A/N: Again, I'd like to thank everyone who've reviewed! Getting response on my stories means a lot to me! Now that I've finished Home For Christmas, I'll get back to working on my other current project, Sinister Sundown. It's a Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy VII crossover in an alternate universe. If you feel like it, please check it out. :)

So, as a small Christmas present from me to you, here's the very last chapter of the story. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Epilogue

The kids had been put to bed, and Barret had collapsed in the guest room. It had been a long and joyful evening, but Tifa did not feel tired yet. She knew she would, eventually, but for now she busied herself with the last cleaning that needed to be done. Then she sat down in the couch and found herself gazing at the Christmas tree, on which the Christmas lights were still shining. It was so beautiful, and somehow it made her feel at peace.

The couch shifted beneath her as Cloud sat down.

"Hey," he said. "Aren't you tired?"

"Somehow," she replied. "But I don't feel like going to bed yet."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help with the preparations." And he really did sound that way. Tifa shook her head and turned to smile at him.

"No, it's okay. You got here on time to celebrate the evening with us, and that's what matters. Both to me and the kids. And Barret, though he'd never say it out loud. I'm happy."

This, in turn, made him smile, that shadow of a smile she knew so very well. They sat in silence for a while, and she took his hand, resting her head against him. She let out a content sigh as he stroke her hair gently. After a while, Cloud spoke again.

"Tifa?"

"Hmm?" She was finally getting sleepy, the weariness of the day catching up with her.

He did not say anymore, simply held out a small package wrapped in brown parchment before her. Curious – and very surprised – she sat back up and met his eyes. He did not have to explain; she knew the gift was for her. With hands almost shaking, she accepted it and slowly, carefully began to unwrap it.

There was a box inside, very simple and made of wood. Holding her breath, she opened it.

"Oh, Cloud!"

He explained as she held the small piece of jewelry up before her. It was a necklace; a chain of silver with a polished piece of wood as a pendant. And as he spoke, she could feel tears gathering in her eyes.

"It's from the well in Nibelheim. The promise we made back then… it kept us together, somehow. That, and how you never gave up on me, even though I never thought I deserved your devotion. I love you, Tifa. I promise again that I will always protect you, from this day onwards as well."

And he kissed her. She responded to his kiss, wrapping her arms around him as he deepened it. They sat there, just the two of them, on the couch in their house, and Cloud knew he had finally found the place he belonged. The place where he could somehow forget his worries because Tifa was there beside him always.

"Help me put it on," she whispered after a while, and he met her beautiful hazel eyes, nodded and obeyed. He had to brush away her hair to do it, his fingers lingering to caress her neck for a moment, and she could feel herself shudder in delight at his touch. She really loved him with all her heart. To think that he had gotten her such a beautiful present, such a meaningful present … Tifa wondered if he knew just how happy he made her.

They lied down on the couch in each other's arms, and Tifa eventually fell asleep with a smile on her face, the warmth of Cloud's body making her relax better than anything else could. She barely noticed when Cloud lifted her up and carried her into their bed, or the sound of the rest of the house waking up some hours later. All she knew as dawn slowly broke was the fact that Cloud was back, lying beside her. She would be sure to always give him a home to return to, however far away he may go. Always.