Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII with the characters, items, places, etc. are the property of Square Enix, Inc. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is a Cloud and Tifa story, just with a dramatic twist due to his absence. They will be happy later.

Thank you for all the kind words I got when this story made a comeback! I was really happy to receive so many reviews and messages.

I also want to express gratitude to both Kelleyj17 and mayelisa from Ao3 for being my beta readers for the Cloud and Tifa reunion arc. I know how the last chapter ended has you all worried, but mayelisa is excited for this arc but also reminding me that this story better have a happy ending or she will never forgive me.

She's fighting for you Clotis! This story will have a happy ending. I promise everyone that!

You can trust me ;)

-. Don't Think Twice .-

Chapter XXII

January 9th, εγλ 0010, 1:01 p.m.

"Because...because I'm pregnant."

She didn't want to do this to him.

In that instant, she watched as his skin paled, his lips parted slightly, and his brilliant blue eyes went wide. His entire being was frozen like that as they sat at the table in a heavy silence from her confession. She hated this. Hurting him, again, but she couldn't undo this. Tifa had only found out a few days ago and was still shocked herself; she was going to be a mother. A single mother since she knew a baby from another man was going to be too much for her husband.

She had dreaded this exact moment since the stick turned blue. What he would do? What he would say? What he would think...of her?

"What?" Cloud managed to ask finally. His voice was thick with disgust.

She didn't want to lose this with him.

Her shoulders shook with grief, hot tears streaming down her already wet cheeks. She couldn't blame him for being upset with her. She knew that as soon as she told him, she would only destroy both his heart and any chance she had of being with him.

It was excruciating to see him so low. She just wanted to lift him up and not let him go. Exchange words that their love was worth fighting for. But she was the one that burned them down.

"I love you, and I chose you," her breath was shaky when she spoke. "But I can't ask you to be with me when I'm pregnant with...Jace's child."

She didn't want to break the one she loved so much.

But she did. His face went blank before he turned away, breaking her apart further. She hurt him this way. Her husband couldn't even look at her, because perhaps he didn't want to be her husband anymore. Abruptly he rose from his chair, knocking the wooden furniture over behind him. The loud bang from the fall startled her, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything to him right now. His fists were clenched at his sides, his back turned to her, and the words 'I'm sorry' couldn't leave her throat. 'Don't walk away' is what she needed to say, but she couldn't.

Not even when Cloud stormed out of the house.


January 7th, εγλ 0010, 1:48 p.m.

"Fine. Just hurry up and tell me what you wanna say, then get the hell out," the sandy-haired man snapped, twirling his hand to emphasize his impatience with her. He was still standing, clearly ignoring her suggestion that he should sit down.

"I-I'm pregnant," Tifa stated. She could feel her stomach flip and the color leave her face. He was the second person she told, making the baby more real. She hadn't slept very well last night, dreading this moment of telling him. Dumping him was one thing, but telling a man who had no interest in having children that he was going to be a father...her nerves had been wrecked all morning from this crucial confrontation.

"You can't be pregnant," he spluttered incredulously at the news. He narrowed his golden eyes, as if he didn't believe her.

"I'm afraid I am," she reasserted the truth. What would she gain from lying about a baby with him? She knew he wasn't going to be happy about it, but to think she was lying baffled her. Tifa sighed heavily.

Jace laughed at her before his eyes focused on her stomach with pure disgust. "Are you sure it isn't Cloud's?"

"W-what?" The brunette stuttered, shocked by what he was implying. But the father of her child was very serious with his allegation.

"You think I don't know you didn't sleep with him that night I walked in on you two?" He snidely accused her again. His amber eyes flickered up to meet hers. "Spreading your legs so easily for the man that fucking left you."

Tifa felt his accusation like a punch to the gut. After all the time they'd spent together, how could he think of her that way? Didn't he know her at all?

"I haven't slept with Cloud since long before he left me!" She yelled back in frustration, pure anger in her fiery red eyes. She knew he was going to be a complete jackass about this, but to insinuate that he wasn't the father? It enraged her. She didn't want this either, to be tied to him for the next eighteen years. But it was their shared unfortunate reality: her birth control failed and they procreated together. "The baby is yours!"

He scoffed, running his hand through his thick, coiffed hair. "What the fuck are you going to do?" Then he pointed to his chest and scowled. "I ain't paying for it."

"Damn it, Jace! Listen! I don't expect us to be a family, but just show up once in a while and help!" Her agitation was quickly rising. His accusation just now was only to weasel out of any responsibility even though it takes two to make a baby. She wasn't asking him for much, and he didn't even want to discuss a damn thing about what they were going to do!

"Then get rid of it. I don't want a fucking kid."


January 5th, εγλ 0010, 9:48 a.m.

Tifa took four tests that morning. Every single stick turned blue, sealing her fate; she was still in complete shock. She was going to be a mother. She was going to have a child...with Jace. They were so careful and had barely been intimate in the last month they were together, and yet somehow, she was pregnant.

Taking birth control since she was eighteen to regulate her periods, she was never late until this month. Almost five years on the pill and it failed her. When the time had come for her period to start, she was a little surprised but didn't worry about it so much. Then a few days passed ...and still nothing. Tifa didn't feel any different than usual, now just anxious as to why her period that has always been on time was four days late. She kept telling herself it was impossible, but the back of her mind urged her to take a test.

She stood in the 'Family Planning' section of the local pharmacy with no idea about tests. Which were the best ones? What should she look for in a test? Not a single clue. She was too embarrassed to ask, so she opted to buy all four brands available. Thank goodness the kids were away for a night, each at a friend's house for one last sleepover before school was back in session.

The barmaid grew anxious when the first stick showed a positive, then immediately ripped open another box to take another. The second test turned blue. Then the third.

"Shit!"

She wanted the last test to be her hail mary, that perhaps this was just a bunch of bad tests, but it turned blue as well. Almost immediately, the tiny blue lines appeared on the stick.

Pregnant.

Tifa was pregnant with Jace's kid when she was supposed to be getting back together with Cloud! Palms flat against her bathroom counter, she glanced at the positive tests that were lined up in a row and began to cry. Tears dripped down and hit the white marble. Her shoulders shook while she tried to take a deep breath, but she failed and let out a loud sob instead.

No no no! This wasn't supposed to be happening!

What...what was she supposed to do? She couldn't be with that man just because they were having a kid. She always knew Jace wasn't a fan of little kids, but he was okay with Marlene and Denzel since they were past the age of diaper changing and late-night feedings. It was the tiny toddlers he really disliked, and both of her kids were enough for her. Parenthood was never discussed between them, let alone marriage!

She was married...and pregnant with another man's baby. This is not what she wanted for her life. Guilt overtook her heart, fearing what Cloud would say about this. She hadn't been able to contact him on the phone for a few days now. Jace wasn't going to handle this well at all, especially when she was going to dump him when he got to town in a couple of days.

But her husband...this would be too much for him. He had already forgiven her and wanted her back after they were separated for so long. After she was with another man while they were still married. But now...she couldn't change what had happened. Her tears flowed down her cheeks and rolled off her chin from the trembles. Her heart was breaking! Could he accept her like this? Would he want to raise another man's kid that didn't look like him? Could he still love her after this?

Tifa tried to wipe the tears from her eyes after she turned off her bathroom light, but only more came. Her fists clenched up at her sides with the immense sadness taking over her, knowing what she had now lost with this pregnancy.

She had lost Cloud.

.

.

.

"Whoa, y-you're pregnant? What did Jace say? Did you break up with him yet?" Yuffie rapid-fired out all the questions at once across the phone. There was an urgency in her voice after the initial shock. "Or are you...not going to anymore now?"

"I haven't told Jace yet, but I am on Tuesday when I return his stuff. I don't want to be with him just for the baby, Yuffie. I-I can't. He's not used to little kids," she explained with a brittle tone, relaxing her back against the pillows on her bed. The brunette had one crying spell this morning and was trying to fight off another. She gripped the mobile device tighter. "Child support from him is the best I can hope for."

"So, what's the plan?"

Tifa sighed deeply. "Keep the baby, and raise it by myself if I have to."

"But what about Spiky?" Her ninja-friend nearly yelled.

"I'm scared to tell him, but I will when he gets home next week. We finally decided to get back together, and now...now I'm pregnant."

"Cloud really loves you," her friend pauses for a moment over the phone. "Maybe he'd be okay with the baby."

"He's not going to want to be with me, Yuffie."

"Do you really think that?"

"Well, I can't expect him to want to be with me either after this, can I? I don't doubt his love for me," Tifa swallowed hard. The tears were stinging her eyes again and blurring her vision. "I just know...I just know this baby would be too much for him." Her heart wanted to believe they could make it through this, but her mind told her the reality of it: they can't.

"Tifa, I'm coming to Edge," Yuffie declared. A muffled noise came through the line, which she assumed was her friend pulling the phone away to talk to someone special with her from what she heard next. "We gotta go. Tifa needs me right now."

"Yuffie, you don't have to do that," she protested. Just because she was having so many problems right now doesn't mean her friend should uproot herself and sacrifice alone time with her boyfriend. The boyfriend who was still a mystery to her. "Seriously, I can just call if I need to talk."

"Ugh. Listen, Teef, don't you dare 'seriously' me right now," the younger girl frustratedly chastised her. "You need someone right now, and you're like my effing sister! My guy knows that, okay? I'll be there later tonight."


January 9th, εγλ 0010, 1:32 p.m.

"So he just walked out after you told him without really saying anything?" Yuffie leaned up against the kitchen counter and popped open a can of soda she was offered to drink.

"He was so angry with me." Tifa covered her face with her hands as she sat on the stool, her elbows propped up on the dark countertop. She was so stressed the last few days. Telling two men she was pregnant had taken a lot out of her. She couldn't blame Cloud for being furious with her, especially when she already anticipated he would be.

Her fifth test was on Monday with the doctor, who had confirmed she was expecting. And the medical professional also explained why her birth control failed. The antibiotic she was prescribed lowered the hormones; thus, conception was able to be achieved.

"Maybe he's just trying to process this still?" the ninja meekly suggested before taking a sip. She put down the can and held her finger up. "But if I know Cloud, a silent Cloud isn't a good one to mess with while he's stewing away."

"A part of me hoped he'd still want to be with me," she took a pause after uncovering her face, smoothing her palms out against the surface of the counter. Her hope from the start was always dwindling in the wind about her relationship with Cloud. It had weighed on her for days whether it was even possible for them once the stick turned blue. Her teeth scraped across her lips. "But the better part of me knew that he wouldn't with the baby. It hurts, but I can't be mad at him for it."

"But you two were supposed to be together."

"Yuffie, if I weren't in such denial about my feelings for him this wouldn't have happened." She didn't want to be in this position: pregnant and alone.

"Tifa, you were just scared with your feelings for a while, okay? Cloud left you, and that's hard to overcome, but you did! You came to your senses with how much you love him," Yuffie placed her hand on her shoulder. "Now stop being so damn hard on yourself when Jace was the one that kept you under his spell with his materia."

She appreciated her friend trying to cheer her up, but Tifa knew her part in this. Right now, she felt like a fool. "I should've been more careful with my birth control. I didn't even know my damn medicine was going to alter the effects. I feel so stupid about it now."

Yuffie groaned loudly. "That bastard has a role in this too! He messed with your heart to pick him over Cloud! To pick him over the kids, didn't he?!" she raised her voice, then sighed to calm herself before she continued. "If he didn't do all those tricks, you and Cloud would've been together by now."

"I know...but this is my fault too."


March 23rd, εγλ 0008, 12:54 a.m.

"Give it a shot, Tifa. If it's too hard, you can always quit," Cloud soothed her worries about opening a new bar.

"Aw, damn, it ain't gonna be hard!" Barret argued. "If Tifa doesn't work, she'll just get to broodin', and 'fore you know it, she won't be able to do nothin' else."

The embers from the small fire flickered up into the night sky. A half-broken down house was their current home amongst the ruins of Midgar. The front half was blown away, but made a good refuge spot for them until they made a plan. But it seems they have now: building a new bar in a new settlement called Edge. For weeks they have helped survivors recuperate from Meteor Fall, but it was time they settled into their new reality.

Marlene was asleep on a couch that was half under the stars, curled up in a thick blanket dreaming away. Sometimes they slept inside the house, but sometimes they spent their time in the front yard of the dismantled house to converse and drink Corel Wine. Tonight was one of those nights, and after Barret made the suggestion for how they can move on together, he passed out in a drunken state.

She was in a perfect buzz herself after finishing off the second bottle with Cloud, using the flannel blanket to keep warm. But now it was wrapped around both her and her husband, her body cradled in his lap with one arm wound around his neck where they exchanged heated kisses. Tifa was worried Barret would pick up on the way that the blond was looking at her tonight after the first drink of alcohol, but luckily for them he didn't notice.

The barmaid couldn't get enough of the way he was staring at her during the campfire, and it had been over a week since they had a moment of privacy. The heat of his body radiated off of him, and she could feel his stiff cock pressing against her upper thigh through his thick pants. She kept indulging in their long kissing, nevermind the dampness that began to seep between her folds.

Cloud's hands cupped her face while his tongue swerved inside her mouth, tangling with hers with need. They always had time to sneak off for a quick kiss without anyone noticing, but this kind of kissing had a deep desire with them. Her hand had scrunched up the fabric of navy material, which was her secret way to keep her pants to a minimum. They were both a little drunk right now, and only five feet away was a passed out gunman who didn't know they were together. The alcohol was making them both a little bold and brave after suppressing lust for one another.

"Tifa..." his breath tickled her swollen lips, his fingertips trailing down her chest to sneak up under her white shirt. She could see his high cheekbones were dusted red through her half-lidded eyes.

"Cloud…" she shuddered his name when he started to flick her nipple. A deep flush spread across her cheeks and neck when she stopped his massage. She did want this. She did want him. "I-I think we should find s-someplace...more private." She kissed him again, more breathlessly.

"Just thinking—" he kissed the soft spot below her earlobe, "the same thing...myself."

Her eyes fluttered closed. She bit her bottom lip as his teeth scraped her neck, his tongue sweeping over to lick her sweetly before he suckled more. Her hand bunched up the fabric of his shirt again, trying desperately to hold back a moan. His defenses were down because of his drunken state, as it was quite easy for her too right now.

"Please…" she begged up against his ear. An ache had been building up between her legs. "I need you inside me."

Her words caught his attention, and he tucked her hair behind her ear while trying to catch his breath. The glow in his eyes intensified when they connected with hers. "Come with me."


January 9th, εγλ 0010, 1:35 p.m.

Iris' face lit up when he walked through the front entrance of the WRO office. She was seated behind her desk and jumped to her feet as the door closed behind him. "Oh, hey, Cloud! Reeve called again—"

"I'll call him when I'm ready to call him," he roughly cut her off. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Not when he was trying to suppress his rage that was spiraling out of control in his mind.

"Oh. Okay...sorry," her porcelain face fell, but she didn't push him further.

The blond stalked past her desk to the hallway that led to his office. A quiet place away from everyone so he could just try and sort out his emotions that were overwhelming him. He had never felt so alone and lost after what Tifa told him today. Just hearing the news made his heart stop, he was unable to breathe, and could barely formulate a response to her. He could only feel blind fury towards her from the shock. The overall situation was so tense. It broke him to see how much she cried, but it broke him even further knowing that she was pregnant with another man's child.

What the hell am I supposed to say to her?

The snow on his leather coat had all but melted when he reached his door, closing it carefully behind him in his irate state. He had work to do but was unable to focus. Everything he had hoped to rebuild with her was crumbling before him. He came home to be with her, to be with his family again. To start over...with Tifa. It seemed impossible now.

Rage began to boil up inside him once again and he tried to swallow it back. He took a deep breath to calm himself and rounded his desk to take a seat. Leaning back, he raked his hand through his pale hair and let out a groan. Cloud was trying to calm down but his anger kept flaring up. He was mad at Tifa for being careless. Last week they were getting back together, and now she was pregnant with that guy's baby! He was infuriated with Jace, but it's not that hard when he hated the guy from the get-go. His wife's relationship with that man was over now; the past was supposed to be in the past but she was pregnant with this bastard's kid.

Cloud understood now why she was so hesitant as soon as he walked in through the door. This is what she wanted to talk about, and he was still unable to process it. He loved her and wanted to be with her, but this was beyond complicated. He could never give Tifa a child, not with the experiments that left him sterile. This would be just one more thing that Jace took from them: a chance at real happiness.

What the hell were they supposed to do?

He unzipped his leather jacket and tried to shrug it off quickly and chewed on the inside of his cheek. In the process, he spotted the metallic wolf statue that he got for Christmas from his wife. After he got back from the trip, he dropped off his things at the office and set up the new decor on his desk. It was such a thoughtful gift, but the sight of it agitated him further. He felt his heart constrict with bitterness and pain. He rubbed a hand over his face before grabbing the Fenrir figure to put it away in the drawer.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

Cloud sighed with pure irritation and wasn't surprised to see his raven-haired friend appear next to him when he looked up. His sapphire eyes tried to spar with sympathetic purple eyes and his hands gripped the arms of his leather chair. "Leave."

"You need a friend right now," Zack tried to kindly persuade.

"I don't wanna hear none of this 'don't think twice' bullshit from you right now," he tried to keep his voice even. All of his emotions were coming to a front and he felt his lungs closing in. "I love Tifa, that hasn't changed. But this, I—"

"I know," the apparition knelt down in front of him, propping his arm upon his own knee. "This just...really sucks."

The air between them became heavy with silence. Cloud leaned forward to put his elbow on his knees and cradle his face in his hands. His friend softly placed his hand on his shoulder as a token of sympathy. His mind was in agony at what he was facing. Loving Tifa was his whole existence and he was given a second chance to live his life. To be with her. The girl-next-door he made a promise to under the starry sky, who found his mind in the Lifestream, and married to spend the rest of his life with her. To raise children together as a family. But to raise that man's kid?

"I...I just don't know what to do," Cloud finally stated, feeling defeated.

"I don't either."


March 23rd, εγλ 0008, 1:15 a.m.

Cloud pushed her up against the brick wall of the lone alleyway a few houses away from their campfire, secluded by crates and the moonlight. His hot tongue pushed between her lips and he slanted his mouth over hers. She was quite dizzy from the alcohol and just the taste of him; she wasn't going to put up a fight of where he picked to take her. In her inebriated state, it thrilled her more, making her wetter.

His kisses got harder when she pulled on his belt buckle, unfastening it quickly as she could. His hands traveled the outside of her thighs before slipping inwards to widen her stance. He hiked up her leather skirt, pushing aside her cotton panties to reveal her swollen petals. Tifa had been aroused since they started kissing with fervor earlier, so it wasn't a surprise that when he circled the pad of his thumb over her clit her knees buckled.

"You're so wet," he teased, his cobalt eyes completely euphoric. He kept the pressure up on her nub.

"Please," Tifa managed to get his zipper undone and took him in her palm. She could feel her arousal drip down her inner thigh with how needy she was for him. Lifting her leg up to curl around his waist, spreading the fluid from the head around his cock.

"Fuck," he hissed at her touch. Cloud adjusted her panties so he could enter her while lining himself up with his hips.

She pulled her arms up around his shoulders to support herself against his warm body, her face seeking shelter in the crook of his neck. They never had drunk sex before. They're both still mostly clothed but the aspect of what they are about to do made her all the more excited for him.

One hand placed on her waist, he pushed his hot erection past her damp slit. "Oh god," he shuddered once fully inside her. His other hand supported her hiked up thigh and he began to retreat out before pushing back in.

She gasped against the sweaty skin of his neck, his velvety cock penetrating her again and again. His throaty moans picked up in the mess of her hair by her ear and she couldn't control her own wild panting. His length intensely massaged her inner walls with a hard rhythm and she was soon unraveling into white bliss, gripping the back of his navy vest when she came.

"Ahhhh!"

They barely even began and her cheeks reddened from feeling the wet wave drip from where they were connected. Cloud sucked in his breath when he felt the effect of her orgasm.

"Arrgghhh Tifa," he groaned into her tousled hair, slowing his hips to a stop. "You just came."

"I-I'm sorry, I—"

"Don't ever be sorry. That was fucking hot," Cloud corrected her and kissed below her ear. His breathing is like gravel. "I'll make you come again." He began his strokes once more. "And again."

His words and his movement inside her made her head loll back against the brick wall. Their moans echoed in the dark alleyway as they had rough sex under the moonlight. His heavy breath fanned her sweaty neck and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Oh fuck, Tifa," he grunted out her name. He's plunging into her harder now, getting carried away by claiming her deeply. The friction between them is simply marvelous.

The heat of where she and Cloud are joined took over her mind. It was easy to do with how precise he hit her core and the booze she consumed earlier. Her climax climbed inside her and the fervor of his thrusting hips further accentuated her gratification. The cries that escaped her throat grew louder and his grip tightened on her waist and thigh as he became more frantic.

She was ascending to the heavens with her high. "Clo—"

His mouth captured hers, sucking up her bottom lip and muffled cries, and his tongue is vibrating with hers due to his guttural groan. She came, he came with her and she loved it. Her fingers thread through his hair with one hand and bunched up the sweater vest with the other. The warmth between her legs rocketed into a blaze from reaching the edge and Cloud rode out his own release. Their kisses slow down along with their heartbeats.

His Mako eyes glowed when he looked down at her and he pushed her hair behind her ear. "So...again?"

"Y-yeah."

Tifa bit her lip when he moved to discard her underwear and tucked it into his pocket. There was a devilish glint in his gaze before he lifted her skirt and he licked her inner thigh. Her breath quickened before a moan escaped her mouth once he plunged his tongue inside her swollen folds. The pert muscle swirled around her clit and she watched the moon as she came again.


January 9th, εγλ 0010, 4:02 p.m.

Yuffie had left an hour ago after their talk and she still had to wipe down the bar for the evening rush. All the tables and chairs were already squeaky clean with menus and salt and pepper setup for her customers, leaving only the bar left to tend to. After the encounter with Cloud today and crying a bit to her friend, she threw herself into cleaning to clear her mind. There was still a heaviness plaguing her heart, remembering his ultramarine eyes electrocute with shock and his face scorn up with her honesty. Tifa knew she couldn't expect him to be with her with this unforeseen situation.

The chime to the door halted her wiping motion on the counter, smiling at the kids that ran inside from the front door. Denzel took off his backpack hastily and it landed on the floor with a loud thud. "Cloud's back early!"

The doe-eyed girl was over at the side of the bar, holding onto the straps of her bag tight. Her ponytail bounced when she stood up on her tippy toes. "It was such a neat surprise to see him after school! Why didn't you tell us he was coming back today?"

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Tifa smiled and rested her elbows on the smooth bar top. Seeing the kids' happiness with their father figure back brought her a little joy, which she chose to focus on rather than the troubles she was facing. She smiled through her pain for a long time before.

"I'm going to go pack!" Denzel stated as he passed by his younger sister and disappeared to the living area.

"Oh?" Her face fell at her son's plans, feeling a tinge of pain swell up inside her. If the kids had to pack for tonight, that meant...

"We get to spend the night at Cloud's place. He's getting us pizza and a movie!" Marlene explained with eagerness. "I'm going to go pack too!"

The young mother nodded to her daughter, her eyes trailing after the little girl's retreating back. Outside the small glass window of her tavern door, she could spot a fleck of blond hair that quickly dissipated from her vision. The stoic man was lingering at the front doorstep instead of facing her. The festering guilt that seized her heart and mind over the last few days had been in preparation for this moment. It shouldn't be a surprise her husband was taking the children away for the night, or even not wanting to come inside Seventh Heaven, but both were strong indications that he didn't want to be with her. Her teeth scraped her bottom lip in anticipation and she threw on her dark wool coat to face him herself.

Her hand gripped the cold steel of the doorknob before she paused. Her heart pounded anxiously against the confines of her chest in an offbeat pattern and she quickly blinked away any tears she felt stung her eyes. She had done enough crying with Yuffie today, and she willed herself to open the door.

He was sitting on the rail, hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket, empty eyes fixated on the wooden planks of the porch below his feet. His overall composure jolted up her anxiety once she stepped into the brittle winter air, but she didn't show it. Instead, she stood not too far from his quiet form with the snowfall coming down behind him. Children ran down the street towards a park to play, and their youthful laughter echoed through the heavy stillness.

His eyes were a deep blue but blank, and Tifa decided to break the awkward silence. She crossed her arms over her chest to get more warmth. "It's really cold out here."

"I didn't want to talk inside." He still wouldn't look at her.

"Okay," she nodded. "You're going back to your place with the kids I take it?"

"Yeah, for a few days like I always do when I come back home."

"I see," she swallowed hard, feeling her heart plummet. Her claret eyes started to mist over, and she wiped one tear that escaped. It pained her that their love wasn't enough to get past this. She sniffled. "I guess that's it then."

That's when he looked at her, and there was a storm in his blue eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What you've decided," she doesn't falter from his angry gaze. This is more than she got out of him earlier today, and they were finally talking. "Even though I accepted the outcome when I took the pregnancy test, it still...hurts."

"My plan was to come home tonight, to be with you, to be with the kids like a real family again. I…still care about you, but now..."

"I care about you too, Cloud…" Tifa responded back. Her heart warmed at the notion he still had feelings but trembled with how he was using his words. Obviously, this situation she never wanted was changing things for him. She didn't want it to be that way. For them to end. Their love should be enough, shouldn't it? She licked her lips apprehensively before she pushed further. "But I was hoping we could... I don't know..."

"You don't know what? Get back together and I help raise his kid with you?" Cloud snapped.

"I was hoping we could try this together because we love each other."

"Tifa, I've spent time trying to wrap my head around this," his voice started to rise, the frustration of the situation clearly getting to him. The blond swallowed hard, letting out a huff of air from where he sat. "This decision isn't because I don't love you. I do love you, but I just can't do this."

"I know...I know you can't."


Author's Note Continued: Cloud and Tifa broke up twice in the same fic! This hurts me so much! (Even though I am the one that is doing this to them…)

Chapter XXIII will be posted next week, and things between Cloud and Tifa will be tense, but hopeful. Just remember what I said in the author's notes above: Cloud and Tifa will be happy later.

Please review!