A/N: Here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters... although I wish I owned a few...

Chapter 2

Tifa awoke in a better mood than she went to sleep in. The fight with Cloud had blown over. Rolling over in bed, she took in his slumbering form. He seemed so peaceful—a concept which seemed almost completely foreign after spending so many years fighting his inner demons over the death of Aeris, her friend and rival for Cloud's affection. She only hoped that the new found outlook Cloud had adopted could last. Don't go there… She warned herself. That's all in the past now. He's here now. He promised he wouldn't leave again.

Cloud slowly opened his eyes and looked at Tifa. The morning light illuminated her face, making her look like an angel. "Hey… what are you doing awake so early?" His hand reached over to caress her cheek. Cloud stared at Tifa, mesmerized by her beauty. Her hair… it looks so light, almost golden. He looked deeply into her green eyes… Wait. Green? Cloud shut his eyes tightly. No. Tifa's eyes aren't green; they're a beautiful red-brown. He frowned and turned away from Tifa as sudden memories washed over him. Memories of someone else.

A wave of panic shot through Tifa. She could feel Cloud withdraw from her. "What's wrong?" She asked gently. An unsettling feeling of déjà vu began to descend on her. "Cloud." She reached out for him, but he got up and left the bed.

"I have some deliveries to run. I'll be back this afternoon." Silently, he pulled on his clothes, and, pausing in the doorway, he looked back and opened his mouth to say something, yet nothing came out. He turned around quickly and then was gone.

Tifa laid in bed awhile trying to figure out what had happened. Last night she had gotten Cloud to promise to apologize to Reno when he comes in next about his atrocious behavior. If he comes in again, that is. She thought. Reno was really pissed. Would he come back after being treated like that? Thoughts of the feisty red-head brought a smile to her face. She was sure he would come back. One fight wouldn't cause a rift in their friendship. Besides, his beef was with Cloud, and those two never saw eye-to-eye on things.

It was late afternoon, and Cheryl was busy unloading the shipment of wine that Tifa had ordered. She could barely focus on her task because thoughts of last night's escort kept invading her mind. She couldn't wait to tell Tifa. Cloud had returned not long ago, but Tifa was out. Being alone with Cloud always made Cheryl feel slightly uncomfortable. She couldn't help it. She had been here when he abandoned Tifa and the children, and she couldn't quite forgive him for his actions. She knew she was biased, and frankly, she didn't care. She only wanted to see Tifa happy.

"Cheryl, do these look alright?" Cloud brought out a small vase with a few brightly colorful flowers in it.

Cheryl frowned. The only time Cloud brought flowers was when he needed to apologize to Tifa. "What did you do now?" She put her hands on her hips and stared accusingly at him. Cloud returned her scowl with one of his own.

"Can't a man bring his woman some flowers without being judged?"

"Of course they can, but not when the only time they give flowers to someone is to make up for being a jerk." Cheryl continued to stare down Cloud.

"I don't even know why I try." Leaving the flowers on the bar, he shook his head and walked away. Why did he constantly feel as if he were surrounded by women with attitude? Women… I'll never understand them…

There were few customers that afternoon when Tifa came back from her run. She liked to keep active, and sometimes she'd visit the local gym to keep toned or take some sparring classes to keep her chops up. She waved to a couple regulars as she made her way to the counter. She felt better. Sometimes you just need to work off your anxiety. She thought as she grabbed a glass of water and sat on one of the stools. Her short black spandex shorts and white fitted t-shirt brought approving glances from the men in the bar. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and motioned to Cheryl to come over.

Cheryl pointed to the flowers on the counter. "What's going on Tifa?" Cheryl's voice was full of concern. "I thought everything was ok with you two."

"Everything's fine." Tifa lied, more to herself than Cheryl. Cheryl gave her a skeptical look at that comment. "Ok… I give. You know me too well." Tifa replied. "There was a little altercation between Cloud and Reno last night. I'm still not sure how it got out-of-hand as quick as it did." A pensive expression adorned her face. "It's not like they were ever the best of friends, but… still…"

Cheryl wasn't sure how she should phrase what she was thinking. Tifa was her boss, yet she was so much more than that. She owed a lot to her, and so, felt compelled to say what came out of her mouth next. "Maybe… maybe it's because Cloud thinks Reno has a thing for you." She closely watched Tifa to see the impact her words would have.

Stunned, Tifa just looked at Cheryl. "Cheryl… I don't think… Is that what you think?" Cheryl opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment some of the customers were signaling impatiently for service and Cheryl left without answering Tifa's question. Tifa pondered her statement. The thought of Reno having a crush on her was flattering. Her heart sped up a little at the thought of Reno. She always harbored an attraction for him; they definitely had some sort of chemistry. Sometimes the chemistry was so intense you could practically bottle it and sell it—it was that powerful. At least that's what Cheryl always told her. But she didn't want to think of that right now. I'm supposed to be with Cloud… Why did she have to remind herself of that? And why was it usually when she thought of Reno? Tifa stood up abruptly. This kind of thinking was going to get her into trouble, and she needed to get ready for her shift tonight.

It was just after 10:30. Tifa kept glancing at the clock. Cloud, washing the pint glasses that Cheryl brought, noticed Tifa becoming more agitated. Every time the door opened, Tifa looked over to see who it was, but was disappointed when she didn't see spiky red hair. Where is he? She wondered. He was breaking a ritual that she had grown accustomed to. She had become used to his presence and didn't like the thought which kept popping into her head. Maybe he's still mad about last night and doesn't want to come here anymore.
Rude didn't want to come to Seventh Heaven tonight, but he'd promised Reno he would, and Rude wasn't one to break a promise. He sighed and entered the bar with Elena in tow. He couldn't help feeling he was making a huge mistake bringing Elena, but he didn't want to come alone either. He looked at the bartender and noticed her quizzical look at the sight of him without Reno. She waved at the Turks, and Elena made her way to the bar.

"Hi Tifa! It's been a couple weeks. I could really use a beer." Elena stood at the end of the bar. "How's business?"

"Good." She handed Elena her drink. "Is Tseng still working?" Tifa was trying to work the conversation so that she could inquire about Reno. It really was odd that he wasn't there.

"Yep. Rufus has him making the preparations for our trip to Costa del Sol."

Tifa was surprised. "Really? When are you going? You know, Cloud and I are going there for vacation in a couple weeks."

"Not exactly sure. But it might be at the same time." Elena took another swig of her drink. "Wow. What a coincidence. We should meet up if that's the case."

Tifa smiled. She liked the upbeat Elena. She was a good person who took pride in her job. Elena's short cropped blond hair and petite stature fit her bubbly personality perfectly. "So that means Rufus must have the Turks working really hard right now." Now was her chance to bring up Reno.

Warning alarms sounded in Rude's head, but before he could react, Cheryl distracted him.

Elena replied casually. "Not really. Just Tseng at the moment."

Tifa glanced around to make sure Cloud was out of listening range, but she had nothing to fear because he was playing the role of bouncer at the moment with a couple of drunks. She didn't want him to misinterpret her motive. "So where's Reno?" Smooth Lockhart. Just blurt it out. Subtlety is so not your strong point.

Elena laughed, and Rude looked away from Cheryl. He could tell something bad was happening, but was powerless to stop it. "Ha ha ha ha ha. That man is nursing a wound right now."

Tifa didn't see anything funny about that. "Is he ok?" Concern washed over her. "It's not serious is it?" Tifa was ignoring the hails of thirsty patrons. From across the room, Cloud narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right about the conversation between Tifa and Elena.

"He's ok." Elena replied quickly. "He's just nursing his wounded pride." She was laughing again. "Apparently, from what I heard from some of the girls at the office, he took home the new flavor of the week. When they were…shall we say… being extremely intimate, he called out some other girl's name."

Rude grabbed Elena's arm. Reno was right about her; she would embarrass them if given the chance.

Elena continued, "She left him with a big red handprint on his cheek as an indication of what she thought about that." She shook off Rude's grip. "What? If you have something to add then say it. Do you know whose name he called out?"

Rude did indeed know, but he didn't respond to her probing. "We need to go. We just got paged." He lied to Elena.

"What timing!" Elena put down her beer and looked at Tifa. "I saw it. It looked pretty bad. It might take a day or two to fade." Rude was pulling on her sleeve impatiently. "Thanks for the beer Tifa. I hope we run into each other again at Costa."

Rude felt like he'd let down his best friend. Reno had asked him to go the bar to check on Tifa because he was worried about her. He told Rude about the fight with Cloud and made him promise to check on Tifa to make sure Strife wasn't taking his anger out on her. Rude ushered Elena outside and hailed a cab. "You go on. I have something to do first." Elena got inside, looking at Rude suspiciously. It wasn't like him to get sidetracked. When a Turk was paged, that Turk went without hesitation to headquarters. Rude silenced her with a stern look and whispered Elena's address to the driver. Then Rude settled himself in the shadows outside and watched the bar. His vantage point wasn't what he had hoped, but he was determined not to let Reno down again.

Tifa was a mix of emotions. She was rooted to the ground. What is this feeling? An overwhelming feeling of escape overcame her. She had to get out, so with a quick look at Cloud, she hurried out the front door. Breathing in the night air, she wrapped her arms around herself. Tifa's stomach felt queasy. She could feel a prickling in her heart. It was an unpleasant feeling; realization was dawning on her. I'm jealous. Insanely jealous. Tifa realized this feeling needed to stop. It was irrational. Reno was a free agent and she wasn't. I shouldn't be feeling like this. She had made a commitment to Cloud, and even though life with Cloud wasn't always pleasant, she intended to keep trying because he was getting better.

Rude watched Tifa pacing around the entrance to her bar. This was an interesting development in his eyes. Could Elena have struck a nerve with Tifa? Rude watched her intently, hoping to be able to read more into her actions. Alas, Rude's hopes were dashed when Strife came outside. Strife talked to Tifa for a few minutes, and then they went inside together. Well, it looked like it would be along night after all. A small smile played on his lips. Perhaps that waitress would need another escort home tonight.

Tifa basked in the warm glow of the sun. The atmosphere at Costa del Sol had a way of erasing all the worries of the world. She loved everything about the beach town. It was a small, intimate town with an inn, a bar, a villa, and some kiosks near the beach. The locals appeared cheerful and welcoming to the tourists. She looked over at Cloud who was lying out next to her on the beach, sleeping. Tifa was grateful for the blue and while stripe umbrellas which dotted the shore to provide shade since the palm trees were sparse.

Looking out at the water Tifa decided a swim was in order. The best part about the beach was the clear blue warm water; it looked so inviting. Tifa stood up and quickly adjusted her white bikini that Cheryl helped pick out for her before the trip. Though Tifa was physically fit, she was still a little self-conscious because she was so pale.

"Hey! Tifa!" Tifa looked to see a pretty blond woman in a pink bikini waving her arms in the air, trying to get her attention. "I was hoping to see you here." Elena had run up to them and was slightly breathless. Cloud awoke at her coming. "Hi Cloud."

"Hey." Cloud responded. He had been enjoying his nap. Tifa had dragged him around yesterday, their first day there, and he was still recovering.

"Rufus is relaxing for a bit in the villa he rented, so I've got some free time. Want to go get a drink at the bar with me?"

Tifa looked to Cloud and he answered her unspoken question. "Go ahead. I'll go back to the inn and rest some more before dinner." He smiled at Tifa.

"Ok…sounds good." She turned to Elena. "But let me get dressed before we go." Tifa started to turn back towards Cloud.

"You look fine." Elena grabbed Tifa by the arm and started pulling. "Let's go. Nobody cares. Tons of people go into the bar in their swimsuits." Elena and Tifa made their way up the stucco steps that led to the main town and into Bar del Sol. "There's everybody now." She waved to a group of men at the far table.

Reno choked on his beer. Rude glanced over at his partner to make sure he was alright and smiled. Reno's eyes were locked onto the striking vision which had just walked into the room. She's a goddess. He hadn't seen Tifa since the argument with Cloud in the bar. He wanted to say something, anything to her, but his mind was empty, so instead he just gawked at Tifa.

Rude was the first to move. "Here." He took a chair from a vacant table and offered it to Tifa.

"Thanks." She nodded, looking more than slightly uncomfortable.

Elena turned and looked at Tseng. "Look who I found down by the water?"

"A pleasure, Miss Lockhart, as always." Tseng nodded a greeting in her direction. "Can we get you anything?" At Tifa's affirmation Tseng called the waitress over and Tifa ordered her drink.

Reno was still staring at Tifa with unabashed admiration. A quick elbow from Rude brought him back to his senses. "Well, well, well… I see you still can't stay away from me. You've followed me out all the way over here." He leaned forward toward Tifa. "Does this mean you've finally ditched Strife and want to try out a real man?"

Tifa took his bait. For some reason, she was perturbed by his casual attitude towards her. "When I see a real man, I'll let you know." Elena was in stitches and Tseng was wearing a broad smile when the waitress brought her colorful drink. She stole a glance at Reno, admiring the loose white buttoned shirt and tight jeans he was wearing. In true Reno fashion, he had the top two buttons undone, enticingly exposing part of his upper chest. Her mind quickly wandered into dangerous territory.

"Tifa?"

"Huh?" Elena's voice rapidly brought her back to reality.

"I asked when you and Cloud got here."

"Um…yesterday. We went for a canoe tour of the bay and actually surfed for most of the day." She took another sip of her drink and stole another glance at Reno. "When did you guys get here?"

"Last week," was Elena's reply. "Why don't you and Cloud join us for dinner tonight?"

Reno's heart tightened at the question. He paused with his beer bottle tilted back almost to his lips, waiting for her response. He didn't mind being with Tifa, but Cloud always rubbed him the wrong way even when he was trying to be nice to the guy.

"Thanks for the invite, but we already have plans for dinner tonight." Reno was thankful for her answer and took a swig of his beer. He didn't know if he could handle seeing Tifa with Cloud when she was looking as hot as she was. Wait a minute. She's Strife's girl. Always has been. But he couldn't disable his feelings for her. The blond he'd hooked up with a few weeks back could tell you that… and unfortunately, she had told plenty of people at the company. His pride still stung from that. He was a ladies man after all.

"That's alright Lockhart. We can hook up some other time…" Reno's face drained of all color. "I mean all of us… not you and me…" Did that just come out of his mouth? Didn't he just reaffirm that she was Strife's girl? He felt trapped, and truth be told, a little unnerved. This wasn't the first time he was wondering what was going on with himself. Why did he always have to make an ass of himself when Tifa was around? Thankfully, Elena actually came to his rescue.

"You bet!" She piped up as she observed the reddening color on Tifa's face. Gears started turning in her head as she looked from Tifa to Reno and back again. She could feel something in the air.

"Come on Reno." Tseng got up from the table. "We need to go check on Rufus. Miss Lockhart, until next time…" He stood up and stared at Reno.

"Later Lockhart." Reno vacated his seat and followed Tseng out the door. Relief swept over him. It was one thing to flirt with her; it was quite another to appear to be making dates with her.

"Reno. I hope I can count on you not to lose your head here." Tseng's warning sounded in Reno's ears. "Don't cause trouble. Not with Strife. He's a popular hero, and people love him. Shinra doesn't need any more negative publicity, especially with the conference coming up in Junon."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. I wasn't planning on doing anything…" His voice trailed off as an apparition of Tifa flashed in his head. "I'm a Turk. I'm not gonna cause any trouble."

Famous last words. Tseng thought. He decided he'd need someone to keep an eye on Reno. There was a reason Tseng was the leader of the Turks; he knew them better than they knew themselves.

A/N: Ok. I hope you liked it. Things are definitely going to pick up from here on out. Please let me know what you think...