Author's Note:

Okay, so I haven't written a fic in a many number of years, and for a while had even managed to think that I had outgrown it. Then one of you (I'm not sure which) reviewed my other FF VII fic "A Love Beyond Death," and I got sucked back into the story and world of Final Fantasy VII.

As you can tell from my previous work, I'm a huge sap and a hopeless romantic, and as a result, my writing is full of angst and love. However, I wanted to revisit that world and do something different, something exciting.

Having grown older in the years between now and the last time I wrote a fan fiction, I have had the chance to explore my own sexuality more, and as a result, I also wanted to explore an aspect of these characters that is often hidden from us. So that is where this fic started from.

Originally it was supposed to be a one-shot about Cloud and Aeris making love for the first time. However, that posed several problems. First, it meant that it either had to be during the plotline of the original game, in an alternate timeline after the game, or in a timeline that exists post-Advent Children. I didn't feel like they would have had time or opportunity to really do it during the game timeline, and in the post-Advent Children option, there was Zack to deal with. In the end, I chose the second option, and chose to make it a direct sequel to my aforementioned fic "A Love Beyond Death." This took care of the annoying detail of resurrecting Aeris, but left the characters at a point where I felt that they had a lot of development to do before they were ready to make love in a healthy and meaningful manner.

So, in other words, it turned out to be a much larger project than I had originally intended. Nevertheless, I've decided to soldier on, thinking that the telling of a good story, and of telling it correctly, is more important than any demands on my time or on my dignity. I do highly recommend that you read my other fic "A Love Beyond Death" before you read this one, as this one is a direct sequel, and this fic is based on the paradigm established in the previous one.

Also, I'm attempting to tell the story entirely from Aeris's point of view. Which presents another problem in that I am a male trying to tell a tale of female sexuality. I've tried to find references among my friends but I simply don't know of any girl that has completed FF7 and is familiar with Aeris's character. So I'd like to ask a favor. I would like constructive criticism of my (over 21, please) female readers as this story progresses. I would like to see how accurate my portrayal of female sexuality is, and if something in the story really needs changing, I would be willing to change it, pending sufficient reason. If I could ask you to message me directly, and not clutter up the review section with these particular constructive criticisms; that's for letting me know what readers think of the work in general.

In conclusion I will state once more that this is a mature work intended for mature (meaning over 18) readers. Let me be more clear: DO NOT READ THIS STORY IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE! The first chapter might be relatively tame, but succeeding chapters are going to be much more explicit. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I do enjoy reading reviews, either positive or negative, so long as they're rational and intelligent. I don't argue over the internet, unless it's constructive, so flaming is kind of pointless.

Okay, enough rambling, on with the show!

Thank you, and Enjoy.

-Chapter One-

A Second Chance

The morning was bright and clear, and even a little chilly for Aeris's taste, but they headed out of town anyway just as the last shreds of mist clung to the tall grasses. Far off in the distance she could see the dim outline of Midgar on the horizon, and her stomach twisted a little. Eventually, she would have to return there and face what she had left behind.

There would be time enough for that, though.

Right now, it was a beautiful day, and she was with the man she thought she would never see again. They had spent the previous evening tucked away in Cloud's room at the inn, talking about anything and everything. Mostly, she had wanted to know everything that had happened during her absence. She pestered him about all the tiny details until she thought that he would throw her out of the room in frustration.

But he didn't.

And so they had talked, haltingly at first, and then more easily and naturally, with only brief indulgences in kissing. In fact they had probably spent more time nibbling on horrible room service food than they had on physical affections.

Aeris giggled a little at this, which caused Cloud to glance over his shoulder at her and raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Oh, it's nothing," she smiled warmly, "never mind."

He returned her smile and nodded, striding easily up the next hill a little bit ahead of her.

She felt once again like she had missed something.

It was something that had tugged at her mind throughout the previous afternoon and evening. There was something… off about Cloud. Perhaps not Cloud himself, but about how Cloud seemed to be focused in completely different directions than she was. She would be talking about how she was excited to see everyone again, and what they would think when they saw them together, and then Cloud had gone on to describe at length the new hand replacement that Barret was getting for the gun arm.

Not necessarily cold, or anywhere near it, but just… off.

"There he is," Cloud suddenly stopped at the crest of a ridge and pointed far off into the crystalline blue sky.

"Where?" she said, stepping up next to him and shielding her eyes from the sun.

"There," he stepped in close to her so she could sight along his extended arm, "about two-o-clock high."

She looked in the direction he was pointing, and far in the distance she spied a miniscule speck of darker blue against the lighter canvas. She could have been just imagining it, though.

"Geez, Cloud, you've got some phenomenal eyes. I can't see a thing," she said.

He dropped his pointing arm back to his side, and suddenly she was aware of his scent, spicy and keen, and could feel the warmth radiating off his body. She leaned in closer to ward off the morning chill.

"Except you, of course," she finished, reaching up and trailing her fingertips across the sensitive part of his neck. He took hold of her hand in one of his (how warm it was), and fixed her with his shining mako eyes. She tilted her head up towards him, leaning in closer.

He squeezed her hand laughing gently, and said, "C'mon, there's a flat spot up ahead, he'll probably land there," as he led her eagerly down the slope.

She smiled outwardly as she stumbled down the slope after him, but bit her lip and wondered why she felt so anxious inside.

-.-

The hum of the airship's engines and the whoosh of air around them did nothing to still the icy ball of discomfort that was slowly taking up residence in the pit of her stomach.

It's just nerves, she told herself, You're just nervous about meeting everybody again. After all that they've been through together, it's going to feel a little like being an outsider, but things will work themselves out…

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked, startling her out of her reverie.

"Hunh? Oh…it's- It's nothing," she said and gave a small sigh before continuing, "I just feel a little weird seeing everyone again after being absent for so long. I'm worried that I'm going to end up as a bit of an outsider."

"That's ridiculous. Everything we did, we did it because of you," he said, plunking down beside her.

"That's sweet of you to say, but I can't help but think that all of you went through so much without me that I won't be able to truly be a part of the group anymore. And there won't be anyone to blame, really, it's just the way things happened."

"Well, you'll be a part of the group if I have anything to say about it."

He took her hand and kissed it gently. A warm smile bloomed on her face, and she leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. She felt his body stiffen slightly at this, and then gradually relax as he focused on the landscape whizzing by below them. Long minutes went by, and she half-expected him to say something, but he didn't.

Half an hour later, Cloud still hadn't moved a muscle, and neither had she, thoroughly lost in listening to his breathing and his strong, steady heartbeat while watching the mountains pass by below.

"Okay, you two," Cid chimed from the helm, "enough of that. I need your help for a second, Cloud."

Cloud patted her arm gently, and went to go help Cid on the bridge behind her. Aeris stood at the railing and watched through the enormous windows as the small village of Nibelheim peeked its way into view.

-.-

The hatch on the Highwind opened, swinging outward and making the world blustery as the massive engines continued to cycle down. The turbulent air caught all of the stray strands of hair Aeris hadn't thought to tie down and flung them mercilessly about her face. Laughing lightly over the roar of the engines, she carefully stepped down the gangway, and started up the hill, where she could see several familiar figures already tramping down to greet her.

She smiled up at them and waited for Cloud and Cid to disembark, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Gradually the noise from the engines died from a terrible roar to a tolerable din, and Cloud appeared at her elbow, grinning from ear to ear. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned in close to her ear to make himself heard.

"Let's go say hi," he shouted, barely audible and they started up the hill to meet the others.

While he had spoken only briefly, his lips had brushed so lightly against the rim of her ear, and it sent a bolt of electricity through her body that completely surprised her. Her heart fluttered and for the few moments as they walked, she could think of nothing else, remembering the heat of his breath on her skin, and the soft tickle of his lips that made her want to melt…

"Aeris!" Tifa smiled warmly and drew her into a tight embrace.

Aeris was caught off guard as she was brought abruptly back to reality, and was slightly uncomfortable as all of the awkwardness of the love triangle between her, Cloud, and Tifa came rushing back to her. Nevertheless, she returned the hug, and was relieved to find that she felt she could trust Tifa's kindness. It didn't feel fake or forced.

"Hey girl," Barret's deep voice rumbled, "How ya doin'?"

"I'm good, Barret," she giggled, attempting to wrap her arms around the massive chest.

She and Yuffie exchanged cordial pleasantries, and she even got a pleasant nod from Vincent. She would've hugged him too, but she knew it just wasn't his way. In the distance she could see a bright red patch of color streaking through the pale green grass.

"Red!" she exclaimed.

"So sorry I'm late," Red XIII explained when he arrived, "I had to finish teaching my Planetary Theology class."

Aeris dropped her bag and fell to her knees to give him an enthusiastic hug, and ruffling his tawny mane like an eager puppy. Barret roared with laughter at the look of surprise that crossed Red XIII's wolfish features.

"He ain't let nobody else get away wit' dat for a long time!"

"And for just this once, I will tolerate it, " Red joked, narrowing his single bright and happy eye at Aeris.

She laughed and tousled his fur again. "You've gotten bigger since I saw you last."

"Ah yes, the days of leisure have caused me to put on a few pounds, but as far as those go, you might want to ask our one-handed friend here to stop sucking in his gut," he gestured towards Barret.

Aeris looked just in time to see Tifa playfully backhand him across the chest, and with an expulsion of breath, she noticed that Barret had stopped withholding the fact that he had made considerable progress on what some would call a beer belly.

Holding her hand to her mouth, she laughed merrily along with the others.

"What can I say," Barret explained, "I like food."

This caused another round of laughter, and as Cloud took her hand, the group started slowly back up the hill towards the inn.

-.-

The night air had chilled, but the kitchen at the back of the inn was warm and slightly humid with the steaming hot water required for washing dishes. Cloud, Aeris and Tifa were finishing up the last of the pile of plates from their evening feast and talking quietly. Aeris could not remember having eaten so much ever before.

"…and then the entire crater blew! We barely made it out alive…" Tifa said, drying off the last of the drinking glasses and setting it in the cupboard.

"In case you hadn't noticed, this is Tifa's favorite story," Cloud teased.

"Oh? And I suppose I should have just let you drop?" Tifa shot back.

"If I knew I'd have to listen to you tell this story over and over again, I'd have considered it,"

Tifa fired the wet dishrag across the kitchen at Cloud who caught it easily, smirking and throwing a conspiratorial wink at Aeris. He got up from the stool he was sitting on and hung the dishrag up to dry.

"I'll go bring your bags upstairs," he said, and touched her shoulder on his way past out to the common room, leaving her and Tifa alone in the kitchen. An awkward silence settled around the two of them, and it was Aeris that buckled first.

"Tifa, I…"

"Yes?"

"I guess I want to apologize to you, but I don't know how."

"For what?"

"Well, I know that you and Cloud…" Aeris struggled to find the right words, "had a thing."

Tifa smiled wanly, not looking up from her work, waiting patiently for Aeris to continue.

"And I feel bad for taking that away from you. I knew how you felt, and I pursued Cloud anyway. It was… it was wrong of me. I can't really explain it… he just – there's just something about him that draws me to him."

There was a long pause as Tifa thought about what to say.

"Tifa, I'm so.."

"It's okay," Tifa interrupted, speaking softly, "Really, it's okay."

Looking up, she fixed Aeris with her gaze. Aeris was relieved to find that it was not cruel, or vengeful.

"To start with, Cloud and I never had a 'thing.'" Tifa let out a long sigh, glancing up at the ceiling, "I suppose I grew up reading too many stories, and I had this notion of 'true love' that could only exist on paper. I grew up with Cloud, and I kind of included him in my fairy-tale notion of love. I guess I always figured he would eventually figure it out. I have to admit that it hurt, though. It hurt that after all those years, growing up with Cloud, and seeing him off to become a SOLDIER, and then running into him after everything in Midgar, I... I actually thought that something would finally happen between me and him. But then you showed up and stole his heart without so much as trying."

Aeris's heart twisted with shame, "Tifa, I-"

"Don't interrupt me, I need to get this out."

Aeris clamped her mouth shut.

"It was a while before I could admit to myself that I actually had competition. And it hurt. It hurt that he chose to sneak out of our rooms at the Golden Saucer and ride the Gondola with you."

Aeris blushed.

"Oh yes," Tifa smiled, pointing a finger at Aeris, "I found out about that, by the way. And it hurt that something I had always counted on as a sure thing was slowly slipping away from me. But I've done a lot of growing up since then. When Cait Sith read that fortune, it broke my heart, but in the end I was glad, because my heart needed breaking. I needed to let go of those dreams from my childhood, and live in the moment."

"By the time you… you…

Tifa searched awkwardly for the right words.

"By the time that Sephiroth, um…," her voice became quiet and reverent, "By the time that you left us, and I saw the way that Cloud looked at you as he held you in his arms, I knew that I could never live up to that, and that I should let him go," she paused and shrugged, "and I have."

"So really, really, it's okay. I'm not holding any grudges. I'm just glad you're here with us again. Cloud was really starting to worry us in the days before he left to find you, and he's much better now. Back to the Cloud I remember from when we were growing up here."

Aeris smiled slightly, though her eyes were glazed with tears.

"Thank you," she said finally.

"Oh come now, none of that," Tifa said, coming around the extended counter to where Aeris sat and gave her a hug, "You've had a long enough day without any of this kind of talk. C'mon, we're done here, let's see what Cloud is up to."

"What about Cloud?" he said as he walked back through the door to the kitchen.

"Hm? Oh nothing, just girl talk," Tifa said, smirking at him "Nothing you need to be concerned about."

Cloud raised an inquiring eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Come here and get this girl to sleep, she's had a long day," Tifa ordered.

"Okay, c'mon, you…" he said, and picked Aeris up off the stool, causing her to squeak slightly with glee, and carried her out towards the common room.

"Tifa sure seems like she runs things around here," Aeris said.

Cloud gave a noncommittal grunt.

"I thought you were supposed to be the leader."

"I'm the boss, but she's the manager," he admitted, beginning his way up the stairs, "without her, nothing would get done around here."

"So what is it exactly that you do?"

Could paused at the top of the stairs a moment to contemplate this.

"You might say that Tifa is the 'Who,' 'Where,' and 'When,' and that I take care of the 'What' and 'How' side of things."

"Does that mean that she does more than work than you?" Aeris teased.

"Probably," he chuckled, stopping in the hallway in front of the third door and setting her down.

He looked at her, his arms still circling her waist. It caused her blood to thrum with energy wherever his body touched hers.

"This is your room."

"You mean I don't get to share with you?" she asked, coyly, emboldened by his scent again.

He laughed and shook his head slightly.

"My room's a mess, you wouldn't want to stay in there…" he trailed off, lost in her eyes.

"You're sure?" she cooed significantly, mischief glinting in her eyes.

Cloud's command of language was suddenly far away; on vacation in Costa del Sol, perhaps. She felt intoxicated by his presence. His simple, solid reality. Her mind wandered back to the moment when his lips and voice had caressed her earlobe and felt a quiver of warmth shoot through her.

Aeris reached up and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to her lips.

She kissed him softly at first, then more openly and with greater passion. His lips parted to keep pace with hers, and she flicked her probing tongue across the sharp line of his teeth, and drawing in a deep gasp when his tongue tasted hers in return. He moaned softly into her mouth, and she pressed her body tightly against him. She felt a stirring hardness pressing against her from below his belt line.

He broke the kiss and smiled at her, blushing and out of breath. She could feel their shared pulse beat loudly in her temples.

"Good night, Aeris," he said.

And with that, he continued on down the hall towards his own chambers.

Shivering with both passion and exhaustion, she opened the door to her room and answered the call of the warm bed than lay within.