Hi guys! So, I decided to continue on with this story, though I will admit it took a friend pushing me to finish it. I also apologize for the second chapter taking so long. I needed ideas, and sometimes they don't just come to you overnight. I want to thank everyone for following, faving, and reviewing. Constructive criticism is always extremely appreciated! I also want to thank my friend Gabbie who has helped me come up with a lot of the ideas for this. Especially on Zack's character. Uhhh… Yeah. You'll get to that… Heh. I also apologize for not stating that this was an AU! Agh. I'm terrible at putting little details like that in and I'm 90% sure that I typed chapter one somewhere around 3 am. Goes to show how organized I am. Anyways, enjoy the second chapter of this little ficlet, and don't forget to review any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas! Yes. Especially the ideas one. Until next time!

Cloud glared at the plane they were all about to board. He was hung over, sleep deprived, heartbroken, and extremely aggravated. Not to mention, this whole ordeal had taken an entire week out of his vacation time. Behind him, he could hear Aerith and Yuffie chit-chatting with Zack. Cloud guessed they were trying to get to know him a little better, something he might be doing if oh, Zack wasn't marrying the woman he'd been in love with for years. The noise made his head spin.

Who was this Zack guy, anyway? Why in the hell hadn't Tifa said anything about him before now? How long had they been together? Had they…? He rubbed his bleary eyes and sighed. Maybe it was best if he didn't know. All of the questions racing through his mind made his head throb worse. How was he supposed to deal with all of this?

"Here." Vincent's deep voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked up to see his friend had returned with a bottle of Advil, two coffees for them, and an energy drink for Yuffie—which she greedily snatched up with a grin and a, "Thanks, Vin-Vin!"

With one glance at Cloud, Vincent sighed. "You look like shit."

"Thanks. I feel like it, too."

Cloud never expected Vincent to say much. He had always been nearly silent since they were little kids in grade school. After all, the whole group had grown up together, never really straying from their little clique. Cloud found that whenever he was in turmoil, the sparse words he could get out of Vincent were usually the most helpful. This definitely counted as a tremulous time.

"What do I do?" He asked, almost a whisper.

Vincent's blood red eyes met his, concern clearly written in them. His brow furrowed in thought, silence hanging in the air. "I suppose you could object," He replied. "I'm not going to guarantee the outcome, but at least she would know."

Cloud snorted. "Says you."

Vincent quirked an eyebrow.

"You still haven't told Yuffie yet."

"She isn't the one getting married."

"Touché."

They sat in silence, sipping their coffees, both lost in thought. Cloud needed advice, and he needed it fast.

"What would you do if Yuffie was the one getting married?"

"Hn." It was obvious that his attention was not on Cloud, but the Wutaian girl that laughed along with whatever Aerith had said moments ago. A small smirk played on his lips, a certain warm light glowed in his crimson eyes. "The only thing I know is that I wouldn't stay silent."

xXx

They boarded the plane later that morning, their foul-mouthed pilot friend spitting profanities. If you asked Cid Highwind what exactly he thought of all of this wedding business, he would tell you that it was bullshit and his adopted son needed to grow some balls and spit it out already. He and his wife, Shera had taken Cloud under their wing, after their dear friend, Mr. Strife had passed away, leaving his orphan son. They raised him, right next door to a man named Barret, who had also adopted a group of ragtag orphan children. Tifa was proud to call him, Marlene, and Denzel her family, as strange as they all looked together.

"Damn, Yuffie! Your ass is lagging! You're at least half my age and I can move faster than you!"

Yuffie swung her bags at him. "Shut up, grandpa! I got two hours of sleep last night, and I'll be damned if I take any crap from you!"

Cid chuckled and reached for his cigarettes. Looking up and meeting the glare from his wife, who sat beside Barret, he thought better of it. Instead, he slipped the hand into his pocket and grumbled to himself about her being a nag.

"I know who wears the pants in this relationship," Barret chortled.

One row behind Barret, sat Marlene and Denzel, who were buzzing with excitement. Upon boarding, Tifa kissed them both on the cheeks, just like always. Aerith boarded next, taking her seat next to Tifa, leaving Zack in the seats across. Yuffie managed to coax Vincent into the seat next to her, though she didn't even have to try, not that she knew that. That left one seat left for Cloud—right next to Zack.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," He muttered under his breath, dragging his feet down the aisle. He slumped into the seat, his broad shoulders drooping in defeat.

"Hey there, Cloud!" Zack exclaimed with that perfect camera-ready smile.

Cloud wanted to hurl.

Zack held out his hand, getting a limp shake in response. The only side he'd seen of Cloud was an unresponsive disinterested one. That hadn't at all matched up to what Tifa had described him as. To be honest, Zack was a bit thrown off. He decided that maybe he just needed to let Cloud come out of his shell a bit. Zack was good at being friendly. "Sorry I didn't really get to introduce myself yesterday. I got called back into work. It's tough being a firefighter sometimes. We're always on call."

Cloud simply shrugged.

Whatever supreme power was out there, it hated Cloud. Or, at least that was what he had decided three hours into the flight. He had practically heard Zack's entire life story by the time Shera had come around asking if they wanted a drink. Deciding to drink of his hangover—and to endure the duration of the flight—he started off with a beer. He silently sipped on it while Zack talked his ear off about how his parents had come to inherit this massive castle they'd all be staying in the next couple of days for the wedding. Finally, he had built up the courage to ask, "So, uh… How exactly did you and Tifa meet?"

Zack's face turned a little red and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, this is a little embarrassing, but…"

"He's an exotic dancer?" Aerith demanded, emerald eyes the size of the moon, boring into Tifa's. Her friend returned a sheepish smile.

"Yeah…Yuffie and I got bored on a Friday night, so we made our way down to the strip club and had a little fun."

This was exactly why Aerith always bailed out early on Friday nights.

"So, Yuffie knew about this, too?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, she got totally trashed. She doesn't remember a thing."

Aerith had to giggle at that. "Typical Yuffie."

They turned to see her in her seat a couple of rows behind them. Despite the caffeine she poured into her body, she was out cold, using Vincent's shoulder as a pillow. He had fallen asleep, too, leaning his head on hers. The two women couldn't help but smile.

"Awwwww…." Tifa cooed.

"I wish they'd just date already," Aerith added.

The moment was interrupted by Cloud who choked and sputtered on his drink, parallel to them across the aisle. Zack patted his back.

"Aaaaand….Cloud knows," Tifa sighed, looking a little deflated.

Aerith sipped at her water with a bemused smile. The next few days would surely be interesting.

"I mean, it's not a full-time thing, just a night job. Something to bring in a little extra cash, you know?"

Cloud wasn't paying much attention to Zack's explanation of his line of work. In fact, he was so shocked, couldn't do much but gape, mouth open like a fish out of water. Tifa was marrying a stripper. A. STRIPPER. That was a real blow to his self-esteem. Sure, he was a delivery boy, but that was just until he graduated and got his college degree that spring. Still, that was better than ripping off his clothes in front of a crowd of desperate women that hardly followed the look-don't-touch rule. So that was why she never told anyone about him. Hell, he could hardly see her even going to a strip club. Of course Yuffie was the one to drag her along. He turned around to glare at the lithe little girl that Vincent so loved, only to find that she was asleep. That little….

"You don't think any lesser of me, do you?"

Cloud turned around to look Zack in the eye. "Huh?"

"I just don't want you to think lowly of me. I like you, Cloud. I think you're cool."

Cloud almost felt bad. Maybe if they were under different circumstances, they would have become really good friends. Maybe with time, they could be.

Cloud shook his head. "Of course not. You gotta do what you gotta do." In response, he got a lopsided grin. It was then that he thought that maybe, they really could be friends.

xXx

The group sat in the airport, waiting on the driver Zack's parents had sent to drive them to the castle. They were beyond exhausted, and no matter how many sugary, caffeinated drinks they consumed, they couldn't seem to wake themselves up. Their travel was not over by any means. After the Fair's driver had picked them up, it was a two and a half hour journey until they had finally reached their destination.

It was all wearing on Cloud's nerves. He, unlike all of his friends, was unable to fall asleep in the noisy Ireland airport. He also figured he should keep watch for the late driver, anyway, since no one else was awake to do it.

The reality of the situation came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. This was really it. This was his last chance. He rubbed his temples, releasing a deep sigh. He looked over at Tifa's sleeping form. She leaned against Barret's shoulder, little Marlene curled in her lap, Denzel clutching onto her arm.

She was by far the most beautiful woman he'd ever met with her fair skin, sleek dark tresses, wine red eyes, and here he was, about to let her go.

He sat up a little straighter, shaking his blonde spikes. No, he wasn't going to let her go. Not now, after all they had been through together, throughout the years. He was going to fight for her, and by god, he was determined to win. Between now and the next four days, he'd make Tifa Lockheart fall for him and realize Zack couldn't hold a candle to the awesomeness that was Cloud Strife.

He'd do it even if it meant the end of him.

That's all for now! I'll try to be a little more diligent about writing and posting the third chapter.

FFSe haVin