A/N: Well, hello there gentle readers! It's only been like... almost 10 years?! Amazing! I have been receiving your comments and favorites in my inbox all this time, and I'm so flattered that people still read this story! Going back now, older and wiser and more educated, I've noticed several things I want to change in the previous chapters of this tale. However, I also know where I want to take the final few chapters here, so I went ahead and started writing this. Please take a read, I hope it lives up to your expectations! I also owe you all a picture, and to read and review all of your stories! I will put that on my to-do list, for sure!
Early the next morning, Reeve was packing up and getting ready to leave to pick up the delivery from Mr. Lucenzi when Cloud awoke and joined him. He made sure Reeve had something to eat for the journey, and then waved him off. Since it was so early and he was wide awake, Cloud decided to go ahead and make breakfast for everyone. Soon the smell of sizzling bacon woke both Tifa and Denzel up and they both made their way to the kitchen.
"Breakfast…" Denzel muttered, almost drooling over the smells. Tifa grinned at her son and started making coffee.
"Did Reeve already take off?" she asked Cloud curiously. He nodded to her, giving her a warm smile. She had apparently forgotten to check her hair before she came into the kitchen, for her hair was sticking up in odd places. He thought she looked adorable with the sleep still in her eyes.
"Yeah he wanted to get a head start.. I think he's excited to join the business," was Cloud's response as he finished with the bacon and started on the eggs. Without missing a beat Tifa started mixing up pancake batter. Denzel was watching the two work on breakfast from the table, marvelling at how comfortable and in sync they had become after living together again for such a short time period. Previously, before Tifa decided to move away, they had lived together but Cloud was so often absent that they hadn't really made a meal together, and the times when he actually sat down to eat were few and far between. It just felt right to the ginger haired boy.
Breakfast was done in short order, and once everyone had had their fill Denzel volunteered to do the dishes. Tifa and Cloud exchanged shocked looks and Tifa felt herself growing emotional. Her son was maturing so rapidly… it almost scared her. She still had plenty of time to see him grow thankfully, but she knew it would start to pass really fast if she wasn't careful to savor every moment.
As Tifa and Cloud moved into the living room, they discussed their plans.
"I'm going to do some exercising, then probably go visit some friends around town if I have energy. Would you like to meet up for lunch at one of the cafes?" Tifa asked Cloud with a smile. The blonde nodded.
"Sounds good, I'm going to do some administrative work with the business and maybe take the bike out. Haven't been riding in awhile," he commented. Tifa gave him a smile, happy to see him still doing his own things while still spending a majority of his time around her. They worked out which cafe to meet at and soon Denzel was heading off to school.
Tifa's workout was refreshing and made her feel like she was well on her way to a full recovery. She was full of energy when she finished so the brunette made her way to Eryaine's house. She knocked a few times and waited, hearing her friend moving around inside. When Eryaine opened the door, she smiled in pleased surprise at seeing Tifa there, even despite her black hair spilling out of its bun and her clothes in disarray.
"Tifa! What a nice surprise… come on in," she told her, moving back and allowing Tifa to enter her house. It was of a similar size to Tifa's house, but the second bedroom was Eryaine's lab where she performed experiments and did her research.
The woman's silver and white cat Charu came over to Tifa to greet her, seemingly remembering when she rescued her at the beach. Beaming, Tifa picked the cat up and gently petted her.
"What brings you to my house today?" Eryaine asked curiously, picking up a blanket and straightening the pillows on her couch so Tifa could sit. "Would you like some tea?" she added.
Tifa took a seat on the couch, the cat still in her arms. "I had some time this morning and am feeling much better so I thought I might come see how you're doing. I hope I didn't intrude on your research. And tea sounds great, thanks!" she responded, relaxing against the couch while Eryaine went into her kitchen to make the tea, commenting that she was in need of a break from her work. Less than ten minutes later, Eryaine re-emerged with a tray holding the steaming pot, two cups and saucers, cream, sugar, and small cakes.
"Where is Cloud today?" was the first question Eryaine asked as she poured the tea into the two cups. Tifa looked at her curiously.
"He was going to go out on his bike… why?" she asked, curious to know what her friend was thinking. She received a somewhat secretive smile.
"No reason, just curious really…" Eryaine responded before changing the subject. The two women enjoyed their tea, chatting about this and that for awhile. It wasn't long before Eryaine returned to the subject of Cloud.
"You know, when I was at your house for dinner, I couldn't help thinking that you and Cloud looked like you belong together. Haven't you known each other for years?" she asked casually. Tifa eyed her for a moment before deciding to be honest.
"I'm not so sure about that… as you stated, we have been friends for more than ten years, but nothing like that has happened between us until recently," she said, before catching herself and blushing. Eryaine smiled almost dreamily.
"Recently, huh? Now, I'm not sure what changed to make things happen as you say, but take it from an outsider's view: Cloud looks at you like you're the sun and stars in his sky," Eryaine told her, making Tifa's eyes widen and her heart started hammering in her chest.
"But… I'm just having a hard time believing any of this is real. So many years I pined for him… but he never seemed to see me as a woman. I was just his reliable best friend who always took care of him," the brunette commented, heartbreak evident in her tone of voice. Setting her tea down, Eryaine placed her hand on Tifa's shoulder.
"Maybe when you almost died he realized what he almost missed out on?" she suggested, making Tifa jerk upright. She sat in a stunned silence for a moment, shaking her head.
"That actually makes a lot of sense… he's been acting differently towards me since I woke up from my coma. How did I not realize that until now?" she asked, more towards herself than to her friend. "I just don't know how that makes me feel…" Tifa added, looking at Eryaine searchingly, almost pleading her for an answer. She only received a shrug.
"I can't answer that for you, unfortunately. But you can take your time deciding, and maybe even enjoy the attention he's giving you until then," Eryaine told her with a devilish grin. Tifa's ruby eyes grew large and she gasped.
"I- err maybe…" she began before trailing off, shaking her head. Her friend just continued grinning at her, a sparkle in her eye. Finally Tifa recovered her ability to speak properly, and when she did, her voice was quiet and small, almost sad. "I don't know if I can do that without knowing whether there is an end or not… I almost broke from the pain of being ignored by him before, and now I don't think I could survive if it wasn't real for him.. if it was something temporary."
Eryaine's grin faded into a solemn line, and she gazed at Tifa silently for a few moments, her greyish green eyes wise and intelligent. Finally, she sighed and picked up her tea to finish it. "Then I think you know what you have to do," she told Tifa, serious but compassionate at the same time. Ruby eyes turned on her, followed by a nod.
"You are right of course. I have to ask him. I have to know." As she said it, Tifa felt herself growing stronger inside, and suddenly she was overcome with the desire to do just that. Eryaine nodded to her, pleased that she had come to the realization on her own, before steering the conversation in a new direction. The visit didn't last much longer, as Eryaine needed to return to work and Tifa wanted to see Cloud as soon as possible, to try to find out the answer to her question. The two women parted with hugs, Eryaine retreating to her lab and Tifa heading back home.
Back inside her house, Tifa noted that Cloud was not back yet from his ride, and Denzel was due home from school soon. So she took to straightening up the house a little, making sure the kitchen was clean and a snack was laid out for her son when he came in. It wasn't long before the red headed boy came inside, looking tired but pleased with himself. Tifa eyed him curiously.
"What's up, chuck?" she questioned, earning her an amused grin. Once his bag was deposited near the couch, Denzel walked into the kitchen, immediately setting upon the snack.
"School was okay today but guess what mom?" he asked, turning his green eyes up at her. They were full of amusement. Tapping her index finger on her chin, Tifa hrmmed and then shook her head.
"I give up. Tell me!" she responded pleadingly. Denzel only grinned wider.
"I asked Eiliana to be my girlfriend today and she said yes!" he announced, looking very pleased with himself. Tifa laughed and hugged him.
"Congratulations! I knew it would happen soon!" she said, just as Cloud came in. He looked between the two of them.
"What happened?" he questioned, curious. Tifa's heart jumped a little when she looked up at him, her thoughts on what she needed to ask.
"Denzel and Eiliana are a couple officially," she told him, smiling with pleasure at her son's happiness. Cloud's eyes moved to Denzel and he offered him his palm in a high-five. Denzel slapped his hand against Cloud's, full of excitement. At that moment, there was a knocking at the door and Cloud moved to answer it, only to be greeted by Barret and Marlene. The burly man clapped Cloud on the back before moving to hug Tifa. Marlene hugged Cloud and smiled shyly at Denzel.
"Y'all look happy as all get out! What are ya celebrating?" Barret asked, looking between the three of them.
"Denzel has his first official girlfriend!" Cloud announced, sounding like a proud father. Barret started laughing good-naturedly, but Marlene gasped and stood staring at them in shock before pushing away from her father's side to hide in Tifa's bedroom. Tifa looked at the men, shaking her head, before joining Marlene. Denzel tried to follow but Cloud stopped him. "Let Teef handle this one." Denzel looked to the closed bedroom door, then back to Cloud before going to retrieve his bag. Barret was happy to let a woman handle this situation, and turned to tease Denzel about his new girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Marlene was laying on her stomach crying into Tifa's pillows. The young woman smiled wryly, thinking of how many times she had cried into that same pillow over Cloud. Sitting on the bed next to Marlene, she gently stroked the girl's hair.
"You know, Marlene… I don't think any of us knew you liked Denzel in that way. And that includes Denzel," she started softly. Marlene didn't react, though her sniffling quieted a bit. "I think it's more important for you to be his friend right now, since you live far apart, and you're both so young. His relationship with Eiliana is something he needs to experience, to figure out a little bit about who he is. You know how lonely he's been, and how hard everything has been for him. So if you think you can stay his friend for now, then maybe when you're both a little bit older… if you still like him that way, then you can tell him about how you feel."
The crying stopped completely, and Marlene turned toward Tifa, tears streaking her face. "But.. what.. about you.. and Cloud?" she asked between sobs. Tifa gave her a wry smile.
"I am a living example of why you should first be sure of your feelings, second be old enough, and third be brave enough to admit your feelings," she responded, sighing. Handing Marlene a tissue, Tifa added, "What do you think? Can you be his friend for now, and see where this leads in the future?"
Marlene used the tissue to clean herself up before responding to Tifa's question. "I think so." With a firm nod, Tifa hopped up off the bed and held her hand out to Marlene.
"Let's go show them how strong you are," she told her with an encouraging smile, judging Marlene to be recovered enough at this point to go back to the men and boy. Marlene took the hand and allowed herself to be lead into the living room, where Denzel was sitting doing his homework. Patting Marlene's hand gently, she left her there and went into the kitchen where she found both Barret and Cloud who turned to her expectantly. "She'll be fine, promise," she told them, holding her index finger up to her lips in a shushing gesture. They both nodded.
"I'm about to get supper ready," Cloud commented, pulling food out of the refrigerator. Tifa automatically moved to help him, questioning Barret about Midgar and their friends back there. Barret noticed how comfortable they looked together as he delivered news, and couldn't help thinking, 'Well damn, imagine that. Those two look like they're practically married. That fool finally got over himself…'
The evening went by fast, as they all enjoyed catching up and being together again. When Denzel and Marlene came into the kitchen for dinner, they seemed to be as friendly as usual, with no awkwardness between them. Tifa caught Marlene's eye and nodded to her imperceptibly, proud of her. Perhaps Marlene would learn from her own mistakes.
With their guests being there, and Marlene sharing Tifa's bed, she was unable to approach Cloud with her question. Just as Tifa was drifting off, a soft knock was heard at the bedroom door. Curious, she made sure to stay quiet as she answered it, only to find Cloud there. He didn't say anything, just cupped her cheek and pulled her in for another kiss that sent her mind whirling and her heart racing. "Goodnight Teef," he whispered, smiling at her dazed expression and turning to go to the large pallet he and Barret had created for them to share.
Turning back to the bed, Tifa pulled her door shut and climbed back into bed. This new habit was disconcerting, and reminded her ever more of how much she needed to talk to Cloud. Thankfully she was able to fall asleep quickly after such a busy day, and the child sleeping by her side helped her keep all dreams at bay. She would have to wait until Barret and Marlene left to talk to Cloud alone.