Tifa was still acting like she was being pursued by a herd of behemoths as she ran up the stairs to her apartment, putting her painting down and hurriedly unlocking the door, then grabbed her painting and fled to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. "What...what have I done?" she asked herself as she leaned against her bedroom door to catch her breath, the painting dangling from her hand. She let go of the painting as if it burned her hand, causing the painting to fall rightside up, and she stared at herself stripping for Reno as if mesmerized.

"I...I need a shower!" Tifa blurted out and headed for the bathroom. As she took her clothes off, she felt as if Reno's eyes were really on her and she was disturbed at the part of her that found the notion titillating. As the warm water sluiced over her tense body, she hoped Cloud would be home soon. She needed to get that man into her bed...or any willing man, she reluctantly admitted.

Cloud sighed as he climbed into his sleeping bag. His quest to find out what happened to Zack and reunite him with Aerith was turning out to be a monumental failure so far. And deep down he hoped one day he'd come back home to find Tifa in love with someone else. He loved her dearly, he just wasn't in love with her, and he didn't know how to tell her without breaking her heart, so he just stayed away as much as he could.

Tifa shot a disgusted look at her painting as she got into bed that night. She had propped it up against the wall while it finished drying. She needed to find somewhere to hide it, because she just couldn't bring herself to destroy it, not after she remembered that Mrs. Beasley said she had talent. The painting was realistic, which in itself was a problem. She groaned in frustration with herself and her love life, or more honestly, the lack thereof, throwing the covers over herself and waiting for sleep.

"Tifffffa...Tiiiiiiiiiiiifa...wake up." The persistent voice insisted, and opening her eyes, she was shocked to see Reno sitting on her bed next to her, completely naked.

"What...what are you doing here? How'd you get inside?" she demanded to know, clutching the sheets to her.

"Dr. Love is here to give you a full physical." Reno told her with his customary smirk as he caressed her arm.

"Dr. Love? Reno, get out of here before Marlene and Denzel find you like this!" Tifa pleaded, trying to ignore how good it felt to have him touch her.

Reno put his finger gently on Tifa's lips to silence her. "Dr. Love knows what his patients need." he said before kissing her.

Tifa's resistance faded as his lips on hers made her body react even more. It had been so long since Cloud had awakened her to her own sexuality...if she went along with whatever Reno was doing, the kids would never know, she told herself as she let go of the sheet and he began examining her body. Moans escaped her lips as her desire to keep quiet was overridden by the desire Reno was igniting within her. She closed her eyes to shut out everything but what he was doing to her.

"I've finally figured out what's wrong with you. Are you ready for the cure?" Reno asked.

"Yes!" the word burst out of her as she lay beneath him as if posing for another picture, their red and black hair as entwined as their pale bodies were about to be. Suddenly Reno laughed horribly, and Tifa opened her eyes in surprise.

"Do you really want this?" Professor Hojo asked, holding his wizened penis in his hand.

Tifa woke up screaming and moments later, Marlene and Denzel came bursting into her room. "Auntie Tifa, are you okay?" Marlene wanted to know, worry clearly written over her face.

"I'm...I'm fine, it was just a nightmare." Tifa told them, taking deep breaths to get ahold of herself while shuddering at the thought of being with Hojo. Then she remembered the painting, which the children hadn't noticed in their concern for her. Using her sheet as a makeshift robe, she hurriedly led them back to their own rooms, tucking them in again before going back to her bedroom and shoving the painting in her closet where it would be safe from roaming eyes. Tifa felt slightly better as she crawled back into bed, hoping that mental image of Hojo would cure her from not being able to wait for Cloud much longer.

"You two could have waited, you know. I told you we'd have them delivered to you." Mrs. Beasley told Aerith and Yuffie the next morning as the two young woman covered their paintings and took them off the easels.

"No, these are our paintings, it's our responsibility." Yuffie replied, not wanting to admit that she and Aerith didn't want anyone to know they were painting a naked Reno who was posing in front of them, and after she had time to think about it, she was rather embarrassed that she had painted Vincent's head on Reno's body.

"So are you going to ask Reno to pose for you in private so you can finish your painting?" Mrs. Beasley asked Aerith. "He'd do it if you promised him some good home-cooked meals in return."

"N...n...no. I...I'm just not an artist." Aerith stuttered as she started blushing furiously at the obvious innuendo in the older woman's question and the idea of a naked Reno in her tiny studio apartment with the bedroom and living room occupying the same space.

"You really oughtta get that cherry popped, and soon." Mrs. Beasley told Aerith. "You too, young lady." she said as she turned to Yuffie. "You wouldn't believe how good sex is for your complexion. Look at me, you wouldn't know my age by looking at me. I've got one foot in the grave pretty much, but I'm still getting laid and I look great!"