Yuffie could not stop staring at Vincent.

At first no one paid her any mind. Yuffie had a number of odd habits. Staring was nothing when compared with the way she felt it was entirely necessary to dance barefoot outside every time it rained. It was also not nearly as bad as her compulsion to steal things she deemed interesting if they were left unattended. She did her best to hide her fascination with Vincent, so at first no one realized she had been staring at him since his return.

It was Tifa who first noticed the way Yuffie grew quiet and distracted whenever Vincent entered a room. Like so many other days, she was tidying up the bar while Yuffie sat on an empty stool across from her. Tifa had been in the middle of a story about Denzel when she noticed her captive audience was captivated by something else.

"So... Denzel suddenly asked me where babies came from." Tifa said, careful to keep her voice even. She watched Yuffie closely for a reaction, "And I told him... in vivid detail. I even grabbed Cloud so we could illustrate a few things."

Yuffie only nodded, "Hn."

"Of course, that was before the chocobo got involved..."

Yuffie nodded mindlessly. Her eyes were focused, but her expression was thoughtful. There was a slight pink blush in her cheeks. Tifa realized that Yuffie's attention was directed over her shoulder at a mirror behind the bar.

Casually glancing back over her shoulder, Tifa saw the reflection of Vincent sitting alone in a booth. He was nursing the drink she had made him when he walked in half an hour before. Tifa looked back at Yuffie. She had not even noticed that Tifa was no longer talking, her gaze intent on the dark man.

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed quietly.

Yuffie blinked rapidly, doing her best to give the impression that she was paying attention all along, "I was listening! Denzel asked you a question about baby chocobos. You grabbed Cloud to illustrate the feathers."

When Tifa only arched an eyebrow, Yuffie said in a small voice, "No?"

"So... you and Vincent..?"

Yuffie sat bolt upright, eyes wide and panicked, "What? No. Me and Vincent... uh... what?"

Tifa grinned wickedly, "I suppose he is stare-worthy."

"Who's staring?" Yuffie asked, giving Tifa her best wide-eyed, innocent look.

Under Tifa's knowing look, Yuffie withered, "I don't mean to stare, you know."

"It's kinda sweet." Tifa assured her, "How long now?"

"'How long now' what?" Yuffie asked, her eyes flicking back over to Vincent's reflection.

"How long have you liked Vincent?" Tifa asked, chuckling.

Yuffie looked at Tifa as if she had completely lost her mind, "I don't like Vincent. Well... I mean, I like Vincent, just not the way you mean."

Tifa snorted and started drying a glass with a nearby towel, "Yeah, you're just staring at him because he's pretty."

"You say the dumbest things sometimes." Yuffie teased. She leaned down and rested her head on top of her folded arms, doing her best not to look at Tifa or Vincent, "I'm staring at him because he saved my life. Don't get me wrong, we all save each other all the time. This was different.

"I used to think that living in Wutai with Godo was hell... then, Nero pulled me into the darkness. Vincent said I was only there for a second, but it felt way longer than that." The expression on Yuffie's face was bleak as she remembered, "It was cold and empty everywhere. For the first time in my life, I knew what being alone was. It was like the world and everything in it had died and I was all that was left. I actually remember losing all hope of being rescued. I was sure that I had died."

"Yuffie..."

Yuffie blinked rapidly a few times and smiled up a Tifa, "Sorry. It's still hard to remember sometimes. Suddenly, Vincent was there and he had me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us back. I was so shocked that I couldn't say anything!

"Then he was gone, you know?" Yuffie peeked over to where Vincent was sitting, "None of us could find him... and his charm was all melted in the wreckage. Finally, Shelke found him, but for a while, we thought he was a goner."

"I remember." Tifa patted Yuffie's hand gently. Yuffie had searched harder than any of them to find Vincent. She had spent weeks on the hunt around the world using one of the gold chocobos that she had helped Cloud breed.

Yuffie's eyes met Tifa's, looking a little panicked, "So now that he's back, I don't know what to say to him. Every time I try to talk to him, I get tongue-tied. I mean, how do you thank some one for something so huge? 'Gosh, I'm glad you're not all dead! By the way, remember that horrible, sucking evil you jumped into to save my life? Thanks for that Vin-Vin!'"

Vincent leaned on the counter beside her, "You are welcome. Tifa?"

Tifa snagged Vincent's glass, hiding a grin as she turned away. She had been facing him and had not even noticed that he was moving toward them. She heard Yuffie's explosive growl and the shifting of fabric and metal as he moved out of her attack range.

"Vincent! You weren't supposed to hear that." Yuffie whined, "Ask Tifa, I was eloquent and stuff."

"'Eloquent'?" Vincent murmured, amusement in his tone.

Tifa looked up into the mirror in surprise. Vincent's voice rarely ever showed any inflection. There was something warm and unfamiliar in his eyes when he looked at Yuffie. There was even the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. He was teasing her! By the way she was carrying on, Tifa could tell that Yuffie did not see it.

Yuffie was wagging her finger at Vincent, "Are you calling me stupid, Vincent? Psh. I don't have to take this from you, tall, dark and strangely silent!"

Her voice was childish and without heat. There was laughter in her expression, "I'll go see Reeve. I'm sure he'll appreciate my brains."

"He will appreciate them so much that he will immediately send them away." Vincent replied blandly.

Yuffie launched herself off her barstool toward the door. With a rude gesture at Vincent, she rushed from the bar.

When Tifa turned back and handed Vincent his drink, his expression was carefully blank and his posture was stiff. He had not realized that Tifa was watching his exchange with Yuffie through the mirror. Tifa could not help but grin at him, "So..."

Vincent arched his eyebrow in an unspoken answer to her words. Tifa laughed, "How long have you liked Yuffie?"

Vincent sipped from the drink she had just handed him. For a moment, she thought he would disregard her question completely. Finally he sighed and set his glass back on the bar, "I realized it the moment she vanished into the darkness."

Tifa could not help but squeal, "Vincent!"

When he would have retreated, Tifa put a hand on his gauntlet, "Will you stay and talk if I promise no to giggle at you like an emotional girl?"

Vincent gave her a thin smile and took the stool Yuffie had left. Tifa beamed at him, "I think it's kinda sweet. I can't say it makes a lot of sense, but I guess it doesn't have to."

"During the past month, I... learned many things I did not know about Lucrecia." Vincent said softly, "Most were unpleasant things."

Tifa patted his gauntlet in a manner she hoped he would find comforting, "Oh Vincent..."

Vincent waved her sympathy off with his free hand, "That is of little relevance. It allowed me to make my peace with it and with her."

Tifa frowned slightly. Yuffie had described Lucrecia after the fighting was done. There were some stark differences in look and personality between Yuffie and Lucrecia, "So... Yuffie?"

Vincent smirked, "I thought it did not have to make sense?"

Tifa laughed, "You can't blame a nosy girl for trying. So when are you going to tell her?"

Vincent's smirk faded and he said nothing. When he reached for his drink, Tifa put her hand down on top of his to stop him, "Oh no you don't. No retreating into the bottom of that glass. You're not going to tell her how you feel?"

"No. I'm not."

Tifa made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and pulled her hand away from his. As she turned her back to him, she heard him say quietly, "You think I am making the wrong decision?"

"You know Vincent... you, Yuffie, me, all of us... we were heroes." Tifa turned back with a bark of harsh laughter, "I feel ridiculous just saying that out loud. Still... it's true. Of everyone on this cursed planet, we've got the most right to be happy. Have you noticed that most of us aren't?"

Vincent nodded slowly, hand twisting his glass back and forth. He did not meet her eyes and said nothing.

"Most of us aren't really happy unless we're fighting. Red XIII, Cid, they found something else to make them happy! Red has the Canyon and the people who live there. Cid has Shera and his airships. They'll always come out if we need them, but they're not happy with the fight anymore." Tifa frowned down at the bartop, "Not like we are."

There was a long moment of silence between them. The truth was uncomfortable for both of them. Finally Tifa sighed heavily, "The worst part is that it will keep on going like this until we find something or someone to be our new happiness."

Vincent still did not say anything. He would not look up from his glass. Tifa walked back to where Vincent was sitting and leaned down until she could see his eyes. She arched her eyebrows at him and he gave her a twisted little smile. They both knew that after everything they had gone through together, hiding from something like this was silly. He sat up straighter and met her kind gaze.

"If Yuffie makes you happy, why not go for it? Maybe... you can be her happiness too."

Vincent remained quiet for a long moment. Suddenly, he picked up his glass and finished his drink in one swallow, "I believe that I will head to the WRO building and see if Reeve requires my assistance with anything."

He turned and walked toward the door, his heavy shoes making almost no sound on the wood floor. As he reached the door, he paused. Without looking back he murmured, "Thank you, Tifa."

"What are friends for?" Tifa asked, smiling widely at his back. She did not care if he was not looking to see it.

He made a low rumbling noise that Tifa belatedly realized was laughter. Tifa wondered when he had laughed last. When she was sure he was gone, Tifa grabbed the phone and punched in Reeve's number.

After two rings, Reeve picked up, "Reeve Tuesti, how can I-"

"Reeve, it's Tifa." Tifa cut him off. She knew he would be able to hear the wicked grin in her voice, "I need a favor and it's time sensitive."

"What can I do for you, my friend?" Reeve asked cheerfully.

"Yuffie is on her way to your office to see if you have work for her. Vincent should be less than ten minutes behind her." Tifa giggled, "Put them on a job together. Any job."

She could hear the amassment in his voice, "Why?"

"Because if that doesn't finally kick Vincent in the ass, I might just do it myself." Tifa said, waving at Cloud as he came into the bar, "He needs to talk to her, Reeve."

She heard Reeve shuffling papers on his desk, "I see. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will put my best on it right away."

Tifa could hear the meaning in his voice when he said, "I will be in touch soon."

As the phone moved away from his mouth, Tifa heard Reeve say, "As always, you have the best timing, Yuffie."

Cloud sat down at the bar, eyeing her curiously, "Who was that, Tifa?"

Tifa filled a mug with Cloud's favorite beer and handed it to him, "No one. How did the delivery go?"

She listed as Cloud gave her the details of his latest trip to Costa del Sol, wishing for a moment that she were as brave as she was forcing Vincent to be. She wanted so badly to be happy too.