Author: Hey everyone! *grins* I'm so happy! Oh so happy! I feel pretty, witty and gay! And that's not all! No no. There's more. lol. Sorry. I'm really happy and sugar filled right now. I got chocolate ice cream for dessert!!!! Yay!

*Ashley, Chelsey, Amanda, Adam, Christine, Garcia, Sarah, Natalee and Hershal appear out of nowhere*

Ashley: *looks around* The hell?

Chelsey: *pouts* I'm leaving! I don't get to do the disclaimer! *leaves with Inuyasha following her with a grin on his face*

Amanda: *pulls back her hood, revealing a beautiful young woman with sparkling blue eyes* *All guys gawk*

Author: *smacks Sephiroth* Quit looking!

Sephiroth: *grins and rubs face* Well, if you looked like her then maybe I'd stare at you more often.

Author: *tears well up in her eyes and she runs away*

Christine: *slowly backs away* Um.........

*Sarah and Garcia hug, yelling excitedly and run away to "talk" and catch up on "stuff"*

*Hershal does funky bike tricks and rides out of the fic*

Christine: *blinks, seeing Sephiroth* Hey. Aren't you that crappy game boss Natalee's obsessed with?

Natalee: Hey!

Author: *comes back with an ice cream cone* *sees Natalee* Hello! Damn. You're hot. Wait......... *ahem*

*Author and Natalee walk off together to plot evil ways at getting back at Sephiroth*

Sephiroth: *stares confused* Two of them?! (A/N: You have to know the "author" to understand :P)

Ashley: *looks around for a way to escape* Damn these invisible walls!!!!!! Damn them all to the depths of hell!!!!

Adam: *sees that Author finally included him in story* Yay! I'm in! *does a little dance* *is instantly smited by the God of 'holyfukyouareonecrappydancer'* *dies*

Ashley: *waves flag and speaks in monotone voice* Yay! (Monty Python)

Christine: *screams in horror at all video gameness and runs away tearing at her hair*

Amanda: Um......do you eventually want me to do the disclaimer?

*Author and Natalee come back*

Together: Yay! Go Amanda!

Amanda: *clears throat and brushes back hair majestically* *begins disclaimer poem* (It rhymes!!!)

The Author's characters in this story are not her property,

Even though she probably wishes that they could be,

Kuja's hot and very yummy, despite his metal thong

Cross dressing doesn't suit him. God, it's just so wrong.

Square-Enix is the owner of most people in this story,

I think I'll end this disclaimer cause it's getting really boring.

Oh I can't resist, just another line or two.

I love to rhyme to pass my time, it's great just like you! (the readers that is. lol)

Everyone: *claps*

Author: That was great! Since Chelsey ran away I guess you'll have to do all my disclaimers now.

Natalee: Yah. Sephiroth IS hot.

Author: What? That's not what I said.

Natalee: I know. I love him so much. You're right. He's just so hard to resist. :P

Author: *looks confused*

Adam: *is dead*

Amanda: *runs before they can lock her in a cage and force her to do more disclaimers*

Sephiroth: *pouts* Awww. She's gone. Rats.

Author: THAT'S IT! *makes everyone disappear, but Sephiroth* There. That's better. Argh. It was getting crowded in here. *glares at Sephiroth* And don't even get me started about shallow pricks.

Sephiroth: *shrugs* Okay, I won't then.

Author: *sighs in exasperation* On with the fic. Now. And please forgive spelling/grammer mistakes. Let me know in your review if anything's wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Vincent awoke to the feeling of something touching his face. His eyes blinked open and he smiled when he saw Tifa watching him, running one of her fingers gently down his cheek.

"Oh, sorry," she frowned, "I didn't mean to wake you." Vincent yawned in reply and rolled onto his side so he was facing her.

"It's one of the nicest things I've ever woken up to," he spoke softly, causing Tifa to blush. She was the vision of perfection. Even first thing in he morning, with her hair sticking every which way, and her tired eyes, she was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect. His fingers itched to touch her soft skin and pull her closer to him.

She smiled sweetly at him, kissing her fingertips and pressing them lightly to his mouth. He stopped her hand momentarily and kissed her fingers in return before she could take her hand back.

"What now?" Tifa asked carefully, trying her best not to ruin the moment, "I mean. What exactly are we? Very close friends that occasionally kiss?"

Vincent sighed. He had been hoping this would wait until later. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"Well.......how do you feel about me?"

Vincent averted his eyes from her and stared guiltily at the wall. In truth, he loved her more then life itself, but to say that would almost certainly lead to Tifa making stupid choices and possibly even loving him back. He didn't want to take that risk of hurting her in the future just so he could have a little happiness now. He refused to be like Cloud.

"Vincent?" the meek voice whispered beside him.

"I think you're an amazing girl," he spoke hesitantly, "everyone who is near you is affected and they themselves become more loving and considerate like you. You glow. Your smile lights up the room when you come in. I admire you greatly."

"You admire me?" she said, sounding slightly bitter, "This sounds too much like Cloud's goodbye speech....."

Vincent bit his lip when he saw her face fall and her expression darken. "But Tifa. I'm not saying goodbye. I would like to remain here, for a while at least. We're friends aren't we?"

"Friends," Tifa nodded, her liquid brown eyes searching his. He flinched away from her gaze. Looking at her just made him want to spill everything. To tell her that he wanted to spend every day of the rest of his life with her and hold her in his arms. He didn't want her to be unhappy like Lucretia. His past love had made it quite clear that he would never be capable of love, being such a heartless monster. He knew it was true. Tifa should have a better person. Not a monster. Not him.

"What if I..........." Tifa trailed off, her voice faltering. "What if my feelings......" she tried again, still not able to finish.

"You feel differently then I?" Vincent asked, trying to help her find the right words.

Tifa nodded. "Yes........... W-what if the way I'm feeling, gets in the way of our friendship?" She looked at him nervously, waiting for a reaction. Vincent forced his expression to remain the same.

"How could your feelings get in the way if we both agree we're friends?" Vincent asked. Please God, he thought inwardly, don't let it be too late. Don't let her fall for me........

"I think........," Tifa took a calming breath, "I-I think that I'm.......in....w-well....that I'm in love with you." Vincent closed his eyes tightly, hoping his pained expression wasn't too obvious.

"But why?" he muttered. She couldn't. She mustn't.

"Why?" she spat, repeating his question "because I do! What about that doesn't make sense?" She lowered her voice a bit and looked away from Vincent. "I just can't help it. I know I'm just setting myself up by telling you this. I'm completely at your mercy. My heart is yours to break. Take your best shot."

Vincent stared at her back, flabbergasted. Now what? He couldn't lie to her. Everything he had said before was the truth. He admired her greatly and it was out of that admiration his love for her had formed. To tell her 'I do not love you' would be such a lie that the thought of saying it made him feel sick. She was waiting for a reply. He knew that. And each second he waited would only add to her anxiety and hurt her more.

He placed a hand on her back. Was she crying? He gently pulled her until she was facing him. Her eyes were filled with tears, but they hadn't managed to spill down her cheeks. Yet. He hated that he had done this to her. He wanted to do every possible thing to keep her happy, but she seemed to refuse any other option but to be with him. A lone tear made its way down her cheek.

Somewhere in his mind, something snapped. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips over hers and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her body to his. Tifa tensed in surprise and her eyes widened as his kisses moved down her cheek and jaw, slowing as they reached her neck. Vincent pulled away, shaking with want and leaned over her, whispering in her ear.

"I love you."

Tifa gasped. Vincent was confused at her surprise. What had she expected? She was an incredible person. If she could fall in love with someone like him then how hard could it be for him to be crazy about her? She hugged him tightly, pulling him on top of her unintentionally.

"I suggest you move me off you," Vincent said in an amused tone. Tifa blushed, feeling his body respond to her. Vincent rolled to the side and sat up. Soft arms twined around his neck and Tifa kissed his cheek lovingly.

"Hey you," Vincent objected, "just because you got me to confess doesn't mean you can use your powers over me and seduce me."

"Oh, but it does," Tifa grinned, running her hands down his chest. People almost never touched Vincent with anything but the attacking end of a weapon. Tifa didn't cringe away from him like most people he'd encountered and he found that he didn't mind her contact. He pulled away from her and stood up, knowing perfectly well that he couldn't resist anything she did.

"Max mentioned a town fair today," Vincent said casually as he fastened his cloak around his shoulders.

"That's today?!" Tifa squealed excitedly, "we have to go!"

Vincent smirked. "WE do?"

Tifa pouted. "They only do this once a year. It's so much fun. I'll bet that they'll even have something there that you would enjoy!"

Vincent smiled at her pleading face and leaned over the bed to kiss her cheek. She turned her head, pulling his cloak away from his face with a free hand, so their lips met and kissed him passionately. He moaned slightly against her lips and tangled his fingers in her hair, using a hand to pull her in even closer. Tifa teasingly pushed him away.

"Well? Can we go?" Vincent narrowed his eyes at her innocent smile. She did that on purpose.

"Fine," he sighed, "but I need to check on your injuries first. If you don't seem well enough to go out, then we'll just have stay here." She frowned and pushed herself up until she was sitting against the headboard.

"That's not fair." He winked at her and motioned for her to scoot over and make more room for him.

"Life never is my dear. Life never is." He turned her body so her back was to him and inspected the bandaging on the back of her head. Taking off the bandage he noticed that the wound was healing nicely and that it shouldn't cause Tifa any more discomfort.

Tifa sighed impatiently as Vincent checked on her wound. Her heart was still racing from the knowledge that he loved her. He loved her! She wanted to run out into the middle of a large crowd and just scream it out. His warm breath on her neck was very distracting, but she ignored it, not wanting to give him any hint that he had as much power over her that she had over him.

"Are you done yet?" she whined.

"Hand me that leg," Vincent smiled.

Tifa laughed and climbed into his lap, narrowly missing crushing a very unpleasant spot for Vincent. "Easy there," he said, adjusting her in his lap. As he leaned over her healing legs, she buried her face in his neck and giggled. She had extremely ticklish legs. She kissed his neck softly a couple times and could feel Vincent tensing, so as not to be distracted from his work. To finally be able to hug him and touch him made her happier then she ever imagined. She had done the impossible. She had given Vincent love.

"Well?" she inquired once he was done.

"You seem fine," he said regrettably. Tifa jumped up, using her hand to propel herself off the bed.

Vincent yelped and closed his eyes tightly, not appreciating which part of him had been used for Tifa to jump up. Giggling quietly, she watched him wiping tears out of his eyes.

"Be careful," he said in a higher pitched voice then usual. Not able to contain her laughter, Tifa fell onto the bed. Vincent glared at her laughing form and shoved her onto the floor. Tifa poked her head up over the edge of the bed.

"That's not very nice," she smiled.

Vincent made a face at her and she crawled along the bed, over to him, in a seductive manner. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you...." Vincent jaw dropped when she gently ran her fingers along the 'injured area'.

"H-hey," he gasped, grabbing her wrist lightly in his grip to stop her. She smiled at him and danced away when he tried to kiss her. Tifa came back, laughing at the annoyed expression on Vincent's face, and hugged him around the neck.

"I'm going to change and get us some breakfast, okay? We can head out in the early afternoon." Vincent nodded and stole a kiss before she could escape again. After returning the favour, Tifa went to her closet and dug around in all her clothing. She pulled out a pair of tight jean shorts and a light blue top that said "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful, hate me because your boyfriend thinks so." Vincent turned away as she pulled off the dress she had been sleeping in since their 'date'.

She giggled at his apparent shyness and at the same time loved him all the more for it. Most men in his situation wouldn't have turned away. After doing up her shorts and pulling on the t-shirt, Tifa sat on the bed next to Vincent and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Hungry?"

Vincent turned towards her with a grin on his face. "For what?"

"Breakfast," Tifa smiled, pretending not to understand. Standing, Tifa pulled Vincent up with her, leaning closer to brush her lips over his. "Come on now," she mumbled against his mouth.

He obediently followed her into the front and sat at the bar, watching her with an adoring gaze. Tifa headed into the kitchen and dug through the bar fridge. She pulled out eggs and bread, hoping Vincent liked toast. A happy sigh escaped her lips as she stuck two slices of bread into the toaster. She was glad, for the first time, that her bar also served food. They would've starved by now if she didn't have food on hand. Grabbing two plates and mixing eggs at the same time, she put the plates on the counter and dumped the egg mixture into a frying pan.

Vincent ran his fingers along the bar absentmindedly. This morning had been one of the nicest he'd had in long time. His mind was still having a hard time comprehending all that had happened. He glanced up when Tifa put a plate of toast and scrambled eggs in front of him.

"Eat up," Tifa grinned, placing another plate beside his and hopping over the bar to sit next to him. They both munched quietly, each with their own thoughts. Vincent realized how hungry he was. He was used to not eating for large amounts of time, but the dinner from two nights ago had awoken his stomach and Tifa's cooking was to die for.

Tifa finished her food first and leaned on Vincent contently. Once he was done she grabbed his place, before he could protest, and took the dishes into the back kitchen. "Are you ready to go?" she yelled to Vincent from the back.

When he didn't answer she turned around and jumped in surprise. Vincent was standing right in front of her with a small smile on his face.

"All set."

His eyes shifted down to the front of her shirt, reading the words printed on it. Wrapping an arm seductively around her waist, he nuzzled her neck. "So my boyfriend thinks you're beautiful does he? I guess we're gonna have to fight it out," he teased. Giggling she escaped and ran into the front, grabbing her light jacket out of the closet.

Vincent strolled casually out of the kitchen. "So how exactly are we getting there?" he asked, "I would've brought my vehicle if I knew you were going to drag me all over the city." Tifa shrugged and pulled on his arm.

"We'll find a way, now come on!" Vincent found himself being half-dragged out the door and down the street. He straightened himself, causing her to release her grip. "Hurry Vincent," she whined impatiently. He smirked and took his time adjusting his cloak and smoothing back his hair. Tifa growled and started off without him. Laughing, Vincent quickly caught up with her and swept her up into his arms. A few people walking by gave him a strange look. Vincent put Tifa down and made his expression more sombre and serious, more like his old self.

Tifa took his hand in hers and they walked towards the loud music and voices that could be heard throughout the city. They could see and hear the fair long before they were close to it. Huge rides towered up and were lit with brightly coloured lights and signs. Delicious smells drifted everywhere from all the different food booths. Happy faces were everywhere. Tifa practically glowed with excitement. Vincent managed a small smile for her sake. Large crowds made him nervous.

"Oh! I want to go on that one!" she exclaimed pointing at the ferris wheel, "and that one! And that one! And-"

"Tifa," Vincent said gently, "maybe we should focus on buying the tickets before you have a sensual overload and get a stroke or something."

Tifa stuck out her tongue at him (A/N: cause that's mature :P) and he lead her in the direction of the ticket booth. Scanning the prices, he looked at the ticket seller with a disgusted expression and handed him seventy gil. Chump change for him, but it was a complete rip-off for two all day passes. The man smiled and handed him two wristbands. Tifa gleefully attached hers to her wrist and danced towards the ferris wheel. Vincent was amused at her childlike attitude and followed her slowly, hoping that she wasn't going to make him do anything too embarrassing.

Tifa screeched to a halt when she almost collided with a familiar person. "Max!" she cried happily. She embraced her friend and Max laughed.

"You seem to be feeling better." Tifa released her and looked at the guy who was attached to Max by her hand.

"And you must be Brad," she smiled. Brad smiled and shook Tifa's hand.

"I can tell you're the famous Tifa. Nice to meet you." Tifa beamed. Vincent slowly came up to the group, staying back a bit with the hopes that they wouldn't notice him. Max saw him almost instantly.

"Vincent?! How'd Tifa talk you into coming?!" Tifa blushed and Max's grin grew wider, "ohhhhh, I get it." She winked at Vincent. His face remained expressionless and Tifa rolled her eyes at him.

"He seems to go back into his shell when I take him in public," Tifa sighed.

"Can't blame him," Brad teased, "I'd hide too." Max smacked him gently in the back of the head.

"That's it! No more cotton candy for you!" she scolded. Brad pouted and looked at the ground in defeat. "Well," Max smiled, "we'd better be off. Have fun you two." Brad slung an arm around Max's shoulder and they headed off towards the game booths. (A/N: You know, the ones that are complete rip offs and are rigged so you can't win. lol. Actually I just say that cause I can't win. :P)

Tifa frowned at Vincent. "That was rude. What's wrong with you?" Shrugging, Vincent looked away from her. She used a hand to pull his face back towards her. "Stop this. You're acting like you don't know me or something. Are you embarrassed to be with me in public?"

"Of course not," Vincent spoke softly, "I love to be seen with you anywhere. It's the 'being seen' part I have a problem with. Not to mention this place is blinding me." Tifa shook her head and felt his arms wrap around her in a hug.

"Would you like to go on the ferris wheel?" he asked with a smile. Tifa nodded against his chest and they walked over to the towering structure. Vincent kept his arm around Tifa's waist protectively, not liking the way some of the nearby men were looking at her.

They waited in a short line and showed their wristbands to the ride operator. He waved them ahead and Vincent nervously climbed the stairs behind Tifa. Getting strapped in, Tifa held tightly to Vincent's arm. The ride began to move as the chairs rose higher into the air. It went around a couple times, finally stopping when they were almost at the top. Vincent leaned forward to look at the view and Tifa yelped in fear as their 'chair' rocked back and forth and tipped dangerously forward.

"Vincent stop it," she whimpered, "you're gonna tip it over." Vincent leaned back and kissed her gently in apology, wrapping his cloak around both of them. It was cold up higher where a strong wind was blowing. (A/N: No their chair is not going to detach from the ride and go plummeting down towards the earth at unbelievable speeds while they scream in terror, thank you very much. Geez you people always assume that whatever I'm typing is going to lead to some sort of plot advancement. You fools. :P)

The ride started up again and Tifa breathed a sigh of relief. Once they were on the ground again Tifa shakily lead Vincent towards another ride that seemed appealing. "Um, Tifa?" Vincent asked quietly.

"Yah?"

"Maybe you should go on the rides you like."

"What do you mean?" she pouted.

"I mean, I'll go try and find something that supposedly exists for me to enjoy. And.......we can meet back here later." Tifa considered his proposition for a minute.

"All right," she agreed, "meet me near this booth around lunch time." Vincent smiled and pulled Tifa in for a long savoury kiss before letting her head off to the rides.

"See you soon," he whispered. Once she was gone from his sight, he drifted in and out of the crowded booths until one caught his interest. A small shooting gallery was deserted. He began walking towards it and a little boy stopped him with a tug on his cloak. "Don't do that one mister, he made it so no one can win. The bullets don't ever hit the target. I watched." Vincent smiled slightly at the concerned youngster.

"Thank you for warning me," he said, kneeling in front of the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I might just go over there and teach him a lesson." Vincent pressed ten gil into the little boy's hand and he looked up at Vincent with wide eyes.

"Thank you," he beamed, mouth slightly open in awe. Vincent stood again as the boy skipped off happily to spend his money. Smirking, he headed over to the booth to test this "impossible" target. The guy running the booth looked up from his newspaper in surprise when Vincent threw some money onto the counter.

"Ten shots, ten gil," the man grunted. Vincent placed another bill on the counter and picked up the small pellet gun that was supplied for the game. Focusing carefully he pulled the trigger in ten consecutive blows. The guy jumped a little and turned to see how horribly this sucker had missed. His face paled when he saw each of the ten targets had a small hole in the bulls eye.

"Hey! You cheated!" he yelled at Vincent, jumping out of chair.

"How have I cheated?" Vincent asked smugly, "by winning?" The guy cursed loudly and set up new targets. His voice had drawn quite a few people from surrounding booths. The guy looked at Vincent angrily.

"Let's see you do that again, fancypants. Free of charge." Vincent ignored the man and placed ten gil on the counter. Taking up the gun again, he blocked out the loud whispers around him and fired off another ten shots. Some in the small crowd gasped and others clapped. Vincent dropped the gun on the counter and the booth guy growled.

"It's impossible! You can't win! I made it so you can't!" His face went red when he realized what he had said. "Um.....I mean......"

One of the people watching spoke up. "Hey! Shouldn't he get a prize?" The guy shot that person an evil look.

"Fine," he muttered, offering Vincent a small doll thing, "here." Another person spoke up, "no! Give him that moogle!" The owner turned and flinched, seeing that they were pointing to the largest, most expensive prize there was hanging from the ceiling.

Everyone else called out their unanimous agreement and the guy pulled down the large stuffie and tossed it at Vincent, who caught it easily. "Thank you," he smiled, making his way back to his and Tifa's meeting place, parting the now large crowd. One of the more attractive girls followed after him and smiled sweetly.

"That was quite an impressive show," she cooed, touching his arm. He shrugged her off and stopped, coming to the place where Tifa would find him for lunch.

"I see you've stopped. That's better. My name is Chelsey." (A/N: Mwahahahahaha!) She offered Vincent her hand and he ignored her, eyes scanning the crowd. She pouted slightly, but seemed more determined then ever. "Well? Were you planning on eating lunch? Cause I'm starved!" Vincent looked at her blankly. Geez, she knew some men were a challenge, but this guy was ridiculous. No one refused Chelsey Bleker! (A/N: I am so dead. :P Heehee.)

Putting her hands on her hips she glared at him. "Well? Aren't you going to offer me lunch?" Vincent smirked.

"You're welcome to eat. In fact, I encourage it." She stomped her prissy foot, beginning to get upset.

"Now see here-"

"Vincent!" a happy voice rang out as Tifa jumped into Vincent's arms. Chelsey frowned, seeing he was with someone. She stormed off in a huff and left the happy couple behind in her wake.

"I missed you," Tifa giggled in Vincent's ear.

"I know. I mean we've been apart for so long," Vincent smirked, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, be nice," Tifa smiled, kissing him. Vincent released her and reached behind him.

"Look what I won you!" he grinned proudly. Tifa's eyes widened when she saw the enormous plushie in Vincent's arms.

"Where did you get that from?!" she asked, hugging it tightly.

Vincent shrugged and smiled, "I guess I'm just good at everything." The rest of the afternoon went by quite quickly and before they knew it the sun was setting and the fairgrounds were almost empty. Vincent would never admit it, but he had had fun going on some of the rides after lunch with Tifa. He'd never been to a festival before.

Placing a gentle arm around Tifa's shoulder, he started to steer her towards the exit. "Hey! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, pulling away.

"It's getting a bit late," he smiled, "we've already had lunch and dinner here. Were you planning on sleeping here too?" Tifa shook her head and pouted.

"I just didn't want to go yet."

Vincent laughed and kissed her cheek. "You're impossible, you know that don't you?"

"Yup," she beamed happily. Her look became serious and she hugged him, leaning her head on his chest. "It doesn't bother you does it?"

"Of course not," he reassured her, nuzzling the top of her head. They stood like that for a moment until someone whistled and another voice yelled 'get a room'. Vincent turned to see Max, Brad and Gary walking towards them. Gary looked slightly miffed at the fact that Brad was holding Max's hand. He kept glancing at them and frowning at the ground. Max seemed to have positioned herself between the two guys on purpose since Brad was shooting Gary evil looks as well.

Vincent let go of Tifa quickly and stepped back. Max sighed and smiled at Tifa. She leaned over and whispered in Tifa's ear so the two guys couldn't hear her. "These two pouters here have been hanging out with me all day and I don't think they exactly like each other. I have a feeling that their bickering is over me."

Tifa nodded. "Not that I blame them." Max rolled her eyes and looked over at Vincent.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going. You guys want to go get a drink or something?" Max asked Tifa hopefully.

Tifa shook her head. "No thanks. Vincent and I are going to head back to the bar."

"Isn't that usually where you go to get a drink?" Brad teased.

Tifa giggled. "That's true."

"I don't think they'll have much time for drinking, with their busy plans for tonight," Max grinned. Tifa went red and looked shocked that Max would suggest that.

Vincent shook his head. He just wanted to get back to the bar and sleep. Maybe they'd talk for a while or something, but he was actually feeling tired.

Brad tugged a little on Max's hand. "Come on, kitten, we've got some plans of our own to take care of."

Max blushed at the nickname and smacked his arm playfully. "Quiet you!"

Gary looked like he was ready to tear the guy limb from limb. Vincent cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the small group to him.

"I best be taking Tifa home now. She only got special permission to be out of bed today. I don't want her getting sick again because she didn't get a chance to fully recover."

"Awwww. You're so cute," Max giggled, "you're all concerned about her. Well, we won't keep you any longer. Come on Brad. Let's shove off. See ya Gary." Max waved goodbye over her shoulder as she and Brad headed for his car. Gary glared at their retreating backs.

"What does she see in that guy?" he muttered.

"Well, he's cute, he's charming, he knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time, he's got money, he's got-"

"Okay!" he exclaimed, "I get it!" He stormed off muttering about life being unfair.

Vincent smirked. "That wasn't very nice Tifa. Poor Gary's gonna have no self-esteem when you're done with him." Shrugging, Tifa pulled Vincent to her and brushed her lips over his teasingly.

"Are you going to keep scolding me or forget about Gary for now?" she smiled.

Vincent answered by scooping her up in his arms and kissing her neck. "I'm taking you home now, so you'd better behave."

"Of course," she said in a tone that implied she would never do otherwise. She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed as he carried her easily. There was still enough light to see by and the two decided to walk home. More like Vincent would walk, Tifa would ride. Tifa started to drift off as Vincent strolled along at a consistent pace. The surprisingly warm evening air was refreshing and felt nice against her skin.

Vincent sighed contently, glancing every now and then at the sleeping woman in his arms. She was so happy and peaceful. She didn't have any idea of the horrors that went on in his mind and body. He wanted to keep it that way. When they finally reached the bar, he shifted Tifa so he could reach in her pocket and grab the key to unlock the bar door. Pushing it open, he carried Tifa into the back apartment and pulled back the covers, then laid her on the bed.

She made a small sound and rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around the pillow. Vincent smiled and pulled the blanket up over her body. "Sweet dreams," he whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. He stepped carefully around the bed and headed back into the bar. It wasn't that he minded sleeping in the bed with her, it just didn't feel right. Like he was trying to take advantage of her or something. He took of his cloak and laid it across a barstool. Removing his headband and shirt as well, he grabbed a spare blanket and curled up on the couch. Tomorrow he'd have to head back to Nibelheim. He'd been away from the mansion for quite awhile. He was afraid of how Tifa was going to take that news.

He closed his eyes and groaned slightly. She was not going to be a happy camper. He let his tired body relax and drifted into unconsciousness.

***

Jerking awake suddenly Vincent shot out his clawed hand and tightly grasped the arm of the intruder that was next to the couch. A small cry came from them and Vincent released the arm. "Tifa?" he asked groggily. He glanced to the side, trying to see the clock. It was still dark out so it couldn't be morning yet.

She sat down next to him and rubbed her arm. "Ow. Vincent that hurt," she said in a tired voice. Vincent sat up, causing the blanket to fall off his upper body. He cuddled Tifa to him and checked her arm, making sure he hadn't cut her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, kissing her bruise that was slowly appearing. She pushed him back onto the couch and snuggled down onto his chest. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, "I put in your bed. Now go and get some sleep."

"I'll sleep right here thanks," she said defiantly, pulling herself over so she was using his body for a bed, "it you aren't staying in my bed, then I'm coming to yours." Vincent shook his head and tried to pry her off.

"Tifa, come on. You can't sleep here. Tifa. Tifa?" He shook her gently and she lifted her head, propping it on his chest and smiling with her eyes half closed.

"Mmmm?"

"You have to sleep in your bed."

"No," she growled and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding fast. She was persistent, he'd give her that. He sighed and gave up. This was a battle he would not win. When she felt that he wasn't going to rip her off him anymore, she loosened her grip and her hands moved to his sides in a loose hug. Her breathing became even and calm and he leaned his head back again. Well he certainly knew who held the whip in this relationship.

He slipped his arms around her, smiling to himself. Yup. She was going to be pissed. If she couldn't spend a single night without him now then how was she going to stand a couple weeks while he was gone? Oh well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. He fell back asleep listening to Tifa's quiet breathing.

***

Tifa's eyes blinked open and she raised a hand, disoriented, to block out the rays of sun that were shining in her face. She looked down at Vincent and blushed slightly. He wasn't wearing a shirt. She frowned and ran her hand down the numerous scars that zigzagged across his well developed chest. They were awful looking. Who had done this to him?

Vincent's hand suddenly shot to the side and pulled his shirt over himself. She looked at him, feeling scared for some reason, like she'd been caught going through his stuff. His eyes burned with anger, pain and regret. He blinked and looked away from her. "Vincent........" she said softly.

"I know," he snapped bitterly, "I'm disgusting and a horrifying monster. You can get off me. I won't feel bad. I understand."

Tifa silently pulled the shirt away and slowly kissed each of the scars that covered his chest. She then kissed him. He could feel her body shaking and pushed her back gently to find tears running down her cheeks. "That bastard," she growled, her voice sounding cracked and painful, "Hojo did this didn't he?!" She hugged Vincent tightly and he sat up, causing her to be in his lap.

"Please don't cry. I deserved everything I got. Think of all the countless people that suffered under my own hand when I was a Turk." Tifa buried her face in his chest. How could he be so calm about something so cruel? So inhumane? They had obviously tortured him somehow. She couldn't stand the thought of Vincent going through more suffering then all the things she had already learned of. No wonder he's the way he is.

Vincent stroked her hair until she had calmed down and when she looked up into his eyes she could see tears that threatened to spill over.

"You know," he said with a quivering voice, "you're the first one to feel pain for me. I don't know whether to hate your pity or be grateful for your caring." His arms wrapped around her like a little boy squeezing his teddy bear for comfort. "All I know is that if I let you into this grief it will take over you too. I can't have that." He gripped her shoulders lightly and stared into her eyes, seemingly searching for something. "I love you," he whispered, claiming her lips.

Tifa kissed him like it was the last time they were going to ever see each other. When they broke apart, Vincent wiped his eyes, feeling embarrassed at his display of weakness. Tifa was content to be held in his arms. Even if it was the only thing she could do, it was still something.

"I have to go back to the mansion today," Vincent said suddenly.

"What?! Why?!" Tifa demanded, pulling away from him and standing in one fluid motion, "you're running from me because I've seen you shirtless? Are you saying you'd stay if I returned the favour?!"

Vincent was surprised at how angry she could get over such a small thing. "I'm coming back in a couple weeks-"

"A COUPLE WEEKS?!" she yelled, causing him to flinch. This was even worse then he had anticipated. "Is this because you feel the need to hide from me?! Why?"

Vincent grabbed her hand in his, shaking his head. "I already planned to go back last night. It has nothing to do with anything from this morning. Please Tifa. I just need to set my affairs in order. I can't always be around."

Tifa looked hurt at that last comment. "Not that I wouldn't like to be around you all the time," he quickly added. Sighing, he hugged her to him. "Look. I'll go, come back, and take you out somewhere special, okay?" Tifa pushed away and shook her head.

"If you're leaving, to go to my home town no less, then I'm coming too."

Vincent stood up and paced alongside the bar. "You can't come with me. Then who would watch the bar?"

Tifa frowned thoughtfully and walked over in front of Vincent, stopping his pacing. Max and Gary can watch it for me. Please can I go? I can't stand the thought of you leaving. What if some beautiful woman steals you away from me? I don't want to lose you when I only just got you."

"You're not making any sense," Vincent smiled, "and if some woman tries to take me away, then I'll tell her that I already have a woman of incomparable beauty waiting for me at home." She blushed and leaned against him.

"What are we now?" Tifa asked with an amused tone, "it seems kind of immature to call you my boyfriend." Vincent laughed warmly.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be." He could see a twinkle in her eyes at his last comment.

"Well, I have a couple of ideas of what you could be, but that still doesn't change my mind. I'm coming with you."

Vincent nodded and lovingly kissed her forehead. "Whatever you say."

Tifa smiled happily, knowing he had given up. "I'll go phone Max," she grinned. He watched her back with a fond smile. Since admitting his newfound feelings to himself and Tifa his love had grown stronger more rapidly then he had thought possible. She already had him wrapped around her little finger and she knew it. Not that he minded. He was willing to do anything for her. He'd never felt like this about a woman before and it kind of scared him.

Tifa finished her phone calls to Max and Gary. Max had grudgingly agreed to do her a favour and Gary had eagerly agreed when he found out Max would be there with him. She sighed happily as she hung up the phone. It was still wonky and hung off the wall crookedly, reminding her of the night Vincent had come to her rescue. So much had happened in such a small amount of time. Vincent gave her a strange look and she realized she was staring at him. Smiling, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Closing her eyes, she made a silent wish. Let me be happy. Just this once.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Author: Awwwww they are the cutest couple! ^_^

Sephiroth: *rolls his eyes* No one's cuter then me.

Author: *puts her hands on her hips* God. You are so conceited.

Sephiroth: *grins* Guilty. I'm a god. I can't help it.

Author: *mutters* Some god.

Sephiroth: What was that?!

Author: *smiles sweetly* Nothing........

Sephiroth: *frowns* I'm cute..... Right?

Author: *huggles him* Of course you are. *leans in to kiss him*

Adam: *appears again and scares author, stopping her from kissing Sephiroth* Hey! I'm alive!

Sephiroth: You ruined the moment! *stabs Adam with Masemune* Take that you stupid moment ruiner!

Author: *shakes her head* Now boys-

Sephiroth: *hides bloody sword behind his back* He started it!

Author: *laughs* Yup. It's always Adam's fault. Anyway, getting back to the fic. I hope you all liked the last chapter. I did! lol. This one was very fluffy and there's more of it where that came from! Yay! My bed is trying to eat me! Ahhhh! I'll trying and post before I'm completely engulfed in blankets. AFksjo9f439otkmgsdvs........................................................ ........................mmmdfskfjiHelopEsgsjgsHELPMEEEEEEgfyf76r7!!!!!!!! *comes up for air* NOOOOOOOOO!!!! TAKE THIS EVIL BLANKETS!!!! *dumps bleach on coloured blanket*

Blanket: *writhes in pain* AHHHHHHHHHH! It burnsis!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Author: *laughs evilly*

Sephiroth: *smiles proudly* She learned that from me.

Author: Please review and all that jazz. Do it for the sake of............um........dying......kids! Yah! That's it. *ahem* But seriously, please review and tell me what you thought. Was it too soon for them to say 'I love you?' That was one of the concerns I had. Also, do you think Vincent was too loving? And was Tifa too childish and perky? lol. Lots of questions. I kind of used some inner monologue to make them wonder how things had happened so fast. So yah. Tell me what you thought. :P Just keep reviewing. Just keep reviewing. Just keep reviewing, reviewing, reviewing. What do we do? We review! REVIEW! Oh ho ho ho ho ho, I love to REEEEVVVIEEEWWWWWW!!!! When you waaaaant to review you want to review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REVIEW!!!!!!!! lol. And for those of you not taking the hint...... *holds up giant flashing lit up sign that say 'REVIEW NOW' in big humongous, completely obvious letters* See you all next chapter.

Sephiroth: *whispers to readers* Please review. It puts her in a good mood and well....... *grins* I reap the benefits. I promise not to destroy the world if you do. *makes puppy dog eyes* Puhweeze? *author spots him* Crap, gotta go! See ya. :D