Thank you for all the reviews so far. I've decided to build this into a multichapter story and I hope that you will all continue to share your insight and advice. As long as the reviews keep coming, so do the chapters. :-) Note, I've updated this chapter since its origional post. I wasn't happy with the editing job and made some minor changes that I think will help the story to flow better.
Who needs friends when you've got Turks?
The shower was comforting and Tifa found herself washing away much more than dirt and sweat. As the water ran through her hair, down her body, and out the drain she felt the weight of the previous nights troubles wash away as well. She still didn't remember anything but wind and rain after running out of the bar but she had made it safely home. Everything else, Cloud included, could wait until after she closed the bar that night. The bar isn't ready to open! Tifa sighed, turned off the water, and reached for her towel.
As she came down the last few stairs behind the bar, Tifa heard a knock at the door. A blue suited figure stood, back to the door, in the fog outside. Tifa crossed the bar floor and cracked the door. "I'm sorry, we're still closed right now," she said, "but we'll be opening for lunch at eleven." Tifa smiled politely.
"That's good. Then you still have time for some hot chocolate before you have to get to work." The figure turned, revealing a familiar blond haired woman.
"Elena! What are you doing here? Hot chocolate...?" Before Tifa could react further, Elena had thrust a steaming travel mug from a popular cafe chain into Tifa's hands and stepped the rest of the way through the door.
"I thought you could use it after everything that happened last night." Elena smiled softly and tilted her head slightly. If Tifa didn't know better, or perhaps if she were less skeptical of the Turks, she would swear that Elena's look was... comforting?
"Yeah, um, about last night," Tifa began softly and wasn't sure where to finish. She sat down in the nearest booth and Elena joined her. A flash of white. Blue eyes, hard as steel, but the voice was soft. Tifa thought quizzically for a moment, before a thought struck her. "Elena, Rufus was here last night, wasn't he? He brought me home. But why?"
Elena smiled and took a sip from her own hot chocolate. "I was hoping that maybe you could tell me." Maybe it was the laugh, Elena's laugh was so friendly, or maybe it had been too long since Tifa had a real confidant but she found herself opening up to Elena and before she knew it, she had launched into her whole tale. The fight, her dramatic exit, the game of comings and goings Tifa had played with Cloud for years, the loneliness that came from never knowing where she stood, Tifa told it all to Elena and much to her surprise Elena listened. The Turk even seemed to enjoy it. They bantered like old friends, complained about men, swapped stories about unrequited love, and laughed until all of the hot chocolate was gone. "Tifa, thank you for this," Elena said as she slurped the last of her hot chocolate, "Rufus was worried about you and Tseng sent me to check up on you, but its been so long since I've had anyone I could relate to. I'd forgotten what girl talk felt like." Tifa nodded in agreement and a stray dab of whipped cream found its way to the tip of her nose. She giggled as she reached for a napkin. "Seriously though, Tifa, if you ever need someone to talk to or if 'he' isn't treating you right, call me before you do anything rash, okay? Don't run out like that again, you gave us all a scare last night and you're going to hurt yourself."
Tifa smiled and nodded her head as she gathered their cups and grabbed a rag to start on the mess in the rest of the bar. They said their farewells and Elena turned to let herself out. "Wait," Tifa called after her, "how should I call you? You didn't give me your number."
"Our phones are secured lines, all handled internally. Just call the main Shinra number and give my name. They'll connect you." With that, Elena hurried out the door and disappeared around the corner.
Cloud listened from the foot of the stairs while the two women talked. He was reasonably certain that Elena knew he was there, but if so, she didn't give him any sign of acknowledgement. While AVALANCHE and Shinra seemed to have a tentative truce since the incident with Kadaj, Cloud knew that he would never trust the Turks. That one of them should be sitting in his house, reminiscing with his best friend, and about him of all subjects shocked Cloud. He was embarrassed and hurt but everyone who knew Cloud realized that he had never learned to express hard emotions or work through them. Cloud could only react one of two ways when his pride was wounded. Since he would never physically harm Tifa that left him with only one option and he took it often. Elena stood up to excuse herself. Cloud turned towards the garage.
It was dark when he entered the garage, but Cloud knew the way. He flipped the garage door switch on the wall then suddenly felt himself spinning as he was lifted about a foot off the ground. A beam of light stretched from under the opening door, as if reaching out to reveal his assailant. Taken by surprise, Cloud was unable to react. He felt the barrel of a gun pressed under his chin while a strong arm forced him against the wall. "I've got this idea that my boss fancies your girl," a low feminine voice said to him. "Although from what she tells me, and what I've heard from my compatriots, you don't have any more claim to her than I do to the wind god Da Chao, and you deserve even less." Cloud winced. The light had begun to travel up their legs and he thought he could make out a faint halo of light around golden hair. "Now, Rufus is prepared to be a gentleman if you are, but if you hurt her again like you did last night, there's not going to be enough of you left for her to come back to." He was pressed harder into the wall and then the hand disappeared. The light burned his eyes as he fell and blinded as he was, he could not tell which way Elena had gone.
"I guess the new face of Shinra is still coward enough to send Turks to do his dirty work!" Cloud shouted into the vanishing darkness.
"Who needs friends, when you've got Turks?" Cloud thought he heard a voice whisper near him but light filled the garage, his vision cleared, and he was alone.
A/N Hopefully I haven't taken too many liberties with Elena and Cloud. Elena is one woman alone, in a socially separated and male-dominated occupation. Kind of like Tifa. Maybe it isn't such a streatch that they might find some common ground to stand on. Cloud isn't a bad guy but I always thought his experiences might have left his emotional growth a bit stunted. He doesn't mean to hurt Tifa but maybe its time for Tifa to move on if he isn't ready for her. I promise the Rufus x Tifa is coming soon. Certain things needed to be set up first, though.
The review button is love and I desperately need some.