A/N: This chapter is mostly flashback. I don't own any FFVII characters. Please R&R. More chapters to come soon, with action.

Tifa stood before the shower and let the steam envelope her as she undressed herself. Downstairs, she could here Reno banging pots and pans, in an attempt to make breakfast. Generally, he never cooked if it wasn't absolutely necessary, but she found that he was actually a great cook, just lazy. She tested the water before stepping in, her mind whirling around with thoughts of Reno. She smiled to herself. This wasn't exactly who she envisioned spending her life with, but Reno was a sweetheart, even though he kept his "Bad Boy" image up while at work... at work for Rufus; for ShinRa ElectricPower Company. Reno, the man she was in love with, was the very same man who dropped the plate on Sector 7.

Her smile faded from her face. It was a sensitive subject, one that neither of them ever brought up. She could forgive him for what he did, but she couldn't forget, despite how hard she tried. She remembered being by Cloud's side that day. Her thoughts shifted to him and she furrowed her brow. "Cloud... what was he doing now?" she thought.

Tifa sighed and tilted her head up towards the spray of the shower, letting the warm water wash over her. Her daily shower was the only time she let her memories of Cloud consume her. Never around Reno. He would know; he always knew when she was upset. She found that she always put up a facade around Reno. She really did love Reno, and she would tell herself that she was over Cloud, but... was she really?

It was 5 months ago that Cloud defeated Sephiroth and cured Geostigma, with Aerith's help. After that day in the church, when the children were jumping into the water, things changed for her. Tifa remembered Cloud had actually smiled back at her that day, and her heart soared. She thought things were changing for the both of them, now that he was over his guilt. Cloud moved back into Tifa's place that night. Shortly after, Barret told Tifa that he wanted to take Marlene with him back to Corel to live. He said he had found a steady job with an oil company, harvesting alternative means for fuel, and he wouldn't have to travel anymore.

Marlene went to live with Barret and Denzel went with them, telling Tifa he would miss her, but that Marlene was his little sister now, and he wanted to be able to protect her when Barret was at work. She smiled at his devotion to his little sister, this boy who had no family left. That left Tifa and Cloud alone. She continued to run the bar, and he picked up his delivery service again, obtaining more clients and jobs. At night, he'd come home to Tifa's outstretched arms, and she would be at peace. But Cloud hadn't changed she soon found out. He still carried his guilt with him.

A month after their victory, Cloud started to leave her again. He was always letting her slip in between his dreams of Aerith, but he remained a constant in Tifa's dreams. "Always in my dreams," she thought to herself. He was becoming more withdrawn and silent. One day she snuck into his office while he was away, and noticed drawings of Aerith hidden away in a drawer, along with letters to her. Letters she couldn't bear to read. It was then that Tifa realized that Cloud didn't want a future. Their life together wasn't a life at all; it was just an interruption to his painful past. She knew Cloud was scared to think of Tifa as more than a friend because he didn't want to hurt her, and couldn't risk losing her. Aerith was hard enough for him; what would he do if he lost Tifa? He was afraid of finding out that he was alone.

So they both continued to live this way, hardly speaking to each other. The only time she shared Cloud's bed was when they were both drinking, and let their physical needs overpower their emotional ones. He would never speak when they made love...

"No, not love," she thought, as she washed her hair; it wasn't love he felt for her at all. It was sex, purely physical. When they would finish, he would roll over onto his side and face the wall, leaving her to stare up at the ceiling as tears streamed quietly down the sides of her face. His pain and depression didn't give them a lot of room to live their life in the present, or even think about the future. Cloud seemed to yearn for the past.

One night, as she was staring at his ceiling and listening to his breath enter and exit his body, she realized that she was no longer Tifa. She was just a shell of her former self. Tifa had died long ago. That particular night, a thunderstorm was raging outside, and every so often a streak of lightning would pierce the night sky, illuminating the room. She had an urge to run outside, to let the rain and thunder wash away her sorrow.

Tifa turned her head to Cloud and watched him. He was facing the wall, his breath slow and steady. She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but couldn't bring herself to touch him again. She whispered to his back "I'm not your star.. isn't that what you said?" before getting up quietly and leaving his room. She ran out into the night, feeling the cold rain drench her from head to toe, plastering her hair to her head, not caring at this point.

She ran hard through the muddy streets, not caring that she didn't have shoes on or that she was getting soaked. She just needed to get away. After a few minutes, she stopped running and sat down on stone steps, cradling her head in her hands. She began to weep then, not only for herself, but for Cloud. She couldn't understand what happened between them. They were complete strangers now, yet she still loved him. She wanted to be the support he needed, but he was killing her, and he didn't realize it.

Tifa stood up, and looked at the building behind her. It was Aerith's church, and she began to weep harder. She ran inside, wanting to find some shelter from the storm outside, and sat down on the back row. Being back in the church, she found some sort of peace. It was then she noticed someone sitting in front of her. Lightning shot across the sky, and she could see Reno's spiky red hair.

"Reno?" she had asked timidly, and he turned around to look at her. He could see from her silhouette the hair stuck to her face. He told her she looked like hell, and she told him to go to hell. He stood up and walked to her, turning on a flashlight. He noticed that she was drenched and shivering. Her beautiful ruby eyes were bloodshot and she had bags under her eyes. He could tell that she had been crying.

Reno sat down beside her and began to comfort her, this woman he knew little about. He was hesitant about whether she would actually let him, but she didn't make an attempt to get away. They sat there for hours, as she poured her heart out to this man, her enemy. Reno sat there, hypnotized by her presence, listening to her every word. He understood her pain. He had been in her position before, and knew exactly what she was going through. They bonded instantly and the next day, Tifa went back to 7th Heaven to collect her things.

She left a note for Cloud saying that she couldn't live this way anymore, telling him that she was finding herself a new place to live. She told him she would keep in touch with him, to see how he was doing and if he needed help, but she couldn't be around him anymore. It was too painful for her. She closed the note by writing "Good luck, Tifa xxx" but the tears that fell from her eyes blurred the three x's. She left then, to search for a new place to live. That was four months ago. Since then, they communicated by voice mail only, never speaking to each other directly.

Tifa finished her shower and turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself. Her hands lingered on her stomach for a minute, thinking of the child growing inside her, and she smiled. She could finally say that she was looking forward to her future with Reno and their baby. She got dressed quickly before meeting her savior downstairs for breakfast.