Disclaimer: Okay, people, first things first! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They inspirred me to come out with this chapter so I hope you all like it. This chapter's dedicated to all of you who have encouraged and complimented me. Thanks to all! I love every one of you!

Alright, number two. VINCENT TIFA ACTION!!!!! For all of you who asked for it! Yes, things get EXTREMELY hot with Vincent and Tifa. You people wanted some action well I you go some! I hope you enjoy it! I was kind of reluctant at first because it sounded like Vincent was a little OOC. But because Vincent goes back into what I like to call 'macho mode' it kind of balanced out at least that's what it seems like to me. You guys are the judges! You decide whether this chapter is good or horribly bad. Well, send a review, good or constructive criticism, my way! I'll enjoy everyone one of your reviews! Anyways, enough of my babble start reading already!

I couldn't believe it. Vincent was here, standing in front of me.

That's when I sank to my knees in the snow and I began to hyperventilate. That man was probably going to kill me and if Vincent hadn't seen it, I'd probably be lying in the snow surrounded by blood.

I felt a pair of hands come to rest on my shoulders and lift me up so I was standing again.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, looking up and down my body for any sign of injury.

I shook my head quickly. "No. Thank you so much, Vincent," I said, throwing my arms around his neck. "That man would have killed me."

"Come," he said, taking my hand. "We must get you back to your hotel."

"Hold on just a second!" I said, wrenching my hand from his grasp. "How are you here?"

"I moved here just recently. I needed a change of scenery," he said, before taking my hand again. "Now, come."

He walked me back to my hotel without another word. When we got there he began to walk away, which I thought was really rude.

"Vincent?"

He stopped and turned around. I walked towards him and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking into his eyes for a trace of emotion.

"It. . . . . well, yes, it does concern you, but I still can't figure out why," he said, looking away from me.

"What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. He looked back up at me with a questionable look in his eyes.

"Can we meet tomorrow?"

"Uh, sure. Where?"

"There is a small cafe down the street. There are some things that have been weighing heavy in my mind over the past months and I wish to talk with you about them," he said, lowering his eyes once more.

"Okay, what time to you want me to be awake?"

He looked up at me then off to the side, in thought.

"How about nine? I will come wait for you in the lobby of your hotel."

"Sure, sounds great," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a small hug.

I stepped back and watched him walk down the street until he was no longer in sight. I sighed and walked back up to the room. Once I got there, Yuffie almost jumped on me.

"Hey, what took you so long?" She asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "I thought you were only gonna be gone a few minutes!"

I figured I shouldn't tell her about my little encounter with the drunk. Some things are best kept silent and these are one of those things.

"Well, I was looking around for a bit and I saw Vincent while I was making my way back here. He's gonna meet me out in the lobby tomorrow morning. He says he has some things that he wants to talk with me about," I said, taking off my new sweater and placing it on my bag.

"Oh, but Tifa!" Yuffie exclaimed, putting on her pouting face. "You have to help me with the cubs! You just can't abandon me like this to go spend time with you on again, off again boyfriend!"

"Why don't I take one of the cubs with me tomorrow? That way you won't have to worry," I suggested, sitting down on the couch.

"Well," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "As long as you don't disappear for the whole day! If Vinnie wants to hang out with us that's fine and dandy."

"Thanks, Yuf. Which cub should I bring with me though?" I said, looking at the two cubs sitting at my feet.

"Bring me Aunt Tifa!" Seto said, putting his front paws on my lap. "I wanna go see Uncle Vincent!"

"Okay, you can come with me then. Thank you for volunteering, Seto," I said, scratching his ears.

"No prob!" He said, smiling.

I changed out into my pajamas and hopped into bed. Both weary and excited about what Vincent wanted to talk with me about.

I got up the next morning at about 8:30 and put on a loose fitting pair of khaki cargo pants and a long sleeved white v-neck shirt. I brushed all the tangles out of my hair and slipped my hooded sweatshirt over my head and settled myself on the small couch. Seto walked up to me a few moments later and yawned, still sleepy.

"So," he said, leaning his head down and scratching his ear with his hind leg. "When do we leave?"

I looked at the small alarm clock that was sitting on Yuffie's nightstand. 8:45.

"Well, lets go now. Vincent's always been known for his promptness," I said, getting up from the couch and walking over to Yuffie who was still sleeping and gently shook her shoulder. "Yuffie."

"Huh?" She asked, opening her eyes and looking around. "What's up?"

"I'm leaving now. I have to meet Vincent downstairs in fifteen minutes. I'll see you later on this afternoon, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, stifling a yawn. "I'll see ya later, Teef. Tell me how your date with Vincent goes," she said, rolling back over, seeming to fall asleep.

I sighed as I turned around. I had already tried convincing her that Vincent wasn't my boyfriend and we weren't going on a date. But then again, Yuffie had already tried to play matchmaker between Vincent and I in the past when we were still fighting the good fight for the Planet. Might as well let have her girlish fun while she still can, eh?

I signaled Seto to follow me and stepped outside the room, silently closing the door. I slowly made my way down to the lobby and was surprised when I saw Vincent leaning against the door jam, staring at something off to the right. His head turned and he almost looked happy seeing me, causing a smile to creep its way onto my face.

I walked up to him and stopped in front of him. He looked down at Seto as he sat down next to me. Seto looked at him and put on his cutest animal face.

"Hi, Uncle Vincent!" He exclaimed, putting his front paws on Vincent's thighs.

Vincent curled one corner of his mouth up as he patted Seto on the head. Seto returned to my side, a large smile on his face. I looked up at Vincent and smiled.

"Well, why don't we get to business?" I asked, rubbing my palms together.

Vincent raised both eyebrows and looked at me with a shocked look on his face. I almost laughed.

"I'm certain you didn't want to meet me to drink coffee and make small talk, right?" I asked, putting my hands in my front pocket.

Vincent's face relaxed as he nodded. "This way."

I looked back and waved for Seto to follow then fell in step next to Vincent. I looked at his stone face as we walked and my brow furrowed. To tell the truth, I was very worried about him. He seemed so open with me when we last talked now it seemed like he'd crawled back into his shell. I bit my lip as I looked at him again. He either saw me looking at him and chose to ignore me or didn't catch me at all.

He led me to a small cafe that had places for you to sit inside or, if you wanted, outside. Vincent picked a quiet table in one corner and sat. I slowly sat in the chair across from him and made sure Seto was still with us. Sure enough, he had already settled himself down next to my chair.

"Tifa . . . . "Vincent said, causing me to look at him.

His eyes were filled with desperation. I knew that look. That was the same look he had in his eyes when we spilled our souls to each other at the chocobo stables at Cosmo Canyon. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was like him and I had switched places. He was the one doing the cheering up while I was the one putting myself down and looked at everything with a negative attitude.

"Hmm," I mumbled, confirming that I heard him.

He looked away from me for a few moments before looking back into my eyes and lingering there. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath like preparing himself for the impossible.

"How have you been doing?" He asked, seeming to change subject.

Well, that isn't what I expected.

"I've been surviving. Taking care of the cubs has put a little more brightness into our rather boring lives. But in all seriousness, it tore me up to leave you in Nibelheim," I said, bowing my head, not willing to see the look on his face. "I missed you everyday. I'm sorry. I should have contacted you."

That's when I chose to look back up.

I almost had a heart attack. I swear, my left arm seriously started to hurt when I saw Vincent's reaction. His head was bowed, his eyes closed and from what I could see from behind the high neck of his cape, a single tear had fallen from his left eye. I covered my mouth in shock. What did I do?

He raised his right hand and wiped his face off before looking at me then looking down at the tabletop.

"I thought you had forgotten about me," he mumbled.

That's when my heart broke. He was worried that I had forgotten about him. How could I do such a thing? I'd never be able to live with myself if I did.

"No, Vincent. How could I forget about you?" I said, looking at him, tears coming to my own eyes as well. His walls were crumbling. I reached across the table and grabbed his right hand in mine and gently squeezed it. "I'd never ever be able to forget about someone like you."

He lowered his eyes from mine then suddenly got up from the table and, grabbing my wrist, began to lead me out of the cafe.

"Come on, Seto!" I called over my shoulder.

"Coming Aunt Tifa!" He said, jogging at my side.

I stayed quiet while Vincent led me through the snow-covered streets of Icicle Inn. We turned on a street called 'Snowflake.' Well, how convenient! He walked toward a small two-story house and walked inside almost slamming the door on Seto's tail. That's when he let go of my wrist and walked up the stairs.

I watched him climb up the stairs then occupied myself with other things until he returned. I slowly walked into his living room and looked around.

He had a couch and love seat in one corner of the room with a fireplace. He had a bunch of picture frames sitting on the mantle and I walked towards it, not being able to hold in my curiosity.

The picture in the center was of all of us before we split up almost two years ago. I smiled, that really wasn't a very joyous occasion. Then I was surprised when I found that the six smaller pictures surrounding the big group photo were all of me, in one way or another.

Really, when would he have to time to take snap shots? It wasn't some pleasure cruise.

The first one that caught my eye was one where I was sitting in front of a fire with a sort of lost look in my eyes. He probably took that one shortly after Aeris died or after Cloud disappeared, one of the two.

The other five were of me playing with the cubs. In three of them I had all five crawling all over me but in the other two I was only playing with one cub. Kayo was in one and Naava was in the other.

I smiled. The only other people that liked to take my picture were my parents. It was very touching that he had so many photos of me.

"Do you disapprove of them?" Vincent's soothing baritone came from behind, startling me a small amount. I turned around to find that he had taken his cape off.

"No, they're really very good. It just surprises me that someone would take my picture so many times. I've never really been very camera happy," I said, looking back at the pictures.

"Why is that?" He inquired, before sitting down on the couch. In turn, I sat across from him on the love seat.

"I don't know. It's just that whenever someone took a picture of me I never smiled," I said, looking down at my hands. I was sort of confused why he took me to his home but I guess that's because more then likely the conversation we were about to have was going to get both of us emotional one way or another.

I looked up at Vincent, sensing that he wanted to cut to the case. I was silent, feeling that he needed to get something off his chest.

"Tifa, I. . . . I need you to tell me something," he said, leaning forward and wringing his hands. He looked up at me, his eyes asking me to go on and I simply nodded my head. He continued. "What did you think when I first kissed you?"

My eyes widened in shock when he said this. I didn't think that Vincent was the kind of person to worry about a woman's thoughts after he's kissed her, but then again, Vincent hasn't had much physical contact with a woman for quite some time. I exhaled sharply and stared at his coffee table.

"Well, I'll be honest with you," I started and I could almost feel him cringe. "I was surprised that anyone would want to kiss me especially after what happened. . . . "I said, not able to finish my sentence.

I looked at Vincent as his eyes widened in shock when he realized what I was talking about.

"Oh no, Tifa, you didn't loose your-"

"Innocence? No," I said, cutting him off. "I was walking home from a friend's house one night. I had had dinner with them and the sun had just set. Before I knew what was happening a bum was leading me into an alley with a knife pressed against my throat saying that if he didn't get what he wanted he was going to kill me," I said, clamping my hand over my throat. I could almost feel that knife. "He got close to stealing it from me, that is before a police officer showed up and knocked him over the head with his knight stick. He escorted me home and told my father what had happened. He wouldn't let me out of his sight for a month after that. I thought for sure that he had stolen my innocence that is until my dad took me to the doctor to get checked out." I coughed then sneezed. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm surprised that you kissed me. Because a lot of people started calling me a slut after they found out. Even though my life was being threatened and it would be considered rape, I was a slut." Not being able to hold it in any longer, I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes, allowing the tears to flow from my eyes.

I was even more surprised when I felt Vincent's arms wrap around me and pull me to him. Immediately, I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shirt. We sat like that for many moments before he began to speak.

"That's not what I think," he whispered into my hair. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I wouldn't have kissed you if I knew what had happened."

"No, Vincent," I said, shaking my head in his shirt. "You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, it made me feel better. It made me feel that for the first time in a long time, someone cared for me. That I was more to them then some kind of tool."

"Tifa, you. . . ." He paused and raised his right hand, weaving his fingers through my hair, obviously struggling to get those words out. "You mean everything to me. I have to confess that I wished you would stay in Nibelheim with me but I knew you had duties back in Wutai. I knew that you could never love me. Why would you want to? I'd only end up hurting you in the end."

I raised my head off of his chest and was shocked to find tears running down Vincent's face. That only made me cry more. I lifted my hands and gently set them on his cheeks.

As if an answer to his prayers he closed his eyes and raised his right hand to lie on mine. I wiped my eyes off on my sleeves, not wanting to take my hands off Vincent.

"Vincent," I said as best as I could between tears. "I have something that I have to confess to you. When I was in Wutai, after we parted, I couldn't stop thinking about you and what you were doing. I thought you'd be glad that I was out of your hair so I never thought to call. I realized something," I said, looking deeply into his eyes, praying that I wouldn't drive him away with what I was about to say. "I . . . I love you, Vincent."

That's all he needed to hear. His lips pressed against mine softly then more forcefully. I kept my left hand where it was, moving my right and weaving my fingers through his long ebony hair. He broke off the kiss and wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me to his chest. And the funny part was, both of us were still crying. I couldn't get myself to stop and I bet neither could he.

Then he leaned back on the couch, pulling me with him and allowing his back to rest against the arm of the love seat. I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head down on his chest, sleep taking hold of me not much later.

Seto smiled from his corner. He always knew that they loved each other. They just needed a push in the right direction. That's why he had volunteered to go with Tifa. He wanted to see the magic happen and he was overjoyed that he got to. Smiling, he lay back down and waited for Uncle Vincent and Aunt Tifa to finish.