My computer has been resurrected. I'm content now.

Chapter 45

Tifa found herself left alone for a few hours and ended up back in her room with the baby. She left the door to the room open, in the hopes that someone might come by and talk. Basically, she was bored.

Reno was strolling along, killing time when he happened to notice the open door. He peeked inside, seeing Tifa on the couch. "Where's the Count?"

She offered him a smile. "Out with Cid."

"No shit?" Reno asked, stepping in. "Wasn't going to drag him to some isolated place and whack him, right?"

"No, I don't think so." Tifa patted the couch next to where she was sitting, hoping that Reno would hang out for a while.

He took her invitation and sat next to her. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much." Tifa examined him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

Tifa reached out and gently lifted his bangs, exposing his eye patch. "Are you still hurting from this?"

Reno didn't recoil from her touch or stare, knowing that she honestly cared. "It's not too bad. Hurts a little, but it's okay."

Tifa let her hand fall back to her lap. "I'm really sorry for all the trouble we've caused you."

Reno shrugged and settled back into the cushions. "Don't worry about it. Things were gettin' dull anyway. Vinny doing okay with everything?"

"Well," Tifa said quietly, "he's feeling a lot of guilt over what he did to you, and I know he's still hurt over what I did."

"Yeah." Reno thought about how he would feel if he were to find Angel with another man and it unsettled him. "Tough stuff. He don't need to feel bad about shooting me, though. I know it was because of the ferium. I'm cool with him."

"Reno, you've been really great through all of this." Tifa was honestly impressed with his resilience. "How do you manage to keep it together?"

He wasn't about to admit to his frequent counseling sessions with a dead man. "Just gotta do what I gotta do."

Opting to change the subject, Tifa asked, "How's Angel feeling? She's not very far along."

"Yeah, she's just a few weeks I guess." Reno smiled. "She's been tired, though and these last few days have been pretty rough since she's been putting in a lot of time here."

"Poor thing."

"I know." The ASRIO leader looked over at her. "I can't believe we're gonna have two kids, though. I wonder if this one's going to be as keyed up as Dana is all the time?"

"You never know." Tifa motioned over to where Charlotte was sleeping on the bed. "I can't wait to see if she turns out anything like Aaron or not."

"About Charlotte," Reno suddenly looked a little uncomfortable, "I needed to talk to you a little bit about her."

"What about?" Tifa asked.

"If we get this cure from the lab and it works on Vinny, Cid, and Mini Vinny, you do know that we're gonna have to give it to her as well, right?" Reno braced for her reaction.

This was something that Tifa hadn't actually given any thought to. "Oh…God, that's right…"

"I mean, we don't have to do it while she's a baby like this, apparently we have until she's about six to get it done, but I just wanted you to have the heads up. If Aaron inherited it from Vinny, then she probably did, too." Reno put his arm around her shoulders, seeing that she looked upset.

"All right." It pained Tifa to realize that her knew baby daughter now had two strikes against her-- thalessemia and some demon.

"It'll be okay, you know that," Reno tried to reassure her.

"I know, just as a mother, when you hear that there's anything wrong with your baby…" Tifa's voice trailed off and tears came to her eyes.

Reno held her closer. He closed his eye and rested his cheek against her hair. Although he was doing this with the intent of comforting Tifa, in truth, he needed it just as much as she did. He was dreading sending his men on another mission.

They both looked up when they heard Cid and Vincent return. Reno immediately let go of Tifa and stood up, fearing that Vincent might think that something weird had been going on. "Hey, Vinny, what's up?"

Vincent shrugged and came over, shoving his son-in-law aside and sitting next to Tifa. He looked over at her and grabbed one of her hands. "Cid and I have been busy."
"Doing what?" she dared to ask.

"Planning things." Vincent smiled. "And I got a new phone."

"Can I see it?" Tifa held out her free hand toward him.

Vincent was a little disappointed that the first part of his statement had slid right by without her notice. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his new cell phone, handing it over. "It does all kinds of things."

Tifa flipped it open and took notice that it was like one that her friend back in Kalm had. "Wow…I didn't think you'd go for one quite this fancy."

Vincent's smile returned. "Well, since Cid was paying…"

Her eyes went wide and she looked at her husband. "You made Cid pay for this? Jesus, Vincent, how much did that set him back?"

"Not much," Cid lied from where he was still standing close to the door. "Hey, I'm gonna go and see if Jin's managed to pull herself out of bed yet. I'll see you guys later. Six, right?"

Vincent looked over at him and nodded. "Yes, six."

"Okay." And with that, Cid disappeared from view.

"What's going on at six?" Tifa asked, pushing various buttons on the new phone.

Vincent placed his arm around her shoulders. "Our wedding, that's what."

Tifa forgot about the phone and let it fall to the floor. "Tonight?"

"That's not a very nice way to handle my new and expensive phone, Tifa," Vincent said quietly, never missing a beat.

"Fuck the phone, Vincent. You and Cid went out and planned our whole deal in just a few hours? I mean, where are we doing it? Who's doing it? What in the hell are we going to wear?" Tifa turned to face him square on.

"Well, I was just going to wear a dress shirt, these pants, and my cloak since it will be cold out on the beach by sunset." Vincent reached down and picked up his phone off the floor. "It's casual, I figure."

"The beach?" Tifa's eyes almost teared up. "Where on the beach?"

"Our place." Vincent tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Oh Vincent…" Tifa smiled. "Still, I don't know what I'm going to wear…"

Vincent reached into another pocket of his and pulled out a small black box. "Well, I was thinking you could wear this."

Tifa's eyes went wide as he opened the small velvet box before her. Inside, was her wedding ring, but the relatively small diamond that had been set into it before had been replaced with one of far more substance. "Oh my God, Vincent…"

He saw her start to reach for it, but snapped the box shut, causing her hand to hastily retreat. "You only get to have it if you go through with this, Tifa."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the smile that he wore. Not knowing what else to do, Tifa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Reno was, needless to say, feeling profoundly out of place and turned to leave. "Well, fuck, I guess that's just dandy."

Vincent pulled back from the kiss for a moment. "You and Angel are going to attend, I hope."

"Attend what? I don't even know what in the fuck's going on." Reno crossed his arms over his chest, looking incensed, and pretending that he hadn't just heard the entire conversation that took place before him.

"Tifa and I are getting married again," Vincent said, meeting the ASRIO leader's stare. "Cid and Jin are attending, and I would like Angel and yourself to be there as well."

Reno looked thoughtful. "Sounds like a good way to kill an evening. We going out and getting drunk after?"

"Reno, I don't drink anymore, and Tifa cannot in light of the fact she's nursing."

"Oh, right." Reno's expression fell. "We going out though at all afterward?"

"We can go to dinner or something." Vincent turned his eyes back to Tifa.

"All right. I'll pay for that." Reno nodded, making a mental note of this for himself. "Six you said?"

"Yes," Vincent replied.

"And we're all meeting up here?" Reno asked.

Vincent nodded.

"Cool. I'm all over it." With that, Reno walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Tifa remained at Vincent's side, staring into his eyes in silence for several minutes. She had so many things to tell him, but feared ruining the feeling that had settled over the two of them.

Vincent reached up and placed his right hand against Tifa's cheek. "What's on your mind?"

Tifa reached up and covered his hand with her own, holding him there. "I was just…thinking how lucky I am to have you do this for me after what I did."

"Tifa, we keep going back to that." Vincent offered her a faint smile.

"I'm sorry, I know, don't let the past eat at me, right? But Vincent, I do love you and I just want you to know that and to believe it." Her expression softened and she leaned a little closer to him.

"I believe it, Tifa." He leaned forward, until his lips brushed against hers. "I have to believe it…that is all I have."

Tifa closed her eyes and submitted to his kiss.

-----------------------

Jaras, having needed to get some things done at work had gone to the bookstore, and had taken Aaron with him. The boy was content in the quiet of the shop, pulling various books from the shelves and reading them. He sat at the small table that Jaras had in the front corner of the store, looking at a book on Sephiroth, admiring the pictures of his older brother in his previous incarnation.

Jaras sat behind the register, marking an order sheet for some new paperbacks, and he happened to glance over at the boy. "What are you reading, little brother?"

Aaron looked over his shoulder. "A book about you."

Jaras cocked an eyebrow and got up, walking up behind Aaron. He saw the page that Aaron was reading, finding his own image there. Sephiroth was standing, Masamune in hand, clad in his leather overcoat and armor. It made Jaras laugh. "Funny clothes, huh?"

"I think you looked cool." Aaron touched the picture, allowing his finger to trace the image of the sword his brother held in the photo.

Jaras came up with a particular thought. "Brandon has that outfit at his home in a box. I was wearing it when I washed up here all those years ago."

"Really?" Aaron looked up at Jaras.

"Yes. We'll go stop by after work and I'll show you." Jaras tousled his brother's hair.

"Cool," Aaron said back, offering him a smile.

-----------------------

Vincent was in the shower, getting cleaned up. It was getting to be close to five, and he knew that Tifa would arrive back from her shopping trip soon and want to bathe as well before they went up to take care of things.

He washed his hair and then let the water run over his face before finally opening his eyes. When he saw Cid's form through the frosted glass of the shower door, he let out a small squeal of shock. Vincent pulled open the shower door and stared at the pilot. "What, may I ask, are you doing in here? Have you no manners?"

Cid shrugged, not moving from where he was leaning against the bathroom sink. He snickered to himself as he looked at Vincent, able to see everything. "Hey, close the door or get a towel on."

"Need I remind you that you are the one intruding on my privacy?" Vincent reached over and turned off the water, closing the shower door. "Again, why are you in here?"

"I wanted to talk."

Vincent jerked his towel from the top of the shower door and got to drying himself. "This isn't really a good time."

"I wasn't doin' anything."

Vincent wrapped the towel around his waist and then flung open the shower door once again. "Cid…honestly, get out."

"I've already seen it all, what's the big deal?" There was a smirk upon his lips.

"Or was it a case of you walking into my room uninvited, hearing the shower running, and hoping it was Tifa so that you barged in?" Vincent went over to the counter, physically pushed Cid out of the way and picked up his brush, getting to work on his hair.

"Naw, I wouldn't do that." Cid moved closer to the bathroom door, giving himself some relief from the steam that filled the room. "Seriously, I just wanted to talk."

"Our friendship is getting a little weird," Vincent mused to himself as he wrestled the tangles from his mane.

"Maybe," Cid sighed. "Anyway, Tifa stopped by and talked to me for a while before goin' up on her shopping spree."

"And?" Vincent looked over at the other man, finally done taming his hair.

Cid moved aside so that Vincent could walk out of the bathroom and over to the bed where he had his clothes laid out. "She's real excited about this. I thought it was kinda…"

"Go ahead and say it." Vincent looked back over his shoulder, losing the last of his modesty and letting the towel fall from his waist before picking up his boxers and sliding them on. "Is it gay or corny?"

"Both," Cid laughed, looking away as Vincent dressed. "But like I said, she's really amped up about it."

"I'm glad to hear that. I just want a clean start." Vincent sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his shirt on, buttoning it.

"Yeah, well, I think you're doing a real good job in bein' better to her so far. I mean, I know it hasn't been more than a few days really, but it's obvious you're really tryin'." Cid went over and landed on the couch.

"Thank you." Vincent continued dressing. "I had a fairly good reality check."

"I know, and I'm still sorry." Cid looked over and met Vincent's gaze. "But this isn't gonna be one of those things where you act different for a few weeks or so and then just go right back to where you were, right?"

"Since I know what the problem was now, I can deal with it," he replied, standing back up and getting his pants on.

Cid knit his brow. "You've gotta promise me, Sue, that you'll never hurt her again. If you do, I'll find out, and if that happens…I'll kick your ass and pull your other arm off."

"Cid," Vincent sighed, tightening his belt, "I'm never going to let her down again. I've seen what happened when I let things get out of control. I'm just lucky that she managed to hold out for six years before doing what she did and moreover, I'm lucky that we've been able to face the reality of what happened in a way that hasn't just led to more fighting. If I do ever go back to my old ways, Highwind, you have my permission to kick my ass. Deal?"

Cid got up from where he was sitting and came over. He placed his hand upon Vincent's shoulder. "Deal. It's just, and I know you don't wanna hear this shit, but I love her and I don't want her miserable anymore. She loves you, Sue, you're real fuckin' lucky for that reason alone."

Vincent took notice of the sadness in the pilot's eyes and forced himself to smile. "I know."

Cid's face looked momentarily pained, and then he moved closer, placing his arms around Vincent and holding him close. "And I hate to fuckin' admit it, Vincent, but…I, uh…"

Vincent closed his eyes and submitted to the embrace, putting his arms around Cid in return. "You don't have to say it."

"Yeah, I do." Cid closed his eyes, keeping his hold on Vincent. "I love ya, Sue."

Vincent smiled to himself, taking note of how the pilot still had to use his emasculating female nickname during such a serious statement. "I love you, too, Cid."

Thoroughly embarrassed at himself, Cid finally stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, well, great. Now we're all just one, big fuckin' family."

"I suppose we are." Vincent turned away and picked up his boots from beside the bed.

"All right, well, I'm gonna go get ready for this thing." Cid headed toward the door.

"Cid?"

He looked back. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." Vincent offered him a genuine smile.

Cid reciprocated the expression. "Sure thing."

-----------------------

Tifa returned from her shopping trip and entered the room, finding it empty. There was a note upon the bed and she picked it up and read, holding the baby with her left arm.

Tifa,

I've gone ahead and left the base in preparation for tonight's event. Come up to the beach once you are ready and Reno, Angel, Cid, and Jin have arrived. Porter and Rayna have agreed to watch Charlotte for the evening, so you may drop her off there before coming.

I will be waiting.

Vincent

She smiled to herself before sitting down to nurse the baby before she got ready. Once the baby was fed, she left her room momentarily to pass Charlotte off to Porter and his wife. They eagerly accepted the infant, Rayna seeming very excited to have the baby to tend to once again.

That done, Tifa went back to her room and showered quickly before dressing, combing her hair, and putting on makeup for the first time in months. She'd given up doing so once far along in her pregnancy with Charlotte as to feel miserable. Besides, Vincent had seemed to give up noticing how she looked back then. He always claimed she was beautiful either way.

When she was ready, a knock came to the door and she answered, finding her four wedding guests present. "Hi, guys."

Reno stepped forward. "Hey, you're lookin' pretty good."

Tifa blushed. "Thanks."

Cid nodded in agreement, until his wife jabbed him in the ribs for looking at the other woman too long.

"Well," Reno said, reaching out and taking her hand, "I guess we should go before we're all late and Vinny thinks we ain't coming."

"Okay." Tifa followed along as she was pulled from the room by the ASRIO leader.

They went up to the airfield and piled into Reno's red sports car, finding five adults to be a tight fit, but the beach was only about a half mile away. Reno drove them there within a few minutes, and they got out.

Tifa looked over the scene. The tide was far out, leaving a considerable expanse of sand exposed. The sun was close to the horizon, casting the sky into a blood red hue and out on the beach, stood Vincent. There was a wind blowing as usual here, and his red cloak was billowing out behind him. Tifa smiled to herself and tuned out the conversation taking place amongst the others and started forward toward him.

When she reached Vincent, she could see that the redness of the sky was accentuating his eyes, making them look as though they were on fire. His hair had been left loose as she had expressed preferring it, and it was being blown around gently by the breeze. Tifa found herself staring. He looked better to her in that moment than he had in ages.

Vincent, in turn, smiled down at her. She had donned a simple white dress for the occasion and had done her hair in a somewhat elaborate manner. Tifa may have had a baby not too long ago, but her body was still amazing to him and he couldn't help but reach out and place his right arm behind her back.

Tifa searched his eyes. "Hey there."

"Hey."

"So, uh, where's the guy who's doing this?" she asked.

Vincent looked up over her shoulder. "Behind you."

Tifa spun around and spotted the minister who had come up behind them. "Oh, hello."

The minister grinned at her. "You must be Tifa."

"Yeah." She couldn't believe that Vincent had actually gone to the trouble of getting a real minister for this event.

"Vincent here has told me a lot about you." He was clutching a small book in his hands. "He seemed very eager for the two of you to renew your vows tonight."

Tifa smiled back at him.

The other four arrived and stood behind Vincent and Tifa. Reno started to mouth off about something, but what quickly silenced by a firm smack in the shoulder by his wife.

The minister, seeing that everyone was present, got to the task at hand. "We are here today to take part in the reaffirmation of the love between Vincent and Tifa Vatatsi. They have been married now for nearly seven years and in that time, they have been through many things. They've brought two children into this world, and have been an important part of the lives of their family and friends. Vincent, is there anything that you wish to say to your wife in this moment?"

Vincent had been giving thought to this during the day and swallowed hard, feeling profoundly self-conscious. He took both of Tifa's hands into his own. "Tifa…over the years, I know I've been hard to live with. I've taken you for granted and haven't always been the man that you deserved. Despite that, you still loved me and gave me two perfect children. I swear to you that from this moment forward, I will never take you for granted again. I will never forget how fortunate that I am to have you, and I hope that you will never regret having married me in the future. I love you."

Tifa felt tears come to her eyes, and she could see that there were some in Vincent's as well. "I love you…"

Reno was watching intently, but his eye went wide when he noticed that Tseng was present, and standing close to Vincent. He glanced at the others, wondering if anyone else noticed the deceased man present, but apparently, no one did.

Tseng glanced over at Reno and gave him a quick smile. "He is my brother, I wouldn't miss this."

The ASRIO leader just nodded slightly, opting not to interrupt the proceedings. To have done so would just have landed him in the asylum as far as he figured, anyway.

The minister then looked at Tifa. "And, Tifa, is there anything that you wish to say to Vincent?"

She was at a loss for words for a few seconds. "Vincent, I know that I hurt you in the past, but despite that, you've found it in your heart to forgive me. That forgiveness, that ability to still love me… is more than I could have ever asked for. I will never take you for granted again either. I owe you so much, and I can't express how happy I am that you've stayed with me… Our children will be better off for us remaining together, and I thank you for Aaron and Charlotte. I love you."

Although it was somewhat obscured by the collar to his cloak, Vincent was clearly smiling even though tears marked his cheeks. He dared to glance from Tifa's gaze for a moment and over at their guests. Although he may have been mistaken, he thought it looked like Cid might have been wiping his eyes at that moment.

The minister spoke up again. "Vincent, do you have a ring to present to your wife?"

He nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling Tifa's newly modified wedding ring out.

"Place the ring onto her left hand, thus signifying your continuing devotion to her in the years to come," the minister said.

Vincent complied and placed the gold ring upon her delicate hand.

That done, the minister looked to Tifa. "And do you have a ring to present to your husband?"

Tifa also came up with Vincent's wedding ring, having brought it along, worn on her right index finger.

"And as he did with you, place the ring upon Vincent, signifying your continuing devotion to him in the years to come."

She did as asked, finding that the ring fit upon the finger on his cybernetic left hand without any trouble.

"With your love and marriage thusly reaffirmed, I ask God to bless your union and grant you many more years of peace and love together. Vincent, you may kiss your wife." The minister then closed his small book and stepped back.

Vincent put his arms around Tifa and looked down into her eyes before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other and turned toward their four guests.

Reno, now that Tseng had vanished from his sight, stepped forward and clapped Vincent on the back. "Good boy, Vinny."

He looked away, still embarrassed about the whole thing. "Thanks."

"That was lovely." Angel came forward as well, smiling and standing at Tifa's side. "Let me see your ring, I heard you got an upgrade."

Tifa held her hand out to Angel, and the other woman examined it before whistling in her amazement over the new stone.

Cid and Jin stepped forward, too. The pilot offered Vincent a fleeting smile. "Good job, Sue."

Vincent laughed quietly to himself. "Thanks."

Jin, however, remained quiet, not knowing what to say.

Reno was bored with the whole thing. "So, can we go have dinner now or what?"

The minister departed, having done his job and then the six of them walked from the beach and to the restaurant that had been agreed upon earlier in the day.

Things seemed to be back as they should be.

-----------------------

"Rude?"

The Turk looked into the rearview mirror of the limo, spotting President Harwin in the back seat. He was currently taking the Shinra leader to the airport, since he had finished up his reason for coming to Gongaga. "Sir?"

"Have you heard any more from Deana?" the fat man asked, before sipping from the glass of champagne in his right hand.

"No. Why?" Rude gave passing thought to the Turk that was still stationed in Mideel.

"I was just wondering if Sephiroth ever showed back up there after getting away from Methius?" Harwin closed his eyes and settled back into his seat. "I'd like to find him someday and have him executed."

"Executed?" Rude brought the car to a stop at a red light.

"I hold him responsible for the death of the good doctor."

Rude tensed his jaw, not well for this line of thought.

"Call her, have her check around to see if he's gone back there," the president ordered flatly. "For that matter, we should probably get someone to stake out Vincent Valentine's home so that he can be assassinated as well, assuming he ever goes back there."

Rude felt his blood run cold. There was no way that he was going to carry out that order.

"Well? Don't you have your phone?" the corpulent man asked, his voice betraying his annoyance.

The light turned green and Rude hit the gas, launching the car through the intersection. He knew full well that if Ferris Harwin were eliminated, so would vanish the company's interest in Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth, as well as any knowledge of the location of Vincent's home and the ASRIO base. The next man in the line of attrition within the company wasn't a cruel and vindictive man like Harwin. Simply put, without the current Shinra president, the world would be a much nicer place. Rude turned from the main road that led toward the airport and headed into the darkness.

"Where are we going?" Harwin asked, realizing that they were no longer going toward their original destination.

Rude was silent for several seconds before he pulled the car over. Blocked from view by the car seat, he slipped his gun from beneath his suit coat. He then turned in the seat and looked back at the president.

"What in the fuck are you doing? The airship is waiting!" Harwin just didn't get it.

Rude pulled off his sunglasses with his left hand. "I'm giving my notice. I quit."

Harwin threw his glass of champagne against car's passenger side window and then crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't quit! You're a Turk! Quit screwing around and get us to the airport!"

"You're the most wretched man I've ever known." Rude lifted his right hand over the seat, aiming his gun. "And for the record, lots of Turks have quit."

"Wait!" He raised his hands in a pathetic gesture of defense.

Rude pulled the trigger and his lone bullet ripped through the president's head, directly between his eyes. Harwin collapsed over onto his side in the back seat of the limousine, dead.

The Turk then turned and faced forward again in his seat, tucking his gun back beneath his coat. He pulled the car back out onto the road and headed into the countryside. Rude was going to dump the body somewhere in the rural outskirts of town before getting himself to the airport and onto a flight to Junon.

-----------------------

Vincent and Tifa had left the restaurant where the others were still drinking and having a good time. They had left early, wanting some time alone before they went back to the base. Inevitably, they made their way back to the beach and went to the same spot where they had just been about two hours before.

Vincent took of his cloak and placed it out upon the sand and then helped Tifa sit before landing at her side. He placed his right arm around her shoulders and they stared out at the water, watching the waves crash out in the moonlight.

"Vincent?"

He looked over at her and silently awaited her continuation.

"That was really sweet of you to arrange all of this," Tifa said quietly.

"Like I said, we needed a new start and now we have one." Vincent looked off toward the water. Exhaustion was starting to set in as his stress over the entire day finally faded away now that it was all done and over with.

"And getting a real minister…that was a surprise." Tifa rested her head upon his shoulder. "I really appreciated that."

"That's what I was hoping for."

"Thank you." She closed her eyes, just enjoying his closeness.

Vincent moved and got to his knees. He got behind her and knelt, placing his hands upon her shoulders. With his lips close to her ear, he whispered, "No, Tifa, I thank you. It would have been easy to just give up on me and stay with Cid. Thank you for the second chance."

Tifa was going to say something in response, but the sensation of Vincent's mouth trailing down the side of her neck cut off her words. He still knew how to drive her mad and she found herself becoming aroused.

Vincent continued to explore her neck with his lips, enjoying the way she was beginning to catch her breath on occasion when he dared to gently nip her skin with his teeth.

"Vincent…"

"Yes?" he replied, again bringing his lips close to her ear.

"I'm…I really want to…" Tifa closed her eyes, feeling his tongue outline her ear.

"You can't," he replied, sending a shiver down her spine. "It's too soon. It hurt you to try yesterday."

"Please, Vincent…" Tifa reached back with her right hand, quickly finding evidence of Vincent's own arousal. "I really want to try again."

He was reluctant, not seeing how one day could make enough of a difference. The way her hand was applying friction to him through his pants got the better of him, though. "It's up to you… If I think I'm hurting you, I'm stopping."

"Okay." Tifa got to her knees and turned, her mouth quickly being met with his.

Vincent let his hands run over her body, finding their way beneath the skirt to her dress. His hand managed beneath her undergarments and he gently allowed his fingers to apply some pressure to the focus of her arousal, causing her to groan against his mouth, making his own anticipation worsen.

Tifa, in turn, undid his belt and pants, slipping her hand within and taking a hold of him. Her head lulled back as he began to lavish her throat with kisses. "Vincent…"

"Tifa…" He felt her begin to respond to his touch and was pleased that so far there was no hint of pain coming from her.

She pulled away from him and laid back, extending her arms toward him. "Please…"

Vincent got onto all fours and came to hover over her. Tifa reached up and pulled his pants down just enough to expose him, before grabbing the bottom hem of her dress and drawing it up. Vincent placed his right hand upon her thigh and ran it up to where it met her body. She writhed beneath him, her eyes begging him to proceed.

His right hand carefully pulled her panties aside and Vincent lowered his body down until it met hers. Agonizingly slow, he drove into her, keeping his eyes open and gazing down into hers as he went, searching for any sign that she was suffering.

But she wasn't suffering at all. With as aroused as she was and with the position they were in, Tifa was able to accommodate Vincent's length without complaint. Seeing that she wasn't having any trouble, Vincent kissed her again and began to move slowly.

They made love there on the beach in the dark for well over an hour and a half. Vincent managed to bring her to climax three times before finally submitting to his own passion and achieving his release.

Once they were done, Vincent stood up and then offered Tifa his hand. She rose as well and kissed him again before stepping back and staring into his eyes. "I love you."

Vincent smiled. "I love you, too. We…we should probably get back."

"I know." Tifa grinned and looked out at the water one last time.

Vincent bent down and picked up his cloak before shaking the sand from it. That done, he took his wife's hand and walked with her back toward the base. Once there, they collected their daughter, fed her, and then the three of them fell asleep.

The day was done.