A/N: My advice, to get the full affect (or at least to get in the state of mind I was in) listen to IZ's somewhere over the rainbow. That's all I'm saying this chapter, sort of rushed trying to get this out before class (23 minutes) anyone else notice that chapters/profiles have been screwy lately? Thanks for reviews loves!

Wait For Me

So now I sit, fully clothed thank you, across from Barret at the table. He's just glaring at me, like, with these laser-eyes of doom. I mean, I'm sorry it happened (well, not the whole thing with Tifa), I really, trust me, I reallllllly wished he wouldn't have seen us. That was bad.

Very bad.

He grunts softly and shakes his head, "Please tell me you used protection."

"I think that's personal."

He narrows his eyes at me, "Now you listen here, you little bastard–

"Yes, I did find the one you left me. No, wait, that was Tifa."

That shuts him up, but his glare only gets worse, more severe, more scrutinizing.

"I just don't know if you're good for her," Barret growls.

I blink a couple times, "What?"

Yeah, what?

Of course I' m good for Tifa!

"It was one thing before Cloud, but if you mess this up," Barret shakes his head, "There will be blood."

"Why–

The phone rings.

Thank God someone is on my side.

I walk over, picking up the phone and answering it as Tifa walks downstairs.

"Well, the kids are settled in again," she smiles.

Barret glares.

"I need something delivered," a voice replies to me.

Well, no shit, "When, and where sir?"

"Heh heh, Cloud...you just called me sir."

Oh, son of a– "Reno, nice to hear from you. What do you want?"

"I told you, I need...well, the boss needs something delivered," Reno says.

"Okay, I got that much. Can you tell me the location now?"

"Listen, Barret...about earlier," Tifa starts.

"No," he shakes his head, "No, I don't want to hear any excuses. I don't care if it's the truth or the lie. I don't care if it was strip poker or sex, or that he lost his boxers in the bottom of the sixth inning of pillow-ball. I don't give a damn. So please, for the sake of all of our sanity, let's move on."

"Okay...then," she turns red again.

"First, we need you to go to Mideel...to deliver a package there, and then pick a package up there, to deliver it to Gongaga. Mideel is to Elena, and Gongaga is to Tseng."

"Tseng is in Gongaga?"

"Don't...ask. Seriously, just don't ask. Tseng will kill you with his doom glare. I'm one of the two survivors of that," Reno replies, serious.

"And the other would be...?"

"Rude, but like...I mean, Rude's got the meanest glare. You have to know he does. That's why he wears his sunglasses all the time...to protect the lesser beings."

"Right."

"So, you think you can handle that?" Reno asks.

"Yeah. When? I mean, that's going to be a pretty extensive trip, you realize? That's about three nights out, so I need to know when it needs to be delivered by."

"You need to get to Tseng by six o'clock tomorrow night."

"What? Listen, it'll take a day just to get to Mideel, and like half a day to get to Gongaga. That's pushing it, Reno."

"Then I suggest you leave now, else the big boss man...he'll be pissed, and blame me for it."

"Couldn't you have called sooner, you know, a bit more warning?"

"That's why he'll be pissed."

"Oh...procrastinator."

"Delivery boy."

I hang up the phone on that note, sighing before scratching the back of my head.

"Who was that?" Tifa asks.

I walk over, "Reno. I've got to go...he's got two packages he needs me to deliver, and I'll be crossing continents, so I need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"What? Can't you stick around for dinner? Barret's staying–

"No, Tifa. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Barret starts in, "I don't think I'll have much of an appetite for a while, especially eating with you, Spike...we'll do it some other time."

Trust me, buddy. You weren't the only one scarred by that little incident.

"Well, I'm going to go say bye to the kids," Barret says, standing, "And give you two some time alone. I'll remember to knock next time."

"Right, thanks," Tifa says, absent-mindedly.

Barret heads outside to find Denzel and Marlene, while Tifa trails me up the steps.

"So, you really have to go? That wasn't just to get rid of Barret?" she asks.

I pull my bag out of my closet, "Yes, it wasn't just to get rid of Barret."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know yet, Tifa. I have to be in Gongaga by 6 o'clock tomorrow evening."

"Well, that shouldn't be to hard."

"I have to stop in Mideel first."

"Oh."

"So I'll be pretty much going none stop. I might spend some recovery time in Gongaga, once I get the package delivered, so until then, I might not have much time to call," I sigh, that sounded bad, "But I will, just to try and check up on everyone," something else, "And to tell you I love you."

Her head bumps against my back, and I pause from packing as she wraps her arms around my waist. I turn in her hold, looking down at the top of her head.

"Hey, I'll be back before you know it."

"It's been a while, you know, since you've had to make a long delivery."

"It would be longer, if they weren't rushing me."

"Be careful, okay?"

"I will."

"And you will call...even if just for a minute, understand?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll pack you up some meals then."

"Thank you, Tifa."

Fifteen minutes later, I was on the road, driving by myself. Alone. By myself. No kids, no Yuffie or Barret...no Tifa.

God this sucks. I forgot how much this sucks. I mean, I've been doing deliveries pretty constantly for a while now, but it's been a while since I've had to do an over-night stay somewhere.

Man this sucks.

I mean, it's worse when you know you're going to be out...that you've got to like...count down the days, hours, minutes...until you actually get to sleep in your own bed.

Crap. With this schedule, I'm probably going to have to sleep on the boat. I hate sleeping on boats. The boat always hits that massive wave, and I fall on the floor, and get a bruise on my forehead where I clunked on that sharp-ass corner on the nightstand.

And yes, that has happened to me more than once. I should get like, safety straps, or like, bars around my bed.

Wait...then I'd be like a baby in a crib. No, no bars.

Babies...marriage...prostitutes.

Crap, every time I think of marriage now, I'll think of prostitutes...and Barret seeing me in the flesh...literally.

Damn, he'll probably tell Cid, who will in turn tell Yuffie, who will in turn tell Vincent, and then Nanaki will know. It wouldn't surprise me if I came home in a few days and half of Edge is laughing their ass off about it. I'm going to murder Barret. I still haven't murdered him for leaving that condom in my drawer...

I still haven't murdered Cid for making me wear a kilt.

And I still haven't murdered Yuffie for taking that picture...I should probably murder Vincent for not stopping her in time.

I think that pretty much completes my 'people to die' list.

Oh and Reno, for sending me on this stupid trip.

I sigh, leaning over the handle bars of Fenrir. At least he's been loyal to me...at least, since that incident.

Listen hear you stupid bike, I don't have time for your games, so if you're going to mess up, do it now so I can fix it and be done with it.

...No? Okay then, glad that's settled.

...I hope.

Holy crap I'm bored! So bored! I don't understand why, usually I enjoy riding Fenrir. I mean, I like to drive.

So what the hell is wrong with me?!

I can't concentrate on the road, my mind keeps wandering.

What was I thinking about earlier...

Marriage...

...shit...prostitutes.

Arg! I need a way to change the correlation of prostitutes to marriage.

Marriage...Cid's getting married. Alright, let's try and line up Cid and marriage.

Cid...marriage...Shera...babies...mini-Cid's... tiny, little, midget smoking Cid's who curse by the age of four...trying to fly an airship. No wait, they'd get those little toy robotic airships, and eat candy cigarrettes, and they'd chase me with those damn little flying airships, while their father sat in the back ground and laughed. No.

Let's try that again: Cid...marriage...prostitutes...

Oh my God...mental images! No! No! No! Get it out! Please, someone get it out! God, at least I didn't make a bad-looking cross dresser...but Cid? As a woman?

Oh I think I'm going to throw up...I need to pull over... oh God...stubble, and...long flowing locks.

Oh...think think think something else...Barret...okay, Barret...in a kilt...for Cid's wedding-marriage-prostitutes-Barret in a dress.

Agh! My eyes! They burn! Oh! They're watering...of all the things...

Alright! One more time...if it doesn't work this time, I'm stabbing myself in the foot...for real.

Deep breaths, calm down now.

When you think marriage, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Tifa.

Tifa in a blue dress...with yellow roses in her hair, and her pearls around her neck, her pearl ring on her finger. Tifa with a growing belly, in that same blue dress, slightly stretched, in a villa on the outskirts of Costa del Sol, watching the dolphins off the balcony...and me, as I sit in the sand watching my three year old son try and build a sand castle...which looks more or less like a hump...but I try to help him, and so does his older sister, five...she's got her mother's hair, and my eyes, and she picks out seashells to decorate my son's sand-hump.

Okay...I can live with that one.

Scratch that, I could die with that one. And look, here I am, already at the port...

...at the port.

Cloud, no, Cloud...listen to me...six o-freaking-clock...tomorrow, Mideel, Gongaga, Rufus.

Cloud, Cloud, the ship is leaving. Cloud...Cloud no! Cloud! Cloud no! Turn back around! What the hell are you doing?! What are you doing! NO! Two hours wasted if you do this! Cloud!

Shit.

So, two hours back...back back back...I'm not going into detail here, but I'll tell you this much.

My conscience put Cid to shame...that's all I'll say.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

No, I'm doing this. And then here's the bar, and I'm already parking. Walking in, and there she is...the bar's closed, why did she close the bar? She's washing dishes, she doesn't even turn around when I walk in.

"Bar's closed today, sorry."

But I don't answer, I just walk up to her, and she turns, slightly startled, but even more so when she realizes it's me.

"Cloud? Aren't you suppose to be–

And I kiss her. She waves her hand frantically, I've caught her off guard. She blinks rapidly as I pull back.

"You're suppose to be...on your way to Mideel! What are you doing–

"Listen to me."

She blinks, startled then nods her head slowly.

"I need to know something first before I can leave."

"You could've just called–

"No, I really couldn't have. I need to know something."

"What?" she asks, her eyes concerned, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, well...everything will be okay, if you'll just tell me this."

"What?"

I sigh, stating slowly, "I need to know that you'll be here when I get back...waiting for me."

She looks at me incredulously, "Of course I will, Cloud. I've always waited for you."

"This is different though, I need to know that you'll be waiting for me, okay?"

"Cloud, I still don't see what you're getting at," she says grabbing my hand.

"I need to know," and she gasps when I slip the ring on her finger, "That you'll be waiting for me. I need to know that."

And I think I see tears in her eyes, but I'm to busy falling into wine, and she smiles, and nods her head, "Of course I'll wait for you."

And she kisses me, a melding sort of kiss that's warm and flows like honey, with her hand pressed against the back of my head, and it's right. It feels so right, that I might get my dream, my image of marriage.

She breaks the kiss reluctantly, and presses her forehead up against mine, "You need to go," she whispers.

"I'm sorry, I should've waited–

"No, it was right. It was perfect. I'll wait for you, okay? And...you'll call me, right?"

"Yes, and I promise I'll make this all up to you when I get back."

"I know, I love you."

"I love you too, but...can you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

"Will you buy a blue dress?"