Chapter Three - Realization

The clock stroke midnight as he unlocked the door to 7th Heaven, he stepped into the brightly lit atmosphere as his eyes explored the empty bar for Tifa. With his eyes fixed to the counter, he remembered the one sided conversation with Barrett, uncovering a habit he never knew he possessed. Until now. He realised every time he finished work and returned home to 7th Heaven, he would out of habit, search for Tifa. Whether if it was a good habit or a bad habit, the only thing he knew was that it made him relieved to know that she was safe. Approaching the counter, with Tifa nowhere in sight, he felt himself panic a little. Pulling off his gloves, he placed them onto the countertop as his senses were alert, listening for her. Soft rummaging upstairs echoed in his ears as he ascended the steps to see the children's bedroom door wide open with the lights on.

Discreetly making his way into the room, Tifa's form slowly came into view. She was standing on top of a round stool, her arms outstretched above her head, groping blindly for something. By now, a mere two meters separated the two as Cloud observed the brunette who was unaware of his presence. She was desperately struggling to obtain the item she needed, and all Cloud did was watch in silence. Minutes lapsed, before Tifa finally gave up, her hands dropping to her side as she attempted to get off the stool. Shifting around so that she was no longer facing the wardrobe, her eyes averted downwards onto stable ground, as she spotted a pair of familiar black boots. Shocked and half frightened, Tifa jumped from the image of Cloud, losing her footing on the stool.

From there onwards, things happened within a flash of time. The round stool started wobbling on its legs as Tifa's arms flailed, one foot in the air, the other attempting to regain her balance. Within seconds Tifa had slipped, the stool falling, and she was going down with it. First Cloud was watching, and then he had zoomed into action. As she plummeted, quickly reaching the floor, he caught her around the waist, steadying her, as the sound of metal hitting wood rang throughout the room.

For moments, the two figures were only able to stare at one another. Tifa's breath caught in her throat as her heart raced, her brown eyes held by his mako blue ones. As she started to get lost in his gaze, he suddenly dropped her, her backside hitting the hard wooden floor with a thump.

"Oww!" Tifa gasped, the breath knocked out of her as she glanced up at the blonde who had dropped her. She had spotted the expression that remained on his face for a fraction of a second and her mind started jumping to conclusions.

Only just realising that he had dropped her, Cloud stared at her.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, offering his hand to her.

Ignoring his outstretched hand, Tifa pushed herself up onto her feet, the throbbing pain from her backside gradually fading away. Her heart had returned to normal pace as she placed the stool upright, closing the wardrobe before finally facing Cloud. It was now clear to her that things had changed between the two of them, and she suddenly realised she couldn't look at him in the same way. She blamed herself for eavesdropping on the conversation two nights ago, and she also blamed herself for thinking too much of Barrett's words. But after witnessing Cloud's expression, there was a part, deep down inside her that blamed him too.

A deafening silence engulfed the two, as Cloud's blue eyes fastened onto the brunette as her brown eyes averted to the stool in which her hands were resting on, unable to stare at him. Throughout this time, various thoughts were running in both minds, each thought, contrasting one another. Seconds, even minutes lapsed before one of them wisely spoke, breaking the silence.

"The children are coming home…" Tifa breathed, being the first to speak, as she barely managed to stare at Cloud.

He gave a curt nod in reply, his eyes never reaching hers, but appeared to be staring right through her. "When?"

Picking up the stool, Tifa stepped passed the blonde, repositioning the stool so that it was underneath the children's desk. She took in a deep breath, trying to gain an enthusiastic tone as she spoke.

"After tomorrow… Apparently their holidays have commenced earlier because of a festival that's taking place. They'll be staying for a week or so. Barrett's bringing them down tomorrow tonight." She informed the enthusiasm dropping with each word she spoke. Before he could speak, she cut him off. "I'd better get clean bed sheets for them, and then get back to cleaning the bar." She whispered, walking out of the room and disappearing down the hallway and into her room.

Cloud stood motionless, staring after her. Tifa's actions and words appeared to be so cold compared to the usual way she greeted him. Was she mad that he had dropped her? Cloud thought, but shook his head believing it was ridiculous. He hadn't meant to let go, but it was the way his heart had raced when she was close that made him release her abruptly. It appeared, for the past couple of days she had this effect on him. Every time she was too close, he had an urge to speak to her and explain himself… But he was in such a confused state to talk that he was afraid of making a fool of himself. He didn't want to say anything when he was in such a confused state and regret it. Making his way out of the children's room, he strode past Tifa's bedroom reluctantly and entered his own, closing the door behind him as darkness surrounded him.

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Tifa Lockheart lay in bed with her eyes wide open. It was evident that she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, not when she was feeling the way she did. As she sighed deeply to herself, she pulled the covers down, staring at the pitch black environment. Sitting up in her bed, her eyes trailed over to the open window where a full moon shone, with many stars glittering in the velvet sky. If only life was that simple… She thought to herself. If only people were able to be so whole and happy.

Grabbing her pillow, she hugged it tightly, her mind overflowing with a mixture of emotions. As she sat silently in confusion, a cool breeze entered the room, carrying a scent of flowers inside. As the scent reached her nose, the confusion ceased as Tifa remembered someone important. Suddenly, everything began to make sense, and a feeling of guilt rushed through her for neglecting to visit a friend for so long. Maybe, if she went for a short visit, she wouldn't be so confused anymore. With that last thought, Tifa lay back in bed for a good nights rest. Fate had a lot in plan for her tomorrow, whether if she was prepared, or not.

A/N: Well, this chapter is leading onto something BIG! So be prepared:D Not too much information to keep you interested... And I do understand the storyline is slow again, but I needed to add this chapter so that things don't appear too rushed. So keep reading guys! And now that I'm on holidays for two weeks, I suspect there will be more regular updates! Therefore review, and I'll be forever grateful! Cheerio.