Chapter Three – Return

It had been a long day. Tifa had opened the bar an hour later than the usual opening time for she had overslept and had to cook for the children. Now as she stared up at the clock, it read 9:45 pm, just another fifteen minutes before ten. She had decided to leave the bar open for an extra hour to make up for the customers who had been waiting for her bar to open earlier this morning.

Even though she was suffering from exhaustion, she kept pushing on knowing that her day wasn't to end until she finished all the chores after closing down the bar. She hoped so hard that the children wouldn't wait for her and stay up too late, it was way passed their bed time but she hadn't tucked them in bed yet. Not only did she have to tuck them in bed, she also had to read Marlene one of her favorite fairytales and tell Denzel one action-packed story, the way he liked it. On top of that, she still had a whole sink full of dirty dishes and mugs to wash and take the empty beer bottles out to be recycled. Sighing, Tifa wiped clean one of the tabletops, where a customer had just left, and she took away the empty mugs to wash.

Once the bar was empty, Tifa stifled a sigh and ran upstairs. Opening the children's door, she discovered that the lights were off and their beds occupied. Eavesdropping carefully, she felt satisfied in hearing their slow, soft, even breathing which suggested they were asleep, unable to wait for their stories.

Angels. Tifa thought with a slight grin, closing the door discreetly and heading back downstairs to begin the long process of tidying up the bar. She had left the bar dirty just to put the children to sleep, but it seemed they had made her job easier by tucking themselves in bed independently.

It had been a while since she had stayed up this late to tend to the bar, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon the cleaning and delay it until tomorrow. Besides, cleaning made her think of nothing, and that was something she desperately required at the moment. To think of nothing, to have zilch on her mind, just focusing on cleaning. Most importantly, not think of him just for a few moments in order to give her some peace for it hurt to constantly have him on her mind.

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Cloud swung his leg over Fenrir and dismounted. It was late at night where just about all the lights in the small town had been put out. He had finished delivering his last package not long ago, and was currently making his way into the bar. Shoving his gloved hand into his pocket, he retrieved the keys and took one last glimpse at the starry night sky.

He had been thinking, contemplating about what he said earlier to Tifa. Recollecting every word he had said, which was barely any, he regretted it and wanted so much to take back those words. They had been through a great deal together, and he had promised to protect her. He was never going to forget that promise, for he was a man of his words. She had made his life so much easier to endure, always being by his side to give him some extra support. Forever lending her assistance to him, eternally being the warm hearted, generous Tifa he knew so well. If he allowed anything to happen to her, he knew he couldn't live. She was everything to him, the protector of his heart, the one and only person he had managed to take in dearly.

Pushing the key into the keyhole, he unlocked the door and treaded into the soundless bar. He had expected it to be dark since the household occupants were commonly asleep by now. Instead of the expected darkness that usually engulfed him, the small light set for the bar was still on and glowing.

He approached the bar to find Tifa on her knees scrubbing the floor with a white cloth, a bucket of soapy water situated beside her. She scrubbed a white mark on the floorboard and then dropped the cloth back into the container. Getting to her feet, she lifted the bucket and gazed up to find a pair of blue eyes staring back at her.

Jumping at the sight of Cloud's blue eyes, the bucket slipped out of her hands and fell, spilling all the contents over the already damp floor.

"Cloud," she spoke startled.

She had been so absorbed in cleaning that she never heard him enter, let alone hear the jingle of his key. Turning her attention down to the floor, she looked at the wet floorboards which she had just cleaned a few seconds ago in despair. The entire floor was soaked beneath her; as she crouched down to put the bucket back to standing position. The cloth was a meter away from her grasp as she leaned over to pick it back up. Before she had made contact with the cloth, a familiar, masculine hand was already resting on it, holding it out to her.

Glancing at it but not allowing her eyes to travel any further then to his hands, Tifa grabbed the cloth.

"Thanks," was the best she could say since his words earlier came flooding back into her head.

Cloud felt unwanted, he felt as if he was being pushed away by her discreet behavior. Things didn't feel the same, and he couldn't locate the correct words to explain what he his words had meant this morning. "Tifa, are you alright?" He asked. It was a stupid question for it was clear that she wasn't.

Tifa ignored his words for a minute or so as she used the cloth to soak up some water. Squeezing the cloth so the liquid was left in the bucket, she continued wiping before mustering enough energy to speak. "Go and have a shower," she commented unable to reply to his question for she was afraid of what she might reveal to him.

"I saw Barrett," Cloud announced in his usual solemn tone. "He wants to take the kids with him…" He waited for her reaction but only got the loud splash of water being wringed out of the cloth. "Tifa?" He urged softly.

She didn't know how to react; it felt as if God was playing a wicked joke on her. First He blessed her with everything, especially a small family of her own and then allowed her to have Cloud. Now, just as it felt content and fulfilling for her, it was slowly slipping away. Little by little, He who everybody looked up upon and prayed to, slowly retrieved all that Tifa had.

Wringing the cloth dry, she observed as drop by drop of the soapy, yet dirty liquid fall into the bucket. Each drop resembled the tears she wanted to cry, but she held it in. Forcing the tears back as well as pushing herself to breathe, she at long last lost all self control and patience with cleaning the floor and pounded the side of her fist into the floorboards.

Why? She screamed in her head whilst glaring at her clenched fist. Tears were stinging her eyes as she kept on crouching, never able to look at him. Suddenly, Tifa felt so alone, with no companion to support her, nobody to lend her a helping hand.

During this scene, all Cloud could do was examine her, she had her hand resting on the floorboard and it was squashed into a loose fist. Squatting, he placed a warm hand over her held out fist, in hopes of telling her that she wasn't alone. Although that was the message he was sending her, she had seemed to have interpreted it in the wrong way.

Without glancing at him, she pulled her hand away from his touch as if he had poisoned her. "I slipped," she lied and stood to saunter past him.

"Tifa," Cloud called catching her arm in his hand just before she walked past him. "What's going on?"

Tifa tilted her head; she was not going to cry. Thank goodness her back was facing him as she spoke, "I'm getting a mop, to clean." She managed, her voice for once not faltering when she was about to cry. Shifting out of his grasp, and now heading for the cleaning cupboard she conversed "So what has Barrett planned?"

Cloud took a seat on one of the bar stools, "Well a school has been established nearby," He began.

Grabbing the mop and at last being able to look at him to discover his eyes were already on hers she gulped. "A school already?"

He gave a brief nod in answer. "Rufus' doing," he revealed.

Beginning to be affected by his pretty eyes, Tifa broke the eye contact and commenced mopping. "When?" She croaked.

"End of the week," Cloud responded and got to his feet. "They'll be fine" he assured, resting his hand on her still shoulder.

Averting her gaze to the floor, "Yeah I know." She whispered. But I won't be. "Go and have a shower, I'll heat up dinner," She ordered using a cheery tone to hide the pain she was suffering from.

Cloud fell for the cheery tone, and paced upstairs, leaving Tifa some time to grieve.

A/N: Written and dedicated to the readers who've been waiting for another chapter... Decided to post a little earlier just for you guys! Thanks so much for reading... And thanks so much for the reviews! You people are the greatest! Merry Christmas.

Once again story is slow, but then again it was supposed to be like this I guess. Bare with me!

Cheers!