Howdy! Don't know what else to say. Here's the new chapter. Let's start where we left off. –Annubis

The Decision Between Life or Death:

A Second Chance

Chapter 20

Aeris awoke in a very soft bed. She opened her eyes slowly. It was still dark; she could see moonlight cascading into the bedroom. She recognized the room as Tifa's. How she got here, she could not remember. She saw that she wasn't wearing her clothes. She sat up slowly, noticing her damp outfit from the day draped over a chair by a small desk. She closed her eyes, thinking.

"Oh my god!" Tifa ran to the unconscious body lying in the snow. "Aeris! What happened!? Aeris!" she dropped her groceries and shook the woman.

"Cloud!!" Tifa's screams could be heard. The woman darted across the street, crying out. It didn't take long for the blonde to rush outdoors and head toward the frantic woman.

"What!? Tifa what's wrong?" he followed her to where Aeris' body lay.

"I don't know! I was just on my way from the store and I saw her lying here in the snow!" Tifa picked up her bags as the man lifted the woman from the ground.

"She's been out here for a while. She didn't stay long after you left." The man hurried back across the street toward their home.

"Zack…" Aeris whispered. "Find Zack." She whimpered.

"I'll find him." Cloud nodded.

"Let's take her to my room. I'll sleep in Marlene's bed. I'll get her a change of clothes, you find Zack." Tifa opened the door and set the bags on the bar. She followed Cloud upstairs.

"I'll be back as quickly as I can. Don't worry, I'll be coming home tonight." The man gave her a smile as he set Aeris on the bed.

"Please find him, Cloud." Tifa began pulling at Aeris' sweater. "I don't think they resolved their problem."

"Damn right I'll find him." Cloud turned away quickly. He pulled his thick coat from the hanger on his door across the hall and slid it on as he descended the stairs.

'And when I do, I'm kicking his ass.'

The woman rubbed her eyes. She pulled the covers off her body and slowly stood from the mattress. She shivered, tugging on the wool blanket at the foot of the bed. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was very late, most likely everyone was asleep already. She made her way to the door, perhaps to go downstairs to get a glass of water, she didn't know. Then she heard a noise. The front door to the bar slammed shut. She heard a faint mumble, two male voices. They were arguing. Aeris opened the door to her room quietly, barely leaving a crack. She listened intently.

"What the #& were you thinking!? Do you have any idea!?" Aeris narrowed her eyes, as if thinking it may help her hearing. Was that Cloud's voice? She never heard him yell before.

"…Didn't…I thought…you…lecture." another voice. It was barely audible. She couldn't make out a thing he was saying. The voices were getting closer. She could hear boots walking up the stairs. Aeris gasped and shut the door silently.

"Whatever. We'll talk more later. Get some rest. You can have my room." They passed by her door. "I'll take Denzel's bed. You can change into some of my clothes." The door of the room next to hers shut. Aeris listened silently. She could hear Cloud murmuring in the next room to Tifa. She waited and there was another sound of a door closing down and across the hall from her.

Aeris remained another minute before opening her door. No doubt, Cloud had just brought Zack home. She was happy, excited, and sad all at the same time. She did not mean to get the man in trouble. It was her fault sitting out in the snow too long. The doctor had told her to take it easy. The mix of the cold and the stress must have caused her to pass out. She slid through the door and tiptoed toward the staircase. She descended the stairs quietly and made her way to the sink by the bar. Aeris got herself a glass of water and just as simply made her way back up. The floor boards creaked under her footing, causing her breath to hitch. She didn't want to alarm anyone, she also wasn't sure if she should let them know she was awake. She didn't want them to worry about her and stay up late asking her twenty questions. She took another step and reached the door to Tifa's room, staring at her feet. She felt herself bump into something cold and hard.

"Oh!" she looked up, coming face to face with Zack. His hair was wet; a few snowflakes could still be seen in the dark mess. His arms were crossed, he looked to the side. He obviously didn't plan on running into her yet. He was still cold from his walk around Edge in search of a vacant hotel. Cloud had managed to find the man in a dark alley. "Sorry." Aeris whispered. She tried to walk around him to get into the room.

"Um…" the man spoke up. Aeris stopped; she glanced upward. There was an excruciatingly long, awkward silence. "I…I'm sorry." He kept his arms crossed. His voice was soft and scratchy. "I shouldn't have been such an ass."

"It's ok." Aeris barely managed to get out. She turned back toward the door.

"No, it's not." He looked down at her. "I'm sorry, Aeris. I shouldn't have kept anything from you. I just didn't want to make anything uncomfortable for you. I thought that maybe… it would hinder things if I told you about the past between the two of us."

"I understand." Aeris gave a weak smile.

"And I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have left you out there by yourself. I thought you'd come back here…" he sighed. She could see a sparkle in his eyes, was he sad? Had he been crying earlier? The thought was a little intriguing to her. Did he care that much about her? "I should have never yelled at you. I never wanted to hurt you and I understand if you want me to just leave you alone. I'll leave in the morning and you won't have to worry about a thing." He turned away from her, taking a ragged breath.

"No." she shook her head. "I don't want that, Zack." The woman whispered.

"Y, you don't?" He glanced at her over his shoulder, revealing the pale glow of an eye.

"No. I want the opposite." She smiled. "I want to be by your side. I don't want to be without you."

"You don't want me to leave you here with Cloud and Tifa?" he asked.

"Nope. I want to go with you. Besides, you promised you'd take me around the world to see all those wonderful places. You said I'd get to meet your parents, find my mom, and you did say you'd help rebuild my church." She giggled softly. The woman held her hands behind her back shyly. She swayed her hips back and forth. Zack glanced at the ceiling, taking in another breath, he tried so hard not to show her how weak he was, how much of a crybaby he was. He got picked on when he was a child for being too sensitive.

"You're too forgiving, you know that?" he turned to her. His eyes were downcast, his sable bangs covering his face.

"One of my weaknesses." She grinned.

"I'm still an ass." The man breathed a laugh. His eyes lifted.

"Maybe…" she shrugged. "But you're a cute ass." She wiped her thumbs across the corners of his eyes. Indeed they were slightly damp.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again.

"No more apologies, Zack." She held onto his face. The man winced, a small hissing sound emitting from his lips. "What happened?" she squint her eyes trying to get a look at the cut on the side of his face.

"Cloud…he was pretty pissed when he found me." The man gave a small laugh, embarrassed. "Almost made me walk home, but he decided it would be easier for him to lecture me if I was next to him on the bike."

"See the trouble I caused?" the woman examined the small wound. "I get you all upset, pass out, make them all worried and then they have to look for you, you get hit and then lectured."

"This time, you should put the blame on someone other than yourself." The man placed his hands on hers. "I take full responsibility for this and it is my fault. I shouldn't have left you; I don't know what I was thinking. How are you? Are you alright? You're not frozen are you?"

"Not anymore, I thawed out in bed." The woman whispered. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" his tone was serious.

"Yeah." She averted her gaze from his.

"Ok…well then. You should get some rest." The man cleared his throat. He made his way to Cloud's room.

"Zack?" she asked.

"Hm?" he faced her once more.

"Don't ever leave me again." She stared at her feet. It was more of a request than an order.

"…I won't. I promise." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You remembered."

"A little." She confessed. "Just you being in soldier and some of the feelings I had when you left for the missions."

"Aeris, I'm sorry if I ever hurt you. It was my job. I tried hard to get my missions accomplished quickly…just so I could come home to you." He leaned sideways against the wall.

"…I must've been such a burden." She smiled. "I'm high maintenance."

"No. You were the opposite. I could just think about you and it'd help me get through my day." The man grinned, deep in thought. He missed those days, when things seemed normal. He worked, earned a good paycheck, and would write letters to his parents. He would clock out early to make sure he made his way down the city streets to buy a flower from the young woman or to catch her planting more flowers in the church.

"I'm sorry I didn't remember you, Zack." The woman stood with her hands behind her back. "I feel horrible about it. But I know that I wouldn't forget you on purpose. I never could, you know?" her voice was quiet.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, and made you cry." He clenched his teeth. That was the worst, knowing he made her cry.

"It's all in the past, Zack. Let's focus on the now." She said softly. "Enough apologies."

"Sounds good." The man grinned. Aeris walked up to him. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek where the bruise was forming from Cloud's punch.

"To make it feel better." She giggled.

"I bet it's already healed." He grinned.

"Oh! I can heal it!" Aeris remembered.

"Nope." The man held up a hand. She gave him a confused look. "I think I'll keep this a while. It'll make a nice reminder. Besides, gives me more character."

"Maybe it'll turn into a scar." Aeris suggested.

"Ooh. That'd be cool." He smirked.

"Naw. I wouldn't want it to scar."

"Why not?"

"I like you better the way you are." She said quietly. She made her way to Tifa's room. "Stay warm, Zack Fair."

"I'll try." He rubbed his hands over his arms. "Say, if you…uh, get cold, I'll just be down the hall…"

"Zack…" the woman rolled her eyes. "Get some sleep."

"Good night." He said quickly and shut the door behind him. Aeris followed his actions. She made her way to the bed across the room. She stared out the window. Tiny flakes of snow mixed with icy drizzle swirled in the breeze. The sight made her shiver.

'Zack, I'll remember you. I promise. There's something about you that…I feel I can't allow myself to forget.' She pulled the covers over herself. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like sleeping in his arms again. She just might have to take him up on that offer.

Then there was a knock at the door. The woman hopped from the covers in surprise. Had she awoken Cloud and Tifa? She gently pulled the door open a crack. A tall figure pushed his way in between the door and the frame.

"Zack!" Aeris widened the gap. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I just thought of something…" He began. She raised an eyebrow at the man. Seeing as she did not protest, Zack pushed the door open further letting himself in.

"What?" She glanced at him from her peripheral. The man leaned forward, only centimeters away.

"I didn't get to give you a kiss goodnight." He whispered against her lips.

Aeris couldn't help the goose bumps she felt at the contact. He wrapped his arms around her. She could feel that he was still cold from the weather outside.

"You're freezing." She giggled.

"I thought you could help warm me up." The man gave her an ornery smile.

"…As long as we get to stay in my room this time." Aeris exchanged a matching smirk with the man.

Daylight had come quickly. Aeris awoke to herself in the bed. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the loss of body heat, now being alone. She rolled over, letting out a yawn. There was the faint murmur of conversation downstairs along with the sounds of a sizzle and crackle. Stretching, she sat up in bed. She could smell the familiar scent of bacon. Most likely Tifa was playing chef for the boys. There was a low growl sounding from beneath the covers. She was famished! The woman hopped out of bed and made her way to the closet beside the bathroom. There was a warm, cotton robe hanging behind the door. She slipped it on and made her way down the stairs to join the party.

"There she is." Cloud muttered. He sipped at the dark coffee in his mug.

"Thought you'd never wake up!" Tifa gave a cheerful smile. "Zack was up and about long before any of us were."

"Where is he?" Aeris looked about the empty bar.

"Outside…he insisted on getting some training done today." The blonde haired man tilted his head toward one of the windows.

Aeris walked to the glass, peering outside. Zack was indeed outside. He was twirling and swinging his blade from side to side. She watched in amusement as the man practiced his hand to hand combat, as if fighting a ghost. It seemed like a show rather than training, but needless to say it was still impressive. Snow kicked up with every twist and turn he made. He spun and she noticed his eyes were closed.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Tifa grinned.

"Huh? Oh…" Aeris felt her face get hot. "I've never seen anyone… At least I don't remember."

"Zack's pretty intense at times. Right now he's just doing his meditative stuff." Cloud shrugged.

"Meditative?" the brown haired woman questioned.

"He's Soldier, First-Class. That stuff he's doing is effortless." The man stood. He walked around the bar to help Tifa in the kitchen. "You should see him in real battle if you think that's impressive."

"He makes it look so easy. I don't think I could even lift that sword…" the woman gaped at the training man outdoors. "How long does he usually train?"

"He could train all day." The blonde reached for some plates on the stop shelf of a cabinet. "He's been going at it for about three hours now." He leaned, getting a glimpse outside.

Zack lifted his sword into the air. He released it from his grip, dropped to the ground and began lifting in pushups long before the metallic object got a chance to hit the snow. Cloud shook his head to himself a smirk crossed his face.

"Breakfast's ready." Tifa beamed. She flipped a pancake in the pan.

"Should we stop him?" Aeris asked.

"No…just wait." Cloud sat in his chair.

"What?" the green eyed woman made her way to the table. Tifa looked just as interested.

"The man lives for food." The blonde mumbled.

Tifa placed food on the plates. She made an extra one for Zack and set it next to Aeris.

"Hope it doesn't get cold before he's finished-…" the woman was interrupted by the front door of the bar opening.

"Food!" Zack cheered happily. He had a large grin, his eyes tiny creases at his joy.

"Told you." Cloud stuffed half a pancake in his mouth.

"Shower first." Tifa put her hands on her hips. "No dirty boys at the table."

"Aww! Mom!" Zack rolled his eyes. He placed his hands behind his head and slowly made his way up the staircase.

"You certainly lay down the law here." Aeris poured herself some juice.

"Someone's got to." Tifa leaned forward, pointing her spatula at the man in front of her.

"Mwat?" the man questioned his mouth full of food. He swallowed hard.

"Nothing." Tifa sang. She made her way opposite of the bar and took her seat between the blonde and Aeris. "So…have you guys gotten the chance to talk yet?" she whispered.

"Tifa." Cloud warned.

"What!?" the dark haired girl placed her chin in her hand, sulking.

"It's their personal lives…" the man simply replied.

"And I'm her best friend, I'm supposed to know everything." The woman retorted. She glanced back at Aeris. "So?" Cloud sighed, continuing his breakfast.

"Actually, we had a small talk last night." Aeris said quietly.

"Last night!?" the woman leaned in, interested.

"After they got home. I went to get a glass of water and kinda…ran into him. We talked a bit." Aeris nodded.

"So…everything's ok now?" Tifa raised a brow.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Just like that?"

"Yup." Aeris smiled.

"You two did something bad, didn't you?!" Tifa gasped. Cloud was in disbelief at what he just heard.

"No!" the other woman laughed. She held a finger to her lips. "Nothing like that." She winked.

"Ahaha!" Tifa covered her mouth. "Details…" she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Later…" the other woman returned the gesture. A lour pounding at the stairs grabbed their attention.

"That was fast…" Tifa gawked at the wet Zack. He was throwing on one of Cloud's white T-shirts. His hair was soaked, sticking to the side of his neck.

"Didn't want my food to get cold." He answered quickly before shoveling the grub into his mouth. He glanced upward at the two women as he did so. They each had the same look on their face, something mischievous."What? I got something on my face?"

"…" the women giggled.

"They were talking about you." Cloud muttered. Tifa turned around quickly slugging the man on the shoulder. He wrinkled his nose, giving a snarl.

"Oh?" Zack set down his fork. He leaned to the side, resting the side of his head in his hand. He smiled, batting his lashes. "And what'd they say?"

"Nothing." Aeris turned to her plate of food.

"Nothing?" the man asked; he stared at her with his blue eyes, hoping to get an answer from her.

"That's what I said." The woman tried to hold back a smile. He continued to stare. She raised her fork to take a bite, but couldn't find herself able to. She looked out the corner of her eye. He was still staring, still smiling. "Stop it." She spat.

"What?" He stared. She tried to ignore him. Even as she sipped from her glass she couldn't miss the brilliant, blue, glowing, piercing eyes watching her. He stared, and stared, and stared.

"Stop staring!?" She slapped her hands onto the bar surface.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" He asked, never tearing his gaze away from her.

"Yes." She grumped, looking away.

'Oh boy…he's flirting.' Cloud rolled his eyes.

The staring contest continued. As every minute passed Aeris got redder and redder in the face. She couldn't eat, couldn't drink, and couldn't even face the other direction. That man was boring a hole through her body! She felt so nervous, felt so self-conscious, surely Zack knew this was what her reaction would be and this was why he was doing it. He was playing with her. She started to feel frustrated. She wanted to smack him over the head. Maybe that's what she'll do. She grinned.

"Stop it!" she slapped at him. The man dodged backward, her hand ramming into his chest. There was a loud thud.

"Ow!" The man cried out.

"Not so funny now, is it?" the woman stuck out her chin.

"Ya know… I could hit him for you, if you want." Tifa gave a violent smile, showing every tooth.

"How bout I just stop staring…" Zack cleared his throat. He turned to his food.

"Why don't you finish up eating and then you can take your girl to visit your parents." Tifa suggested.

"Girl?" Aeris questioned.

"Ya know, that sounds like a lovely idea, Tifa." Zack finished up his plate of food. He grabbed a toothpick and shoved it between his teeth. "I figure ma an' pa would love to see the misses!" the pick bobbed with each word.

"Misses?" Aeris choked on her juice.

"Sure. Ma's always looking forward to meetin' a future Misses Zack Fair." Cloud joined in, his voice long and drawn out with a hint of the same accent Cid had.

"What!?" Aeris looked about the room. What was with everyone picking on her this morning? Was there something going on she didn't know about?

"Just finish up yer eatin's… wouldn't want to keep ma and pa awaitin'." Tifa winked. She hadn't talked in an accent like that since she was a little girl growing up in the sticks. What scared her more was the fact that Cloud seemed a natural at it.

"Anything I should know about ma and pa before I meet them?" the green eyed woman glanced nervously at Zack. The man just grinned.

"You're taking the kids?" Reno asked. He was reluctant to let the rather large man into his apartment at first, but since Barret insisted there really was no choice.

"My turn to watch 'em." Barret's eyes darted all over the red head's apartment. There was a woman in the background. She looked familiar. She was also one of the Turks. He thought a moment. Yeah, her name was Elena. "Gonna take 'em to the Gold Saucer."

"Daddy!" Marlene's voice screeched from down the hall. A second later the girl ran out into the living room and into her father's arms.

"You been good for these people, baby?" the man lifted her with ease.

"Uh huh." She nodded.

"You weren't bad?" he questioned again.

"Nope, Denzel's the bad one." Marlene pointed at the boy sitting on the couch in front of the television.

"Is he?" Barret glanced to the side where the boy was.

"No I wasn't!" he jumped from where he sat.

"They both were fine." Reno scratched the back of his head. "There were no problems." He didn't dare mention the one exception where Marlene fell down the stairs. He hoped that Tifa hadn't said anything to the man. Speaking of Tifa, she was home now. Didn't she say she owed him a date? Maybe he'd ask for a free drink instead. God only knows he deserved it.

"You pack your things?" Barret asked the kids.

"I started packing this morning." Elena spoke up. "The kids should be all set."

"You guys ready to go to the Gold Saucer?" the large man asked in a cheesy voice. It was strange seeing such a scary man talk about such a happy, cheerful place. It was scary seeing him with children.

"YAY!" Marlene and Denzel darted to their room. In seconds they were back to the door with their entire luggage.

"Tell your babysitters bye." Barret set his daughter on the ground. He lifted the luggage and headed for the door.

"Bye, Reno!" Marlene shouted while running to the man. She wrapped an arm around his waist, hugging him. She did the same to Elena. Denzel said his goodbyes in a less affectionate way, but he did smile.

Within minutes Barret was gone and so were the children. Reno stood in his now apparently empty apartment. There was no sound at all. He looked about the room. Was it just him or did it feel real lonely in here?

"Reno?" Elena's voice broke the silence.

"They seemed happy to get out of here." The man answered her quietly.

"Reno." The woman sighed. She made her way up to him. "They were just excited. I think they had fun staying with you." She played with his ponytail.

"You think? Maybe I shoulda taken them to the theme park." He crossed his arms.

"Theme parks are expensive." The woman combed her fingers through his hair.

"But, I've got some money saved up…" the man stared at the now closed door of his apartment.

"You saved up a lot not going out to the bar every night." The woman laid a hand on her shoulder. Reno twitched. What was with her being so physical? Had she always played with his hair and he just now noticed?

"Yeah…" he muttered quietly. "Now I have the place to myself…it's quiet, no interruptions, more money for myself…" he turned to the blonde haired woman. Her chocolate brown eyes widened a moment, realizing she was touching him too much.

"Perhaps I should leave then. I wouldn't want to invade your personal space. I've been over here too much anyways." The woman laughed nervously and reached for her purse. The truth was she loved watching the children, but she loved watching the children with Reno. It wouldn't have been as much fun if he wasn't there.

"You don't have to." The man shook his head.

"But I've been here almost every day for the past few week."

"I don't mind." The man cleared his throat. Why was it so much quieter here? It made him feel very awkward. "You helped me out a lot, really. Why don't I make it up to you?"

"You don't have to." The woman smiled. "I had fun just being with you…and the kids."

"Dinner?" he invited her.

"Don't worry about it Reno." The woman giggled nervously. She didn't notice she was backing away from him. Why was she trying to escape?

"Where you going?" he asked. "Movie?" he walked slowly toward her.

"It's alright." She shook her head.

'Oops…door.' She bumped into the wooden surface. She was cornered. Reno kept approaching her.

"A walk on the beach?" he suggested.

"Um…I should be going…" her eyes darted everywhere but to the man. She jumped slightly as he placed a hand beside her head against the door.

"A night inside?" He gave an alternative.

'Oh boy.' Elena's eyes couldn't travel anywhere else but his face. Aquamarine stared into chocolate colored orbs.

"Yes please." The woman answered quickly.

She closed her eyes, feeling the kiss. There was a tingle that ran down her spine at the contact between her and the man. She dropped her purse, running her hands through his hair. He held onto her, his hands running down her back. He deepened the kiss. She was pulled closer and closer to him but never did make contact with his body. Then she realized they were moving, and moving toward the couch. A night indoors was exactly what she needed. Why go on a date, waste time and money when they can skip all that and get straight to the point? Reno liked her, and she liked Reno. What else more was there to say?

She wasn't worried, not at all…or was she? She didn't know. She wasn't sure, but damn, this felt right.

'I need to stop thinking so much.' The woman shut her eyes and allowed herself to actually feel.

Ok! Couldn't wait any longer. Finished this chapter early and I wanted to post it. Got some apologies, zack/aeris fluff, and finally got to the point where I could add some Elena/reno! Thanks for reading and reviewing hope you all enjoyed this chapter! More coming soon! -Annubis