Unexpected Occurrences

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A/N - I'm Back! Writing on my fave story ^_^ This is another chapter with some POV... cos I like writing them ^_^

"Nobody said it feels so good, nobody said you'd be so beautiful, nobody warned me about your smile..." Darius - Colourblind

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We got back home about ten minutes after Vincent pulled us away from the house. I took Cloud home, of course; this is his home now. Of course, the other Avalanchers would take him in but I don't want him apart from me, at least for tonight. I can't believe Aeris tried to burn the house down with Cloud inside. She knows fine well that that was his biggest fear; he wouldn't be able to get out because he'd freak out. I wonder whether she ever loved him, or whether she felt she was stuck with him... One thing is for sure. She can't have loved him that much, for someone doesn't fall out of love that quickly that they could contemplate killing their fiancé.

Cloud's still in a state. When we got inside, he just collapsed onto the sofa and hasn't moved. He's just staring up at the ceiling. I guess he's still in shock, big time. I can't believe we made it out of there, to be honest.  I had given up, I thought Cloud would have, but my being there seemed to get him moving again. Today just seems like a big dream. I don't regret anything that I did today though; despite the fact that my hair is all singed and I have burns over my arms, I couldn't live with myself if I let Cloud die in that building. I was just in time as well. Another minute and the room was literally gone. Another minute from tat, and the house was gone. It doesn't seem real...

Tifa stepped away from the sofa as she heard her PHS ringing again. She felt a bit guilty for leaving Cloud there, but anyway... She looked at the display. It read a number she knew was familiar, but couldn't place. That was odd... "Hello, Tifa Lockheart..." She stood nervously, waiting for a reply. When it came she instantly recognised the voice, and it gave her a funny feeling; like it always used to. "Hello, ex girlfriend of mine, Tifa Lockheart..." Tifa moved away from the living room, almost as though she didn't want Cloud to hear, then she reminded herself that it didn't matter anyway. Despite that, she went and sat down on the stairs...

"Keenan... why are you calling? Um...." It was all she could think of to say. Tifa felt a shudder go up her back. It had been a while since she heard his sexy voice in a friendly tone... after they had been separated by his work for a month, he called and told her it was over. That was a week ago... maybe he had changed his mind? She felt a pang of love at that thought. Tifa instantly felt guilty. She loved two people... the one she truly loved would never see her as more than a friend; and the other man she loved had told her he hated her. Life wasn't fair...

Keenan answered Tifa's question after a little pause. "Because I want my girlfriend back... I know I was very very wrong, Teef. Please give me another chance honey..." Tifa felt her heart choke her. It was everything she wanted; but she knew she had to look after Cloud now as well. Keenan couldn't stand Cloud; he always thought they had something between them. And he was right, Tifa thought... There's more between Cloud and me than there ever was between you and me...

Keenan picked up on Tifa's silence. "Come on baby, please? Listen; come and meet me. I'm in Landersun for today only. Please give me a chance..." Tifa sighed. She knew she had to give this love another chance, not dwell on one that would never happen. "Okay... Ill come meet you now, I guess..."

"Great! Meet me at the Materia Museum, alright? Ill see you there..." Keenan hung up. Tifa sat for a minute just staring at the PHS. She couldn't believe that he wanted her back... As she walked into the front room, she saw Cloud was curled up with his head buried in the cushions. Seeing him tore her heart apart. After all that had happened today, she had realised what he meant to her, even more than what she had thought. I guess you need a reminder of your feelings sometimes... She walked up to Cloud and stroked a stray piece of hair from the side of his face she could see.

Cloud turned to the touch, his stomach flipping when he realised who it was. Man... you're really falling for her... He gave Tifa a sweet smile, hoping his eyes didn't give away what he was feeling. "Hey there, lifesaver..."

Tifa smiled back. She studied his eyes. She could tell he was thinking about Aeris; there was an air of hopeless love in those blue orbs, which Tifa had grown used to seeing over the last few months when Aeris had been  the usual bitch. In her head, Tifa sighed. She knew she was making the right decision. Cloud was hung up on Aeris. Best to get over him than live in hope... "Don't think about her, Cloud... you're better than Aeris. You'll find someone..."

Cloud frowned. So she could tell he was thinking about love; but she thought he loved Aeris... "I... wasn't thinking about Aeris..." he muttered under his breath.  Tifa sighed. She knew him best of all; he couldn't lie to her. But she changed the subject. "Will you be alright here? I have to go meet a ... friend..." Tifa didn't want to tell Cloud about Keenan. She still felt a bit guilty... You're being stupid Tifa. He wouldn't care... But she still didn't tell him.

Cloud nodded. "Sure... but tell me one thing first... Why did you come in there for me?"

Because I love you more than life itself... because my life has no meaning without you there... Tifa swallowed. "Because... I had to. I couldn't just let you die. You'd have done the same for me..." Tifa studied Clouds face for a reaction. He had a kind of wistful, disappointed look; as if that wasn't the answer he had wanted. Tifa blinked, and the look was gone. Strange... must have imagined it.

Cloud sighed inwardly. She's over you, Cloud... you're a fool for picking Aeris over her... and now he's moved on. "Yeah... well, have a good time... and promise me you'll come back..." Cloud joked, half meaning it. Tifa smiled, the pangs of guilt stabbing at her heart again. She felt like she was deserting him at this time when he needed her so much... "I will, hon. Bye bye..." She didn't look back as she walked out. She felt like another look into those blue eyes would paralyse her and stop her from even thinking about another man again. Don't be stupid... he doesn't need you as more than a friend... Somehow though, she got the feeling he felt a bit more for her than that.

~*~

Cloud fell asleep on the sofa. He had a strange dream.

He dreamt that he was a little boy in Nibelheim again. Next door, Tifa was playing in a sandpit with three other boys. He sat and watched out of the window. He sat for ages until the sun went down. As he looked up at the sky, it was full of stars. Then, when he looked down again, Tifa was gone. All that was left was an empty space, with no houses or sandpits. Every trace of her had gone.

Suddenly, he was a Shinra guard again. He watched as Sephiroth slashed out and knocked Tifa down the stairs. He ran towards her, but Zack stopped him. "She's dead... she's gone... you've lost her..." Zack kept repeating, his deep brown eyes boring into Cloud's own. When Zack stepped aside, Sephiroth had picked Tifa up instead of Jenova and was walking out with her. Cloud ran after them, but the reactor and Zack were gone. Tifa looked into his eyes and tears ran down her face, then she was gone into the distance, carried by Sephiroth.

Then, Cloud found himself in Junon, watching as Tifa was led into the gas chamber. He ran up to the door and pounded on it, screaming Tifa's name. The door swung open, and he saw that the chamber was empty. Barrett stood behind him and swore at him. "F£$^%*^ Planet, Cloud... you've lost her again..."

The final scene in his dream showed the Avalanche crowded around an alter. Cloud recognised it as the alter where Aeris died. But this was different. Cloud saw that it was Tifa who was praying. As Cloud walked up to her, he felt Jenova take over his body. He took out his sword and aimed a slash at her chest, along the scar of the Nibelheim incident that he sensed ran along her body. Tifa blocked his sword. "Cloud... don't hurt me Cloud... I love you. Please don't hurt me..." Cloud tried to tell her that he would never hurt her, but no words came out of his mouth. Above him, he saw a glint of silver. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't react; all he could do was stare at Tifa's sweet expression and loving eyes. The masumune sliced through her body as cleanly as possible, and Cloud looked up to see Sephiroth looking at him smugly. Cloud cried out and held Tifa in his arms. She was dead. Everything around them faded to black, and Cloud couldn't see anyone else except Tifa's body lying limp in his arms. He cried out her name again and again between the heavy sobs that caught his breath and his voice. He screamed for her. "Teef... Tifa! Teef I love you.." All he could hear was Sephiroth's mocking voice. "You cant love her... you've failed her. You've lost her again, Strife... you've lost her. You took no action and now you've lost her... she's gone... she's gone Strife..."

Cloud woke up with a scream, finding himself to be sitting up with tears flooding his face. He let himself fall back onto the pillow. That dream was awful. Sephiroth's voice echoed in his ears. His heart ached to see Tifa; as if it was scared she'd left. He realised he wasn't breathing. He tried to breathe normally, but his sobs just made breathing impossible. He tried to get his mind off the dream, and turned on the TV. The local news channel was running  a programme on abandoned children. Click. The interplanetary news system was showing a bulletin on the World Trade Centre disaster. Click. The movie channel was showing Titanic. Cloud settled back and watched for a bit. "You jump I jump, right?..." a character whispered. Cloud groaned and reached for the remote. Not a soppy love film, not at the moment. The documentary channel was showing a programme on the background of SOLDIER. Cloud sat back again. Until the picture of the ranks from eight years ago were shown. Cloud recognised Sephiroth at the front... and Zack next to him, a bright smile on his face. The TV spoke.

"Among the SOLDIERs in this picture are Sephiroth D'Artan, the most famous General ever in SOLDIER, and Zack Arizona, the promising youngster tragically attacked by his own commander during the Nibelheim incident. Also shown..."

Cloud groaned. "So Zack was the only person hurt during the Nibelheim incident then? Damn idiots..." Click. Cloud turned onto the music channels. Everywhere he looked, he saw a love song. It was fucking September, not Valentines Day; why was there love songs everywhere? The last channel had Hero by Chad Kroeger on. Cloud left it on and hummed as he walked to the mirror and checked his hair. It was a total mess. He jogged upstairs and found the hair gel. By the time he came back down, the song had changed. It was P.O.D. so he left it on and concentrated on his hair. The song was already half finished.

Sunshine upon my face,

a new song for me to sing

Tell the world how I feel inside,

Even though it might cost me everything.

Cloud bit his lip. How was it that even nu metal songs like this one reminded him of his situation?

Now that I know this, wont be out of control and I can never turn my back away

Now that I see you, I can never look away...

I, I feel so alive... for the very first time

I can't deny you, I feel so alive

I, I feel so alive... for the very first time,

and I think I can fly, I feel so alive

And now that I know you, I could never turn my back away,

and now that I see you, I could never look away.

Now that I know you, I could never turn my back away,

and now that I see you, I believe no matter what they say...

I, I feel so alive... for the ver... Click.

Cloud turned the TV off. This wasn't funny. Everything seemed to remind him that he needed Tifa, and he would lose her if he didn't do anything. He wondered if it was Jenova that gave him such freaky dreams... no, Jenova was dead. It was his conscience that gave him dreams like that. He walked out of the room and flopped on the bed upstairs. It was only 7pm, but he didn't know what to do. Downstairs, he could hear the nightclub starting to warm up for the night. Tifa should be back soon... Cloud grabbed a book off the shelf and started to read. Anything to escape the torture of thinking.

~*~

Tifa walked through the door, glad that Cloud wasn't downstairs. She had seen him walk upstairs as she came up the path. For some strange reason, she didn't want to tell him that she was seeing Keenan again. Tonight would have been alright if she didn't have such a dilemma on her hands. Keenan had asked her to marry him; Tifa had declined, saying it was too soon and he was just trying to make up. The thought of marrying Keenan had always felt wrong. Sure, they had been together for about 3 years on and off; but Tifa knew whom she wanted to marry. That was the problem; no matter how much she loved Keenan, she kept comparing him to Cloud. And in her eyes, no one could beat Cloud. Tifa sighed and took off her coat. It was time to work now anyway.

~*~

At 4 am, Tifa walked wearily upstairs. She was so tired. She threw her dress off and grabbed her t-shirt that she wore for bed. Without a thought, she collapsed on the nearest bed and cuddled in. Only gentle breaths on her neck alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. She turned around quickly. Damn, she was such a ditz. This was Cloud's bed; she hadn't even remembered he'd be in it. But she couldn't deny how nice it was to be sleeping near him. He had a cute little smile on his face, and sighed a little in his sleep. He looked so adorable. He had his jeans on still; Tifa realised with a pang that he had lost all his clothes in the fire. He had nothing else to wear. He had no shirt on; his muscled and tanned chest looked gorgeous in the moonlight. Tifa felt herself aching for him. No... you're a taken woman... That didn't stop her getting lost while staring at how his muscles rippled with every breath he took. It was hard to imagine a more perfect man, Tifa though. Tifa tried to think of other things and realised she was lying on something. Pulling it out, she realised it was one of her books. She didn't think Cloud liked to read... it was part of the sensitive side, she guessed. Cloud muttered something in his sleep and nuzzled into her. Tifa froze. She must be hearing things... that sounded like Cloud just said "I love you Teef..." She must have imagined it. She lifted his arm from round her waist where it had landed and slid out of the bed, as much as she wanted to stay.

Cloud groaned as Tifa lifted up his arm. When he opened his eyes he was sitting on the edge of his bed. "Hi... I was just dreaming about you..." Cloud giggled. It was true; he'd had a lovely romantic dream. But of course she wouldn't realise that.

Tifa tensed up. Then.. had she heard right? "Um...sorry about falling asleep on you..." she muttered, feeling herself blushing. She couldn't believe she had heard that. It couldn't have meant that he actually felt like that though, could it? She was sure he didn't.

Cloud looked at her. She wouldn't look at him, and it looked like she was blushing. He smiled. "I don't mind... actually, would you stay? I don't wanna be alone..." He paused. Tifa looked up. She looked into his eyes with a searching look. Cloud hoped that she couldn't see right through him. He wanted to hold her more than he ever had; although his excuse was partly true. He was so lonely. Tifa nodded. "Alright..." She cuddled back into him, not without feeling a massive wrench of guilt tug at her heart. She shouldn't be doing this...

After about an hour, Cloud realised that Tifa was still awake too. She kept sighing. "Can't sleep? Me neither..."

Cloud nuzzled the back of Tifa's head. "I had a scary nightmare about you today..." Tifa rolled over to face him. After he had told her, she kept silent. So he was scared to lose her. "That's awful..." she whispered. He nodded. they were silent for ages. Tifa broke the silence. "Every time I fall asleep, images of the fire go through my head... it scares me..." She felt Cloud shudder, and cuddled him harder. He sighed. "Fire is my worst nightmare... ever since..." Tifa knew he didn't need to go on. She bowed her head. Everything they had known had been burnt to the ground that day. Everything they had... had gone. Now, Cloud was living that again. And she wasn't going to be there for him again... Why was life so hard on her? She wanted both these men yet she couldn't be there for them both in the way they needed. Why was life so hard on Cloud? He had lost Aeris, and Tifa had a sneaking suspicion that he felt a bit more for her than a friend.  And yet he wouldn't find happiness with her either.

Tifa thought of the one thing she had never told Cloud about Nibelheim. "Cloud... after the disaster, I... I was wounded, but I was in a wheelchair. I went to the Nibelheim Funeral, when everyone was laid to rest... I saw my dad, and all my friends who were still there. I also... saw your mom..."

She stopped, looking at Cloud. He had tears in his eyes. He sighed heavily, as if his heart was breaking. "I always wondered what happened then. If Mom was buried... I feel guilty about not being there, although Hojo had me and I couldn't... what happened, Teef?"

"There were about ten people there only. I couldn't recognise any of them. I was looking for you... but you weren't there. So I grieved your mom for you... I promised her that I would find you and look after you, make you happy... I was so upset; I promised all kinds of things..." She stopped, unsure of whether to go on. Cloud had an interested kind of smile on his lips. Tifa wondered what to say. Instead she just told the truth. "I... um... promised her that one day, Id... carry her grandchild..." Tifa bowed her head, her cheeks burning. That was her most guarded secret; the one that showed how much she had cared for Cloud even before they met in Midgar.

Cloud burst out laughing. "Honestly? Well, you know, you should never break a promise to a dead person..." He still had tears in his eyes, yet he was happy she could tell. She supposed he knew bout his mother now, so he had closure on her death. Tifa laughed along with him. She caught his gaze, and quickly looked away. She didn't want him to know that she was aching to carry his child. She tried not to think of that, because she knew her body wouldn't hide the desire she felt. She wanted him so much...

Cloud's laugh died away. "You know, that could be arranged..." he whispered, surprising himself with how sexy he could make his voice when he tried. Tifa closed her eyes. His voice sent a shiver down her spine; seeing as she was pressed against Cloud, she knew he had felt it. His body responded with it's own little shudder. I can't do this... but ancients, he's amazing... I cant though... "Would you like that?" she whispered back. Looking into his eyes, the desire burning there shocked her. She knew she couldn't resist him...

Cloud let out a breathy sigh. "More than anything..." As he moved his hand through Tifa's hair, he brushed his lips against hers. Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, answering Cloud's question of whether she would respond. Cloud slipped his tongue inside her mouth and gently started exploring it. He felt Tifa relax her body, and wrapped one arm around her waist. He ran the other hand through her long soft hair.

Downstairs, the PHS rang into the silent air. Upstairs, the couple didn't hear anything but each other.

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