Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy or any of it's characters, although it'd be awesome if i did.

I will not be explaining the characters appearances. You should already know that. Also, this is set without anything that happened in the game or AC.

Chapter 1

She stood behind the counter, washing dishes after finally closing the bar. It was now after two in the morning. She had already cheacked in on the kids to make sure they were still fast asleep and was now taking her time doing the nightly cleanup. She was waiting on him to come home, just like every other night. But, tonight was different. Tonight, she was going to put an end to their weird relationship. And, hopefully, it would be in a good way.

Cloud finally arrived. She could hear him turn Fenrir off. Her heartbeat quickened and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Coud walked through the door and tossed his keys and wallet on a table as he made his way to the bar. He sat in a stool in front of her.

"Welcome home, Cloud." She said with a smile on her face.

"Hey." He returned.

"How did the deliviries go?" She asked, still keeping a smile on her face.

"Good. How was your day?" He replied.

"The kids were great. They even helped me rearrange the living room a little. Barret called and said he'll be here next week to visit Marlene." She answered.

"How long will he be here?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. He said that he's got some time off in between jobs on the rigs so it could be a while." She replied.

"That's good." He returned.

"The bar was super busy tonight. I may have to look for some help in the weekends with the way things have been for the past month." She went on.

"Yeah. You could use some help."

"Sure could. It can get hectic around here sometimes."

Silence fell between them. They were used to this, though. It was a routine for them.

Cloud finally stood and made his was to the stairs, but she stopped him on the first step.

"Cloud, wait."

"What?" He asked without turning towards her.

"Can I talk to you about something? It's pretty important." She answered.

"Sure."

"Okay. We'll talk in the living room then." She said with yet another smile.

They both made their way up the stairs. She headed to the living room while he went and checked on the kids. Satisfied that they were indeed still asleep, Cloud made his way to the small living room and settled on the couch next to her. He was the first to speak.

"So, what's up?"

Tifa took one of his hands into her own and looke him in the eyes. Giving herself a moment to calm her erratic nerves.

"I love you, Cloud. Not in the friend sort of way, but in a way that goes beyond that. Truth is, I've loved you ever sin-"

"Stop. Don't do this." He interrupted.

"W-what?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't love you. You're my closest friend, and that's all you'll ever be. I'm still in love with Aerith." Cloud explained, his stare as cold as ice.

After that, he stood and walked to the room they shared. The sound of the door closing was like a knife to her chest. She couldn't believe it. The only man she loved, save one other, had just rejected her without a second thought. She should have known this was how it would end up, but she never let herself imagine it.

She tried not to cry, but after the first one slipped through her clenched eyes, nothing could stop the others that poured down her cheeks. She buried her face into the arm of the couch to muffle her heartwrenching sobs. She remained that way until she finally fell asleep.

One thing was for certain that night.

Cloud Strife had finally managed to break the seemingly unbreakable Tifa Lockhart.