Disclaimer:
You should know the drill by now...
Author's Note:
Sorry about the slow update time but it took me a lot of careful thought and planning to get the last part of this chapter written. Things should start to speed up between Tifa and Reno in upcoming chapters but still don't expect them to fall into each other's arms quite yet. I have something planned so don't worry bout nothing!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you enjoy Reno's surprise! It's nothing big mind you so don't expect nothing flashy!
I stopped outside the door where the small weapon's stand and Elder's quarters were and stood looking for Reno. Sure enough, I saw him standing in front of the Eternal Flame. He was once again in his navy blue Turk suit. Old habits die hard. I started to take a step down the stairs but stopped short. I was a little reluctant being alone with Reno. To tell the truth, I still felt a little awkward about our little encounter this afternoon. Plus, I'm not even entirely sure what his reaction when I didn't kiss him meant.
I sighed and resigned myself to my fate. I promised Reno I'm meet him down here; might as well carry through with it.
He looked up at me as I approached him. I folded my arms and cocked my head. "So, what's that big surprise?" I asked, hoping he didn't ask me down here just to screw with me.
"Oh, I was just wondering," he said, looking down at the ground. "Have you eaten anything lately?"
I cocked my head to side. Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten anything all day long and my hunger was starting to catch up with me. I looked back at Reno and shook my head. "No, I haven't," I replied simply.
"Well, would you like to get something to eat?" He asked seriously, looking into my eyes.
I smiled. "Reno, are you asking me out on a date?"
Reno's cheeks immediately flushed and he quickly looked away from me. "Well….uh…I don't know," he stuttered. "If that's what you wanna call it, sure."
I grinned, flattered by his gesture. "Sure, I'd love to."
He froze in place then slowly turned his head and eyes back towards me. "You would?" He said, almost like he was expecting me to say no and walk away.
I nodded. "Yeah, where did you wanna go?"
"There's a café down the street I eat breakfast at."
"Alright, that sounds nice."
"Cool," he said, as I fell in step beside him.
We arrived at the small café Reno had mentioned and sat at a two-person table out in the courtyard that over looked the canyon. "Wow," I said, admiring the sunset and the effect it had on the cliffs. "Now I know why you come here every morning." I looked at him and smiled before turning my attention back to the scenery. "It's beautiful."
He nodded and looked around at the spectacle with me until a waitress approached us and handed us some menus. Reno and I sat in silence until the waitress returned and took our drink and food orders before grabbing the menus and walking off to make the drinks.
I just got a soda; Reno got a beer.
The waitress returned moments later with our drinks then walked back off to check on her other tables.
Reno took a swig of his beer before placing it on the table in front of him as I sipped my soda through a straw.
"Did Logan fall asleep?" Reno asked, trying to strike up clever conversation.
I nodded and placed my glass down on the table. "Yeah, I got him dressed for bed and he fell asleep the second he hit the pillow."
He nodded and leaned back in his chair so the front two legs were off the ground. "Has Cloud talked to you since he left that night?" He asked after a few moments of silence.
I frowned. Where had that come from? "No, I haven't seen or heard anything of him." I paused, wondering if I should continue. "Hopefully he'll stay away this time."
He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "Why do you say that?"
I sighed. "If Cloud never wanted anything to do with me or Logan when he found out was pregnant then he should just stay away and find someone that can take care of him. I did it long enough." I stopped and took a deep breath. "Logan needs a father who'll be there for him, not someone who just walks out when we need him most."
Reno looked down at the table and nodded. Silence fell over us once again, that is, until the waitress brought us our food. We ate in silence until we were finished, paid then left.
We stood in front of the Eternal Flame. This time, instead of saying goodnight to Reno and walking back to the Observatory, I stood next to him and watched the flames dance around the smoldering logs.
A thought popped into my head and I looked over at the red head next to me. "So, how's that job of yours going?"
"Haven't started yet," he replied, keeping his eyes on the fire. "I start Wednesday morning."
I nodded and angled my head so I could see the Observatory. Hopefully Logan hadn't woken up to find me gone. I turned back to Reno. "Well, I better go. I have my to get my stuff together in the morning."
He looked at me and nodded. I was going to turn away from him and walk away but felt myself glued to the spot I was standing in. So, both of us stood staring at the other, making no move to leave or say good bye. I was about to step forward and give Reno a quick hug when he fully turned towards me and stepped closer. I lifted my head up so I was looking into his eyes but made no other move besides that one.
He lifted his hand up to my cheek and gently grazed his fingertips against my skin before grabbing my chin and pulling me closer to him. He stopped when our faces were mere millimeters apart. My fingers twitched, almost as if they wanted to lurch out and push Reno down the rest of the way. I pursed my lips as I stared into his eyes and as he made the move to kiss me, I pulled back yet again. I grabbed his hand from the place it rested beneath my chin and squeezed it gently before letting it go.
I gave him a small half-smile before turning around and walking away from him for the second time that day.
Once I got back to the Observatory, I went upstairs and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Logan was still fast asleep. Wanting nothing more then going to sleep, I quickly dressed and settled in bed next to him. As I drifted off to sleep the last image I saw was the same disappointed and heart-broken look on Reno's face that I had seen earlier and that alone was enough to jar me awake and leave me sleepless for another two hours.
I woke up the next morning and wasted no time in taking a shower. After I had dried my hair considerably with my towel, I wrapped it around my body and grabbed some clothes from my suitcase. I changed then began to straighten the suitcases up.
I ventured downstairs afterward to see what Logan was doing but he was nowhere to be found. I immediately became afraid, if he had woken up before anyone else and left, no telling where he would be right now.
I walked into the star display room, hoping that Logan would be in there. My breath caught in my throat when I all I saw was Red and his family. Red heard the door open and lifted his head from his paws. Upon seeing the distressed look on my face he got up and hastened towards me.
"What is it, Tifa?" He asked, sitting before me.
"Where's Logan?" I asked, fear evident in my voice.
Red only smiled and led me out of the room and into the kitchen. I sat down at the coffee table and stared at the large, fire red cat in front of me. "Logan went with Reno to get some breakfast."
I frowned. When had Reno come here? "When did he come here?" I asked.
"Around nine o'clock. You were in the shower and after he left with Logan I returned to bed. I'm sorry, I should have stayed up."
"No, it's alright, Red. Logan really likes Reno. Maybe I'll go join them."
I left the Observatory and made my way toward the café Reno and I had dinner at the previous night. I spotted them sitting at the same exact table as we did the night before and decided to stand in a non descript place so I could observe them.
I smiled as I saw what Reno had bought for breakfast. Him and Logan were sharing a mixed fruit plate. At least it wasn't pizza or any non-breakfast food of the sort. Reno finished eating a piece of cantaloupe then looked at Logan. "What kind of stuff does your Mom like?"
Logan looked down at the piece of fruit that he was getting ready to put in his mouth. "She likes strawberries," he said, looking up at Reno. "And peaches."
"Well, let's go get her something," he said, throwing some gil down on the table and getting up.
Logan hopped off of his chair then did something that made my jaw drop.
He ran up to Reno and grabbed his hand.
Then he looked up at him with a broad smile on his face. I watched them walk into the café before I went to stand in front of the Eternal Flame to wait for them. Even though it was almost noon the flames still gave off a glow that brightened the area.
I waited for a few moments before I heard my son's voice behind me. "Mommy!" I turned just as he reached me. I bent down and picked him up.
"Good morning, you!" I said, ruffling his hair.
Reno walked up to me and half smiled before handing me a strawberry and peach parfait. "Hungry?"
I smiled as I set my son back down on the ground and accepted the parfait. "Thank you, Reno." I popped off the lid and took the spoon he offered. "How'd you know I liked strawberries and peaches?" I asked, acting like I hadn't heard their conversation.
Reno smiled as he looked at my son. "Lucky guess."
I took a bite from the parfait and a contented smile crept onto my lips as I swallowed it. I heard Reno snicker and looked over at him. "What?" I asked, putting another bite in my mouth. "I haven't had one of these since I was pregnant with Logan."
"Why?" Reno asked, putting his hands behind his head.
I shrugged as I stirred the spoon around. "I guess it never occurred to me to have another one. I've really busy since I've had Logan. Life changes when you're a single mother."
We fell silent as I continued to eat my parfait. Reno cleared his throat. "Well, I gotta go get my crap together. I'll catch you guys later."
I nodded. "Alright, see you in a bit." I placed the spoon inside the parfait container and grabbed Logan's hand and walked with him up to the Observatory.
Once we got there, Logan went into the star display room to play with the cubs. Red walked out a few minutes later and stretched, yawning widely.
"Hello, Tifa," he said, walking towards me and sitting on the floor. He stared at the parfait in my hands. "Get yourself some breakfast?"
"Actually, Reno got it for me."
The red cat smiled. "It looks to me that he's quite taken with you."
I shrugged before going and sitting on the couch. "What makes you say that?" I asked, putting another spoonful of my parfait in my mouth.
Red smirked before hopping up onto the couch and lying next to me. He shrugged before speaking. "Call it animal instinct, I guess."
I rolled my eyes as I continued to eat my parfait. "Well, don't think anything of it," I said, digging a piece of strawberry out of the bottom.
I saw Red smirk out of the corner of my eye. "Whatever you say, Tifa," he said, closing his eyes.
I glanced at Red once more before eating the rest of my parfait in peace. Once finished, I threw the plastic cup and spoon away then decided to go see what Logan was doing. When I walked in, Nairi looked over at me and smiled as best as an animal can.
I was about to ask where Logan went when I saw the top of his blond head sticking out from behind her. I looked over her and found him holding Nairi's tail and waving one of his fingers through the flames on the end. I watched him as he passed his finger through the flames then stare intently at it like he was looking for something.
"What is it, sweetie?" I asked, kneeling beside him.
"The fire doesn't burn," he said, passing his finger through the fire once more.
Nairi looked back at Logan and whipped her tail out of his grip then wiggled it in his face. Logan giggled then collapsed onto her back and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Nairi."
Nairi looked up and licked Logan's face. "I love you too, Logan," she said, before resting her head back on her paws.
Logan giggled some more before he climbed off Nairi's back and ran over to me. "When are we leaving?"
"As soon as Cid gets here," I said, picking him up. "Come on. Let's make sure you have everything."
Logan went and inspected his suitcase as soon as he stepped off the stairs, opening it and sorting through the contents. Once he was done he zipped it back up and walked back over to me. "Okay," he said, hugging my legs. "I have everything."
"Alright, go get your bag so we can go wait for Cid."
He nodded and trotted over to where his suitcase was sitting and slung it over his shoulder. I grabbed my bags and tossed them down to the lower floor so I could climb down the ladder more easily then turned and took Logan's bag from him, doing the same with his.
I climbed down the ladder and hefted all the bags into one corner of the room then sat down on the couch and looked at the clock. It was almost one. Cid would be arriving soon, hopefully.
I was sitting reading a magazine when Cid strolled in the door. When Logan saw him he got up and dashed over, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Cid!" Logan exclaimed, hugging him tightly.
"Hey, tiny!" Cid said, bending down and lifting Logan into his arms. He closed the door with his foot and walked toward me. "How you been, girl?" He asked, setting Logan down on the couch next to me.
I placed the magazine I had been reading on the table then turned toward Cid. "Just fine. I really needed this time off."
"I bet you did. You've been workin' your ass off. You deserved it." He crossed his arms and stared down at me. "What about Reno though? Has he been treatin' ya right?"
"Of course," I said, getting up from the couch. "A lot better than I would have thought."
He nodded. "Well, as long as he's not mistreatin' you. We don't need a Spike repeat." He turned around and grabbed my bags before walking out of the Observatory closely followed by Logan.
I sighed. He was right. We didn't need another Cloud repeat. I wouldn't be able to handle something like that again and it would just make Cid and Barret even angrier than before. I didn't want everyone to feel as though they needed to protect me. I'm a grown woman after all and I have a son to think about. I can't be wallowing in my self-pity over a relationship gone bad.
I turned and walked into the star display room to say my last good byes to Red and his family before I left the Observatory. I had almost reached the Highwind when I stopped in my tracks and looked back up at the canyon as a thought occurred to me.
Where was Reno?
