Chapter Eleven: Returner

It was about ten in the morning when Tifa, Marlene and Cloud finally got to leave the apartment. They had to wait for Zack to leave, well… to be more precise, they had to try to make Zack leave when he found Tifa eating toast with Cloud. He nearly screamed at Cloud as he asked questions.

"Why's she here!" he hissed, still staring at her. "Isn't she supposed be, you know, missing?"

Cloud shrugged. "She suddenly showed up last night."

"Suddenly showed up!" Zack mussed his hair. "Where'd she show up? At work?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes. I was about to go home then…"

"I see… hey Cloud, you didn't have her number all along, did'ya? You know that her manager's breathing down our necks since the day she went missing. Can you imagine the things that he could do the moment he finds out that she's here? With us?" Zack met Tifa's curious and startled eyes.

"Shut up, Zack." Cloud hissed, "She doesn't know a thing about her manager and his goons, okay? Don't worry, she's coming back for good, after we bring back the little girl."

"Where'd she get the kid anyway?"

"She met the little girl in the place she went… in Kalm. Kid's a big fan and recognized Tifa quickly." Cloud whispered.

"Can I come?" Zack asked loudly, intending for Tifa to hear.

"You'll have to ask Tifa that… wait, no, you can't come!" Cloud protested.

"Why can't I, Cloud ol' boy? Hmm? Keeping her all to yourself?" Zack wiggled his brows as he said this.

"I'm not! It's just that the boss will get really mad if we don't show up for work. You can always say that I don't feel well… he'll understand."

"Oh, this is so unfair."

"What's not fair? I'm just going to accompany Tifa in getting all her stuff that she left in Kalm." Cloud rolled his eyes. "We'll be back before the six o'clock news comes on!"

"Right." Zack mumbled.

Marlene tugged at Tifa's shirt. "Aren't we going yet?" she asked.

Tifa looked at Marlene and then back at the two young men. "Let's just hope that they're going to finish their discussion soon." She smiled at Marlene apologetically.

Suddenly, Cloud stood up and Zack sighed. "Alright Tifa, we can go now." Cloud said with a grin. Zack had a frown painted on his face.

"Aw, Zack, don't worry, I'll get you a souvenir." Tifa said as she and Marlene walked towards the door. The raven-haired man nodded and smiled. "Take care then, okay?"

"Yes, we will."

They were off.

The ride back to Kalm was filled with laughter, the scent of coffee and bread. They talked about their childhood, and Marlene told them stories about living in Kalm. It wasn't a dry, sad drive back, just like Tifa had experienced before. Halfway to Kalm, Marlene started to interrogate Cloud.

"Are you Tifa's new boyfriend?"

This innocent question made Tifa step on the brakes. She cleared her throat as she and Cloud turned to their heads to stare at her.

"No, I'm not Tifa's boyfriend. I'm just her friend." Cloud clarified with a brotherly smile.

Marlene pouted and blushed. "Okay. But I think that you make Tifa happy."

It was Tifa's turn to blush. "And how did you think that, Marlene?"

"Well… you have a hundred other friends but you still chose to come to Cloud when you were sad. That ought to count for something." Marlene mumbled.

Tifa and Cloud just stared at each other and blushed. "Hmm…" Tifa couldn't articulate any words to answer Marlene. The little girl giggled as if she knew something that they didn't. The drive back to Kalm became quiet.

When they finally arrived, Barret was already anxious. "Marlene!" he shouted when the SUV stopped. Marlene ran to him and hugged her uncle-Daddy.

"I thought you weren't coming back, honestly." Barret told Tifa, he peeked at Cloud. "And who's your friend, Jessica?"

Cloud looked at Tifa with a questioning gaze. "Jessica?" he whispered.

Tifa smiled coyly and just winked. Cloud understood and nodded back. "I'm Cloud. Cloud Strife."

Both men shook hands.

"So… how did you like the city, Marlene?" Barret asked.

"It was alright, though, the lights there are too bright and they're never off at night!" the little girl replied. Her uncle-daddy smiled. "That's nice to know." Marlene then continued to tell him tales of the tall skyscrapers and shops she had seen. Tifa and Cloud looked at each other and smiled.

"Excuse me, Barret, Marlene… we'll be going now. I have to get my things at the inn." Tifa said with a small smile.

Marlene stared at Tifa, and slowly nodded. Barret only smiled.

"Goodbye!" Marlene called after them.

"Bye now, kiddo." Cloud said with a big grin. Tifa giggled and waved good bye to Marlene.

As soon as she gunned the engine, Cloud started laughing. "Jessica, huh?" Tifa punched him playfully in the arm. "Don't hurt my alter-ego, dude. She'll kick your ass." When Cloud stopped laughing, she added, "Just kidding. Jessica and I are saving the butt kicking for Genesis."

"Alright." Cloud said, still trying to control his laughter. "So… what's the story of Jessica?"

"Jessica Lockes is a free spirit that graduated from Midgar University. She likes listening to rock music, painting and sketching, reading poetry and novels and most importantly, she does what she wants, when she wants." Tifa turned to see Cloud staring at her with mystified eyes. "Hey, what's with the staring?"

Cloud shook his head. "Awesome back story, miss Lockes."

She nodded and smiled. "Thank you. Well, here we are. The birthplace of Jessica Lockes..."

"I can't believe that you stayed in this place! I always imagined that you A-list celebrities only stayed in 5-star hotels…" Cloud mumbled.

Tifa chuckled. "Of course we do. But hey, there isn't much of a difference. The bed here was soft and warm." Cloud shrugged. "Come on, the innkeeper's waiting."

He stood in the doorway, watching her pack away the rest of her things. His arms were folded across his chest, and he looked like he was deep in thought. This woman, who was pacing back and forth in front of him, is one of the biggest female celebrities out there, and yet… she stayed in this shabby looking inn for a month. A normal girl would have complained about the curtains and requested for satin sheets. He swallowed, trying to melt away the lump in his throat.

"I'm almost done, I'm just packing the toiletries, okay, Cloud?" she called out to him.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

She was no ordinary girl. Did Genesis or her manager never notice that? They were so lucky to have been a part of her life and yet… they wasted their luck. Idiots!

Suddenly, her face was just an inch away from his. "Clooooooud~" she said with a childish grin. "Planet to Cloud…? Hey!"

He snapped out of his trance and chuckled. "Sorry. Are you done packing up?"

"Yes. Will you help me with the bags? I don't want to bother the innkeeper."

"Sure." Cloud strode in and took the bags that were lined up neatly on the floor. Most of her bags were made from expensive leather. There was only one bag that looked like it had been with her since sixth grade—battered and a few seams were loose.

Tifa walked towards him and took some of the bags. Their hands touched and she blushed slightly. Her skin was as soft as silk. Electricity seemed to run up from the spot where their skin met.

He loaded the bags at the back of the SUV while she paid the innkeeper and thanked her for the hospitality that the old woman had extended to her. Cloud heard every word, and he couldn't help but marvel at how polite she was.

"Alright Cloud, before we go… do you want to go sight-seeing?" she asked.

"Sight-seeing?" he repeated and looked around. There didn't seem much to look at.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Come, I'll show you where I always went to draw."

He nodded. "Okay. Let me see your drawings later too, alright?"

"Deal."

She took his hand and dragged him away from the inn.

"Wow." It was the only way to describe what he saw. Green pastures with small dots of flowers stretched for miles before him, and there was a crystal-clear river flowing underneath the shallow cliff. "No wonder you stayed here so long. It's beautiful out here."

Tifa only smiled. "I finished my entire clothing line sketch just looking at the view."

"This place…" Cloud mumbled. "is the best place I have ever gone to."

"So far," she said with a smile.

"Yeah. So far… We better head back. It'll be dark soon. You know the promise I made with Zack."

"Before the six o'clock news comes on." Tifa took his hand again and they walked hand-in-hand back to the inn, to the SUV.

It was eight in the evening when they arrived.

"Sorry we didn't make it back before the six o'clock news." Tifa mumbled as she pulled the key out of the ignition. Cloud shrugged. "I don't mind. Zack will be working late anyway… I guess." They looked up at the lightless apartment. "Yep, he's working late tonight. Why don't we have some dinner?"

"Dinner sounds great." Tifa said. "All that driving really made me hungry."

Cloud grinned. "Now let's see what we have in the fridge."

It smelled wonderful... whatever he was cooking. Tifa sat there, reading a random magazine she had picked up. She heard him chopping and mixing. It was unusual for a man to cook, Genesis had rarely cooked when they were together. The first and last time that he attempted to cook was the time when he almost burned his hair. Though, his mother did make excellent pies.

"Hey Tifa, let's eat. The food's ready."

She turned to see that he had already set the table, as well. "You should have let me set the table, at least." she told him.

Cloud only shook his head and smiled. "No, you're my guest." Tifa sat down and looked at what he had cooked... it didn't only smell great, but also looked good.

"Wow," she mumbled.

"Go on, take a bite."

She took a spoonful, and couldn't help but smile as she chewed.

"Can you cook for me forever?" she blurted out. They laughed.

"Sure, why not?" Cloud winked.

They ate and talked again, they laughed and almost ended up crying because of it. Tifa told him how Genesis didn't know how to cook and depended mostly on take-outs and his personal chef, sometimes on his best friend. She told him how her manager and make-up artists tried really hard to get along.

"They only get along because of the money." she said, "If there isn't any money involved, they'd be killing each other with pens and make-up brushes, I tell you."

Suddenly, Cloud turned his head to face Tifa and found that her face was just an inch apart. He swallowed. She blushed. He leaned in slowly, as if in a trance. She could feel his warm breath fanning across her skin and she closed her eyes. Her heart started beating like a hummingbird.

And then they heard Zack's voice.

"Damn." they both hissed.

Author's Note: Here it is! Thank you for reading, guys and gals! I hope you liked it. :) Don't forget to review!