And here is the last chapter of How can we be, when we can't even stand each other. I love this story with my whole heart. It means so much to me and it's been so fun writing it. Like really. You have no idea, unless of course you like it too. :D Then you know. Haha.

So anyways. I can't believe this is the last chapter! :O Seems like just yesterday I was writing the first painfully short chapter that started this off. Haha. And that was December that I did that. So I guess I'm crazy ;)

Enjoy!

Since there is no author's note at the bottom, I just wanna say don't be sad over the ending. It's meant to be happy. Kay?

Third person::

"Cloud!
Skye!
Lorena!" The woman shouted out the front door.

"Right back, just down the block sweetie, my ass."
She said, but she said it with a smile, she knew her husband and girls would be back soon enough.

Tifa wasn't mad at them.
It was just tradition for her to be impatient for her family to return to her, she hated when none of them were around the house.

It had been eight years since Cloud and Tifa had married.
They had waited three years to marry from the day Cloud had proposed, until Skye was old enough, at the age of six, to understand enough of what was going on. She had been their flower girl, and had welcomed Tifa as her new mother happily.

Then, a year after their marriage, Tifa and Cloud's small family got another addition, little Lorena, who had the looks of her mother but the quiet nature her father possessed.

Lorena was seven now, and Skye fifteen. Skye was tall, with short blonde hair and such pretty green eyes, Aerith's eyes.
Aerith had kept true to her word, and never had been heard of again. Not that it mattered much to anyone, really. Skye didn't remember her mother much, and Cloud never regretted her leaving.

Now Tifa stared down the road, and seeing her family, smiled, her hand running over her expanding stomach, where a little boy, their first boy! was growing.
And soon, just three weeks, arriving!

She waited patiently, and Cloud let go of the girl's hands to let them run to her, Skye with stories about the new boys who had moved in, Lorena with a small frog she had managed to catch at the creek earlier that day in her hands.

Tifa waited until Cloud was close enough to say, teasingly, "Don't talk to those new boys. New boys are bad news."
Her husband smiled. "Your mom would know best, seeing as she married a 'new boy'."
Skye giggled. "Yeah, c'mon, you know you love those new boys, mom."

Tifa gasped. "I do no such thing! In fact, I have never thought about new boys or what it would be like to kiss them, or marry them, or any such thing."

The family laughed as Cloud took his wife into his arms and kissed her.

Lorena tugged impatiently at her parents after they ended their kiss. Lorena was blunt and unafraid, even though quiet. She was the perfect female mix of her parents.
Tifa carefully piled her family into the house to eat dinner, and as she sat at the table, looking around at the three faces, she couldn't help but be proud...of them, of herself. Of everything.

Five years later:

Tifa, at the age of 36, thought she couldn't ask for much more.

Her small family was now bigger by two people, her little five year old boy named Storm, who looked like Cloud in every way.
Then there was the barely eight month old Emmalee, who was now sleeping in her father's arms, a small smile on her face.

Tifa swooped down and kissed her black haired, ruby eyed baby.
She couldn't be much happier.
Skye oh beautiful Skye!, recently twenty years old, had just graduated from Midgar University, where Tifa had went.
Lorena oh sweet little Lorena with her young beauty!, twelve years old, was doing plenty of martial arts activities, and also had gotten into painting.
Storm, even though only five, expressed a serious liking of motorcycles, which Cloud heavily encouraged.

But he was always careful with his only son. Always.

Tifa ran her fingers through her hair.
Cloud was the picture of perfection in her eyes, being 37, a perfect dad in every way, he knew when to discipline, when to encourage, when to dote upon and when to not pay attention to their whining.
Not that whining happened often. The Strife children were the happiest and sweetest natured kids in all of Midgar.

Tifa laid next to her husband that night, hugging him tightly to her. Each day she cherished, worried that she might wake up to discover it all a dream.
Cloud kissed her forehead. "Anything wrong, sweetheart?"
Tifa shook her head. "No...just love to hold you."
Cloud chuckled. "We're not teenagers or young adults anymore, darling. Keep it PG."
Tifa laughed, a beautiful sound to the ears of her husband.
Cloud couldn't believe his luck either.
Tifa was looking off into space. "Do you remember that day we first kissed, ever?"
Cloud wrinkled his forehead. "Oh! You mean during gym that one day? When we played dodgeball..."
"And we slaughtered your team." Tifa teased.
Cloud looked appalled. "I believe you are mistaken, beautiful."
"I believe not." Tifa probed, wanting to irritate him slightly.
He was always fun to irritate.
Cloud made a face at her, a teasing face.
"But I did catch you off guard, as promised."
Tifa looked shocked. "You did no such thing!"
"Oh so it didn't surprise you when I kissed you? You weren't so shocked you actually held my hand the rest of the day?"
"But do remember, my dear, that I kissed you first, caught YOU off guard first. So technically you did no such thing. That was all me."
Cloud chuckled into her hair. "I remember how I picked you up and swung you around after chasing you around that gym."

Tifa chuckled, loudly. "Oh yes. That was the day we first started going out."
The two smiled over their memories, as Cloud leaned in towards his wife, taking in the warmth of her body as chilly December winds ravaged outside of their house.

"Remember, one of the first few days of our knowing each other, how you fell, and I reached out for you, and we almost kissed?"
Tifa laughed. "Oh yes. I began thinking of you as a drug I needed after that...so addicting."
With the last word, she kissed him silently, and he bit her bottom lip as he did so often.
She loved how he did that.

Sighing, she laid tighter against him.
"We've come a long way since then...and I'm so glad. I keep worrying I'll wake up from this dream. And that things will be the way they were after you came back to Midgar."
Cloud looked shocked. "No. I can't let this dream end, if that is what it is. I'd have to kill Zack myself."
Tifa laughed, laughed so hard she almost cried.
"Don't worry. I much prefer quiet blondes."
Cloud smiled against her neck, where he was currently leaving kisses, soft, amazing little kisses.
"Especially ones that kiss well, raise good children, and love me."
Cloud looked up from her neck. "Who is this man and how dare he take my wife!"
Tifa laughed at her husband's teasing and pulled his lips to hers in an amazing kiss.

"Do you think we'll still be like this when thirty years has past?" Tifa asked another night.
"I know you'll still be gorgeous."

Tifa swatted at him. "Dork. I didn't mean in looks. You don't think anything will happen to...us...do you?"
Cloud sat up. "Tifa, I'll never stop loving you. Aerith and Nibelheim took me away long enough. I never plan on being separated from you again."
Tifa smiled, her brown eyes warming up. She didn't want to lose the perfect family she now had. Cloud. Skye. Lorena. Storm. And Emmalee.

They were perfect. In every way.

And their perfection was just getting better.

Six months later::

Tifa rested her hand, for the fifth time, over the bulge in her stomach. Another baby, oh she hoped it was a boy!
Not that she didn't like girls, but another boy in their home would be so lovely.
Cloud was ecstatic. He was going to be a father to another child, something that pleased him greatly.

And Skye had a surprise too, that June night she came to visit her family, a man with her.
His name was Jacob, and he was tall, dark, and handsome, to put it mildly.
Tifa approved when Skye made the announcement that she was marrying Jacob that September.
"Oh and mom, have you found out the sex and what day it'll arrive?" Skye asked excitedly.

Tifa shook her head. "I don't know anything except for to expect this little one beginning of November."
|Cloud rested his hand next to hers on her stomach, and the two gazed at each other in such a loving way that even Lorena blushed.

"Okay you two." Skye teased, her hand entwined in Jacob's happily.

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

So the Strife family went on, and Skye became a part of the Deltz family, in which she had her own children.

Cloud and Tifa's last child, born in November, was indeed a boy, a little bundle of honey colored curls they named Denzel.

Lorena grew up to be a martial arts trainer.
Storm became a racer, competing in motorcycle cross countries.
Emmalee became a writer, and Denzel welded swords.

The last night of Tifa and Cloud's lives came, Tifa eighty three, Cloud being eighty four.
They were old, and had just gotten over serious illnesses.
Tifa and Cloud were not ignorant people.

They knew they were dying, and before the next day.
They had lived long lives though. All of their children had married, and Denzel's twin girls were now six years old.

Their children, children's spouses, and grandchildren had seen them for the last time earlier that day, all bravely not crying.
Skye had kissed her mother and father both on the lips, and her children, Luna, Ishael, and Lily hugged their grandparents.
Lorena hugged her mom and dad both tightly, afraid to let go. Her only child, Karinna, and husband, Kayton, crowded in too, making a group hug.
Storm and his wife Paula kissed and hugged them, as did their daughter Sarah and their son Scott.
Emmalee's husband, Jason, kissed Tifa, and hugged Cloud. Emmalee's five year old son Edward almost began crying but held his tears back, kissing his grandparents. Emmalee herself, tall and willowy beautiful, gave them affectionate embraces and kisses.
Denzel, his wife Clara, and Christy and Carol stood there, all leaning in for kisses and hugs.

"Now all of you. I want you to always remember how much we love you." Tifa began, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.
She handed large photo albums to her children, all matching, with written messages from Cloud and herself in them.
"Those are pcitures of all our good times. And those crates over there..." She indicated the five crates in the corner, "Are full of videos. All our home movies that Reno taped of all of us. We want you all to remember those, watch them, look at the pictures."
"No matter what, we'll be watching over you. We love you all." Cloud added.
Everyone looked down, kissed and hugged Cloud and Tifa one last time, and departed, crying in their cars, away from the two old, dying loved ones.

"Well we made it, didn't we, my love?" Cloud stated.
Tifa smiled contentedly, fingering a strand of her now short, gray streaked black hair.
"That we did, my dear."
Cloud looked out their window to the sky. "Our children grew up great."
Tifa nodded. "They sure did. I'm so proud."
"Yes, me too. Well Tifa, this is the last night of our lives. I want to go holding your hand, you being in my arms, and hearing you say 'I love you.'"

Tifa smiled. "I want the same thing, Cloud."
The two laid down on their bed. Tifa wrapped her small, wrinkly fingers in her hsuband's, admiring her wedding ring for the last time.
"Cloud..."
"Tifa..."

"I love you." Whispered in unison.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the familes were crowded in Skye and Jacob's house. "On the count of three." Skye instructed.
The children of Cloud and Tifa all opened the albums.

To our darling children, children in laws, and grandchildren.
We love you, adore you, cherish you. But no one can live forever. We're glad to have met all of our sons and daughters in law. And our amazing grandchildren.
We're so amazed at the glory of our five children. Skye. Lorena. Storm. Emmalee. And Denzel.
We love the ones they married. Jacob. Kayton. Paula. Jason. And Clara. We love you five as well, for being such great matches for our children.
And our adorably lovely grandchildren. Luna. Ishael. Lily. Karinna. Sarah. Scott. Edward. Christy. And last but not least Carol. You children are so awesome and adorable. We can't begin to tell you all how much we are grateful we got to meet all of you.
Any other children any of you may have, we shall know about. And even though we won't be able to physically dote on them, we will cherish them just as much.
Remember to be true to yourselves and the ones you love, to look out for each other, and never stop loving each other. You guys are all practically legends, seeing as Cloud and I are a miracle ourselves.
We will never, ever, ever stop loving any of you. Cherish these memories. And think of us sometimes, k? ;) Cause we will always be thinking of you.
So much love,
Cloud and Tifa Strife

Everyone in the room exchanged looks, eyes filled with tears as Skye read that out loud.
She looked up, her own green eyes glistening.
"They were truly amazing." She murmured just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Everyone nodded. Young and old. Boys and girls.

All part of the miracle that had been Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart.