Chapter 5

Tifa awoke and longed to smell Vincent's scent, but as she made to rub his broad chest she was met with pillows and bed sheets. She gave a cry of disappointment and shock and looked wildly around for a moment, hoping Vincent was still here. After searching her entire apartment, she could not find him, but she noticed the warm cup of coffee, the daily newspaper and a plate of eggs and bacon resting on the table.

He must still be here! she thought happily. She walked downstairs to her bar and found Vincent, his sleeves rolled up and his cloak and steel-covered boots forgotten behind the bar as he scrubbed table after table with an apron wrapped around his waist. Jean was happily humming in the back as he made an assortment of drinks in preparation for today's customers.

"Vincent!" she cried out, running up to him and embracing him. She pulled back and looked up at him. "What are you doing? How come you're up so early?"

Vincent placed down the rag he carried in his claw and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and gently rocking back and forth. Tifa sighed and closed her eyes dreamily, resting her head on Vincent and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You still haven't answered my question. Are you really that desperate to get away from me that you'll clean tables?"

Vincent chuckled, and she opened her eyes in surprise. Never before had she heard Vincent laugh, nor seen him grin, yet he did both clearly now. "As I told you before at our last encounter, there are many features about me that are…different." His eyes suddenly flickered back to his usual emptiness for a moment, and his smile faltered, but he recovered almost instantly. "I do not need sleep nearly as often as most people, so I decided that instead of just laying awake, I should do something helpful for you. Since you were going to need to eat something, I made you breakfast and came down here to find Jean already doing his job. He told me if I needed something to keep me busy I could kelp him spruce up the place a bit." He shrugged and lowered his forehead onto her head. "I'm not desperate to get away from you, I just wanted to help you."

"Don't you scare me like that again, Vincent! I thought you had gone off and left me again!" she cried angrily, trying to tell herself that she was annoyed when she was too busy enjoying how his hand was rubbing the back of her neck.

"I apologize," he said lightly, and he stopped caressing her, turning back to continue to work.

She instantly felt guilty and embraced him from behind, pressing her face into his back. "I didn't mean to get upset, Vincent," she explained. "It's just I don't want to lose something this meaningful to me again…"

Vincent instantly registered she meant Cloud's rejection, and he knew he could never follow the same path. I care about her as much as I did Lucrecia, maybe even more…

Wow, Valentine is showing some emotion towards this unworthy, human girl. I am disappointed deeply, Valentine. Chaos's deep growl rung through his head and he tried to shut out all his thoughts, turning around to hug Tifa and kiss her soft hair soothingly.

"You won't lose me," he whispered into her ear, his eyes closed. "Not until death do we part…" The vow of marriage seemed to faze her, and he was stunned he had said such a thing. Did I really just say that? he thought.

Did he really just say that? Oh my god…! Tifa seemed to practically radiate with happiness and passionately kissed him, letting her hands glide under his shirt and smoothly stroke his back. He shivered in delight, but she could feel areas of skin that had been opened and cured several times, and she comprehended half of his back was covered in…

"…scars?" she whispered aloud, timidly. Vincent's eyes opened and she realized she had spoken aloud, and blushed. "I'm sorry, I just felt…"

He visibly softened, and she could feel his claw brushing against her skin again. She shivered and moaned, clutching his back in pleasure and joy. She had been in so much of a hurry she had forgotten that she had no bra. However, this suited her fine, as she did not want it to disrupt Vincent from his activities.

Jean was smiling slightly from the back as he brought a new bag of ice from the back and slammed it into the counter, looking up. "Yo, lovebirds, we gotta open in ten minutes! Let's go! You can make out somewhere private later." He chuckled slightly and turned away, giving Tifa time to gain control over her face which had grown scarlet in embarrassment.

"He…he's r-right, Vincent…We should probably finished this somewhere more…private." Vincent's smile merely grew more pronounced as he allowed his claw to smoothly and gently slide down her back, tickling her and throwing her into a state of ecstasy.

"Private, hm?" The look in his eye told her he knew what she planned. Her reddened face glowed even more as she looked at her feet. "Very well, we should hurry and finish cleaning up."

The rest of the time was uneventful, and business was slow for a while as they waited for the early morning fog to clear up. Of course, this fog didn't stop their usual clients, so Tifa was preoccupied with customers while Vincent was aimlessly cleaning tables and plates, lounging behind the bar.

I wish I didn't have to work today, Tifa thought, as she smiled automatically at two men walking in from the waning fog. Then maybe Vincent and I…Her happy and pleasant thoughts were interrupted when she realized the men had stopped in their tracks, staring at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tifa and one of the men, a red-headed man with shades, cried at the same time. Vincent suddenly straightened up, grabbing his gun from behind the bar and sliding it into his holster, covering both it and his claw in his cloak. He recognized the man's profile, but the suits had told him it all when they had walked in.

Black shades, dark, navy suits and the air of superiority, these were the notorious Turks, though on a more personal level, known as Rude and Reno. Vincent's eyes suddenly flickered back to emptiness, throwing on his mask. He silently strode to Tifa, his eyes on the startled Turks.

"Vampy and Ms. Boobs in the same place?" cried Reno, almost falling in surprise. "Never thought I'd see the day…Now don't point that thing at me!" he cried indignantly as Vincent drew his gun, the powerful Death Penalty, in a flash. Reno held up his hands carefree, still holding his nightstick. "We didn't mean to cause trouble. Damn, didn't know you were still even alive. We just wanted a mug of coffee, a few hours and a quiet place to talk. We are paying customers you know, so I would greatly appreciate it if you quit POINTING THAT FUCKING GUN AT ME!" Reno shouted the last six words, and Vincent almost winced at Reno's poor, but typical, mannerism. He spun about and strutted to an empty booth, followed by Rude, and they both threw themselves on either side, deep in conversation.

Vincent lowered his gun cautiously, his eyes still on Reno, but raised it in an instant when Reno lifted his hand. "Look, I told you I'm not gonna jump you," he cried out. "Now can we please have a fuckin' cup of fuckin' coffee? Black, please, extra sugar, light on the cream," he added, turning back to Rude.

"Such a strange pair," Vincent whispered so only Tifa could hear him. She giggled and spun on her heel, heading back toward a stunned and confused Jean with the order. Vincent slowly followed, careful of the Shinra lapdogs.

The Turks had fallen in status since the death of almost every Shinra Corporate leader (besides the well known and well loved Cait Sith, a.k.a. Reeve) and had been less and less on the news as a result. Though they were mentioned somewhat, it was usually about either the disappearance or death of a member. It seemed as though the once feared mercenaries and hitmen of Shinra were falling rapidly.

"Maybe they're wondering what profession to venture into next…?" wondered Vincent aloud when he returned to his bar, his hands upon the counter as he thought silently to himself. Tifa strolled up to him, placing her hand on his.

"Maybe. They don't seem all that bad, they were just doing their job. We got in the way and they were forced to fight us."

Vincent shook his head slightly. "Still, they had no right to do, if I am not mistaken, what they did in Midgar…" Vincent realized instantly that Tifa's mood had shifted, though she tried her best to mask it. However, he could feel her hand turn cold and shiver slightly in memory. "I apologize, Tifa. I had not thought about what I said…"

Tifa gave a watery chuckle, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Don't apologize, Vincent. You weren't there, so you didn't know…" Her voice trailed off and she flashed him a strained smile, but his ruby eyes stared at her. She sighed and said, "Don't worry about it. If I have learned one thing from you, it is not to dwell on the past."

"How do you figure that?" Vincent asked curiously, knowing he was being led on, but played his part.

"Though I am greatly fascinated by your character," she stood straight and kissed him lightly. "I don't want to end up a sulking goth, and I certainly like my eye color."

Vincent laughed sarcastically, pushing her away from him in mocking anger. She merely smiled, a genuine one, and rushed to the back to pick up an order. He sighed and resumed to cleaning the shot-glasses on the top shelf that Tifa could never reach. How she got them up there, I'll never know, he thought to himself, and he could hear Chaos chuckling in the back of his mind.

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"Reno, we have to get this one done, or else the Turks are history," stressed Rude, who helped himself to a packet of sugar that he dumped carefully into his coffee. "You should know how dangerous it is, you can't be so lenient and carefree."

"Since when did you become so freaking talkative?" asked Reno, kicking his feet up onto the booth and resting against the wall. Rude simply frowned.

"Just be careful."

Reno turned to him, a toothpick protruding from his mouth as his sunglasses lay on his blazing hair. He grinned and propped his hands behind his head. "Aren't I always?"

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Tifa watched nervously as the Turks left, and she could not help feel it too much of a coincidence that they had happened upon this particular tavern amiss much competition. She glanced at Vincent as she grabbed the saucers they left on the table, and his expression told her he felt the same way.

Tifa was halfway back to the kitchen when the door flung open again and a shriek came from the doorway. Tifa cursed profusely when she had broken the dishes. She turned to the new customer and gasped in surprise when she saw none other than Yuffie Kisaragi, looking wild and pointing her thin, tanned finger at Tifa.

"I knew you and Vinnie were together!" she cried happily, jumping up and down with such enthusiasm that Vincent threw down his cleaning cloth (a lighter term for the rag he carried) turned his back on the door and shook his head and disbelief.

First I watch her die, then I get these things in me, now Yuffie shows up while I'm wearing an apron. God must really have it in for me…His humorous thoughts were interrupted by the door bell chiming again and he heard several feet shuffle in. He placed his temple in his hand. The entire group…? He does hate me.

Tifa was stunned as she watched member after member of the old party file into the modestly small bar. She then squealed in happiness and threw herself into Yuffie, embracing her like a long lost sister as they both jumped up and down excitedly. Cloud, who came in right after Yuffie, shook his head and smiled, turning toward the dark figure behind the counter.

"Vincent? Is that you?" he called, and Vincent ripped the apron from him, dropped it on the ground and turned toward Vincent, his face unreadable again. However, he was personally thankful he still retained his cloak from his earlier encounter with the Turks.

He nodded and made his way from the back, standing behind Tifa, who had brought herself back from the wild embrace. Cloud looked at Tifa, then at Vincent behind her, and obviously at a lose for words, merely scratched the side of his face in bewilderment. However, Cid was not so tactful.

"Holy shit Tifa! You dating Vampire boy?" he shouted. Vincent almost winced again by being called a 'vampire' for the second time that day. Cloud suddenly straightened up and Yuffie actually leaned closer, afraid she might not hear something. Tifa, however, merely blushed and looked down, smiling.

Vincent placed his hand on her shoulder and gave half a shrug, and she turned to him and hugged him. The others stood dumbstruck, and Tifa, flushed in the cheeks slightly, asked, "Does that answer your question?" Some roared with laughter, Barret the loudest of them, while Yuffie was being…well, Yuffie, goggling at them with her jaw on the ground. Cloud seemed unusually quiet and Red XIII exchanged a knowledgeable glance with Vincent, though Tifa pretended not to notice. "What do you all say to a few drinks? I want to hear why you all suddenly show up on my doorstep." They all looked at each other, and Tifa could see curiosity in their eyes, but they all shrugged and grinned, eager to accept Tifa on her hospitality.

Vincent, however, hung back as they made their way to the bar, merrily laughing. He kept his eyes focused on one spot, the edge of the glass that bore the name 'The Flower Haven', Vincent could make out the slightest edge of a dark navy suit. So it wasn't just coincidence, he thought.

You going to let me kill them?chided Chaos. Or are you going to let them think they are superior?

Sometimes, the best way to come on top of a situation is to let your opponent believe they are. But be ready Chaos, I believe I shall be calling on you soon. He could feel Chaos's anticipation, but he fully hoped that it would not resort to anything past his gun and claw.