Discliamer: I do not own FF.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! Sorry for the late update! I had some trouble figuring out where I wanted this chapter to go and how I wanted it to end. I'm not all that happy with it. But, I hope you all enjoy!

There are changes in Cloud and Tifa and some of the other characters personalities. In fact, some may even end up hating Cloud in this cause he wont always be nice. I love Cloud, but I feel like the story wont be the same if he's too nice. So, please bear with it :)

Chapter 3

Tifa stood staring at the man who had disappeared from her life so long ago. She couldn't believe he was back.

She hesitantly took a step towards him, afraid that he would vanish if she moved. After that first step, though, her feet flew as she ran to him. Zack caught her up in his arms and spun her in circles. Tifa couldn't help but laugh. It was so much like him. He sat her down and gently wiped the tears from her face as a tender smile played across his lips.

"Is crying all you can do, Teefs?" He whispered.

Tifa didn't bother to answer him. She just buried her face into his chest. He laid his cheek on top of her head while his hand wrapped around the nape of her neck. He rubbed his thumb back and forth in soothing circles as he silently waited for her to control her emotions.

Zack couldn't even count how many times he'd done this with her. Tifa never let anybody in. She always put on a brave face and hid her emotions. But, with him, she let down her walls and let him see exactly how fragile she was. Zack never knew why she chose him, but he had always been grateful for it. That was why she would always be his angel.

"I missed you, Zack." She mumbled.

"I missed you too, angel." Zack whispered back.

The sound of her old nickname made her hands fist into his shirt. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then she pulled back and looked up at him. Zack grabbed her face and put his forhead against hers.

"You okay now?" He whispered.

"Yeah." She answered.

"Good." He returened, letting go of her.

"Come on in and sit. You have a lot of explaining to do." Tifa said, leading him to the bar.

"Damn. That sure was one hell of a welcome back. I had thought ya were gonna beat him to a pulp when he walked in here." Barrett said jokingly.

"I thought she would, too. She was always such a violent kid." Zack agreed, taking a seat at the bar.

"I was not!" Tifa exclaimed as she playfully punched him in the arm.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Teef." Zack replied as he sat at the bar.

Tifa didn't bother to say anything else. She walked behind the bar.

"Y'all want anything?" She asked.

"Beer." Both men answered in unison.

Tifa reached into the mini fridge beneath the counter and pulled out two bottles for both of them. She popped the top off the tops, placed them in front of the men and then went back around the counter to sit between the two.

"So, what've you been up to these passed years?" Zack asked.

"Well... alot." Tifa answered with a small laugh. "Long story short, I moved here with Barrett some time ago, opened up this place, help out Cloud with his delivery service, and I have watch over Marlene and Denzel."

"Barrett filled me in on that." Zack replied with a smile.

"That doesn't suprise me. How did ya'll meet again?" She asked

"He was passing through the town I was working in. I ran into him at the bar. It was one hell of a suprise." Barrett answered.

"Same here. He yelled at me from across the room." Zack added, laughing.

"What'd ya expect me ta do? I thought you were fuckin dead." Barrett replied.

"We all did." Tifa added.

"Sorry bout that." Zack said, looking down at his beer.

"Where have you been all this time? How come you never called?" Tifa asked.

"It took a while to get into SOLDIER. And I wanted to be the best of them all, so I worked my ass off to make it to 1st Class. I was sent to the war with Wutai. I was actually on my way back here when I ran into Barrett a year ago. After I met up with him, I hung around the town he's been working in. I was so busy that I didn't really have time to keep in touch with anyone and the war was pretty brutal. Any letters that were sent never made it to anyone." Zack answered, finally looking back up at her.

"A year? You've known where he was for a year and didn't say anything to me?" Tifa said vehemently, turning her attention to Barrett.

"Don't give me that glare, missy. He asked me not to tell so I didn't." Barrett answered, starting in the second beer Tifa had given him.

She pinned Zack with a questioning glare.

"I wanted to suprise everybody." Zack said.

"So, do you plan on seeing Aerith tomorrow? She lives close to here." Tifa changed the subject.

"Um. I dunno. I thought about it." Zack returned, once again looking down at his bottle. He had also started on his second one.

"You should. She'd be happy to see you." Tifa said, taking a long swallow from her drink.

"Maybe I will."

"Did Barrett tell you about her and Cloud?" Tifa asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. They dated for a while, right?" Zack said.

"Yeah."

An awkward silence passed between the three of them as they all lost themselves in their own thoughts. The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke through it. Tifa quickly shoved her drink in front of Barrett and stood from her seat.

"Tifa." Denzel called when he made it to the bottom step.

"Yeah, honey. You alright? Did we wake you up?" Tifa asked as she made her way over to the young boy.

"No. I just had a nightmare." Denzel answered sleepily.

"Oh, Denz. I'm sorry. It's ok now. I'm here." Tifa said as she nelt down in front of him and gave him a reassuring hug.

"Look who's here." She said, trying to distract him from his dream.

When Denzel noticed Barrett at the bar, his eyes lit up some and he ran up to him.

"Uncle Barrett! Hey!" Dezel exclaimed happily.

Barrett caught him up in a hug. "Hey, kiddo. How ya been?"

"I've been great." The little boy answered after he pulled away from the hug.

"You been watchin out for Marlene for me?" Barrett asked.

"Duh!" Denzel replied. He then noticed Zack. "Who's that?"

"His names Zack. He's an old friend of Tifa and me." Barrett answered.

"Oh. Hi." Denzel said.

"Hey, buddy." Zack returned.

"Alright, Denz. It's time to go back to bed. They'll be staying here for a while so you can see them tomorrow." Tifa said as she came up behind the boy and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Denzel turned to face her. "Is Cloud coming home tonight?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but I don't know." Tifa answered. A flash a pain filled her eyes, but she quickly masked it.

"Okay." Denzel said.

Tifa followed him up the stairs. She knew that after he'd had one of his nightmares that he liked to have someone with him when he fell asleep.

"Hey. What happened to her? Something's wrong." Zack said to Barret when Tifa was out of hearing distance.

"Cloud." Barrett answered.

"What about him?" Zack pressed.

"I dunno the details. But from what she said earlier the piece of shit broke her heart." Barrett answered.

A look up pure fury showed on Zack's normally cheerful face. He couldn't believe it. Ever since they were young, Cloud and Tifa had been stuck together like glue and, from what Barrett had told him, she had helped Cloud through his darkest times. That was who Tifa was. She was someone who always put people above herself. He didn't like the idea of anyone, and especially Cloud, hurting her.

Barrett noticed the change in Zack but decided not to say anything. He gulped down the rest of hid beer, and then stood and turned to Zack.

"She didn't give me any details. She also tried to tell me she's fine. Who the hell would believe that shit? Maybe she'll open up to you, though. God knows she needs to with somebody. She keeps everything inside." Barrett said, breaking through Zack's thoughts. "Anyway, I'm goin to bed. Marlene'll be waking me up at the ass crack of dawn."

"Okay. Night." Zack said as he watched Barrett disappear upstairs. A few minutes afterwards, Tifa made her way back to the bar. She slipped into her seat once again.

"How's the little guy?" Zack asked.

"Back asleep. When he has a nightmare, he takes a while to go back to bed. And he's got to have someone with him or he'll never go back to bed." Tifa answered.

"Does it happen alot?"

"When he first came to live with us, it was almost every night. But, it only happens maybe once a month now. Sometimes longer than that. It always happens when Cloud's gone though." Tifa answered, a look of sadness passed through her face before she hid it.

"Why isn't he here? I know something happened, Teef. I could tell something was wrong when I walked in." Zack pressed.

Tifa didn't answer. Zack turned her around to face him. He trapped her legs in between his and captured her chin with his hand. He gently forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Angel, you can tell me. I'll always be here for you. Just let me in." Zack whispered.

Tears built up in her eyes. She tried her hardest not to let them spill over, but it didn't help as they poured over. Zack gently wiped each one away as they fell.

"Just trust me, angel." He whispered.

"I... I told him I loved him. But, he didn't want to hear any of it. He still... loves her." Tifa finally whispered, hating herself for being so weak. She was supposed to be the strong one.

Zack took her in his arms and carried her upstairs. He made his way to the living room and settled onto the couch. He leaned back into the cushion and propped his feet on the coffee table. He situated Tifa across his lap. He let her cry as he whispered comforting words into her ear. When she had cried herself to sleep, Zack thought about putting her to bed but thought better of it. He didn't want to wake her by moving her too early. So, he leaned his head and top of hers as he lost himself in thought.

And that was how they stayed the rest of the night.