Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, any of it's characters and/or references portrayed within this fanfiction.

Well it's been a short while since my last chapter, here's chapter three, enjoy:

Warning: this chapter may be cheesy, if it is then please forgive me.

Chapter 3:

…Portrait…

Tifa looked outside the frozen window of her house in Icicle Inn, or rather both her and Cloud's house. Though at this moment Cloud was not home, but rather out hunting a pack of wild behemoths that had been raiding the town and injuring travelers, normally she would have accompanied him but not in her present condition with an infant still developing in her womb. The raven-haired female sighed; she was dressed in her usual white tank top she always wore but replaced her black mini-skirt with short thin black pants that stopped just short of her knees, occasionally her exhales would condense the frozen glass window even more than it already was. She was not worried about Cloud, she had faith in him and knew that a pack of behemoths, no matter how fearsome they were would be vanquished, but even though she knew this she still wished for him to return soon. She sighed again.

It had been now been one week since Crisis Avalanche had disbanded, one week since she had learnt she was carrying an unborn, she still hadn't told Cloud yet, partly because she was afraid to tell him, but sooner or later she would have to tell him especially when she started to show, but right now is was easy to hide that she was pregnant. When the group separated and went their different ways, they spilt their combined accumulated Gil and materia, Yuffie being her usual self tried to walk away with more than her share but she was reprimanded by both Barret and Cid. Cloud however kept all the summon materia with him, no one objected to this, but the rest of the materia and Gil was evenly distributed amongst the group. Cid of course kept the airship with him.

It was using those funds that Tifa and Cloud managed to purchase their house in Icicle Inn, first they had gone to Nibelheim, but a feeling of nostalgia came over them, deciding to start anew the two friends parted with ways with their companions there, Yuffie said she would return to Wu-tai, though what she says and what she does are two different things, Red XIII once again returned to Cosmo Canyon, Cid to Shera in Rocket town, Vincent disappeared once again most likely to his seclude in the Shinra mansion basement and Barret and Marlene went home to Corel. This just left Cloud and Tifa, the two friends had a silent understanding with each other, an unspoken agreement, that they would never again leave each other's side. So it came as no surprise to Tifa when Cloud told her that they would find a new place where they could begin their new life together.

Tifa was happier than she ever had been, or she should have been but the lingering thoughts of her unborn dominated most of her thoughts.

The house they both lived in now, wasn't very big, it was a plain two story house, however it was big enough to accommodate the entire cast of Crisis Avalanche should there be a reunion. Tifa sat in the living room, near the windowsill looking out the frosted glass, she could barely make out the sheet of white snow outside but it didn't bother her, that isn't what had her attention, her mind was in the stars thinking about a certain blond-haired swordsman.

"Cloud," Tifa whispered softly clutching her hands up in front her chest and lowering her eyes to the ground beneath her.

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Scattered on landscape surrounding a blue-eyed, spiky-haired warrior, the mutilated corpses of no less than eight behemoths lay. They had been garroted an impaled, their blood painted the once virgin white snow that filled the mountain range with deep crimson, now however only one behemoth stood menacingly in front the young warrior.

Cloud was dressed in his usual Soldier attire however with the snow he also wore another piece of clothing, it was a thick brown cloak that covered his entire body. This last beast that stood before him was slightly larger than his other prey and with a thick grey mane by its head, however it did little to intimidate the swordsman.

The beast launched it's claws at Cloud, but the young warrior evaded it and leapt into the air, the pack leader moved to counter attack Cloud while he was airborne, but the time it took for him to position himself, Cloud's buster sword descended onto the purple beast's flesh, the sword seared it's way through it's flesh, the beast shrieked in pain and fell back, but the damage from Braver was already done. As it collapsed on the snow filled ground, its severed head fell forward and the crimson fluid polluted the pure snow.

As Cloud finished dealing with the last of the behemoths he fell forward but used his right knee to break his fall. He also stuck the blood-stained buster sword into the ground to support him. His unwavering form he held in front the behemoth leader was gone as he held onto the buster sword with both his hands to support him and started panting heavily. The materia slots in the sword was facing the young blond boy, within both slots were a green glowing orb and a similar red one. The green orb began glowing dimly, and the streams of light that protruded barely reached the swordsman, however the light held the air of reverence and divinity within it.

It only took a few seconds before the light faded and Cloud was no longer gasping for breath, he removed his right hand from the grip of the sword and brought it in front of his face. He looked down at his gloved hand, he clenched it and opened it several times.

"From point two seven(.27) to one point one nine(1.19)," Cloud finally said, "Almost an entire second." He said sadly

After that it only took a few minutes for him to regain his former self, then took back off towards Icicle Inn, it was roughly a one hour walk from where he was, but he smelt something in the atmosphere, a blizzard was coming it and he wanted to make it home before it arrived.

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Tifa had finally moved from her position in the living room, it was boring when you had nothing to do, but she managed to conjure the resolve that she was going to tell Cloud today…yes today was the day she would tell him…no matter what.

A letter had arrived in the mail, addressed to Cloud, Tifa had briefly stepped outside into the frigid cold to retrieve it. She noted that it was different from regular letters in that it was not in a plain white envelope but rather a red and gold one. It was addressed to Cloud and the writing on the envelope was rather exotic, it really started to make Tifa think; they had been only been living here for a week and not even all the members of Crisis Avalanche knew where they lived, so for a letter to come addressed to him was rather strange.

However she quickly brushed off the thought and proceeded to go into the kitchen where she would prepare a meal, but as she stepped out of the entranceway and into the kitchen she heard the door open, operating on instinct she spun around quickly, the reaction was almost instantaneous, but as the door slowly creaked open, the familiar sight of a blond-haired swordsman came into view.

"Cloud!" Tifa proclaimed slightly annoyed.

Cloud still had his cloak over his body and it was littered with snow flakes, there were also countless snowflakes on his hair as well.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked slightly confused.

"Did you have to enter like that, I thought you were a burglar," Tifa said.

"Well a burglar wouldn't have a key, now would they?" Cloud responded with a smirk.

Tifa merely shook her head, she walked up to him and handed him the letter.

"Here this came for you," She explained handing him the letter.

Cloud placed his now ungloved hand gently on Tifa's and took the letter but not before letting his short fingernails graze her flawless skin.

Tifa smiled at him in response and watched as he took out the letter and read it. He opened the decorated envelope and took out a single piece of paper and was three prong folded. He opened it and begun reading. Tifa watched as Cloud's crystal-blue eyes scanned the document before him.

"Well?" She asked when he lowered it.

"It's from Dio," Cloud replied.

"Dio?" Tifa asked slightly confused, "What's it about?" She asked.

"It's an invitation to a tournament, he moved the coliseum from the Gold Saucer and build a new one at the heart of Costa del Sol, and we've been invited," Cloud explained.

The ruby-eyed maiden looked at him questioningly. Cloud ignored the document in his hands and let his lips curl a bit, it felt good to be back home…home…here this house with Tifa…it felt strange, he hadn't had a home for over five years but now it felt…comfortable.

"I'll think about this later," Cloud said, "But what about you, how was your day?" He asked.

Tifa smiled at him, "Well if you must know, it was really boring, but we can talk about that later, how about you get changed first, that clothes must be cold and uncomfortable."

Cloud nodded and walked up the staircase near the entrance to the second floor, where his and Tifa's bedrooms were located, Tifa stood in the corridor at the base of the staircase and watched as Cloud ascended then as he turned the corner and disappeared. She smiled weakly before turning to head back towards the kitchen, she would also prepare a meal for Cloud also, and he would be hungry after his morning job.

As Cloud entered his room, he removed his sword from its holster and placed on the desk that lay opposite his bed. There was a window on the northern side of the room with the curtains that were presently drawn and the entrance of the room on the wall opposite it, his bed lay to the right parallel to the entrance and a desk by the wall opposite, there was also a large cabinet near to the desk that housed his clothes.

Sighing heavily he removed his shirt, sat back on the bed and once again looked down at his hand; he clenched it and opened it several times. However a soft knock on the door interrupted his depressive mood, his eyes shooting up facing directly in front of him when he heard the sound, it was as if he had now awoken from a slumber.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice called from outside, her voice soft and caring.

"It's open Tifa," Cloud replied.

And with his response she opened the door and entered only to be graced by the sight of a shirtless Cloud, his top half exposed for her to see; there were few barely visible scars, and his muscles were extremely well developed, he wasn't overdeveloped but still well built.

"Umm, Tifa?" Cloud asked awkwardly, his cheeks polluted with pink from the way Tifa was staring at him.

Cloud's voice snapped Tifa out of her daydream. She quickly turned away from him blushing, "Ahh…sorry about that, I just wanted to tell you that I'm finished making lunch, so come downstairs when you're ready."

Cloud smiled awkwardly, "Alright I'll be down shortly, let me just take a quick shower."

She turned to him, he was still standing near his bed and she was still by the entrance. She smiled as she looked at his handsome face, she wanted to tell him right now, it was the perfect opportunity, her hands somehow sensing her thoughts made their way to her exposed stomach….but yet there were some lingering feelings. Tifa didn't know when it happened but she had turned away from him and was preparing to leave when Cloud's voice once again caught her attention.

"Tifa," Cloud called out.

Remaining in her position facing away from him, she turned her head around, "Yes?" She asked.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Cloud said.

This caught her by surprise; she turned around to face him, "What are you thanking me for?"

Cloud took a few steps forward, there was a little over a feet separating them, "Well for everything, for supporting me through everything, I know it may be late and long overdue, but thanks."

Tifa smiled at him and shook her head, "Cloud, don't ever change," She said softly with a trace of sorrow present.

"Huh?" The blond-haired warrior asked.

"Remember, I did all those things because I wanted to, because I…" Tifa trailed off, her voice became quiet towards the end and she looked down on the floor.

"Not just for supporting me…but also for staying with me…through everything…and even now," Cloud explained.

She now looked back up at him, "Well when you're ready come downstairs I'll be waiting for you," And with those final words she left, her heart racing, thought it would be nearly impossible to count the number to beats each one echoed through her ears, her everything was begging her to tell him, yet for some strange reason something in her heart kept her from tell him about his child, it was like a splinter etched deep within there halting her actions by causing a small but noticeable pain.

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It was nighttime, and the blizzard had finally arrived and was in full force, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, powerful gusts of frigid wind carried with it hailstorms of snow and deposited on the white earth. The entire town was silent, there no lights out, every opening on every house was closed and it seemed like they were all asleep.

Yet despite all this Cloud stood on the balcony of his house, it was located on the second floor, the furniture that they had out on the balcony had been carried into the house, there was a large arch behind him that lead to the inside of the house and large glass doors taking the shape of the arch that were previously sealed, but now opened by Cloud. The icy wind would even make the snow wolves shiver, yet Cloud remained calm, he was dressed only in his long Soldier pants that he usually slept in, there were no boots on his feet, no t-shirt on his chest, no sword holster on his back, his eyes looked up, it was nearly impossible to see the sky, but the winds were letting up, they were no longer as strong as they once were.

Behind Cloud another figure stood silently in the shadows, one of a slender young woman dressed in a long red robe, she stealthily approached him from behind, making sure her footsteps were as quite as a cat's.

Cloud remained oblivious to the other person's presence until he sensed them a short distance behind him, he could obviously turn around to meet them if they meant him harm but he felt not the slightest trace of malice from the person, so he just let it go. Then he felt it, it was like falling into a volcano, two slender hands gracefully made their way around his waist and embraced him from behind, the touch was warm and the sensation of the bare skin against his was maddening.

"Cloud what are you doing out here?" Tifa asked pressing her face against his back.

"I was just thinking," Cloud replied, he didn't turn around to face her, but he once more brought his hand in front of him and repeated the motion he did twice before during the day (clenching it and opening it).

"It's so cold Cloud, let's go back inside," The raven-haired female suggested.

"The coliseum tournament starts in one week, I think…I would like to go," Cloud sounded like a child asking permission.

"Well if you want you, we'll go, we might see some of the others there also," Tifa agreed, her voice was both soft and supportive

"Tifa…thanks again," Cloud finished, lowering his hand to his side and a smirk on his lips.

To Be Continued…

Well I think this last chapter was a bit cheesy, but necessary nonetheless, you'll see why in future chapters. If anyone has trouble understanding the title of the chapters, if you leave a signed review I'll explain it in the reply. To everyone who read this chapter I hope you enjoyed it, to those who took time off and reviewed my previous chapters, that's alot, you're my inspiration, I know I have two more fics to update, I'll get around to it very shortly. Just think of this as a new years gift, I hope you all had a safe and merry Christmas and I wish you all many blessings in this new year.

To Rina Statics...I know it may seem unoriginal now, but don't worry the plot is now developing, but thanks for the review.

Till Next Time...Happy New Year to everyone, you, your family and your friends.

-Rend