………………………………
It's My Party
………………………………
"Zack? Puppy, don't make me pound your head in. I've never been a very patient man."
"Maybe we should just let him rest."
"If you ask me, he's just being dramatic."
Zack could hear them talking, asking him to wake up—more like ordering for him to wake up—but he was finding it hard to open his eyes. He could hear the giggles of a baby, accompanied by the whispers of his friends. Where was Tifa? Wasn't she supposed to be around when he wasn't feeling too good? It was by sheer force of will that he cracked open one eye, his head pounding like nothing he had felt for a while. He found himself blinking up at a stark white ceiling and a sterile smelling room. He lifted his head and saw that Angeal was by the window, Sephiroth was nowhere in sight, and Genesis was holding his son. "Why are you holding my kid?" he asked darkly.
Angeal and Genesis looked over and closed the distance with Zack's bed. "You're finally awake. We couldn't get you to wake up and you were completely out. We brought you to the hospital so that your doctor could get a look at your head. You were clutching it as if you were in pain," said Angeal.
"Where's Tifa? And why do you have Noah?" Zack asked, sitting up with a grunt.
Genesis looked down at the boy, who was sucking on a pacifier and smirked. "Tifa had something to take care of. She left right before you passed out on us, so he had to come along when we brought you here," he replied.
Zack took the baby in his arms and smiled down at him. He remembered his son. He remembered his son from the moment he had found out that he had been on the way to his and Tifa's lives. He remembered the first night he had spent with Tifa, their first day of living in the same house, the night he had asked her to marry him, and the day of his accident. "Scarlet did it," he said abruptly.
Sephiroth stepped into the room and saw that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I want to kill someone. I remembered the accident—well, I remembered everything. Scarlet drove me off of the cliff. It was a miracle that she didn't drive off with me, but she was the cause of my accident. I know for certain now," Zack said moving his legs over the side of the bed. "Where is Tifa?" he asked Genesis once more.
Genesis cleared his throat when his friends turned to look at him seriously. "She didn't say," he said with a shrug.
Zack's eyes narrowed. "You're lying," he said darkly. "I'm very pissed right now, Genesis, you don't want to cross me," he said as he stood, handing his son to Sephiroth so that he could pull his boots on. For some reason, he had always known when Genesis lied—which hadn't been an all too common occurrence.
"She went to see Scarlet. There was nothing I could've said to stop her," Genesis said calmly.
The anger radiating off of Zack was palpable and Angeal and Sephiroth took a step back to avoid being singed by the rage. "You let my woman go head first into danger? If Scarlet hurts her, I will kill you," he said softly.
Sephiroth refrained from scoffing; he had a feeling that the threat was angled at all three of them for not stopping Tifa in the first place. He wasn't scared of his friend, since they had kicked each other's asses in the past, but he did know that Zack had a mean punch too, and he wasn't looking to be his punching bag. Especially with all the anger he was holding inside. But he also knew that Tifa was a trained martial artist and by no means was she a delicate flower who needed protecting. "You know as well as I that Tifa can take care of herself. We should worry over Scarlet's health instead. Tifa heard us talking about Scarlet doing this to you and is more likely pounding a confession out of your ex as we speak," he said lightly.
"That doesn't make the worry go away. Where does Scarlet live now?" asked Zack, making for the door.
"The doctor needs to see you," said Angeal.
"After I make sure Tifa is okay," Zack said simply, taking back his son and walking out the door. They all followed and ignored the nurse, who tried to stop them.
"We'll drive you there. The last thing we need is another accident if you decide to pass out again," said Sephiroth.
…………………
"You bitch! You broke my nose!" Scarlet shrieked.
"I'll break every bone in your body if I can!" Tifa screamed back, sending another punch at Scarlet, which she dodged just in time. The leg sweep caught her completely by surprise, and the blonde toppled over and onto the floor. She rolled away and got to her feet, sending out her own punch and catching Tifa on the shoulder.
Tifa grunted and propelled herself forward, giving Scarlet the uppercut of her life and making the blonde roll over the side of the couch to land with a thump on her carpeted floor. "Did you really think you could get away with trying to kill Zack and that no one would ever know?" Tifa yelled, feeling angry tears invade her eyes, but refusing to show the other woman her pain.
"I didn't do anything you psycho!" Scarlet yelled. "I'm calling the police and I'm making sure that they keep you locked up for a long time." She grabbed onto a decorative glass vase on her table and hurled it at Tifa, who gracefully jumped back and away and watched it shatter at her feet.
Before Scarlet could even tell she had moved, Tifa was next to her, punching her once more in the face. "I know you did. Why keep lying about it? You're a sore loser and nothing will change that. Go ahead and call the police. That way I can tell them that you tried to kill Zack!" Tifa snarled, taken off guard by Scarlet's own fist to her jaw. She stumbled back and blocked a high kick from the other woman. It was obvious she had training as well, but Tifa had been practicing martial arts since she had been a little girl and nothing could beat a lifetime of training and learning from the best.
She tried to stop Scarlet as she lunged herself at her, but momentum took them both down to the floor and it gave Scarlet the opportunity to knock her fists into Tifa's face a few times. Reaching up with her legs, Tifa pulled Scarlet back and off, forcing the woman to roll backwards to avoid getting into a choke hold by Tifa's legs. They both jumped to their feet and Tifa rammed her elbow into Scarlet's middle, knocking the air out of the other woman and driving her knee into her face, hearing the satisfying sound of another crunch.
Scarlet reared back though and rammed her own fist into Tifa's face, hitting her square in the cheekbone and then against her mouth, and Tifa felt the copper taste of blood from her split lip. As Tifa was recovering from the blows, which were more painful than she let on, she didn't catch the glimpse of Scarlet picking up a heavy ceramic plate that had been on a stand on her coffee table.
"Maybe I did have something to do with the accident, but there's no proof and you won't find any either," Scarlet said quietly. "Besides, you'll never find the car I used to drive Zack off the cliff."
"You just confessed it to me, and you went and blabbed your big mouth at Genesis. That's two against one," Tifa muttered, wiping at the blood trailing from her mouth. "I won't rest until you pay for hurting him. Did you think that this would be your victory over us? Think again Scarlet. Zack and I are still together and no one will ever break us apart," she said turning to look at her. Tifa didn't see it coming and the next thing she knew, Scarlet had crashed the plate on her head, making her black out for a moment.
"I never lose. It will do you well to learn that now," Scarlet whispered. "Now, I'm going on a trip, and hopefully by the time someone notices you are missing, you will have bled to death. I hope you have a miserable afterlife," she said with glee.
Tifa opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to regain her focus. It was possible that she had a concussion, but she wouldn't know for a while. Scarlet would not win. She forced herself onto shaky legs and let out a sigh, grabbing for a vase full of flowers on the table she was leaning against heavily. "Hey Scarlet," Tifa said in a sing-song voice, waiting for her to whirl around. "You messed with the wrong woman," she spat before crashing the vase over her head in return.
They both fell back unconscious.
………
"Does she have a spare key?" Zack asked Genesis as they nearly ran up the path to Scarlet's extravagant home.
"No, but I kept mine," Genesis said reaching for his keys just as a police car pulled up on the street and the cops joined them. Sephiroth and Angeal had both insisted on them calling the cops and telling them of their suspicions of Scarlet and at the fact that Tifa might be in danger. Genesis opened the door and Zack stepped in, taking sight of the overturned furniture, a few shattered pieces of glass and drops of blood.
Zack's heart sunk to his feet when he saw Tifa passed out a few feet away from Scarlet. He ran over to her and lifted her up gently, noticing the blood trailing from her forehead and the various bruises on her face. Scarlet looked just as bad, if not worse than she did. "Tifa, sweetie I need you to wake up."
At the sound of his voice, she groaned in pain and her eyes fluttered a little. "Zack?"
"I'm here baby. I'm here," he said, various memories had returned to the place that had been empty for five long months. "Open your eyes. You can't pass out again or it may be dangerous."
"Head hurts," she said quietly. Then she smirked faintly and her eyes opened a sliver. "But I kicked her ass."
Zack let out a snort and kissed her lips, apologizing when she winced in pain over her split lip. "Don't ever scare me like this again. I don't want you in danger over anything. Understand?"
Tifa nodded and felt dizzy as he sat her up a little and helped her to her feet. Her legs gave out from under her, and she clung to him as he picked her up easily and carried her out to the ambulance they had called. Sephiroth and Genesis followed and Tifa spotted Angeal with Noah, who was drinking a bottle. Seriously, her boy needed to go on some type of diet; he had inherited Zack's never ending hunger.
"My face!" they heard Scarlet screech when they got her to wake up. "I'm going to kill that psychotic bitch for what she did to me! Now that the police are here, I want to accuse her of assault and attempted murder!"
"Yeah, well you'd have experience in trying to kill someone, wouldn't you?" Tifa hollered as Zack sat her in the gurney the paramedics had brought out for her.
"Shut up!" Scarlet screamed right back.
"Make me!"
"Hey! I thought immaturity was my department," Zack snapped, catching Tifa's eyes as she smirked faintly.
"It was before you lost your memory," she said lightly, reaching out to squeeze his hand in hers as the paramedic cleaned her head wound and checked her reflexes to make sure that she wasn't concussed.
Zack wanted to tell her in that moment that he had remembered everything, but… he just couldn't. His friends stared at him and then blinked when he shook his head no. He couldn't do it now, while she was hurt. "What if she had hurt you even more. What would I have done without you?"
"Hmm… raise our son and be happy?" she asked, leaning back to rest her head a little.
"She'll be fine," said the man taking care of her. "Luckily the both of you do not have concussions. Unfortunately that means that you're both going to spend the night in jail for brawling and assault."
Tifa rolled her eyes. "A night in jail is a fair price to pay for the ass kicking I gave her," she muttered. "She accepted that she had tried to kill the man I love, on the day we were supposed to marry, and when I went into labor to have our son."
The paramedic's eyes were wide and he gave her a silent thumbs-up and helped her up when the police came over to take the report of her actions and her version of what had happened. Then, like the paramedic stated, and even against Zack's complaints, she was arrested along with Scarlet.
"Lucky for you, I'm a damned good lawyer," said Genesis.
"Since when?" Zack asked.
"Since I left SOLDIER. That's one thing you didn't know about me," he said with a smirk. "I'll have her out in two hours tops. I hope you have enough money to pay for the bail," he said.
Zack nodded. "Thanks for being here," he said to his friends, his head aching only slightly still. "Yes, even you," he said to Genesis, who put a mocking hand over his heart. "Just… don't tell Tifa that I got my memories back."
"That'll be a key item in getting Scarlet convicted for attempted murder," Genesis said as if it were completely obvious, and it was.
"I just… I want to wait a few days. Her birthday is on Saturday and I want to make it memorable. Can we postpone telling the police until next Monday?" Zack asked.
"The more you wait to tell her, the more angry she will be," Sephiroth said as they got into his car and followed the police cars to the station.
"Just help me with this, won't you?" Zack asked impatiently.
"Fine," they said in unison. But they knew that they would be a part of Tifa's wrath once she found out that they had kept this all from her.
………………
"You should've let me go with you. You know, in case you needed help in kicking that whore's ass."
Tifa looked up from where she had been staring at the cracked ground of the jail cell and smirked, wincing as she pulled at her lip. "Two against one wouldn't have been fair and you know it. Did you bring the recording? Was her confession clear enough?"
"Yep," Yuffie said with a grin. "The police are examining it right now. Did you at least give her the ass kicking of her life?"
Tifa nodded. "But she got a few good punches in too. My head is going to hurt tomorrow. Do you know if I'll have to spend the night?"
Yuffie shook her head. "No. Genesis is taking care of your defense and is a little away from getting you bail. But I think Noah had a little diaper situation. None of the men know how to change diapers except Zack and Genesis, but they were busy talking to the police. Vince just swooped in and changed him in record time. Leviathan, Tifa, I love him so much. I can't wait to have more of his kids."
"At our age?" asked Tifa with a smirk.
"It's not like we're fifty. We're still young," Yuffie said with a grin.
"You're right in that. So… what have you planned for your wedding?"
Yuffie shrugged. "Nothing so far. But I think we have a more pressing matter."
"Which is?" Tifa asked, rubbing at her aching knuckles.
"Your birthday," Yuffie said simply.
"No, Yuffie. I appreciate it, but with the way things are now, I don't want to celebrate or have a party," Tifa said with a heavy sigh. "I'm not in a cheery mood."
Yuffie sighed. "But will you at least go shopping all day with me? Zack and Denzel can watch over Noah while we have a day to ourselves. Come on, Teef, don't make me pull out the watery, puppy-dog eyes."
Tifa let out a laugh. "Please. Those stopped working before you had Oren. I'm immune to that look. But fine, I'll go with you."
"Great," Yuffie said brightly. "I'll see you when you get out then. I'll watch over Noah for you," she said before waving and walking out with a policeman.
…………
After midnight, Zack awoke from a nightmare and slowly padded out of office/room. First he made sure that Noah was safe, then Denzel, and finally Tifa, but he found that she wasn't in her room and worry cramped his gut. He walked towards the living room and saw that light over the stove was on and that she was sitting at the breakfast table, a bottle of Wutai's best and a shot glass in front of her. "Hey… you okay?" he asked softly, trying not to startle her.
Despite his soft tone, she jumped a little and looked up, tears trailing over the bruises and cuts that had swelled from her fight with Scarlet. Still, she offered him a watery, painful smile. "She broke our lives over a whim. She even bragged about what she did to you."
Zack nodded. "I heard the recorded confession," he murmured, walking over to lean against the table, right next to her. "Don't cry. We're starting over, aren't' we?" he asked, feeling the guilt of not telling her the truth gnaw at his insides. He carefully wiped away her tears and smiled when she leaned into his touch.
"It doesn't take away all the hurt and the worry. I don't think anything ever will," she admitted, taking a last shot of alcohol and then standing to put the bottle away. She swayed slightly and Zack wondered how many she had had, since Tifa knew how to handle her liquor.
He caught her around the waist and pulled her in towards him, taking the bottle from her and placing it on the table once more. Her watery, almost-red-but-not-quite eyes stared into his own electric blue and all the love he felt for her clogged his throat from telling her the truth once more. He knew in his heart that she would be angry with him once she found out his memories were back, but he wanted to tell her at a special moment. "I do love you, you know," he murmured, watching as the sadness lifted a little from her eyes.
Tifa sighed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her ear against his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat. "Will you sleep with me tonight?" she asked almost timidly.
Zack smiled to himself and nodded. "Yeah. Come on," he whispered, taking her hand in his and walking with her towards the main bedroom. Tifa checked on Noah once more and then they slipped into bed together. He spooned her, slipping his arms around her waist and holding her tightly against him. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and hope for more, but he couldn't. She was tired, sore, and most likely still aching where she was hurt. Those things would only serve to make things uncomfortable. Instead he held her, breathed her in, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing as she slipped into slumber.
"I'll make this up to you," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the smooth skin of her neck.
………………
The day of her birthday, Zack and Denzel took Noah to Sephiroth's house and gave her the day to herself, since she would spend it with Yuffie, Aerith, and Elena. Tifa was still in bed, feeling sorry for herself—since it was already past ten in the morning—when she heard the sounds of her friends approaching her room. She sighed and smiled. "How did you get in?"
Yuffie grinned. "Did you forget that I am an expert at picking locks?"
"That's called breaking and entering," Tifa muttered, sitting up and placing her flannel clad legs over the side of the bed.
"Not when your friend is expecting you," Elena put in. "Get up and get dressed. We're taking you to get a big breakfast, and then we're going shopping, and we'll see if Yuffie can check out some wedding dresses at this boutique I recommended."
Tifa smiled and stood, stretching a little. "Alright. Just give me a while to shower and dress and then we can go."
Yuffie and the other woman walked out and waited for her in the living room. "She seems sad and depressed."
"Wouldn't you be if your man forgot you?" Elena muttered.
"My man left and I didn't see him for sixteen years," Yuffie replied.
"Yeah, well, let's try and make the most of this. The men will arrive right after we leave and they'll prepare everything for tonight. I got the caterer's confirmation and they will deliver the food and hour before the party. Are you sure we can trust the guys to not screw anything up?" Aerith questioned.
"We have to," Yuffie murmured. "Because they can't very well take Tifa dress-shopping and to the salon. Though with Sephiroth and Tseng's hair, I'd wager that they know a thing or two about beauty tips," she said with a smirk. They broke into snickers and chatted a little more as they waited for the birthday girl.
They had a pleasant breakfast at a good restaurant and took a few hours to peruse Edge's shopping district for a few hours until they found a store with beautiful dresses, and it also happened to make custom wedding dresses.
"Come on! Today isn't about me!" Yuffie grumbled as the owner showed her various dresses.
"Well, make this my present. I want you and Vincent to get married soon, and you won't unless you get serious about this," Tifa said with a grin.
"I found the perfect dress for you, Tifa," Elena said, showing her a dress that was of a beautiful red orange that wasn't too harsh on the eyes. The cut was modest, and it would mould to her curves and accentuate her most obvious assets in a stylish way. "Try it on!"
Tifa sighed and did as they asked, since Yuffie was finally looking through wedding dress magazines. She found that the dress fit her perfectly, but it was a little too extravagant for the small wedding that Yuffie wanted. She stepped out of the dressing room and showed it to her friends, to 'awwed' and commented on how pretty she looked. "Where am I going to wear something like this?" she asked them.
"Maybe on a date with Zack. He'll need to take you somewhere fancy though," said Aerith. "He'd certainly remember you if he saw you dressed like that."
"I don't think so," said Tifa with a sigh. "Why don't we just keep shopping for normal clothes?"
Her friends just shared a look and decided not to argue with her as Tifa walked back to change. "I hope she doesn't flip when she sees what we have planned for her," Aerith muttered.
"We'll blame it on Zack," Yuffie said with a snicker. "I don't think she'd hurt him."
"She will once she finds out he got his memory back last week," Elena whispered.
"What?!" Yuffie and Aerith nearly shrieked.
"Shhh!" Elena snapped.
"How do you know this?" Aerith asked.
"Tseng and Genesis are partners in their Firm. Genesis told Tseng, and naturally my husband told me. Though he'll be angry if he finds out I couldn't stop from running my mouth," Elena said with a frown.
"But… but he knows how hard this is on Tifa, why has he kept this to himself?" Yuffie asked darkly.
Elena shrugged. "Maybe he wants to tell her today."
"If he doesn't, I'm gonna rip him a new one," Yuffie hissed, making a fist. "Then, I'm going to tell Tifa that he already remembers so that she can kick his ass too."
"Okay, let's go," Tifa said with a smile. "Or did you find a dress you want for the wedding yet?"
Yuffie shook her head. "I promise that next weekend we can all get together again, and you can even ask Shera if she wants to help, and we'll start planning my wedding, okay? Today is yours Tifa," she said with a smile.
Tifa nodded and handed the owner of the shop the dress she had tried on. "Thank you, but I don't think I'll take it," she said before they all walked out of the shop.
"Oh, wait, I think I left a bag back at the shop," Yuffie said. "Go ahead and wait for me at the next shop, won't you?" The other women nodded and Yuffie walked off quickly to the shop. She smiled at the owner and pointed at the dress. "I'd like that dress for my friend. It's her birthday and she's been a little sad, so we're planning to throw her a surprise party tonight, and she needs that dress."
"That's wonderful," said the woman. "But won't she know if you take it with you, now?"
"Is there any way that you can have it delivered?" Yuffie asked.
"It will cost extra, but I can."
"Great. I'll take it and you can have it delivered now," Yuffie said, writing down the address. She really did hope that their night went as planned.
………
By the time they arrived at Zack and Tifa's home, the sun was setting and they only had to get Tifa into the dress before she found out everything about the surprise party. Elena and Aerith shoved her into her bedroom, while Yuffie walked into the backyard to check on things. Her eyes were wide as she took in all that the men had done. There was a long table where all their friends would be seated, set with plates and glasses for the wine, and Tifa's favorite flowers as centerpieces in the center. They had also placed various white lights—which had been Christmas lights—all around the trees in the backyard, giving it a very magical air. There was also a separate table filled with food, and a huge cake with a few candles ready to be lit.
Everything was beautiful, and the men were all dressed and ready, looking too handsome for words. Yuffie tried not to drool. She looked at Zack, who was holding Noah and his arms and he gave her a thumbs up. Yuffie ran off to Tifa's bedroom and grabbed the box on a chair that had been ignored until now. "You need to change, because you're going out to dinner," she said with a grin.
"What? To where? And with whom?" Tifa asked, eyebrows raised.
"Just get dressed. It's a surprise," Aerith said impatiently. "We still have to do your make-up, but at least your hair is done."
Tifa opened the box Yuffie handed her and smiled when she saw that it was the dress that she had tried on. She looked at her friend and the shorter woman shrugged. "You didn't have to," she murmured.
"But I wanted to," Yuffie replied.
Tifa thanked her and walked into the bathroom to change quickly. When she came out, Elena took her turn to change as well, seeing as they mysteriously had their own dresses waiting for them in the bathroom. She had realized that it had all been planned and they would most likely throw her a party; Tifa just didn't know where it would be. Aerith did her make-up while Yuffie changed her clothes and once they were all done, amidst threats, Tifa allowed them to blindfold her.
"Just watch your step, we're almost there," she heard Elena say.
Tifa felt the butterflies in her stomach and she realized how much she had needed the company of her friends. She had been feeling sorry for herself for the past week, since finding out that Scarlet had really been responsible for Zack's near death and memory loss, and she still had a few bruises that had yet to fade.
Tifa just couldn't believe that someone would be that evil, that she would've risked killing Zack because he had no longer been interested in her. But she got what she wanted on a certain level. Zack wasn't the man he used to be, and would probably never get his memories back. She was okay with it now, since he had managed to love her once more, but some part of her still wanted her old Zack back. Still, Scarlet would be paying for what she did for a very long time. She was still in jail and after Zack pressed charges, she would go to prison to await her trial. Tifa hoped viciously that she got life in prison for what she did to Zack.
The blindfold came off and thoughts ceased, leaving Tifa to blink into the backyard of her own home in utter astonishment. Everything was beautiful, from the lights in the trees, to the flowers on the table. Her various friends were there, and once Yuffie had removed the blindfold, they had yelled, "Surprise," for her.
Zack came up to her and took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "Happy birthday, sweetheart," he said with an easy grin, reminiscent of the man he had been before his memory loss.
Tifa wrapped her arms around him and smiled when he kissed her cheek. "Thank you. All of you," she said the last as she turned to the guests.
Everyone was there, even Reeve and Cloud. Barret nearly squeezed the air out of her lungs, and she almost cried when Shera came over and showed her the small baby bump and her grumbling husband. Sephiroth held her briefly and offered a few encouraging words, and her nephews pulled her into a group hug. There was no describing her happiness, or the skip of her heart when Zack winked and flashed her a dashing smile. It was then that Tifa had realized that she hadn't felt so happy in a long time. Having Noah had been a highlight of her life, but it had been shadowed by Zack's accident. But now, she had them both with her, and all her friends were there, celebrating her.
"Whose idea was this?" Tifa asked as Zack wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to her seat at the long table.
"That, is a secret," he murmured, kissing her temple. "Just relax and enjoy, since there's something really important that I have to tell you after we sing you the birthday song," he said with a grin.
"What? You're all going to sing to me? The last time someone sang me the birthday song was back before Denzel was born," she said with a small laugh.
"I hear that Seph has quite the voice, so this should be memorable," Zack said, just as they were passing his friend.
Tifa giggled lightly at the glare from those green-yellow eyes and sighed against the man she loved so much. "Where did you leave Noah?"
"He's with his babysitter. They'll stay inside of the house, since I don't want him getting sick out here," Zack replied, pulling her chair out for her.
The food was promptly served, and everything was delicious, and then they all sang the birthday song to her, which had Tifa laughing in glee. Sephiroth did have an amazing voice, though it was kind of ruined by Yuffie's high-pitched tone. Vincent had tried shushing her, but her best friend would not be quieted. After the candles of the cake had been blown out and the teens had had their fill of chocolate fudge, Zack took Tifa aside and deeper into his backyard, where the trees were almost in a complete circle, and the lights looked even more beautiful.
"Did I tell you how lovely you look tonight?" Zack asked her, taking her hands in his and staring into her eyes.
Tifa shook her head. "No. but it's good to know. Thank you so much for this. I had no idea how much I needed this. The company, the song, and the cake," she said with a smile. Then she remembered. "You wanted to tell me something?"
Zack let out a deep breath and nodded. "I didn't know how to tell you. It happened the day that you and Scarlet nearly beat the pulp out of each other, just as you left our home," he whispered, sounding a little nervous.
Tifa frowned when she felt his hands go a little clammy. "Come on, just tell me. Nothing can be this hard. Unless… it's something bad," she whispered the last part.
"I'm just… I'm so sorry I forgot you. Ever since I woke up from the accident, it has felt like I'm missing a piece of my heart and it hurt me to see you so sad. To know that it was my fault that you haven't been able to enjoy our son's birth."
"But it wasn't your fault," Tifa interrupted. "It was all Scarlet's doing. None of this was your fault," she said softly, touching his cheek gently.
"I promise to never again forget you," Zack said quietly, not breaking their eye contact.
"Why would you?" she asked with a small smile.
"Because I got my memory back last week. At the moment you left our home to confront Scarlet," he said, waiting for the words to sink in and her reaction.
Tifa stared at him uncomprehending for a moment, and then her brain registered his words, and the wide of his eyes, and the sweaty feel of his hands in hers. The first thing she did was let go of him. He had known for a week?! He had known for a week and hadn't told her until now?! She let out a slow breath and couldn't stop the tears that slipped over her cheeks. His face fell then, and he reached up to clean the tears away. She took the opportunity then, sending her fist into face hard enough to turn his head and make him stumble back a step.
Zack stared at her, amazed at how much pain he was feeling in his jaw, and just how deadly Tifa was with her fists. She was looking at him in fury, and he didn't know what to do to diffuse the situation before she decided to beat him to his hands and knees before her. Speaking of knees, it wouldn't be a bad idea to grovel for her forgiveness. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make your birthday special!" he said quickly, trying to grab her hand, but moving away when she flinched from his touch.
"You knew about this for a week!" Tifa hissed, more tears escaping her grasp. "You saw how much Scarlet's admission hurt me and still you let me believe that you were clueless about our past?" she asked softly. "Do you have any idea how many tears I have cried because of this?"
"Please, forgive me. I didn't do this to hurt you!" Zack said quickly. "I love you more than my life!"
"Well, it's good to know that you love me enough for you to be okay when you see me cry," she said in silent defeat. "You made me promise to never keep anything from you, especially after I didn't tell you right away about Noah. Why demand something when you won't keep your own end of the promise?"
Zack was left speechless. He hadn't thought it would be this much of a big deal! He had been counting on her being happy that he remembered, that she wouldn't be so angry about him waiting a week before telling her. He had wanted her to have a happy birthday, not a miserable one. "Tifa… please," he whispered, his heart sinking to his toes. "I want to marry you, and I want to have more kids with you. I wanted your birthday to be the best one, because you deserve it more than anyone I know."
Was she really overreacting? Tifa looked away from him when he tried to meet her eyes, but she didn't stop him when he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her to him. She kept her body rigid and her face turned away. She did close her eyes when he nearly curled his body around her and tucked his face against her neck. Those sweet smelling spikes rubbed against her nose, and she was reminded of how much she had hoped and prayed for him to get his memory back no matter what. He had it back now and she was making him feel guilty when they should've been celebrating. But that didn't take away from the fact that he had lied to her face and pretended for seven whole days that he didn't remember her from the moment they had met.
"You're sleeping on your futon tonight and every night until we get married," she muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Zack let out a shaky laugh and hugged her, lifting her straight off of her feet in his happiness. "God, anything if it means that I haven't lost you."
"You haven't lost me," Tifa whispered, more tears coming. "I thought I had lost you."
"Never," he murmured before kissing her gently, setting her down on her feet and rubbing her tears away. "You forgive me?"
Tifa smiled and rubbed a thumb over the bruise on his jaw. "Yes. Mostly because you won't ever find anyone else who puts up with your off-key singing in the shower, oh and because there's no one else who can cook enough food to actually fill you."
"Only because of that?" he asked with a grin.
Tifa nodded. "Oh, yeah… and because I love you too."
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Dunno if I wrote Tifa fighting with martial arts, or just plain street fighting, hehe, sorry. I'm not very good at writing fights of any kind, but I think I did a fairly good job of them kicking each other's butts. The title of the chapter was supposed to be like the song, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," but it turned out way too long, so I left it at half that. I don't know if I rushed Zack's memory returning, but five months have passed since he lost his memory and it was about time. Besides, I had to get my last dose of drama before the ending. So next chapter will cover the wedding, we'll see closure for Sephiroth and Aerith, and Vincent and Yuffie will get their happy ending too, unless you guys want me to leave it at this chapter? I don't mind, but whatever you readers decide, I will do. Personally, I'd like to see the ending for everyone.
Okay, so once more, thank you to those who took the time to read and then comment, I always have a great time reading what you all think. Also, just to let you know, we've already passed the 13,000 hits, so I'll take that as a confirmation that people have liked this fic so far, so thanks for that too, and if you don't like it, thanks either way. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to have the next chapter out by next Thursday! Have a great week.
Joey
P.S. Did anyone know that four-year-olds kick butt at staring contests? My little sister was just nagging me about something and I said no, and we had a staring contest in which I lost and she didn't blink once. I just thought I would share that tidbit with you all, since I've gotten stories of readers doing dances and dogs chewing their paws off. Hehe, you make my day. Oh, and after I wrote this, we had an earthquake over here! We're okay though, but it was a little scary, seeing as it was a 5.4. See you later!