Author: Hurrah! The eighth chapter is done! Happy day! ::does a little dance and spins Sephiroth around in circles::
Sephiroth: Geez. Calm down. It's not like anyone reads your stories anyway.
Author: ::glares:: Shutup. No one asked you. Anyway, as I was saying, this is the eighth chapter and just for the record, it is being posted today to let everyone know that the Calgary Flames are going down and Tampa is going to take the cup. ::ahem:: If you watch hockey then you'll probably understand that gibberish I just wrote. Flames are gonna crash and burn!!!!!
Sephiroth: ::shakes his head:: Hockey sucks. I can think of much more fun things to do with my spare time............
Author: ::rolls her eyes:: I'm sure you could. :P But we won't get into that. Now. For this chapter; who shall do the disclaimer?!
Sephiroth: Hmmmm.........how bout that hot chick who never reviews anymore?
Author: ::whacks him on the head with a metal pipe:: No! How about.......::drumroll:: Adam? No he sucks.....
Adam: ::eyes go and big and shiny:: Can I? Puhweeze? I'll make you pizza pockets!
Author: Well......
Adam: ::begs on his hands and knees::
Author: All right, all right already. Stop begging. Do the damn disclaimer.
Adam: Yay! ::ahem:: The author does not own or claim to own any of the characters from this story except for her OC. They all belong to Square- Enix. And the author is mine now! Mwahahahaha! I shall use my disclaimery powers to make her my slave and take over the world!! Ahahahahahaha!
Sephiroth: ::beats him down with a stick:: MINE!
Author: OO Anyway, I'm going to move on now as to not disturb you more. On with the fic! Oh yes, and here's a little comment to thank each of you for your reviews. :D
(Replies from author for reviews):
Neko-Yuff16: Awwww thank you. I had no idea you regarded me as royalty. :P ::huggles:: Cloud can go screw all the airheads he wants because Vincent is the only man for Tifa. She will eventually find out that she is extremely loved by everyone around her and that she's a great person! Yay! Thanks for your great review!
Refrigerate After Opening: I'm glad you remembered to actually review the chapter after you read it. Lol. What could lay on the other side of the door?! A basketball?! Adolly? A brick? A walrus with a top hat? Lol. If you want to know what I'm talking about you should check out the flash animations at www.legendaryfrog.com. He's awesome! Just like you my faithful readerian! Thankies for all the great reviews and for sticking with me all this time. I hope you like this chapter. :)
Mr. Flames: ::sighs:: What else can I say besides YOU ARE MEAN AND A JERK! :ahem:: You suck. First you think that they say "I love you" too soon and now you think my plot (if there is one) is pathetic and corny and you don't see how girls can like that sort of stuff. Well :P to you. Stop reading my unappreciated story then. :( ::cries and runs away::
Tifa Valentine: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the author's notes as much as the story! Almost as much effort goes into both those aspects. :) I will write more (in fact here's a chapter just for you!) and I hope to hear more of your feedback.
Raven Cactaur: Well, you are about to find out what Vinny has up his sleeve. Lol. Besides an arm and all that. :P Tifa better get cleaning cause that's a lot of rose petals. How could I not acknowledge you, you wonderful reviewer?! You rock! Thanks for all the support. Hope to hear more good stuff from you for this chappie. ::huggles::
Ezri-Candy: I'm glad you love my story! I feel so honored. ::huggles:: You'll soon find out what Vincent has planned for her. Mwahahahahaha. ::ahem:: Vincent is kind of a natural romantic but he has troubles letting go of some of the past stuff that haunts him. Poor guy. I have a present for you! ::hands you a Sephiroth::
Sephiroth: Huh? Wha? ::sees his new master and huggles her:: Hello there. ;)
Enjoy! (Just rememeber to house train him. ;) Thanks for the review!
The Highwaywoman: Vincent is very nice to glomp isn't he? ;) ::super-glomps Vincent:: Heeheeehee. Tifa's gonna kill me. I'm glad you liked my rose petal idea unlike 'some' reviewers. ::cough:: Mr. Flames. ::cough:: I like pouncing on pretty much any of the long haired hot FF characters so there might be a lot of behind the scenes glomping if you know what I mean. Now as a treat for you. Vincent shall serenade you to sleep.
Vincent: ::glomps you:: lol ::hands you a white rose and begins to play the piano beautifully::
Have fun. He's all yours for the night. :P
Author: Okay! Here we go!
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(Last Chapter: Tifa hesitated for a moment before pushing open the doors. She felt like she was intruding on Vincent or something. She hoped he didn't mind her coming in, but then, why else would he have made a trail of rose petals and candles? With a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside...........)The door was silent as she closed it behind her and turned, seeing a sight that took her breath away. Vincent was seated at the piano, fingers flying across the keys and his eyes were shut tightly, like he was trying to block out the world. The soft candlelight fell along his face, creating shadows and playing across his handsome features. She stepped forward, not wanting to disturb him, but needing to be close to him. Tifa walked slowly forward until she was next to the piano bench and she could feel the humming in the floor from the force of Vincent's playing. A stray hair fell softly along his cheekbone, hiding his eyes and part of his face from her. Was he just as lost as she felt?
Sitting beside him, she brushed away the hair and kissed his cheek in a loving manner. The song abruptly stopped and Vincent opened his eyes to look upon the beauty before him. She could feel his chest heaving with emotion and a slight sparkle in his eyes. Tears? It couldn't be. Not from Vincent. They both stared at each other for a moment before Vincent seemed to register who she was.
"Tifa......," he trailed off, voice cracking slightly, "how good of you to join me." She frowned at him, a little confused. Had he not made her a trail of rose petals and candles? Did he not expect her to follow it and come here? Vincent noticed the expression Tifa wore and ran a finger down her cheek, causing her to look at him. "I trust you found my trail then," he smiled warmly, kissing her forehead.
Tifa gave him a small nod and leaned her head on his shoulder. "That song was incredible. Where did you learn to play like that?"
"I didn't," Vincent stated, "it simply came to me. I was thinking of you and the music started to play itself." He realized how pathetic and corny that sounded and shook his head slightly. "Sorry."
"That's so sweet," Tifa smiled, running a hand through his dark hair, "I never thought of Vincent Valentine having such a soft sensitive side before." Vincent made a face and became expressionless again.
"Feeling any better?" he asked, sounding vaguely hopeful.
"Yes........I'm fine."
"Tifa," he sighed, "I want the real answer, not the answer you think I want to hear." Her hands dropped into her lap dejectedly and she hung her head slightly.
"I'm sorry. I just don't want to burden you more then you already have been."
"You will never be a burden," Vincent whispered fiercely, hating the way she sounded so heart-broken, "just tell me what it is, that's bothering you so much." Her eyes shifted up to his face. His wonderful, understanding face. She knew she should just tell him. He could relate to suffering. His whole existence was based on that very thing. But to trust him..........why was it so hard?
Vincent let her battle it out with her mind and simply put an arm around her, holding her close. Tifa cleared her throat a little nervously. "I-I want to tell you..............it's just........hard." He looked down at her as she spoke.
"If you aren't comfortable enough with me yet, I can understand that. I'll stop prying," he said quietly.
"No! No. I am comfortable with you. I've just never told anyone this before and it hurts to.......say things like that."
"Like what?" Vincent asked, completely and utterly confused.
"When Cloud decided to go looking for Aeris......." Tifa took a shaky breath and continued, "he didn't want me find anyone else to love or be with. He........he made sure that no one would want me......."
Vincent frowned and pulled her face up gently so he could see her. "How could he ever do that? He can't stop others from loving you."
"I know," Tifa sighed, "h-he told me to remember that I s-should always be grateful to him for everything he's done for me since I could never find anyone revolting enough to l-love me and that he was the o-only one who would ever even look at me........."
Vincent held her tighter and nodded, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "None of that is true. You should know that," he said with a small sigh. Tifa nodded, then shook her head.
"But he didn't just tell me horrible things about myself..........."
Vincent's head jerked up, "what? What else.........?"
Tifa's eyes began to fill with tears. "He didn't want to be with anyone else, in case he had to come b-back........t-the night that he was leaving, he came back in the apartment and tried to.....t-tried to........." She buried her face in Vincent's shoulder and he held the sobbing girl, anger burning in his eyes. That disgusting bastard couldn't even leave the poor woman alone after he broke her heart. He had the nerve the try and rob her of other things too.
Her sobs calmed a little and she clung to Vincent. "Did he........succeed in what he intended to do?" Vincent asked carefully. Tifa shook her head vigorously.
"I waited until he thought I had stopped f-fighting back. He was pulling my skirt down and I kicked him as hard as I could in the groin and he collapsed onto the floor. I lifted him, god knows how, and threw him out of the bar, locking him outside. I was so scared, Vincent. He said he was going to kill me. He said that once he got inside I was going to die........." She paused to regain her composure and take a few breaths. "I hid in my closet all night, listening to him banging on the front door and trying to open windows. He was yelling that he was sorry and didn't mean it. That he just wanted to apologize. I didn't believe him for a second. If he had gotten in............"
Vincent quickly pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't think about it Tifa. Please. He didn't. You're safe here with me." He gently rocked her back and forth, shocked that Strife would think to go so far. Had he no respect at all for women? The thought of Cloud doing such a thing to Tifa made him growl deep in his throat. Lucky for that prick he was somewhere far away by now or he'd have had a little "chat" with him discussing what he thought of his cowardly attempts. He realized Tifa was talking quietly and came out of his thoughts.
"He wanted the one thing he knew mattered most to me! That bastard knew that, despite what everyone thought, I had never........'given myself' to anyone........he wanted that for himself. It was so awful........" Vincent shushed her gently.
"Tifa, don't talk about it anymore okay? It'll be all right. I promise. I'll never let him lay a hand on you ever again." Tifa looked up at Vincent's vengeful face with surprise. She had no idea people would actually care. It had always seemed like it was her own fault for looking the way she did. It was such a relief to finally tell someone, as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Vincent stood with Tifa in his arms, bridal style, and her head snuggled against his shoulder. "I think it's time you went to bed," Vincent whispered in the tired woman's ear, "you've had more then your share of pain and you should get some rest tonight. I'll be right next door if you need me." He slowly began the walk to Tifa's room, blowing out the half- melted candles as he went. Cleaning could wait until another day. It's not like a few decaying rose petals would make the place any less homey then it already was.
He finally arrived at the small room and laid Tifa down on the bed. Her grip around his neck tightened and he knelt beside her. "Tifa, you're going to have to let go now. You have to sleep. I'll make you a special breakfast in the morning and we'll spend the day together, okay?" She mumbled something incomprehensible and pulled him closer.
She desperately didn't want him to leave and she wasn't even quite sure why. Tifa loosened her grip a little, but still held on. A small whimper came from her lips and Vincent stood up, prying her arms from his neck and sitting next to her on the bed. "My poor Tifa," he sighed, running a hand down her hair. "I can stay with you if you really want, but I'll be on the floor." Tifa shifted over, as if to show him that he'd fit inside the bed too. Chuckling softly, he helped her under the covers and lay next to her, still above the blankets, on the edge of the bed. He continued stroking her hair until her breathing went quiet and her body un-tensed. His mind was reeling with a thousand emotions and thoughts.
How could this poor woman have carried such a horrible thing around with her for so long? It wasn't right. She should be free to live a happy carefree life. He was the one who should suffer for all the things he'd done. He watched her face with a sad smile. If he could do just one thing right in his life, he hoped it would be to make her love herself as much as he found he did. Maybe he could cheer her up tomorrow. At some point Vincent's head dropped softly to the pillow as well and he drifted off into sleep.
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Max finished up the dishes in the back kitchen and un-tied the long, black apron she had been wearing all night. It had been insanely busy since they opened that day and all she wanted to do was get some sleep. Walking back out into the front of the bar, she pulled the chopsticks from he bun and let her soft blonde hair spill down over her shoulders. She noticed too late that Gary was watching her intently and quickly turned away from his gaze to put away the glasses she had just washed."Are you done yet?" she asked softly, carefully stacking glasses in the cupboard.
"Not quite," Gary's voice spoke right behind her, causing her to jump. She turned around and frowned at his grin.
"Get moving then," she ordered, "I want to be out of here by three." She turned away from her admirer and sighed when his arms encircled her waist and pulled her back into a warm hug. "Gary," she said in a soft, but dangerous tone, "I told you already. No. I just want to get home and sleep. Please finish up your cleaning crap okay?"
He reluctantly released her and went back to flipping chairs onto the clean table tops. "You can't blame a guy for trying," he muttered, feeling hurt. Max knew that he wasn't that bad of a guy and that he wasn't trying to drive her insane on purpose, but she just wasn't ready for another guy yet. Brad had turned out to be a big disappointment and she didn't want to be too hasty in getting into another relationship that could just as easily crash and burn.
Gary glanced periodically over at her sad face. He didn't know why she refused to acknowledge the fact that he liked her. She seemed to like him well enough herself, but anytime he tried to express his feelings in any way or invite her somewhere she would politely decline his hopeful attempts. Maybe there was someone else besides Brad. That jerk had blown her off a couple times before she found out he had been cheating on her. He remembered that night she had come to his apartment in tears and he had listened to her cry and blow off steam for a good three hours. He should've been happy that Brad had done that to her because it freed her up for him, but he hadn't felt anything but sadness at seeing Max cry for the first and only time since he had known her. His "macho guy" act that he put on for everyone else was nothing but a cover-up to hide from others. Being teased all his life eventually caused him to create a mask to hide behind. It seemed to work.
He shook his head slightly and went to grab a broom from the back to sweep the floors, when the lights flickered erratically and went out. He crashed his knee on the edge of the bar and winced in pain. He heard Max scream as soon as the lights were out and he bit his lip to hold back tears of pain.
"Hey Max? You okay?"
"Y-yah," came the shaky reply. He felt his way along the bar and limped over to her, while his eyes adjusted to the dark.
"Max?" he called softly. She whimpered scardly and grabbed onto Gary's hand that he had extended in her general direction.
"This may sound kind of childish, but I'm terrified of the dark," she admitted, sounding embarrassed.
"No problem," he smiled, squeezing her hand lightly, "come on. I'm going to check the fuse box and see if there's any way to get the lights back on." Max clung to him as they walked through the darkened bar and he noticed from a glance out the window, that the lights were out as far down the block as he could see. "Look Max," he whispered, pointing out the window, "I think there's a power outage." She didn't reply, but he felt her grip on him tighten.
"Max just wait here okay?" he smiled comfortingly, sitting her on the couch, "I'm just going to find us a flashlight or something."
"All right," Max said so quietly, he almost didn't hear her. She curled up on the couch, eyes wide as Gary walked away, and pulled Tifa's spare blanket over herself.
Gary grinned to himself as he searched through the kitchen drawers, looking for some sort of light source. Finally finding an old oil lantern, he lit it with matches from the same drawer and tucked the leftovers into his pocket. He carried the lantern back over to where Max was huddled and put it on a nearby table where it glowed softly, shining a small amount of light over them. "Hey," he said softly, sitting next to her and placing a gentle arm around her shoulder, "I found us some light." Max peeked out from the blanket and sighed gratefully.
"Thank you."
Gary leaned back a little and watched her with a smile. "I was just thinking, Max. You're house isn't too far from here so your power's probably out too." Max shivered slightly at the thought of spending a night all alone in the dark without her usual nightlight. Her shoulders slumped. I guess you have to grow up eventually.
Gary saw her expression darken and poked her arm, getting her to look at him. "You know, we could just stay here at the bar tonight, or you could come back to my place. I've got a pull-out couch bed thing." Max gave him a sceptical look.
"Even if we did go to your house, it's going to be freezing tonight," Max noted, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders.
Gary frowned and rubbed her shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll keep you warm."
"That's what I'm worried about," Max muttered under her breath. Gary seemed a little too happy about the whole situation, as though he had caused the power outage himself. "I guess we could stay here........," she answered nervously.
Gary nodded and inspected the couch carefully. "I don't think this is a hyda-bed couch," more to himself then Max. She felt herself beginning to fall asleep already and forced her drooping eyelids to remain open. Her tiredness didn't pass by Gary without notice and he sat himself against the edge of the arm and pulled her gently over, so she could use his chest as a pillow. She protested lightly, even as she voluntarily lay down and snuggled against him. He made sure the blanket was covering her and leaned his head to the left, to rest on the top of the couch. "Good-night Max," he whispered. Gary suddenly remembered Tifa's apartment in the back, but decided not to say anything. He was fine with where they were now.
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When Tifa awoke, she found herself in a larger bed; two small children snuggled between her and Vincent. She gazed in wonder down at the small sleeping girl, who looked like her as a child, and a younger boy that bore Vincent's features, only with a happy smile dancing on his lips as he slept. Not understanding what was going on, she reached out a hand to touch one of the children, as if to make sure they were real, and paused to stare at her hand. A beautiful ring was on her left ring finger. Sliding it off unbelievingly, she looked it over and found an inscription inside. "Vincent and Tifa, forever and more". Her face was becoming pale, but she didn't panic. This was a dream. It had to be. She gently stroked the girl's hair and was surprised to find happy tears in her eyes. 'She's so beautiful,' Tifa smiled to herself. Vincent had an arm around the boy and they were cuddled into each other. The thought of being part of this family made her hug the girl tightly and she heard a soft protest come from her mouth. "Mommy, not so tight," the small voice whimpered. Was she seeing what lay in her future? Or simply what she could only imagine happening? She could only dream of being this happy.......Tifa jerked awake and her eyes shot open as she sat up in bed. Something was weighing down the covers on her right and she glanced down at Vincent's sleeping form with a smile. A twinge of regret entered her heart at the thought that her dream could never happen. She gazed at Vincent and giggled softly at the sight of him drooling on his pillow and his left arm and leg hanging over the side of the bed. Somehow, he had gone from sleeping on his back to his stomach. He stirred slightly and his eyes slowly opened, revealing a piercing red gaze.
"Morning," he mumbled, pushing himself up and wiping drool off his face, looking embarrassed and very undignified. Tifa couldn't stop herself from laughing and Vincent stood with a huff, adjusting his clothes and cape. "I'll be making breakfast if you are in need of me," he stated and left the room. Tifa shrugged at his strange attitude and climbed out from under the covers, shivering in the cool air. Soft light shone through the window and she looked out to see it was already a sunny day outside. Maybe she could drag Vincent out there to do something today.
She pulled out a green tank top with 'Flirt' written across it and a pair of black curve hugging pants. Pulling her clothes on and running a brush through her hair, she headed downstairs to the small room Vincent used as a kitchen. There was a bounce in her step as she went and she felt carefree for the first time since she had, had her encounter with Cloud. Vincent made everything better. The brown rose petals under her feet crunched and broke as she went, but she didn't care one bit. No way in hell was she cleaning the mess up. Vincent seemed deep in thought at the small camping stove he had sitting on the counter, when she entered the room. He stuck a plastic flipper into the frying pan and turned something over inside it.
"What are you making?" Tifa asked excitedly. She was starving and hoped for something good. As he turned to answer her, she was suddenly struck by an image of him in pyjamas, the two children from her dream with him, the girl helping him to make breakfast and the boy asking to be picked up cause he wanted to help make mommy breakfast too. She blinked quickly and the image dissolved, leaving behind a confused looking Vincent who was watching her carefully.
"Tifa? You okay?" he asked, "you zoned out there for a minute."
"Yup. Couldn't be better," she smiled, feeling a blush creeping onto her face. If only he knew.
"As I said, I'm making you pancakes. And you're going to eat them whether you want to or not." Tifa stuck her tongue out at his smirk and sat in one of the chairs he had dragged in from the large hall area.
"They better be good."
Ten minutes later, both were munching on strawberry pancakes. They had to eat off one plate, since Vincent didn't have any other dishes and there was no syrup or anything so they simply held the pancakes and ate them like that.
"Good," Tifa mumbled through her mouth full of pancake, "better then I make 'em."
"It was a mix," Vincent smiled, "all I did was add water." Tifa laughed and almost choked on her food.
"What does that say about my cooking?" she giggled. Vincent shrugged and continued eating. Once the pancakes were gone, Vincent cleaned the few dishes and put them away.
"I'm going to go work more downstairs. I shall be there most of the day if you need me," Vincent said, turning to face her.
"I need you now," Tifa grinned mischievously, "so you'd better stay then." Vincent shook his head in an attempt to hide the ever growing smile on his face.
"Seriously Tifa. Don't tempt me. The sooner I am finished, the sooner we leave. We should only be here for a few more days." Tifa sighed in defeat and nodded.
"All right. I'll go exploring for the day. See you later." She gave him a hug on her way out the door and walked quickly away.
He knew he had hurt her slightly, but he warned her in the first place that this wasn't a trip for fun and he had business to attend to. Women were so confusing. Now he was starting to remember why he never bothered with them in the first place. The wooden, spiral staircase creaked as he made his way down to the library. Tifa was different. Something about her was very alluring and special. She had her own uniqueness that was extremely attractive. He had, had the strangest dream last night and he assumed it was because of how he really felt for her. A smile played upon his lips as he thought of the children he had seen. The girl reminding him of Tifa and the boy being a smaller replica of himself. Tifa would think he was insane if he had told her about that. He leaned over his work with a sigh and began reading again.
Tifa wandered through the deserted town, glancing about at all the things she remembered so well from her childhood. She couldn't resist taking a peek into her own home and was pleased to find it was pretty much the way she had left it. Her parents hadn't touched her room since she left for Midgar to make a living. Running her fingers along the piano, a letter on her desk caught her eye. It wasn't one of the normal ones she had been keeping in a pile from a friend she was writing to far away. It was addressed to her in a small blue envelope in someone's messy child-like handwriting. It seemed so familiar. She picked it up and ripped open the top to pull out the letter. She unfolded the paper and read carefully.
To Tifa,
I know you are not one of my best friends and we don't get to hang
out together much, but I like you. You are fun to play with and my
mom says that even if the other boys are mean to me, I'm still
allowed to be your friend cause they cant tell me to do wat they
want. I hope you will come to my birhtday party and I don't even
need a present from you. You are my favouritest girl in the world.
Thank you for being my freind.
Love: Cloud
Tifa felt a tear run down her cheek and she hugged the letter to her chest. Why had things turned out this way? Cloud had been such a sweet kid and then.........something had happened. Soldier had changed him for the worst. Shinra Inc. was gone now and they couldn't destroy anything else, but the damage they'd made in her life was un-fixable. She tucked the small letter into her pocket and left the house, heading in the direction of a small stream she had played in when she was younger.
The sky was a bright blue, with no clouds in sight, and Tifa closed her eyes against the cool refreshing breeze that blew through the trees. The warm sun shone down on her and she vaguely wished she had worn shorts today. Peeling off her boots and socks and rolling up her pant legs, she waded into the stream and smiled at the tiny fish that tried to nibble on her toes. She made it to the other side of the stream and lay in the grass along the bank, her feet still dangling in the water. This was heaven. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto her hands, clearing her mind of everything except the sound of flowing water.
The sun was setting when Tifa finally forced herself to rise and head back. She couldn't help, but feel that someone was watching her. Walking a little faster, she glanced behind her every now and then at the sound of rustling bushes. She couldn't take it anymore and whipped around, hands on hips. "All right! That's it! Show yourself!" The rustling stopped and Tifa felt slightly nervous. The longer she waited the darker it would get. "Hello?" she tried again.
A small furry object came barrelling at her and leaped onto her, knocking her down. A soft pink tongue licked all over her face and she pried the animal off herself. "Hello there," she giggled, cuddling the small dog, "how'd you get all the way out here?" She checked its neck for a collar and found it buried deep in its fur.
"Kaite," she noted, reading the tag, "you're from rocket town?! Puppy, you must've walked a long way." She snuggled the dog and stood again, Kaite still in her arms. "I'll have to get you back home. Your owners must be worried about you." Kaite just wagged her tail and wiggled until Tifa put her down. Tifa jogged towards the Shinra mansion, the dark outside looking un-inviting and the small dog trotted after her. She made it to the door as slow raindrops began to fall and opened it, letting the dog go first. Kaite went berserk, sniffing around everywhere and let out a small bark, looking back at Tifa with perked up ears.
"Aww you're so cute," Tifa grinned and followed the dog upstairs to her room. Kaite jumped onto the bed and curled up with a small yawn. Tifa rolled her eyes and went downstairs to check on Vincent. The staircase creaked a lot and she felt slightly afraid she was going to fall the rest of the way down since she didn't have any way of seeing in the dark. She made it down and followed the dirt path to Vincent's 'library' and peered into the room. Vincent was still hunched over a desk, a few candles around him, scribbling away in a small book.
She snuck up behind him and touched his shoulder. He whirled around and caught her roughly by the wrist, scaring her for a second with his harsh expression. His face softened into a smile when he saw it was her. "Sorry, Tifa. I didn't hear you come in," he apologized. She nodded.
"S'okay." A frown appeared on her face when he went back to his work he had been doing. She pulled the pen out of his hand and smiled teasingly. "No more work. Come on. I have a surprise for you."
"Tifa," he groaned, "I have to finish this."
"Please?" she said quietly with a slight pout.
"Fine," he sighed, seeing there was no way for him to win. He grabbed a candle as she dragged him by the arm back upstairs. Once they were back in the bedroom, Tifa pointed at the bed with a big smile on her face and Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Um? Is it all right that I'm a little afraid to ask what the surprise is?"
She looked over and blushed when she realized Kaite wasn't sleeping on the bed anymore. "Oops. She's gone. Just a sec."
"She?" Vincent asked, as Tifa searched around the room. Sticking her head under the bed, she found the little dog snoring away in the warm darkness.
"Come on Kaite. We have a new friend for you." She pulled the puppy out from the bed gently and walked over to Vincent, plopping it in his arms.
"A dog?" he asked, holding it away from himself at arms length.
"Yah. And she's lost, so I thought we could take her back to her home," Tifa smiled happily, taking the dog back from Vincent, "isn't she cute?!"
Vincent smirked slightly. "I prefer the human species thank you." Tifa pouted and put Kaite down again, letting her scamper off somewhere in the house.
"I hope she doesn't get lost," Tifa sighed, watching the dog go. Vincent removed his cloak and set it down on the dresser, before sitting on the bed tiredly. Tifa sat behind him cross-legged and massaged his back lightly. "Long day?" she teased, kneading the knots out of his muscles.
"Mmm," was all Vincent replied, as his head fell slightly forward. She leaned forward and kissed his neck, glad to pry him away from his work at last. Her hands slid up his shirt, still massaging against his warm skin. He seemed almost asleep by now and she smiled, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. He suddenly turned, causing her hands to pull away from him, and he leaned down to kiss her. She shifted beneath him so she was lying straight and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. His body on top of her was making her feel dizzy and she ran a hand through his hair as he kissed her more urgently. His heart was beating faster in his chest and he wondered what he was doing. He just couldn't resist her any longer and she wasn't stopping him.
Her hands found their way to his shirt buttons and she managed to get that off of him, still responding to everything he was doing. His tongue explored inside her mouth and massaged hers lightly as both started breathing a little heavier. It wasn't until he realized Tifa's shirt was off as well, that the thought of stopping entered his mind. His body protested against that idea and he went along with whatever Tifa wanted. They had somehow gotten under the blankets after undressing and he knew they both might regret this later, but for now, it was all he wanted. Tifa felt slightly afraid at what she was about to do, but pressed onward boldly. Vincent would know how much she loved him by the end of tonight.
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The next morning came much too soon for the tired couple, and Vincent was the first to awaken. His cheeks burned crimson when the events of last night passed through his mind and he glanced over at Tifa's sleeping form. He had no idea she could do things like that. He decided to sneak away quietly to save them further embarrassment. When he shifted, Tifa made a small noise and wrapped and arm tightly around his waist. His face went redder and he tried not to feel her body against his. The dog Tifa had found jumped up on the bed and tilted her head cutely at Vincent. "Come here puppy," Vincent whispered to the dog. She crawled shyly forward and nuzzled his hand with her nose. Vincent smiled slightly and the dog's tail wagged happily. She curled up between Vincent and Tifa's heads on the pillow and sighed contently.
Tifa stirred slightly beside him and her eyes blinked open. She kissed his chest, causing his face to burn even redder then he thought possible. She moved up a little so she could kiss him on the lips. He knew he couldn't go back now and fix what he had done so he'd just have to take responsibility for it. "Tifa?" he spoke softly. She looked up at him nervously, fear in her eyes.
"Yes........?" He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you."
Tifa breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in his arms. "I love you more," she smiled, then yawned. "I'm tired," she stated with a grin.
Vincent rolled his eyes. "I wonder why." He forced himself not to think about the fact that she wasn't wearing anything and she was in his arms, in a bed. He wasn't the usual horny guy that just got in relationships to get some. He respected her. With and without clothes. He bit his lip as Tifa ran her hand down his side. "Tifa. I think we should get up now." Tifa pouted and leaned her head on his chest. She felt nothing but happiness at the thought of staying with Vincent like this forever. A panicked thought came to her way too late. They hadn't used protection. Her face went red as details came rushing back to her in a flood of memories.
"You're sure that was your first time?" Vincent teased, kissing her neck.
Tifa hid her face in his chest and giggled. "I think I would know if I'd done something like that before. I was very impressed by the way." Vincent felt the blush returning to his cheeks and shook his head.
They lay in comfortable silence for a moment before Tifa hopped out of the blankets and Vincent turned his head the other way, still feeling shy of seeing her like that. That was a privilege he didn't deserve. Tifa dressed quickly and pulled the blankets away from Vincent when she was done. He grabbed for his pants and she kicked them away, laughing at his apparent shyness. He managed to get his pants on and fell across the bed, panting for breath.
"That.........was mean," he breathed, looking upside down at Tifa.
"Oh, you know you like it," she grinned. Kaite jumped up from the pillow and dive bombed Vincent who yelped and wrestled the dog playfully. She barked and licked the inside of his mouth.
"Eww, Kaite!" he groaned, "that's disgusting!" She panted happily, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and drooled all over the front of his chest. Tifa watched the two thoughtfully and leaned over Vincent to kiss him, dog drool and all.
"Maybe I should take her home and visit Cid while you finish up whatever the hell it is that you do downstairs all day," Tifa suggested. A shrug was all Vincent could manage as he gazed up at her form, lit from the light shining behind her. She was so gorgeous she took his words away.
"If you really want to," he managed to choke out, "how long do you think it would take you?" Tifa frowned thoughtfully and her eyes wandered down his face.
"Three days, tops," she answered, sounding very sure of herself. "I'll just take some food with me for the ride there and I'll steal supplies from Cid for the way back."
"Or I could meet you there and we could head back," Vincent offered.
"All right," Tifa smiled, "I'll grab my stuff and head out now."
"You seem awfully eager to get rid of me," Vincent observed. Tifa stopped mid-step and headed back to him, shoving him backwards onto the bed and climbing on top to kiss him deeply. She pulled away again and went to grab her things, leaving a shocked Vincent lying on the bed. He eventually pushed himself up and watched her stuffing things into her bag. She slung it over her shoulders and he stood quickly to block her way. "Be careful," he whispered, hugging her tightly, "don't do anything you wouldn't do with me around."
"So, do whatever I want?" Tifa asked with an innocent smile. Vincent smiled and kissed her, loving the feeling he got in stomach whenever she was near him. This was love. And it scared him to death. Tifa staggered a little when he released her and gave him a little wave. "See you soon."
He watched at the window until he saw Tifa riding away on Ashlei. 'Make it there safe,' he thought, a small sigh escaping his lips. All alone again. He felt a stirring in the back of his mind and shook it quickly. Without Tifa around him, he seemed to have more trouble suppressing his demons. It hurt........
Needing a distraction, he went back downstairs to finish up what he has been working on before Tifa "interrupted" him. The house was too quiet without her. Was it possible he actually preferred company to his usual solitude? That girl was changing him. He sat back at his desk and began his tedious task once again.
Tifa rode hard all day and was pleased to find she could make out Rocket Town in the distance, silhouetted against the red setting sun. She should be there in another hour or so. She didn't want to admit that she'd only pushed Ashlei to keep going so she wouldn't have to spend the night alone in the mountains. She had become such a wuss. Whatever. She'd be with Cid and Shera soon enough.
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Author: Wow! That was a really long chapter. I hope you liked it. I didn't want to get too graphic and detailed on certain parts so I hope it was downplayed enough. I kinda realized that to have continuity in the other story these two cuties (Vincent and Tifa) are in then I have to get them "together" at least once very soon. ::ahem:: Anyway, thanks for reading! And I loved all your reviews.Sephiroth: ::scoffs:: No one ever reviews. Who the hell are you thanking?
Author: ::eyes narrow and sky goes dark with black clouds:: You. Are. Going. To. DIE!
Sephiroth: Yipe! ::runs::
Author: ::shakes her head and cries:: WHY DOES NO ONE LOVE ME?!
Vincent: ::pats author comfortingly:: Um......because you're you and we can only ever think of you as a friend.
Author: ::huggles Vincent and sobs into his shoulder::
Vincent: ::looks around awkwardly:: Um.......it's.....okay......don't cry......
Author: ::lets go and sniffs sadly:: If you all love me then please review and tell me what you think of me and my chapter. :P You're all gonna write hate mail aren't you? Lol. Do you like the puppy? I figured Tifa was getting a bit lonely with Vincent doing all his work crap so Tifa got a friend. :) Let me know what you guys think of the Max and Gary's relationship too. (No Adam this does not mean you)
Adam: ::cries like a whiny kid and runs away::
Author: I'm going to head out now and do my homework since finals are looming over my head. I'll try and update ASAP but I can't promise anything until I finish school in a week or two. See you all later! :D
