Disclaimer: FFVII belongs to Square-Enix.

Note: Finally got around to finishing this story… huh… It's not really what I'd been hoping for, but I suppose it works. I might rewrite some of it later so it's not so rough.

What it Brings

Epilogue

Yuffie smiled to herself, feeling the tiny movements under her hand. She let out a giggle when a foot pressed against her palm, and looked up to see Tifa smiling proudly.

"Can you believe it's already been seven months?" Tifa asked in awe, holding her hands against her stomach as Yuffie stepped back to give her some room. She sighed happily and took the shopping bags Yuffie offered back to her.

"I can't believe you and Cloud got yourselves into that mess." Yuffie joked, holding up a tiny pink sweatshirt. "Can't you see Cloud wrestling a tiny blonde baby girl into this?" Both women burst out laughing, and several people gave them odd looks as they passed.

She watched the people, most of them not even noticing her, and couldn't help but feel a certain happiness. Just a couple of years ago she felt like she stuck out of a crowd like a chocobo in a flock of chickens. Now she felt as invisible as the next person, and couldn't hardly believe she'd actually grown up in such a boring place as Nibelheim. Yuffie let out a sigh at the thought of the city where her father still lived. She hadn't spoken to him in so long, she couldn't help but wonder how he was doing.

Shifting awkwardly, Yuffie held a hand up to block the sun from her eyes. It was just past noon, and she'd been shopping all morning with Tifa to get ready for the baby due in two months. Everyone was still trying to convince the woman to stop running the bar and get more rest, but she refused. It just wasn't in her nature to sit still and wait for something to happen. Yuffie always suspected she just didn't trust Cloud enough to take care of her, though. Apparently he had a history of just disappearing for extended periods of time.

"Oh! I see them!" Tifa said excitedly, pointing through the crowd. She let out a giggle, and Yuffie joined her when she finally spotted them.

Vincent walked along purposefully, Cerberus still slung over one shoulder of his crimson cloak. His golden claw reflected the sunlight as he walked, and his cloak swirled around his boots. His hair had grown out a lot over their time in Midgar. Yuffie had been surprised the first time she noticed he needed a haircut. He'd almost seemed offended, and that was that. He just never got it cut, and now it flowed down over his shoulders in a cascade of ebony, held out of his eyes with a red bandana Yuffie had put on him once as a joke. Needless to say he looked nothing short of terrifying, and even without Cloud at his side people moved out of his way wherever he went.

Yuffie loved it. She loved every minute she was with him. People gave him frightened looks and stared at Yuffie like she was insane to trust such a dangerous looking man. One of her favorite things about being his wife was when she got to introduce him to someone and see the look on their face. He had changed so dramatically since moving here, she really had to wonder what the hell he had ever been doing working with his father's company. It hadn't been very long ago, but she found it hard to imagine him wearing a suit now. She would say it was like he was a new person, but he was the same man she'd fallen for in the beginning. He just seemed genuinely happy now.

"Yuffie." He greeted her with the smallest indication of a smile, reaching out to pull her close and give her a gentle kiss.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly. Yuffie wrinkled her nose slightly and sighed, shifting her weight to the side self-consciously and lowering her eyes to stare at the ground.

"Yea I guess so…" She mumbled darkly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, pulling her back down the road as Cloud escorted Tifa back to the bar.

Yuffie watched nervously as Cloud land Vincent wandered into another room, leaving her alone with Tifa in the eerily quiet bar. She smiled warmly at the younger woman as she pulled out several bottles and set them on the counter. After a few more moments she set some glasses down and took a seat.

"You don't look too happy, what's up?" She asked curiously. Yuffie sighed heavily and leaned over the counter.

"I feel so old… I liked being a kid, I don't wanna grow up…" She mumbled sadly. Tifa rested a hand on her back and thought for a moment.

"No offense, but I can't see you ever really growing up." Tifa said with a smile. Yuffie didn't seem comforted, so she tried to continue.

"Well, I'm not old yet! Just because you're an adult now doesn't mean you're not a kid anymore…" She tried to sound cheerful, wasn't sure what Yuffie wanted to hear.

She reached over and picked up a bottle, handing it to the girl to try and distract her.

"Here, I got this for you. It was expensive, so you'd better enjoy it!" She said playfully, handing her a glass.

Yuffie turned the bottle over in her hand and snorted in amusement.

"I didn't know they even made root beer schnapps…" She said absently, twisting the cap off and sniffing the contents of the bottle. Tifa shrugged and gave her a small smile.

"It seemed like something you might like." She said softly, glancing up as the door opened and Marlene came running in.

"Tifa!" She shouted, hugging the woman happily before turning to jump on Yuffie.

"Happy birthday!" She said sweetly. She pulled a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Yuffie.

"I didn't have enough money to buy you something…" She said sadly. Yuffie unfolded the paper and smiled.

"Aw, thanks, Marlene! I wish I could draw…" Yuffie held it out to show Tifa, and Marlene blushed.

"You like it?" She asked carefully. Yuffie hugged her again and nodded.

"It's wonderful!" She replied.

"Good, she's been working on it for days!"

Tifa and Yuffie jumped when the voice boomed overhead, and looked up to see Barret leaning over them with a grin.

"Geez! I almost died!" Yuffie cried out. Barret laughed for a moment til Tifa punched him in the arm.

"Be nice, it's her birthday." She said sharply. Barret glared at her as he wandered across the room to turn the TV on, and Tifa went behind the counter to find something Marlene could drink.

Yuffie jumped again and sighed loudly when Vincent appeared next to her. He didn't seem to notice and picked up the bottle of schnapps Tifa had given her.

"Root beer?" He asked uncertainly, giving her an odd glance as she shrugged and took it from him. She poured a glass and Vincent took a sip.

"Why not just mix rum with root beer?" He asked, setting the glass back down and scooting it over next to Yuffie. She rolled her eyes and picked it up, taking a sip and savoring the taste.

"Did you invite anyone else?" Yuffie asked cautiously. Tifa glanced over and smiled.

"I didn't." She said innocently. Yuffie eyed her suspiciously and glanced around the room, as if expecting to see someone hiding nearby.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuffie sighed and let her head fall against the counter. Vincent stared at Tifa questioningly, and she smiled as she turned and walked toward the backroom slowly.

She came back a few minutes later, and Vincent watched as Cloud walked casually out the door.

"So what are you drinking tonight, Vincent?" Tifa asked quickly. He glanced back at the door for a moment before deciding to ignore it.

"Surprise me." He said quietly, putting an arm around Yuffie as she took another sip from her glass.

By the time Cloud got back, the party was a bit more lively. Marlene had gone upstairs to bed and the TV sat unattended after Barret decided to join everyone else sitting at the bar. Tifa smiled happily as she watched her friends, finally loosening up after a couple of drinks.

Yuffie was giggling to herself as Barret tried to tell them a story about Cloud, but halfway through the story he knocked his glass over into his lap and started cursing. Vincent smiled and Tifa burst into laughter, reaching down to grab a towel for him as he tried to change the subject.

The door swung open and everyone stopped to look up as Cloud stepped inside. He paused for a moment, then Yuffie dropped her glass when she realized her father had stepped in the door behind him.

"Dad!" She shrieked and leapt from her seat, dashing across the room to leap on him as he opened his arms for a hug. He hugged her for a few minutes before pushing her back and staring at her in disbelief.

"Yuffie, you're all grown up!" His voice wavered slightly, but he smiled and pulled her back into a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie asked in slight confusion. She looked up in time to see Zack walk in the door behind him, offering her a polite wave as he crossed the room to stand beside Cloud at the bar.

She watched in curiosity as Tifa rushed around the bar to give him a hug.

"I never thought we'd see you again!" Tifa put a hand to her mouth and wrapped an arm around Cloud's waist. "Cloud told me he'd been talking to you, but I didn't believe him when he said you were coming out here…" She let out a laugh and rested her head on Cloud's shoulder.

"Yea, I almost didn't when I found those old pictures. It's such a hellhole out here. But then I felt sorry for poor Yuffie getting trapped out here with this jerk." He let a hand fall on Vincent's shoulder. "Speaking of which, what the hell happened to you?" He grinned down at him, and Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"Come on, Tifa, I need a drink after that damn drive!" He smiled sweetly at her and she laughed again, moving back behind the bar to start making more drinks for everyone.

Godo finally followed Yuffie over to a table beside the bar, and Yuffie eagerly introduced him to everyone. She paused for a moment when her eyes fell on Vincent, and couldn't help but let out a laugh. He seemed perfectly normal to her, but Godo hadn't seen him in years…

"Ah, I see you're fitting in just fine, Vincent." Godo said with a grin. He glanced around the room again and tried to ignore the curious eyes fixated on him. He took a moment to accept a glass from Tifa, then took a seat at the table and locked eyes with Vincent.

Yuffie watched them awkwardly for a few minutes before trying to relax and finish her third glass. She didn't really want to get drunk in front of her dad, but the way he kept staring at Vincent was making her want to run and hide… She had no idea that Zack knew Cloud and Tifa, but she knew they all must have been talking about her and Vincent, and on the long trip here things must have come up between Zack and her father. Things had calmed down considerably over the past year and a half, but everyone still loved talking about all the exciting things that happened when Elena came here hunting Yuffie… She was sure Godo was watching for any reason to hate Vincent after everything they'd been through.

"So Vincent." Godo broke the silence between them since Zack had started an exciting conversation with everyone else. Yuffie's eyes darted between her father and her entirely-too-relaxed husband nervously.

"What did you get my baby for her birthday?" He asked curiously. Tifa paused to look over at them, and after a few moments everyone had turned to watch him as he set down his glass.

He leaned back and reached into his pocket, moving slowly and catching Yuffie's gaze as he pulled his hand back out and showed it to her. It took her a moment to realize he was holding a ring. It was fairly simple, silver with what she hoped weren't diamonds. She had a vague memory of telling him she didn't want anyone to spend any money on her birthday presents this year, but he generally ignored her when she said things like that.

"Aww… I wish I could find a guy that would buy me a ring…" Tifa said in a dreamy voice. Cloud gave her a hurt look, and Zack started laughing.

"What a charmer. Better late than never!" Zack called out.

Yuffie wasn't sure what to do when he scooted closer and took her hand. She felt her face heat up as she watched him slide it onto her finger, then casually kiss her cheek and relax in his chair. Her eyes were glued to it for a long time. The conversation shifted and Yuffie continued to stare at the ring. She couldn't figure out exactly how she felt about it. Of course it was an incredibly sweet present, but they had been married for two years and not having a ring had never really bothered her. She hadn't wanted him to spend any money on her, it made her uncomfortable. But then again, the fact that he'd gotten her one meant he'd been thinking about their relationship…

She forced herself to look away and take several gulps from her glass. After a few more minutes she felt ditzy enough to get back into the group.

x:X:x

"Are you sure it's alright?" Yuffie asked worriedly. Tifa smiled and nodded.

"It's fine. He's already asleep anyway. Don't worry about it!" She reassured the younger girl and gave her a gentle hug.

"You go home and have fun, I'll see you in the morning." Tifa didn't give her a chance to respond as she pushed her towards the door. Vincent was waiting patiently for her, and wound an arm around her waist.

"Goodnight, you two!" Tifa waved as she quickly shut the door behind them, and Yuffie stared up at Vincent with wide eyes.

"She kicked us out…" She muttered.

"It's getting late, she probably wants to go to sleep." Vincent pointed out. Yuffie mumbled darkly, but tightened her grip around his arm as he led her down the street toward home.

They were halfway home when Vincent noticed Yuffie staring at her ring again. Her hand was hovering in front of her and her head was tilted to the side in thought.

"Did you have a good day?" He asked cautiously. She looked up at him and smiled, resting her cheek against his arm.

"Of course…" She said softly. "Did you know Cloud talked Zack into bringing my dad out here for my birthday?"

Vincent smiled to himself, but looked down at her and shook his head.

"I was just as surprised as you." He said gently.

She smiled to herself and bit at her lip thoughtfully. It had certainly been an interesting night. Her father had gotten along with Vincent much better than she'd expected. She wasn't so sure about tomorrow, when he would want to see where they lived and what they'd been doing for a living. Yuffie had started working at the bar lately, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what her father was going to think of Vincent's job… He seemed disturbed enough noticing that his son-in-law had developed a striking resemblance to a vampire.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up to see Vincent gazing down at her with a somewhat worried expression. She could see their house lit up in the moonlight behind him, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Yea, long day." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

A breeze blew past them down the street, throwing his cloak up around her before it settled and he tightened his grip on her shoulders. He placed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck, then slid his hand to her lower back and led her to the front door.

The End