the bed.

And eventually I know they're all back and waiting for us, but I can't bring myself to care. Between the exhaustion, the pain and the lethargy that comes after really amazing sex, I just don't want to move.

"I'm never going to get any work done if this is what it's going to be like living with you," I purr against Vincent's sculpted stomach.

I feel as he laughs. "There are worse problems, Tifa."

"Hnn," I give a typical Vincent reply. "I guess you'll still leave town for contracts?"

I find I'm not a huge fan of that. I hate worrying about him, but I know he needs to get out of the city more than I need it. I love the anonymity that comes from being in a big group of people that I don't know, but I know Vincent craves the stillness and quiet that only comes from nature.

That and it keeps his need to transform at bay.

"Hnn," he mimics me and I laugh and nibble his stomach. Abs for days...

"But you'll be back more frequently now?" I ask, hopeful.

"Yes. I don't think I could stand it now." The absence. The distance between us. Bit by bit, our walls crumbled, leaving only our essences behind—exposed.

I've never let anyone know me the way Vincent knows me and I'm sure it's the same for him. He was a best friend before a boyfriend and I find I love that.

And I love him.

My hand moves in lazy circles against his abdomen and eventually I notice something else is responding to my touch.

"You're insatiable," I say, eyebrow raised, but I'm teasing and he knows it.

With a laugh, I find myself pinned with my hands over my head as Vincent's delicious body slowly grinds into mine.

"Oh, Vincent," I gasp, breathless.

He gives me a shameless smirk before his lips capture mine once, twice—and then he enters me and I manage a moan against his mouth.

Captured. Bound by his love. And he by mine.

I don't think I'll ever get enough of Vincent and I know it's the same for him.

Because we still have a lot of life left to live.

I'm not exactly sure what happens next, but it doesn't really matter. I've finally come to realize that life is what I make of it, not what happens to me.

With Vincent, I know we'll make something special together.

~FIN~

OMFG. OMFG. OMFG. I fucking finished something. What the actual fuck? Okay, so this was a bit more emotional for me than I'd anticipated, but I think that might have been why I've avoided doing it for so long. Sheesh, SHOUT THE FUCK OUT to all the people who have stuck with this over the years and who poked and prodded and reviewed, etc. YOU ALL are the MVP. Without you, I'd have never finished.

It's funny considering that I write a lot more now than I ever did when I started this, but I don't think I'd be in the place where I am now if I didn't start with this. This story was a lot of things for me and I'm so happy you're here to share the journey with me.

I still love writing Fanfiction, so I'll keep doing that till my fingers fall off, even if I don't have as much time for it as I used to. And, who knows, maybe I'll be even more inspired after FF7 Remake comes out (VINCENT. HD. I might be able to die happy). Though I'm thinking Reno or Sephiroth might get a tale of their own eventually. We'll see.

Anyways. Love you, thank you! Hope you enjoyed! Any mistakes are my own!

ALSO: "So glad you're alright, Tifa." Not my line. Quote from the game!