Disclaimer: Same as prologue!

It was looking to be a sunny morning in the sleepy town of Nibelheim. A beautiful brunette woman was still lying in bed, looking like an angel, asleep. In her kitchen, a male brunette rifled around the refrigerator trying to find the green onions so that he could put them in his lovely companion's breakfast omelette. The smell of percolating coffee permeated the air, and it seemed like it was going to be just another ordinary day, passing without incident.

As a matter of fact, no day had been with incident since Vincent Valentine started living with Tifa.

It was that time when she had almost leapt off of Mt. Nibel in a sad attempt to quiet the pain in her heart that was last remembered as a day that threw things off kilter. Vincent, who was then residing in the newly refurbished Shinra Mansion, now renamed Nibel Estate, had gone over to Tifa's house to check on her. He knew all about how Cloud had gone off to find Aeris, believing she could still be alive. He did not condone what Cloud was doing, chasing after the hope and the dream that someone he loved, though he knew she was dead, could still be alive. Espescially at the expense of a woman who time after time made her love for the man highly evident. But yet he could not condemn it either. After all, had he not chased the slowly fading image of his beautiful lover at one point too?

When he reached her house and found that she was not home, which was a rather untoward thing, considering the girl had taken to being a recluse since the blonde's departure, he asked around the neighborhood to see if anyone had seen where she had went. When he was told that they spotted her making her way to the mountain, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was in motion.

When he found her, he decided it was best to stay hidden. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he didn't think it was proper to barge in on her should she just be trying to find a bit of peace. He had stood quietly witihin a rocky alcove and waited. He felt his heart crack as he listened to her proffession of love and despair. He felt it was rude for him to be listening to this intimate "discussion", and was about to leave, believing she would find her absolution when he heard her say something to the effect of "joining Aeris in her state, and then maybe you'll love me too..."

"What do you think you're doing!"

"Vincent? How did you know I was here?"

"Stop this madness Tifa...let's get you home."

"Let me go! If this is what it would take for him to love me like he loves that...that...CORPSE then let me die!"

"I will do no such thing Tifa Lockheart. Now let's go back to the town."

"Let me go!"

The girl fainted in his arms. She just didn't have the strength of heart to endure anything anymore. He carried her back to her home and set her on her bed. He covered her up and made her some tea before departing.

"Tifa,

I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone anymore. I have a few affairs to deal with at the Estate, but after I am finished I will be returning here. I offer you only this ultimatum, you can either come live with me there, or I'm moving in here. You can let me know of your choice when I return

Vincent."

When she awoke and found the note, she despised herself for looking so weak to him that he felt as if he needed to babysit her. But the more time she had to mull it over in her head, the more she thought that it might be nice to live with someone. Moreover, maybe he wanted companionship too.

"It must be awfully lonely in that mansion...all by himself for so long."

It wasn't since then that the lives of either party had been disrupted.

Of course as it would go, with time and familiarity came love. They both understood the pain of losing the one person that held their heart to someone else, someone they deemed definitely unworthy. They both didn't want to be lonely anymore. And now, they wouldn't have to be.

At 10:00AM when Tifa's alarm went off, she was greeted by the smiling face of Vincent Valentine, bearing a tray with a plate of eggs, made her favorite way, a cup of coffee, and a rose. She smiled up at him in return and motioned him over.

"What's the occasion?"

He bent over to kiss her forehead gently and replied in warm tones before leaving to clean the kitchen.

"The most special thing in the world. Another day with you."

She smiled down at the eggs and cut them into little squares, just the way she liked to eat them every morning. It was only when she had a particularly difficult time cutting part of the egg that she frowned a bit. She didn't remember any instance before where he had dropped something in her food...

She picked through the egg only to find a gorgeous diamond ring, albeit covered in cheese and egg, winking up at her.

Vincent knew by the shriek that she had found his gift.

There was a knock on the door. Tifa bounded out of her room and gave Vincent a big smooch before answering it. If it was someone she knew, or maybe even if she didn't, she wasn't going to miss her first opportunity to show off her new acquisition.

"Good morni--Oh my God!"

A downtrodden-looking blonde with firey blue eyes stood in her doorway.

"Hey Tif...didja miss me?"

TBC