A/N: Hi all! I'm back! O.o So sorry about not updating in so long! It's just that I'm having a major hard time trying to finish this story. I know what I'm going to do it's just that I need to come up with the stuff in the middle, know what I mean? Well, anyways, I won't keep you any longer. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's much longer than my last two or three so I hope you like it!

I turned my head as Yuffie walked back through the front door.

"Okay, the next tape is on its way to Cosmo Canyon," she said, sitting down next to me on the couch.

I nodded then looked back at the TV. We had taped the cubs celebrating their first birthday but in reality their one-year is equivalent to only three or four months. Sort of confusing when you think of it.

Yuffie looked over at me with a concerned look on her face. "Teef, what's wrong?"

I looked over at her like I didn't know what she was talking about then I looked back at the TV screen.

I looked back at her and saw that she was waiting for an answer. I sighed. "It's just that it's hard to believe that we're taking the cubs back home in a few weeks. It feels like we only got them yesterday."

Yuffie nodded and smiled as she looked away from me. "You're right. I wish we could keep them longer."

"Yeah, I wish we could too, but when Seta has more cubs we get to keep two more," I said, looking over at Yuffie.

Yuffie nodded her head as she put on a cheeky smile. "You're right, but I don't think I'll be able to wait that long."

"Well, look on the bright side. You get to meet the other three when we go back to Cosmo Canyon."

She nodded again then looked back at the TV. She froze then looked back at me with wide eyes. "Weren't you going to tell Vincent to meet us over there?"

I slapped my forehead. "Oh my gosh, I nearly forgot about that! Should I call him right now?" I said, starting to get up from the couch.

I was almost up before Yuffie's hand clasped around my wrist and pulled me back down.

"No, don't call him yet! Call him a few days before we come down! That way it'll give him just enough time to prepare for it!"

I looked away from her and looked at the far wall. I looked back at her a few moments later and nodded. "Okay."

"Anyways," she said, sitting back on the couch and putting her hands behind her head. "Now all we have to figure out is what we're going for the next few weeks before we go back so we don't loose our minds!"

I nodded and managed a wry smile. "Yeah."

I may have looked like I was getting along fine during those few weeks but I did the exact opposite of what Yuffie said.

I went bonkers, to put it mildly.

I would find myself constantly staring at the clock hanging on the wall of the bar. Travis and Krissy even began to question my sanity. So did all of the other occupants of my quiet little bar. I could tell Yuffie was getting jittery too. She'd spend a lot of her time staring at the wall, nervously bouncing her legs like she had no control over them.

It's kinda funny. When I asked her why she was always doing that she'd say that I was making her that way; that I needed to calm down. I was calm; when I was asleep.

I just about began jumping for joy when there was only two days left. It was like I had been waiting all eternity for this moment and now that it's finally here I couldn't wait.

Okay, tomorrow afternoon I'll call Vincent and give him the heads up. Then I'll help Yuffie pack and get Seraph and Jinx ready for the trip. Oh gosh, I can't wait!

"Tifa, where's your duffel?" Yuffie called from her room.

"In the hall," I called back, looking through my old phonebook of everyone's PHS numbers. I found Vincent's and dialed it. Hopefully he still had his; I don't know his home phone number.

I sighed in relief as Vincent picked up on the third ring. "Valentine."

I almost laughed when he answered. His Turk training still hadn't worn off. I smiled as I decided to screw around with him. I tried to disguise my voice so he wouldn't recognize it.

"Yes, Mr. Valentine, I'm Pattie Greenway, a reporter for the daily paper. Would you like to tell us about the young woman many of the townsfolk saw you with a few months ago?"

Oh God, I still hope he's living in Icicle Inn!

He was silent for many moments. "What about her?" He asked, almost reluctantly.

I had to hold back from busting up laughing. "Tell me about her."

"Well." He paused. "She's very beautiful and smart. She's extremely kind and caring towards me and, well, there really is nothing more to say."

"What's this mystery woman's name?" I asked, trying to stay in character.

"Her name's Tifa Lockheart."

"Tifa, huh?" I said, as I paused and acted like I was scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "That's a very pretty name." I stopped and covered my mouth.

Then it all came out. I began laughing so hard that I almost fell out of the chair that I was sitting in. I calmed down and listened for Vincent on the other end. After many moments his voice was heard.

"May I ask what that was about?" He asked, his voice agitated.

"Vincent, it's me! Tifa!" I said, still laughing.

I stopped again and I thought he had hung up on me. I was getting ready to redial the number when I heard him clear his throat.

"I hope you know that that wasn't very funny."

"From my perspective it was," I said, taking a deep breath. "So, how have you been doing?"

"I've been surviving."

"We have to take Seto and Nariko back home tomorrow," I said, hoping that that statement would ring a bell in his mind. His answer left my mouth gaping.

"I am already in Cosmo Canyon. I will await your arrival."

"Uh, what do you mean?" I asked, sort of shocked.

"I mean what I mean. What time do you expect to be arriving tomorrow?"

"We should be getting there mid afternoon. That is if we leave on schedule."

"I will see you then," he said.

"Okay, bye," I said, putting a smile in my voice.

"Goodbye."

I closed the PHS and saw Yuffie standing in the hall doorway.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought you had gone crazy out here," she said, smiling a bit. "I thought the heat was getting to you."

I giggled as I stood up and pocketed my PHS. "No, I was just screwing around with Vincent."

"Well, I'm gonna go to the bank and take some gil out. Why don't you feed Jinx and Seraph and make sure they're ready to ride?" She asked, looking at me hopefully.

"Sure. Where are the cubs?" I asked, looking around.

"They're in their favorite spot; in your room sleeping on your bed."

"Just leave them alone then. They've been bouncing all over the place for the past week. About time they got some rest," I said, following Yuffie out of the house.

After feeding the chocobos I went back in that house and grabbed my duffel then set it by Yuffie's out in the living room. I looked over at the analog clock that hung above the entertainment center. It was early, way to early. Only 3:24. I looked at Yuffie as she walked back in the house then looked towards the hall.

"Is there anything else we need?" I asked, my brow creasing a small amount.

Yuffie looked down at the floor and stared at her shoes in thought. She looked back up at me and shook her head.

"Nope. Nothing I can think of anyways," she said, turning around and settling herself on the couch.

I gently kicked at the ground. "I'm gonna go crazy by tomorrow."

Yuffie gently laughed as she leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. "You got it bad."

I scoffed as I looked away from her. "No, I don't." Yes, I do. Oh God, I got it real bad.

"Yeah, right. I can see right through that lie."

I looked over at her. She had hit it right on. I shook my head and looked down at my feet.

Yuffie stood. "Yep, I thought so. Don't try to deny it, Teef. Vince loves you and you love him. That's all there is to it."

I looked back up at her and gave her glance that said to drop the subject. I know that Vincent loves me but I still don't know if I could love him the way he loves me. I feel extremely deep feelings for him, but I don't know, maybe I need a little push in the right direction to realize that I do love him.

Yuffie sighed deeply. "Whatever, Teef. Just don't mess up with Vincent like you did with Cloud. I can tell Vincent loves you by the way he always looks at you. Cloud, well, sometimes I had to ask myself if Cloud was completely sane."

I smiled slightly and looked over to the hallway entrance to find both cubs standing there looking quite sleepy. Seto looked over at me and blinked a few times.

"Are we leaving?" He asked, looking around quite confused.

I smiled widely as I walked towards him and kneeled in front of both of them.

"No," I said, sweetly, scratching their chins. "We're leaving tomorrow. Why don't you two go back to bed?"

"Okay," he said, yawning. "Night, night, Aunt Tifa."

Nariko yawned and gave me a lick on the cheek before following her brother back into my room. I got up and looked back at Yuffie. She had a wide smile on her face.

"What?" I asked, stopping in front of her.

"Sometimes I think that you're their mother," she said, pushing back a few loose strands of her short, dark hair.

"Well, I've been around them since they were born. If they were told that I wasn't a part of their family they wouldn't believe it."

Yuffie nodded then stretched and yawned. "You know what? I think we should get some sleep now then leave, like, really early in the morning and give Red a surprise."

I looked over at the clock then had the sudden urge to yawn. I looked back at Yuffie and shrugged. "Why not? The question is how early we should leave."

"How about three in the morning? That way we'll be at Cosmo Canyon mid morning."

I nodded. "Sure. Well, I'm exhausted. I'll be going to sleep now."

"Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow, Teef," she said, walking into her room and closing the door.

I laughed as I walked into my room and cuddled up on my bed with the cubs. I instantly feel asleep once my head hit the pillow.

I slowly opened my eyes when I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder and saying my name. I looked around the room confused then looked over at the small digital clock that was sitting on my bedside table. It was two in the morning. I looked back at the person who woke me up and found Yuffie standing there.

"Hey, Teef!" She announced, turning the lights on, temporarily blinding me for a few seconds. "Get ready to leave! We gotta be outta here before three!"

I yawned then got out of my warm bed. I grabbed a pair of baggy khaki cargo pants and a short-sleeved blue v-neck shirt. I put on a clean pair of socks then put my boots on. I quickly ran a brush through my hair then looked back at Yuffie.

"Ready?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward slightly.

"Where are the cubs?" I asked, looking back at my bed.

"They're out on the chocobos sleeping. Come on, I already got the duffels."

I nodded and followed Yuffie out of the house. I climbed on Seraph's back behind the sleeping body of Seto and waited while Yuffie locked the place up.

I yawned and gently patted Seto on the top of the head. Yuffie climbed on Jinx's back and stopped next to me. I nodded and led Seraph out of Wutai.

We stayed silent for the majority of the trip. Seto and Nariko slept until the sun rose. When we were about five miles away from the coast of Cosmo Canyon Yuffie called a halt. I stopped Seraph and turned her around. Yuffie was looking around in her bag.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, making Seraph walk towards Jinx and stop next to him.

Yuffie pulled a small water bottle out of her bag and smiled in triumph. She pulled the cap off and choked down half the bottle before putting it back in her bag. She sighed in content as she wiped her mouth.

"That's much better. Okay, let's go."

I nodded then turned Seraph around and spurred her towards Cosmo Canyon. I smiled as it came into view on the horizon. I squeezed Seraph's reins tighter as I dug the heels of my boots into her sides making her go faster.

Moments later, I walked Seraph into a stall in the canyon's stables then picked up my duffel that I had set on the ground. I sighed as I walked up the stone steps that led into the canyon and began the ascent to the Observatory.

By the time we were outside the front door the cubs were shaking with anticipation. Instead of knocking I just opened the door and let Nariko and Seto run inside. I followed them in and found that their siblings, Naava, Kayo and Nova, had already surrounded them.

Red padded up to me followed closely by Seta. Both of them had wide smiles plastered on their faces. Seta came up to me and sat in front of me. I kneeled down in front of her.

"I am overjoyed the Nariko and Seto are back home. They have much to tell us. Thank you so much for taking care of them so well," she said, her smile growing bigger by the second.

"Yes, Tifa," Red said, sitting down next to his mate. "We cannot wait to hear their stories."

"I assure you that there are a lot of them," I said, smiling at them and scratching their chins.

"How long were you planning on staying?" Red asked, looking from me to Yuffie.

I looked back at Yuffie and she shrugged. I looked back at Red and shook my head.

"A few days maybe."

"Aunt Tifa!" Nova cried, running towards me.

I kneeled down on the floor and wrapped my arms around him. Seconds later, all five cubs surrounded me. Their little voices shouted 'hi' and 'how are you?' After giving each one of them a hug, I stood up again and watched as the cubs ran outside to play. I looked down and saw Nova sitting at my feet.

"What's wrong, Nova?"

"Can I stay with you and Aunt Yuffie?" He asked, making puppy dog eyes.

"Of course you can," I said, scratching his ear. I turned to Red. "Can Yuffie and I stay upstairs?"

"Of course," he replied. "Make yourselves at home."

"Thanks, Red," I said, picking up my duffel from its place on the floor and walking towards the small wooden ladder.

I began my ascent of the ladder with Yuffie right behind but stopped dead in my tracks when I stepped into the small guest room.

Yuffie poked her head around me. "Hey, Teef? What's-"She stopped short.

I looked down and cleared my throat before looking back up at the dark figure sitting in the back of the room.

Nova nuzzled his fuzzy head against one of my hands, sensing my unease. What I saw, I would have never believed, lest it was under different circumstances.

Vincent was sitting in the back of the room, but something was different about him. He still wore the same black clothes with the exception of the red cape.

The first thing I noticed once I set my eyes on him was his hair. It was still fairly long but now it stopped at his neck. I was trying to tell myself to stop staring at him but now that his hair isn't covering most of his face, it's hard not to look at him.

I shook my head vigorously sending long strands of hair cascading over my shoulders and face. I looked back up and brushed the chocolate strands back behind my shoulders. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped abruptly when Vincent rose from his chair and walked towards me.

He enveloped me in a warm hug and I reacted immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.

"I missed you," he whispered, backing away from me and holding me at arm's length.

I smiled at him, still finding it hard to stop staring. "I missed you too."

I stepped back as Yuffie walked around and began looking Vincent up and down, walking in circles around him. Vincent looked at her questionably.

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie stopped next to him her index finger resting on her chin. She looked up at him.

"You sure don't look like the Vincent I know," she said, looking up and down his body.

"Oh really?" He said, straightening. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," she said, walking around behind him and stopping on his left side. "For one, you don't have the long red cape and for two, you're hair is much shorter," she said, grabbing a strand of Vincent's much shorter hair.

Vincent reached up and swatted her hand away with his claw and looked over at her with what I like to call the 'Vincent glare.'

"Well, I could be wrong," she whimpered, dashing behind me once again. "Why'd you cut your hair anyways?" She asked, poking her head out from behind mine.

He shrugged his shoulders and ran his right hand through his hair. "It was much harder to take care of then I originally thought."

"Oh," Yuffie said, like it was the most obvious thing.

"Tifa?"

I turned and looked down the ladder to find Red staring back up at me.

"What's up?"

"Could you, Yuffie and Vincent come down for a moment? I have something I wish to tell you."

"Sure," I said, setting my bag down and climbing down the ladder.

I followed Red into the living room and sat down on the couch. Yuffie and Vincent sat next to me. Nova sat down at my feet and rubbed the side his face against my knee. I smiled and patted him a few times on the head before looking up at Red.

"Tomorrow night I'd like to have a welcome home party for Nariko and Seto. I'd like both you and Yuffie to stand with them just like you did last time, Tifa."

"Okay," I said, looking over at Yuffie. "How 'bout it, Yuf?"

"Fine with me," she said, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.

"Alright," Red said, smiling. "Well, if you want you may go down and get something to eat at the Starlet pub. It won't cost you anything. I told the manager that you could eat there for free."

"Oh, Red," I said, getting up from the couch and kneeling in front of him. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to. For taking care of Nariko and Seto."

"Thanks, Red," I said, giving him a hug.

"No thanks needed."

I smiled at him again then followed Yuffie and Vincent out of the Observatory.