Disclaimer:
...Don't even try it...I don't own it!
Author's Note:
Wow, you guys are so awesome! I didn't think I'd get this big of a reaction! But thank you very much anyways! I'm glad you guys like it so far!
Anyhoo, in this chapter I guess you could say there's a tad bit of Reno/Tifaness but then again it's not that big. They're just talking people...nothing important...yet. Well, I hope you like this chapter. It's a little bit longer only because I had a lot of ideas for this chap! Enjoy!
While I was getting ready for work the next day I just tried to put my encounter with Cloud out of my mind. I couldn't be worrying about something as petty as that when I have a job and a mouth to feed.
I pulled my coat jacket out of the closet then looked over at Logan who was sitting indiscriminately on my bed holding his favorite stuffed chocobo.
I walked over to him and kneeled on the floor in front of my bed. "Guess what, little man?"
A silly grin overtook his features as he squeezed his chocobo. "What?" He asked, a slight giggle in his voice.
"You get to come with mommy to work today!" I said, smiling stupidly at him. "The place I work at opened a daycare center for the kids of the employees so you don't have to sit home with Trish all the time!" I said, poking him in the side and giggling as he squealed and rolled away from me. "What do you think of that?"
He nodded his head and slid off the bed, running out of my room. He returned only seconds later with his light blue wool blanket in hand. "Okay, I'm ready."
I laughed as I pulled the rest of my uniform out of the closet. "Well, Mommy isn't. Go sit on the couch, I'll be ready soon enough."
He nodded and disappeared, allowing me to get dressed in peace. I pulled my black high heels out of the closet and slipped into them then walked into the bathroom. After I finished putting my make-up on I ran my brush through my hair and began to braid it.
I had forgotten to put my hair up the last time I worked; good thing Raoul didn't chastise me for it. He didn't want our hair getting into the drinks.
Sometimes I really hated my hair. All because it was so thick but I managed to get it braided enough that I wouldn't have to worry about it being in my face. I grabbed my purse and walked out to the living room, striding over to my son.
"Come on, sweetheart," I said, leaning down and gathering him in my arms. "Time to go."
I walked out into the garage where my small two-person truck was. I unlocked the passenger door and strapped Logan in then climbed in the driver side. I flipped the passenger visor down and clicked the button on a small remote that activated the garage door.
I slowly backed my truck out of my driveway then drove the short distance to the casino. I pulled into the parking garage and parked in my reserved employee spot. I unbuckled Logan's seatbelt then walked around and lifted him out, shutting and locking the doors.
After dropping Logan off at the dare care center, I went to the bar to get started for the day. I was getting ready to go do a sweep around the poker tables when someone sitting at the bar addressed me.
"So, Lockheart, I saw ol' Spike leavin' your condo last night. He looked pretty pissed from the look on his face," Reno said, smirking, while taking a sip of his drink.
I placed a hand on my hip and frowned. "How do you know that Cloud was at the condo last night?" I asked, wondering if Reno really had gone off the deep end.
"I was walkin' back to my apartment when I saw him storm out. It looked like you pissed him off pretty bad."
I sighed, frustrated. Leave it to Reno to find out about things that I would resent talking about to another human being. Just another one of his quirks, I guess. "Well, I have to get to work," I said, gathering my pen and pad of paper and walking out from behind the bar.
"By all means, do," Reno said, downing his drink.
I scoffed and shook my head, totally and utterly disgusted with him. How anyone could stand being alone in a room with him was beyond me. Reno is a smartass and the bad thing is he knows it and uses it to his advantage.
I stopped right in the middle of the casino floor and raised a hand to my temple, beginning to rub it lightly. Calm down, Lockheart. You're getting upset over nothing. Now just take a deep breath, get to work and stop thinking about Reno.
Later that night, I was heading back towards the bar to give Tony a drink order when Jan walked up to me carrying a tray full of drinks. "Hey, Teef," she said, stopping and looking over her shoulder back in the direction of the bar. "Who's that guy you were talking to at the bar earlier?"
I frowned. I had figured Reno had gone home for the night. "What guy?"
"You know, the one in the blue suit with the red hair." Jan's answer justified my suspicion about who the conversation was about.
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head and rolling my eyes slightly, almost embarrassed to be affiliated with him in any way. "Why?"
"Well, after you walked off Tony started talking to him about how he knew you and he said that you two are old friends. I've never seen him around here before. How do you know him?" Jan said, a confused expression on her face.
I rolled my eyes again, this time sighing loudly. It was just like to Reno to go shooting his big mouth off. "He used to be a Turk."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You don't say? He looks kinda scrawny to be a Turk," she said, looking over her shoulder to look at the solitary red head who was downing what seemed to be his tenth drink that night.
"You know how I was in Avalanche right?" I asked, crossing my arms and looking at Reno as well.
Jan looked back at me and nodded. "Yeah." She shifted her tray to her other hand and looked at me expectantly.
"Well, he was one of the guys that tried to stop us. That's pretty much it."
She nodded again and walked away with her tray of drinks while I walked back toward the bar. I handed Tony my drink order than grabbed my moneybox from the counter and waited.
I saw Reno look at me out of the corner of my eye but I tried to ignore him. I groaned inwardly when he cleared his throat. "Well, that's an interesting uniform you got there, Lockheart."
I looked over at Reno and gave him a skeptical look. "Wouldn't you think so?" I said, putting my arms akimbo.
He smiled crookedly and sipped his drink. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."
I clenched my jaw muscles and I could literally feel my skin crawl as Tony set my tray of drinks in front of me. I looked over at Reno one last time before I picked the tray up. "Reno, you're such an asshole."
He smiled again, even wider than before. "Yeah, I know."
I rolled my eyes disgustedly and walked away. Gods, that man could fray someone's nerves quick. And the worst thing is, his sick sense gets even worse after he's had a few drinks. Anyone in their right mind should know to never give Reno any kind of drink that has alcohol, or sounds like it has alcohol, in it. But then again, I know very well that to keep alcohol away from Reno is like telling a fish to jump out of the water and walk on land. It just can't be done.
About an hour later, I was returning to the bar with another drink order for Tony and breathed a sigh of relief when I didn't see Reno sitting at the bar anymore. He had probably gotten bored and decided to leave. I handed Tony my drink order and he started talking to me over his shoulder while he prepared the drinks.
"That Reno guy that was here a while ago sounded like a real moron," he said, giggling to himself. "He was talking about you like he's one of your best friends."
"Well, that's Reno for you," I said, sitting down. "He used to be a Turk and he was one of the guys that was after Avalanche."
"Weren't you in Avalanche?" He asked, setting my tray of drinks in front of me.
I nodded. "I told Jan the same story earlier."
Tony nodded as he wiped his hands on a towel. "Well, if he gives you any trouble you just come to me. I'll protect ya."
I smiled at his generosity. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
"You better," he said, pointing his index finger at me.
I smiled again and walked away from the bar, bringing the drinks to some people playing slot machines. One of the men gave me a five-gil tip on top of the cost of the drink. It surprised me because cocktail waitresses are usually tipped two or three gil a drink. The man didn't tell me why he gave me such a large tip and I didn't ask. All I said was a quick 'thank you' then went off to another section of slot machines.
I stopped next to an elderly lady who had her face glued to the front of the slot machine. "Can I get you anything to drink, ma'am?" I asked as politely as I could.
She backed away from the slot machine and looked at me like I was crazy for disrupting her game of slots. "Yes, I'll have a Gold Cadillac margarita," she said in a rather rude tone. After she told me what she wanted she went back to shoving gil coins into the slot machine and paid no more attention to me.
I wrote her drink down on my pad of paper than walked back to the bar. Tony gave me a funny look as he started to make the old woman's drink. "Geez, Teef, you sure have been busy tonight."
"Yeah, people are thirsty, I guess," I said, sitting down on a bar stool and taking a deep breath.
Tony walked up and set a tray with the margarita and my moneybox on it. "Your shift's about over. Why don't you make this your last customer then come back and I'll fix ya up something. How does that sound?"
"That sounds wonderful," I said, grabbing the tray.
I returned to where the old woman was and gave her her margarita. She paid me and left me a three gil tip then went back to staring at the slot machine, slowly sipping her drink.
I returned to the bar and sat down as Tony got to work making me something to drink. "Did you bring Logan to work with you?" He asked.
I nodded and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of my face. "Yeah, he's in the day care center." I paused. "I hope he's alright. This is the first time I've left him with people he doesn't know."
Tony smiled at me as he set my drink in front of me. "If he's anything like you I'm sure he's fine."
I smiled back at him then looked down at what he had made for me. "What's this?" I asked, picking the glass up and eyeing the liquid inside.
"It's a mix of Wutain vodka and spiced rum from Cosmo Canyon. It's a little strong but it'll relax ya."
I thanked him and watched him walk off to another part of the bar to serve someone then looked back at my drink. I took a sip of it and almost coughed as the liquid slid down my throat causing it to feel as though it were on fire.
I've had some pretty outrageous drinks in my time but never to the extent of what I had just swallowed. I took another small sip and realized that despite its fiery kick it had quite a lot of flavor. After I had finished I looked at the clock and sighed in relief that it was time for me to clock out.
I thanked Tony for the drink again, grabbed my purse then walked to the day care center to pick up Logan. When I got there Logan was standing by the door with his chocobo and blanket in hand. When he saw me he flung himself on my legs and squeezed them.
I reached down and hefted him up into my arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, you!" I said, smoothing his hair out. "How are you?"
"Good. Can we go home?"
"Of course. Come on," I said, reaching for the doorknob.
Right when I was getting ready to walk out, a girl behind the desk called out. "Excuse me, ma'am!"
I turned around and walked toward the counter the girl was standing behind. "Yes?" I said, wondering what she wanted.
She looked at me critically. "Where are you taking him?"
I looked at Logan then at the girl with astonishment, almost unsure of how I was supposed to answer her. Wasn't this the same girl that was here when I dropped him off? "I'm taking him home," I said, beginning to tap my foot on the carpeted floor.
"Are you his mother?" She asked, a bored expression on her face.
I blinked twice in utter amazement. I looked at Logan once again then back at the girl and shook my head. "No, I'm a stranger and I'm kidnapping him." I paused to let my smartass statement sink in. I was tired and not in the mood for anyone's stupid questions. "Of course, I'm his mother!"
"What's your name, ma'am?" She said, pulling a clipboard out.
"Tifa Lockheart."
She stared at the clipboard for a second then set it back down. "Sorry for the confusion, Ms. Lockheart. You can take Logan home now."
I smiled sarcastically. "Why, thank you!"
I turned around and left the day care center, deciding that I probably wouldn't be bringing Logan back there again. If that girl was that much of an airhead to forget I was Logan's mom no telling what else she was capable of forgetting.
I unlocked my truck and buckled Logan into his seat then got in the driver's side. I looked over at Logan as I started the engine. "Well, did you have a good time?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"What did you do?" I asked, backing out of my spot and exciting the parking garage.
"I played with some of the kids and watched a movie."
"That sounds fun."
When we got home, Logan went right into his room and got dressed for bed. He came into my room and climbed on my bed and watched me as I got ready for bed as well.
I brushed the braid out of my hair and sprayed it with some water so it wasn't so wavy. I decided to wait until the morning to take my make-up off.
I undressed and put on an extremely large black button up shirt and a pair of black boxer shorts. I sat down on the bed next to Logan and rubbed my feet. Wearing those high heels for hours on end made my feet feel like they were numb.
I got up and stretched then looked down at Logan. "You ready to go to bed, creepy?" I asked, tickling him.
He giggled as he tried to roll away from me. I lifted him into my arms and walked into his room, softly laying him in his crib. I covered him with his blanket and handed him his chocobo. "Sweet dreams. See you in the morning."
"Love you, mommy," he said, a yawn escaping his lips.
"I love you too, honey." I leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead then walked out of his room.
I went into the kitchen and filled a glass up with water from the tap and leaned against the counter.
I'm getting paid in a few days. I thought idly. Maybe I can take Logan somewhere for a small vacation. Nanaki would like to see him. Maybe I'll take him to see Red.
My thoughts were interrupted when a knock came to my door. I looked at the digital clock that was on my stove and frowned. It was almost ten o'clock. Who would be knocking at my door at this ungodly hour?
I poured the rest of my water back into the sink and went to answer the door. I opened it and just about did a double take when I saw Reno flash his award-winning smile at me.
What the hell is he doing here?
"Hey, Tifa," he said, leaning against the door jam. "Mind if I come in?"
I stood there in a stupor for a few minutes before I nodded my head. I backed away from the door then quietly shut it after he was inside. He went and sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I stood and studied him. "Reno, what are you doing here?"
He shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "I just thought I'd drop by and see how you were doin'. That's all."
I frowned and bit the inside of my cheek. "Why do you have such a sudden interest in me, Reno?" My question caught him off guard and left him speechless. "When you were a Turk we were constantly at each other's throats and now you actually want to get to know me? Who are you and what have you done with the real Reno?"
His eyebrows twitched slightly. "Well, I can't see why we can't be friends."
"I can." I stared at him defiantly. I wasn't sure about him but I won't be forgetting that he was the one that pressed the button and caused the Sector Seven plate to collapse. He gave me a questioning look, almost prompting me to continue. I walked a little closer to him so I was almost standing directly in front of the coffee table. "Reno, you were a Turk."
"Really? I didn't know that!" He said, in an overly sarcastic tone.
I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore his comment. "And I was in the group that you and your company was trying to bring down! Reno, I'll never forget what you did. You killed hundreds of people when you made the plate collapse and you were always trying to take down Avalanche! Call me ignorant, rude or stuck up but what you did in your past is unforgivable."
Reno's eyes narrowed like he was trying to find some special meaning in my little speech. He got up from the couch, stuffed his hands into his pockets and sauntered up to me getting about three inches away from my face, which startled me at first.
He remained silent for a few moments before he finally decided to speak. "Yes, I may have done some pretty bad shit in the past but who hasn't? No one's perfect; not even you, Lockheart."
I scoffed. "I know that, Reno! But the things we did we did it for the good of everyone else! You and your band of thugs didn't do anything for anyone but yourselves!"
He frowned slightly. "Well, what if I told you that people could change?"
I shook my head, sending my slightly wavy hair flying all over the place. "I wouldn't be able to believe you. I could expect something like that from any other person besides you, Reno."
He backed away, a shocked and angry look on his face. "Tifa, Shinra doesn't even exist anymore!" He said, raising his voice slightly. "Me, Elena and Rude have been out of work since Midgar was destroyed. And, even if, by some weird change of events that Shinra rose up again and gave us our jobs back none of us would take them!"
I stood there, my arms crossed defiantly over my chest. "I find that very hard to believe. Reno, I know for a fact that you'd take that job back in an instant!" I exclaimed, my voice rising as well. "You've lied so many times to us in the past that it's kind of hard to discern truth from lie!"
Reno opened his mouth to shout back at me but stopped in his tracks and frowned. He looked around behind me and a stupefied look appeared on his face.
I turned around and saw Logan standing a few feet behind Reno and I, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and clutching his blanket tightly in one hand. "Mommy, what's going on? Why are you yelling?" He said, yawing slightly.
I walked toward him and picked him up, kissing him on the cheek. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'm sorry for yelling."
"Who is that?" He asked sleepily, still rubbing his eyes. "Is it Daddy?"
"No, no," I said, resisting the urge to gag. "No, it's not daddy. Daddy won't be coming back here for a long time. Come on, you have to go back to bed."
He nodded and rested his head on my shoulder as I carried him back to his room. I set him back in his crib and tucked him back in. "Go to sleep now. Mommy promises not to yell anymore, okay?"
Logan nodded and yawned again before closing his eyes, drifting back off to sleep. I kissed him on the forehead then turned to leave his room.
I stopped short when I saw Reno standing in the doorway. I sighed then gently put my hand on his shoulder and pushed him out into the hallway. I quietly closed the door behind me and walked back in the living room. I sat down on the couch and drew my legs underneath me. Reno stopped in the middle of the living room, his hands stuffed in his pockets with his eyes trained on me with disbelief.
"You have a….son?" He asked, like he was hallucinating or something.
I nodded. "I do."
He began to pace back and forth. He stopped abruptly and ran a hand through his messy red hair. "So, uh, who's the father?"
I gave him a cynical look and slightly raised one of my eyebrows. "That's something I don't want to discuss with you, Reno."
"That's alright," he said, a smile in his voice. "I already think I know who he is anyway." My eyes widened at his comment. Reno smirked and laughed slightly. "Don't look so surprised. Anyone with eyes can tell who the little guy's father is."
I looked down at my feet. Logan does look exactly like Cloud when he was a little boy. "I just don't feel like talking about it," I said, crossing my arms. "I don't regret having Logan with Cloud. I just wish it could have been under different circumstances."
"So, you guys never got together, huh?" He asked, a little sympathy starting to show in his voice.
"No, we never did. He insisted that Aeris was out there somewhere waiting for him." I shook my head, trying to forget all about it.
"Well, you've gotten along fine without him. You probably didn't need him anyways."
I looked up at Reno, my eyes narrowed slightly, wondering what he meant by that. I shrugged. "Probably not," I said, realizing that I wouldn't only have a newborn baby to take care of but a twenty-two year old on the brink of another break down. Maybe it was better this way.
I rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the same glass I was drinking out of earlier and filling it back up again. I turned back to Reno but before I took a drink I gave him a questioning look. "Thirsty?"
He shook his head. "No thanks."
I shrugged and took a large gulp before sticking it back under the faucet and refilling it.
Reno ran his hand through his hair again, searching for something to say. "What about all your other friends in Avalanache? Do they know about all this?"
I nodded as I sipped my water, not turning to address him. "Yes, and all of them have come up with different ways to torture him if they happen to see him again. Especially Barret."
He nodded and stared at the floor. "Well," he said, digging the toe of his right foot into the carpet. "I'd better get going. You're probably tired."
I nodded. "Yeah, I was about to suggest the same thing." I walked out of the kitchen and opened the door for him.
One corner of his mouth curved up into a slight smirk as he followed me to the door. "See you later, Lockheart."
I nodded. "Bye, Reno," I said, as I walked back into the kitchen, finished the last of my water and returned the glass to the sink. I stood at the window and watched Reno sulk away into the darkness. I shook my head and turned the living room light off then walked into my room.
I flicked off the light switch and sunk down into the cool covers of my bed and sighed contentedly.
Author's Note:
Hope you guys like it! I'm starting my job a week from now so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update as much. If not, please bear with me! I'll update eventually! Well, now that you're done there's a button down on the left corner that's feeling very lonely right now!
