The best kept secret about Elena was that she had at least a dozen well kept secrets. Sure Tseng knew a hell of a lot about Elena but everything he didn't know about her was the things that made him that much more smitten by her. On Saturday, after leaving Healen, Tseng had ridden home with Elena but had only spent a few hours at his apartment before arriving at Elena's house. God, would her neighbors be talking now. She was fortunate to have a house in the city and it was a beautiful home in a coveted neighborhood. It was no secret that Elena's parents had money but they hadn't given her even one gil on this 2500 square foot, three bedroom palace with an attached garage. She was the envy of so many so many families in the city who wanted a place such as hers to raise kids. It was a lot of house for a single girl but just right for a single girl that had recently become a little less single.

"I know you hate her but your sister really was a good Turk. A total bitch, but a good Turk." Tseng said as he flipped slowly through the pages of one of Elena's photo albums.

"You didn't know her very well did you?" Elena asked as she turned out her kitchen light.

"No, not at all. I just felt like I could trust her to get stuff done." Tseng said. "Of course, hell I was barely a Turk when she joined though." Elena sat a glass of ginger ale on the table in front of her couch as she put an arm around him.

"Yeah, she's good at everything she does. She was always mom and dad's favorite. That's her stupid academy graduation picture." Elena said.

"What the hell made her the favorite? Tseng wondered.

"Everything. I spent my entire childhood and young-adult life trying to keep up with her. She did gymnastics and tap, I chose ballet and ballroom, she was a cheerleader, I was on the dance team. She gave up on sailing for horseback riding, I stayed with sailing. I swore I was never going to be a damn Turk but I guess you could say I one upped her because I did become a member of the Turks and then…I got under one." Elena said. Tseng laughed at her.

"You know, I will never understand sibling rivalry…I mean I can't. I got nothin' to go on. I always thought that having a brother or sister would be special but my god weren't you exhausted from all the…competing?" Tseng questioned her. He being an only child had grown up with a very different set of expectations.

"Oh god yeah I was exhausted. Through the eyes of my parents, I will never be as good as her, I will never outshine her. But as far as I'm concerned, I am so happy with my life." Elena said sincerely.

"You should be. My god, you have it all Elena. You should be very proud of yourself." Tseng told her.

"It's funny though, you'd think that my mom and dad would have been so impressed by this house. I was so excited when the realtor handed over the keys. My mother's comments were that's nice honey, you'll need some bathroom towels. My dad was a little more excited…he at least acknowledged that I got a great deal on this house." Elena explained.

"Yeah?" Tseng questioned as he turned the pages.

"Yep. Divorce settlement. It was in foreclosure." She said.

"That's exactly how Rufus bought his condo. It had been on the market for two weeks, he was ready to pay the asking price, and out of nowhere the realtor calls him and says the couple was getting a divorce. Well, he had to make a decision in literally thirty minutes. I was sitting at my desk, buried in papers and he calls me and says Tseng I need you to take a check to Grater Realty Associates of Midgar and tell my agent that this is the down payment on the East Street condo." Tseng explained. Elena laughed.

"What the hell were you thinking when he told you that?" Elena asked as Tseng reached forward for the goblet of ginger ale that was on the table.

"My initial thought was my god Rufus you're the only man I know that can write a check for twenty-five percent of the asking price and my second thought was…shit it's a beautiful place and if I had the kind of money you did I'd be putting a down payment on it too."

"Oh so you saw it before he bought it?" Elena asked.

"Yes, yes I did see it and you'll get to see it tomorrow. Rufus runs everything by me before he does it. It's kinda' like Reno said…I'm pretty sure I'm…Rufus's best friend. Not only do I have his chauffer's number, a key to his condo, and now a key to his car. He wouldn't go on a third with Lenora without me approving of her first. Well, not really 'approving her' but giving him the go ahead to keep seeing her. And listen to this, eight months ago Rufus bought Lenora a ring she had wanted that cost over 23,000 gil. Rufus drug me in on that too. I'm so good at spending his money." Tseng said. "And by the way, I had a text from him earlier. I'll let you read it." Tseng said handing his phone over to Elena. She laughed when she read it: TELL ELENA TO DRESS FOR THE DANCEFLOOR.

"Oh hell yeah I'll dance with you Rufus Shinra!" Elena said. She and Rufus had been unofficial ballroom dance partners for a little over a year now. When Rufus literally woke up and decided he wanted to take ballroom dance classes (of which he coerced Tseng into as well) he had no idea that Elena was quite accomplished at it and had plenty of experience. Rufus had in fact, gone from a decent ballroom dancer to a damn good one with Elena's help.

"Okay, so what is in this album?" Tseng asked holding one of Elena's photo albums in one hand and a goblet of ginger ale in the other. "By the way do you care that I'm looking at these?"

"I don't care. And that album is probably just a bunch of miscellaneous pictures." Elena said. "See what I mean? Me and Reno's sister. God, that is so scary how much she looks like him. Look at all that red hair would ya?"

"Rude says she acts exactly like him too. I think Reno wanted her and Rude to get together and there's nothing wrong with her. She smokes I guess but no more than a pack a week so I really don't know why Rude hasn't at least gone out with her a few times or something." Tseng said.

"Well, he and Reno are best friends and all so that may be just kind of strange as far as Rude is concerned. What does she do anyway?" Elena asked.

"She's a bartender on the north end of town. She's done that for…about eight years." Tseng said.

"Do you think Reno will go through with asking the waitress at the pub out and make us go with him?" Elena wondered.

"I think he will and I think he will make us go to that god awful hole in the wall on 37th street. That place is he and Rude's official hangout. I would never take you there, I would take any woman near that place…yet I think we are going to get dragged into going there." Tseng said.

"It's okay. It definitely wouldn't be the shadiest place I've been to. It'll be fun even though Reno is the main planner involved." Elena said. Poor Reno, the guy just couldn't catch a break.

"I just hope that he attempts to go out with this girl more than say…once before he sleeps with her." Tseng said.

"Maybe she's really loose and that will be something they have in common." Elena said. Tseng laughed at her.

"God, he does know how to pick 'em. I swear, Reno. He and him alone will be the sole reason I will develop hypertension in my early forties. So, where did you get these goblets? Do you seriously sit around and drink stuff out of these?" Tseng asked examining the finely cut crystal.

"I do. Of course I have a set of regular tumblers in the cabinets but I don't know I just…I kinda like these. Actually, I really like these…okay…I love them and I paid too much for them but I don't care. It was a splurge and they're beautiful." Elena said reaching for the two liter of ginger ale and refilling her glass.

"They are, they really are." He said looking at the etching on the bottom. As far as Tseng was concerned, he could talk to Elena the rest of the evening like this…and he probably would. She was so captivating, desperately interesting, and was more refined than anyone had ever given her credit.

"That's one thing about growing up in Wutai. I never saw anything like this until I came to Midgar. It wasn't that I grew up poor in Wutai. It's just a different way of life up there…it's simplistic and spiritual. They appreciate fine things like this yet such things aren't available. I bought my mom a necklace that was solid diamonds and it had an emerald pendant a few years ago. You would not believe the compliments and adoration she gets from wearing that. If I would let her she'd take it to her grave. I'm sure you know how a beautifully refined woman stands out like a trophy there. "Tseng said.

"Not really, my visit there happened so quickly and all. I guess I just didn't notice it." Elena said.

"You would be highly, highly respected in Wutai. There is nothing a man from Wutai loves more than a successful woman. I swear Elena, every guy I grew up with in Wutai that is still there would do anything to be with you." Tseng said putting his goblet back onto the table and putting his free arm around Elena as he turned the page.

"So, why did you leave Wutai anyway? I mean you did grow up there right." Elena questioned putting her head on his shoulder.

"I knew if I stayed there I would never have the life that I wanted. My father was successful but that was when Wutai itself was successful. I knew I had to come here if I was gonna make it. Wutai's glory days of being an epicenter were over by the time I was about fifteen." Tseng explained.

"What did your parents think about that? My god, Wutai is so isolated and you being their only son and all…" Elena asked.

"You remember everything I tell you don't you?" Tseng asked her a bit dreamily.

"I sure try to." Elena admitted. Twenty-four hours earlier Elena would have blushed at agreeing to such a question but having slept with Tseng twice now seriously what the hell did she have to blush about?

"They were all for me leaving. They knew I could have a six figure salary if I came to Midgar, had I stayed in Wutai I would have ended up working troll lines or forging weapons because that's all that was left there."

"There is something so incredibly hot about that and I have no damn clue what it is." Elena said turning his head sideways and kissing him. Neither Tseng nor Elena could have predicted that this was how the planned trip to Healen would end. Of course, it's like they say…every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. They were seemingly a good match for each other…so where would this beginning go?

Thanks for reading everybody! I hope you enjoyed it! I am writing another sort of 'spinoff' of this story and I hope that you will follow it with me! I don't have the title worked out yet but just look for another Tseng/Elena by my AkiraDawn or message me for the title!