He couldn't remember when she started living with him. It just sort of happened. When the Space Program had first started, she would come over early in the morning and stay late into the light planning things with him. After some time, he noticed that she would fall asleep on her work. In the morning, she would wake up, stammer out an apology, and run home to clean up. After several weeks of this, he finally suggested that she leave some clothes and a toothbrush or whatever it was she needed in the morning. After a brief argument, she agreed.

Eventually, the guestroom stopped being the guestroom and became her room. When she mentioned that the lease to her apartment was up, he asked why it mattered. By that point, most of her things were in his house anyway. Even she had made the joke that going home was almost depressing because it was so plain.

Before he knew it, he had given her a key and woke up each morning to her making breakfast. He didn't mind really, she made damned good tea. She was pleasant and quiet so he didn't mind that she was always around. He also realized that he liked having company as well. The house had been lonely when he was living there alone. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She would gladly sit and listen to his daily triumphs and failures.

Once the Space Program failed, he expected her to leave. Their job was over and there was no real reason for her to stick around. However it seemed that she was clinging onto him more closely than she had before, almost as if she were afraid he'd throw her out. She cooked, cleaned and did everything and anything she asked. He remembered something someone once said about being responsible for any life you save. Maybe that was the reason he never asked her to leave. Besides, she made damned good tea.

Now that all was said and done, he stood outside the door to his house studying the grain in the wood. He hadn't been home since the day he left two months before. When Cloud ordered everyone to go home and decide what they were fighting for, he had stayed in his ship with Cloud, Tifa, and the crew. He already knew what he was fighting for.

He couldn't remember when he fell in love with her. In fact, he hated thinking about it in those words. "Fall in love." It sounded so soft. She was probably the last person he should love. She had ruined his life's work, nearly gotten herself killed trying to make some stupid, last minute adjustments, then decided to stay around and play maid to him forever. He probably should have kicked her out after the Space Program got shut down, but she made such damned good tea.

He realized that he must have been standing outside of the door for well over an hour thinking. He scowled and tossed another cigarette butt down onto the growing pile of them beside the door. It was time to go in and face her. He drew in a deep breath and opened the door. She looked up and smiled at him as he flung his pack to the floor and leaned his spear against the wall.

"Hello Captain." She said as she finished setting the table, "Everything went well, I suppose?"

Cid blinked a few times, "Uh… yeah. Planet's still here and all."

"Good… good…" Shera murmured, "I'm glad no one got hurt."

Cid briefly thought of Aeris, but brushed the thought aside for now. There was plenty of time for that part of the story later. Shera had liked Aeris, hell so had he, but he didn't want to make her sad by telling her that the pretty little flower seller had died. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked at the table. It had been set for two people.

"Plannin' on having someone over here for dinner?" Cid asked, scowling again.

Shera walked to the stove and took a kettle of hot water off of one of the burners, "No Captain. I was waiting for you."

Cid stood there dumbfounded, "Waiting for me? How in the hell did you know I was coming back today?"

"Well, Meteor's gone and there have been reports from that Reeve man who was behind Cait Sith that Sephiroth is dead, so I assumed that you would be coming home." Shera said smiling up at him, "Plus there is the fact that you've been standing outside that door smoking for the past hour."

"Sonovabitch." Cid swore, slamming himself down into the nearest chair and taking the cup of tea that Shera offered, "If you knew I was fucking standing there, why in the hell didn't you come out and see me?"

"I thought you might need time to think or just wanted to smoke." Shera sipped from her own cup of tea, "I didn't want to disturb you."

"'Disturb-" Cid stared at her, "Fuck Shera, you wouldn't have disturbed me. I came back here because I wanted to see you."

Shera looked surprised, "You wanted to see me?"

"Of course I want to see you." Cid banged his cup on the table, "For fuck's sake… I love you, you idiot woman!"

Shera cocked her head to the side and looked at him a moment. Cid realized what he said, and his mouth opened and closed a few times. He wanted to take the words back, but he realized that once they were out there, there was no taking them back. He crossed his arms across his chest and matched her stare for stare.

A small smile appeared on her face, "I love you too, Captain."

She turned and busied herself with bringing dinner over to the table. Cid sat back down and watched her. It was just the same as she had always done. She walked over, set food down, went back to the oven and did it again. For some reason he had imagined that it would be different somehow. He had just told her he loved her and nothing was different.

He watched her go around in her normal routine. Maybe it was because nothing had changed. Maybe he had always loved her. Maybe she had always loved him. She sat down across from him and dished out some food from a bowl.

"So tell me the whole story, Captain."

Cid smiled slightly, "Well… lemme see… it all started with that fuck face shooting down my plane, remember?"

"Of course, Captain." Shera replied.

Cid stopped to take a drink of tea and smiled more confidently. His woman made damned good tea.