Disclaimer: Yep, still don't own FFVII. Story is mine though. Not earning anything either. Damn.

Chapter 7

A slight fog blanketed the city before sunrise as if the night wasn't yet ready to relinquish its hold over the buildings and streets. The sky was that pale, slate color just beginning to hint at a sun, painted over with a light yellow wash, and revealed a front of clouds beginning to roll in towards the eastern horizon. Dew collected serenely on closed windows, lights that hadn't been turned on yet, signs, and every other construction, leaving a slight chill in the air. The rainy season would be coming soon, but it was still far away in the minds of Edge's citizens.

There were many things to do in this new city, which mostly involved building and repairing. Most of their materials came from Midgar's ruins and considering the state that Meteor had left it, it was no surprise that most of the businesses and shops were of the labor or engineering sort. Junk shops, heap shops, tool shops, architects, contractors, muscles of the hiring sort, mechanics, welders, smithies, and the like were all quite readily available. With the rate that Edge had grown successfully however, more entertaining and social activities were finally beginning to emerge.

Surprisingly enough though, there weren't too many restaurants in Edge yet, especially at the heart of it. It was mostly those aforementioned businesses or those that had survived through Meteor's fall and Kadaj's little search that still crowded the city's center. Elliot's Place, an engineering/mechanics building stood out with its bright green doors amid a jungle of recovered steel and iron from the ruins of Midgar, but color was slowly being added to the city as the people finally had the time and means to pay attention to the aesthetics.

Johnny's Heaven was a quaint little café situated on Edge's main street. It was merely an open lot with tables and chairs and a stand that the proprietor, Johnny, could cook on. The small diner claimed the spot between an accounting firm and a new shoe maker's shop that could have been easily missed if one wasn't looking for it. There were no signs or anything, just an eclectic array of tables with umbrellas and chairs and the cooking stand.

A whistling man wearing an apron, carried a paper bag of groceries and was currently walking toward the café merrily, twirling his key ring around his finger. He was an average height with an average face with a slightly above average build. His hair was cropped close to his head in a style similar to that of the military and considering his build, it would have been safe to assume that the military had once been his life. He walked lightly and leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world and was simply walking to enjoy the brisk, pre-dawn air. Currently, he was thinking about that new recipe the Seventh Heaven's mistress had been trying out on her patrons. He wondered if she sautéed or merely seared the chicken first…

Tifa Lockhart was the woman of Johnny's dreams and the object of his unrequited love for years, nearly ever since he had first seen her in Nibelheim in that cute little western outfit. When he had quit the military police and found her again in Midgar, he swore that some higher power was looking upon him with favor and he gladly began frequenting the original Seventh Heaven, if only to catch a glimpse of her and taste her good cooking. His love for her grew even still with respect and admiration as soon as he stumbled upon the new Seventh Heaven while moving into Edge, wondering what he was going to do now with his life.

He thought it was a sign. Seeing the happy smiles on people's faces again and hearing the laughter made him realize how important a place like hers was. The Seventh Heaven was a place to be happy again. It was a place to feel not alone in the world, even if you really were. After Meteor, the people of Gaia didn't have much hope left, but it was Tifa and her bar that gave people hope again.

Johnny abruptly stopped and nearly choked on the very air he drew. He could recognize that hair and shape anywhere. What made Johnny stop and rub his eyes was seeing the object of his heart's desire sitting on a chair, at a table with her head pillowed by her arms. Johnny screwed his eyes shut before snapping them open again in disbelief. Yet Tifa remained, sleeping soundly at the table clothed in nothing but a night dress, robe, and shoes. The picture before him made him weak in the knees and suddenly drop the grocery bag he carried to catch himself on the side of a building.

Her finely shaped, bare legs were crossed at her ankles beneath her chair, covered until the knee by her robe. Her arms had folded tightly together to hold her head in a direction that gave him a faint glimpse of her sleeping face. When she didn't respond after him softly calling her name, he approached her slowly, almost expecting her to suddenly jump up and away screaming. Johnny cautiously lowered his head, trying to see her eyes better for any signs of her waking up considering that some of her shiny, but currently disheveled hair had fallen into her face.

Johnny couldn't help the dopey smile that lit his face after he decided that her sleeping face was almost as beautiful as her angry one. He also decided that it wouldn't hurt to just watch her for a little longer. Staring at her openly wasn't something he could do every day and so he was just going to enjoy it while he could. Her usually pink lips were paler than usual due to the cold, as well as the rest of her face. Faint dark smudges beneath her eyes made Johnny frown however, beginning to wonder why this heavenly maiden was sitting at a table, in the very early morning with nothing but night clothes and boots? He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch her tenderly, brushing the hair off of her smooth face. The contact made him blush harder, but all romantic thoughts flew from his mind as his hand instantaneously became crushed beneath an iron grip.

The formerly unconscious woman sleepily opened her eyes and sluggishly tried to blink the sleep away, not completely aware of the discomfort she was causing a certain man. "Johnny…?" Tifa quickly realized what she was doing however and retracted her hand meekly, giving him an apologetic look from beneath her thick lashes.

Johnny cradled his hand to his abdomen, briefly fearing for the life of his chosen career as a chef. What chef can cook with only one hand?! He managed a pained smiled for her however and laughed uneasily.

"I'm sorry… I'm usually not entirely aware of what I'm doing when I first wake up." She explained sheepishly, tucking her hands between her legs, as if to say she'd play nice from now on.

Johnny's throat suddenly felt sandy and very, very dry. He opened his mouth to say something but only managed a sound that was more whimper than an actual word. He swallowed thickly and cleared this throat before trying again. "I-it's alright… Tifa." Johnny shook out his hand and clenched it several times to show her that there was no real harm done. He was actually doing an excellent job of keeping the lingering pain off his face.

He did his best not to stare and admire her when she rose and began to stretch, throwing her arms first above and then behind her, rising to the tips of her toes as she worked out the stiffness caused by a night sleeping on a metal chair. Johnny closed his gaping mouth and hurriedly tried to busy himself with retrieving his dropped grocery bag and moving to unpack it behind the stand. He was never really this nervous around women such as her, but there was something about Tifa that clenched his heart, made him awkward as a school boy, and just as weak in the knees.

With a refreshed smile, she followed him to the stand's counter and sat on one of the stools, watching him set him up for the day. She modestly crossed her legs and tried to arrange it so that her robe covered all the essential bits. Tifa was almost as surprised to see Johnny as he had been to see her. She was awake before she opened her eyes just in time to sense something coming near her face. When she had grabbed it instinctually, she almost thought she was still in her dream, and had actually managed to catch the train. In her dream, she had been running and running, running so fast to catch the train's railing to hoist herself onto it, but whenever she came close to it, the train always seemed to gather more speed. All of her friends were on that train, watching her and encouraging her to run faster, waving their arms at her and hanging out from the windows. For some reason Bugenhagen was there too. He seemed to be the one driving the train.

"I didn't know this is where your place was." Tifa began with a friendly tone. Even though she had known Johnny for many years, she wouldn't really call him a close friend. He tended to be around quite often, but never really talked with her. She knew he harbored a small crush on her, but didn't think those feelings went any farther than that considering that they never really had a proper conversation.

"Yeah…" Johnny tried not to look up at her and continued to look a tad pinker than normal. "I, uh… opened it about a little over a year ago." He took a deep breath and braved a peek to get down to the point. "Tifa… what are you doing here? I mean… I'm glad to have you and see you, but… what happened..?"

Her hyper alerted ears heard his bed squeak in protest as a pair of bodies fell in to it, and the throaty groan of an appreciative woman...'Damn you, Cloud'

Tifa felt the pain rush back and physically felt it tug at her, weighing her down as the memory of the night before echoed in her thoughts. Her fingers curled into tight fists with the ache of anger, her closed eyes prohibiting the burning to continue, and her breath caught in her throat, blocked by her heart.

She had been relieved when Cloud had come home and things seemed right between them. Despite that one small awkwardness at dinner, Tifa felt confident that they could remain good friends and that she'd be fine without him, without loving him. But the simple concept of not loving Cloud was still fresh and new to her and she felt utterly vulnerable. The events that had driven her from home had almost broken her. It was too much… too fast… too soon. So much so that her emotions were completely overwhelming by the time she could finally think and she had let herself cry. She was angry with him. She was angry at the other woman. She was angry at herself…. Herself, most of all. Tifa's hands relaxed when the sudden rush of emotion left her.

She had run nearly all night. The stars were shining brightly, the cool night wind did nothing to impede her journey and the moon could only help light her way. Her legs had carried her to Midgar in her boots and night gown and eventually, unsurprisingly, she found herself in Aeris's church. She had collapsed into a pew, heedless of the evidence of Cloud's former occupation, and mourned. Everything she had bottled up to that point she let go in racking sobs that shook her body and echoed in the empty sanctuary. Rivulets of tears steadily coursed down her face and onto the fists that clutched her lap in despair, blurring her vision, completely obstructing the image of Aeris standing afar and watching with matching grief and sympathy. Her own otherworldly hands were wringing themselves in contrite anguish for she could not go to her friend with comfort.

Tifa cried for hours, remembering every person that she had lost and left her, and could only wrap her arms about herself as she rocked, sighing, sniffing, and moaning in hurt. Never did she think that Cloud would do that. He must have known how she would feel! Another woman… a strange woman, that… the more Tifa's grieving mind thought, the more it made sense. Cloud hadn't been coming home for a long time until late at night. He spent most of his time traveling, longer than he should need to, and with what he had said, "You're not her," perhaps this was that woman he compared her with. Maybe it hadn't been a comparison with Aeris at all. The thought made the bar maid feel worse.

"Johnny… if I were to ever… leave… how would you feel about running the Seventh Heaven?" She asked, evading and catching his worried look before quickly adding, "I mean… it wouldn't be forever, but...." She trailed off with a distant look, lowering her gaze and slightly fixing it on the end of the bar.

The man looked at her with brows furrowed in concern, obviously aware of her evasion. He understood though. Whatever had happened wasn't something she wanted to talk about and having witnessed the pain that crossed her face, he knew it was something horrible to make such a strong person as Tifa make that expression. "Like a vacation?"

"Yeah… something like that." Her voice was soft and quiet, practically translucent.

Johnny's eyes studied her grudgingly. He really hoped that she wasn't trying to run away. With a heavy sigh, he began to nod before giving her assent. "Only for you Tifa… and only for a short amount of time… 3 weeks tops." He winked at her, feeling more at ease. "After all, I have my own place to look after, right?"

Tifa looked at him with grateful eyes and a wan smile. "Thank you."

Johnny felt his confidence fading fast as he lost himself in her smile, feeling his insides melt into a rich, hearty goo. His heart warmed with the sight of her glistening eyes, sparkling with gratitude… her full lips pulled up with happiness… his heart did a somersault knowing he caused that… her cheeks beginning to regain their color… her breas-

Johnny jumped. The pass of a honking car had him righted however, and he shook his head, trying to clear away the fog. He busied himself with prepping for the day's dishes, washing, peeling, and chopping away. Tifa did her part by opening all the shade umbrellas on the tables and arranging the chairs pleasantly, setting out napkins, condiments, and even finding flowers to place in the bowls she had found behind the stand. With what little she did, it was certainly an improvement over his usual set up.

"Did you know, Tifa… that I set up Johnny's Heaven because of you?" Johnny asked out of the blue while slicing potatoes into a bowling pot of water. The addressed woman raised her head in question, dimly noting that the sun had finally broken over the horizon and was beginning to spill its light onto the café. "When Meteor fell and Midgar was demolished, I saw a lot of sadness." He paused as Tifa sat herself at the bar once again. "I used to think, that things would never be the same… that we'd never be able to right ourselves again and prosper. I never thought we'd be happy again."

Tifa's heart sank and her eyes dimmed; her soul was still raw from the deluge of emotion she just recently experienced and Johnny's words weren't helping.

"But when I saw the Seventh Heaven again… and I saw you… I knew that things would be all right." His eyes remained averted but his blush was back. Tifa studied him with a frown, feeling the first stirrings of a glow in her heart at his compliment.

"I first started this little hole in the wall because I saw the way people transformed when they went to your bar. And it wasn't just the alcohol making people happy; it was everything else that you provided for them. You invited these people into your home and you served them with that smile on your face and asked them how their day was going. You listened to them and you talked with them and you continued to smile at them, no matter how bad it got. You cared for them when not many others would. Tifa's Seventh Heaven was a place for happy times in a world severely lacking in that, and it was a home for those without one. So, I said to myself: 'Let me live like Tifa…Give hope to the lost*.'"

Tifa could only look up at him wordlessly, touched by his honesty. She took in how soft his facial expression had become as he gently smiled, as if looking upon something with great love. When Johnny glanced up, his smile turned bashful and his cheeks grew a bright red.

"Here, ya go. This should fill you up right. On the house." He grinned as he set a breakfast plate down in front of her. Tifa looked at her plate with great interest, but honestly really couldn't tell what it was.

"Thank you… Johnny." She said softly, reaching out her hand to touch his on the counter in gratitude, smiling sincerely up at him, unknowingly creating the most beautiful image he had ever seen with her stunning smile and large, warm eyes. He dropped his spatula and babbled a reply, before excusing himself for a moment to go and wash his utensil.

Tifa stayed just long enough to depart when he first began to receive customers. She finally became self-conscious of her state of dress as it garnered more and more attention from people passing by. She wasn't quite ready to head back to the bar however, so she went to a small clothing store and bought a shirt and shorts to replace her night gown and robe, stuffing them in her shopping bag and wandering about town. She melted in the crowds in relative anonymity that she was grateful for. There was something about being alone on a crowded road that ironically enough, appealed to her current mood.

By the time the street lamp lights began to flicker on and the sun lingered on the horizon, Tifa looked to the sky and knew that it was time to head home. The storm clouds that had been building all day now loomed ominously to take over the sky once the sun fell with the promise of rain. All she felt like having at the moment was a nice, hot cup of tea and a warm bath to sooth her tired body. She had had all day to come to terms with what had happened and she knew that she wasn't yet ready to accept it, and she still felt apprehensive with the thought of returning home. The thought felt dirty to her, for she couldn't help the feeling that her home had been sullied by Cloud's indiscretion.

With a deep inhalation and a tightened grip on her bag, she gave herself a small determined nod and turned on her heel in the direction of the Seventh Heaven. She wasn't going to be run off by something like this. She had to accept it. It was something that would happen eventually and it wasn't something he needed permission for. After all… they were both adults… with no intimate relationship or claim on the other. Tifa inwardly cringed and rolled her eyes at her own thoughts.

She had one last bitter thought as she climbed the wooden and worn steps, and moved to open her door: 'At least… it should be easier now… getting over him.'

… Right?

AN: I'm still pretty new to this whole 'actually publishing' stuff, so I apologize for my lack in consistency in regards to formats and such. This will more than likely be the format I'll be using from now on however. Anyway, I was a little worried about this chapter and how it was going to turn out, but it's not too bad I think. It's the longest chapter so far, which is why it took me a little longer to get posted, but don't worry, the ending is coming... eventually, and assuming that my classes don't eat me alive, chapters will still be consistently posted. So, there is an end in sight, but I really don't know how long it's going to take to get here, heheh. I'm really happy to see reviews so thank you very much for those! They urge me along, so please keep them coming!

* I re-read the FFVII novel that comes with the special edition Advent Children DVD and was inspired to write this chapter after reading Denzel's story in which he meets Reeves at Johnny's Heaven. The novel is actually several stories from "On the Way to a Smile," and that last italicized bit came straight from the book, pg. 24 to be exact. I wish I could cite it better, but I did my best for what info I could find ^_^'

Nojima, K. (2005?) On the Way to a Smile. SquareEnix.