Chapter 2:

"Reeve!" Tifa exclaimed as she laid eyes on the figure standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Tifa. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the mild-mannered business man replied with a shy grin. As always, he looked quite professional, dressed as he was in a business suit and tie.

"Oh, no, not at all. Come on in," the young woman said with one hand holding her robe closed as she stood aside for her old friend to get by.

"You have a lovely house," Reeve commented as he stepped through the doorway, "I see you and Cloud have been really taking care of it."

"Yeah, we try to. Owning a house is a lot of work, but we're managing," Tifa responded happily as she closed the front door and made her way to the kitchen, "Can I get you some tea or something?"

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine," Reeve answered politely as he stuck his hands in his pockets, "So anyway, I know this is kind of awkward, but I was wondering --"

He was probably going to say more, but he trailed off as Yuffie walked in from the living room, a broad grin stretched across her youthful face. The ninja smiled sweetly and said, "Heya Reeve. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, thanks for asking," Reeve looked back and forth between the two women before saying uncertainly, "So, um, when exactly am I starting? I can begin as early as tomorrow."

"Begin what?" Tifa asked, puzzled.

Reeve gave her a funny look, then understanding began to dawn on his face. He turned to Yuffie, who was leaning against the door frame, and said, "You didn't tell her yet, did you?"

"Tell me what?" Tifa demanded, wishing she knew what was going on.

"Okay, the surprise is over," Yuffie said cheerfully, "So I'll tell you what I meant earlier about you not having to worry about looking after Marlene. See, I asked Reeve if he could take care of her for a few weeks while we're out looking for Materia. And now he's here! So what do you think? Will that work for ya?"

Tifa knitted her eyebrows and said, "Well, um, I......don't know. This is just all so sudden. I need some time to think about it."

"Ah, listen, please take your time in making this decision," Reeve cautioned, "Yuffie has fully informed me of her intentions, and I do not wish to be a burden on either of you."

"Oh no, it's not that, Reeve," Tifa said hastily, "It's just that....well, your job is kind of important. I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to do anything for me when you've got your career and your co-workers to take care of."

Reeve waved his hand dismissively, "No need to worry about that. My vacation starts tomorrow and it lasts for two weeks. Even after that, the office can work perfectly well without me. I've earned my place in the hierarchy, so I can pretty much take as much time off as I want to, provided it's within reason, of course. At this juncture, I am completely at your disposal."

Tifa blinked at Reeve's words. She had no doubt that she could trust him to take good care of Marlene, but there was still a nagging doubt in the back of her mind that prevented her from reaching a decision. Overall, Yuffie's offer was quite tempting. She would have loved nothing more than to explore the world with her old companion and collect Materia just like old times, but her common sense continued to remind her that it was much safer and sensible for all involved to simply stay in Midgar and watch over Marlene herself. Which was the better choice? What should she do?

Tifa sighed heavily, "Look, as you can imagine, I have a lot on my mind right now. I think I just need some time to think."

"How much time? Hm? Hm? Hm?" Yuffie asked with a childlike eagerness.

"Tomorrow," Tifa said with certainty, "I'll give you both an answer by tomorrow morning. Okay?"

Both Yuffie and Reeve nodded.

"Alright. Reeve, I'm sorry you had to come all this way just to hear me say that, but you can stay here for a while longer if you'd like. I have to open the shop up in about half an hour, so I'm afraid I can't stay here and keep you occupied or anything."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Reeve said humbly, "Actually, I think I shall take you up on your offer. If I'm going to be watching over Marlene for the next few weeks, I think now is as good a time as any to get to know her. I mean, she's never actually seen the real me, right? Just the doll."

"Yes, good point. Marlene's in the living room, so go on ahead and get aquainted. She's not shy at all when it comes to meeting new people," Tifa said. Then a thought struck her, "By the way, what ever happened to that doll?"

Reeve smiled, "Oh, I've still got it around. Maybe I'll bring it along so Marlene can play with it. I've gotten quite good at controlling it, and maybe she'll remember me better if she sees it."

"Right, right," Tifa said as she made her way to the stairs, "I'm going to go shower now and open up the shop. You guys behave now."

"Um, hey Tifa," Yuffie called out as Tifa reached the stairs, "Um....does that invitation extend to me as well? I mean, I don't exactly have a place to stay, and the hotels around here are kinda expensive, and, well, you know......"

Tifa chuckled, "Yes, yes, of course, Yuffie. Make yourself at home. Just don't break anything."

Yuffie held up her hands in a defensive gesture, "Wouldn't dream of it."

The former fighter nodded and made her way up the stairs. As soon as she reached her room, she closed the door, leaned up against it, and exhaled slowly. So much had already happened today; she would probably overload if any new surprises came her way. She did indeed have a great deal to think about. Perhaps a normal day at the shop and a good night's sleep would be enough to help her reach a decision.

And then there was the whole matter of Cloud; she knew that her longtime friend worried about her while they were separated. She could only imagine what his reaction would be if she had to tell him that she intended to look for Materia with Yuffie. Knowing him, he would probably drop whatever he doing and rush right back to Midgar just so he could see for himself whether his fiancé was serious or not. Indeed, if she did decide to accept Yuffie's offer, Cloud would most definitely not approve.

On the other hand, she did feel a trace of resentment towards Cloud for him forcing her to stay behind and miss out on the action. He certainly had his reasons for choosing her to watch over Marlene, but Tifa just couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was being just a bit too overprotective of her.

No, he knows me better than that, Tifa reminded herself sternly, He would never view me as being weaker than the rest of the group.

Would he?

Feeling tired beyond her years, Tifa slipped out of her robe and walked gingerly over to the bathroom with the enticing prospect of a nice hot shower to ease her nerves. At this point, she could use a little relaxation.