A/N: This is my first Fanfic. I've wanted to write it for long time…Enjoy!

Chapter I: The Invitation

You are cordially invited

To come and celebrate the birthday of our beloved

Shera, taking place this Friday at the Fantasia Final Resort in Costa Del Mar.

Celebration time at bay, your attendance would be appreciated.

Truly, Cid Highwind

"Get-the-hell-out-of-here," said Cloud Strife. He knew Cid probably paid to have this invitation written for him. Anybody who has laid eyes on Cid Highwind knows this is not his usual way of getting a message across. Either way, Cloud found himself thinking about this so-called invitation, the definite possibility that a reunion with the members of AVALANCHE will absolutely include her…

Tifa Lockheart. Just thinking about her gave him the feeling of confusion. The one person he knows everything about is the one person whose feelings he doesn't understand. Three years ago, after the battle with Sephiroth, was and still remains a complete mystery to him. What happened and all the things left unsaid have remained that way. Cloud doesn't understand why Tifa, after all her devotion and friendship hasn't kept in touch with him. Yes, he's not innocent in that subject either, but what is he supposed to do when he has the feeling she wants nothing to do with him?

Cloud crumbles the invitation and walks out to his front porch with a bottle of Jack Daniels. He lazily sits on one of his benches and sips straight out of the bottle. He is wearing long, white, linen cargo pants and is shirtless. He moved to this villa on the eastern side of Nibelheim when all the issues with Sephiroth were over. He as well as the members of AVALANCHE were compensated with keys to any city of their liking as well as financially set for life.

Cloud donated fifty percent of all his gil to the remodeling of the cities around the reactors that were destroyed, as well as compensating the people whose lives and homes were destroyed by the first bombing he and AVALANCHE contributed to three years ago. Cloud's perspective on everything changed after the Sephiroth days. He no longer cared about money, not that he needed, especially now; he was tired of fighting and seeing too many fucked up shit in the world. He only communicates through his PHS with the rest of AVALANCHE, except…with her, he hasn't spoken to her but asks Vincent once in a while how she is doing. Just then, his PHS went off…

"Yo Cloud," said a too familiar voice, "did you get this dumb ass invitation Cid sent?"…

"Yeah I did, what's with Cid anyway? He throwing a party for Shera? I'm in shock."

"I don't know! This is some bullshit he's trying to pull, but anyway, so what? You comin'?"

Cloud thought for a moment of how good it will be to see everyone again...then of all the explanations he would have to give and not to mention seeing Tifa again, at this thought he too a long gulp from his bottle. "No, I don't know man, I have some things here to do and…"

"YOU and your SPIKY HEADED ass better be there on Friday! What the hell is wrong with you? You act like people don't care about your ass, trust me I can give a monkeys ass about you, but other people don't feel the same" Barret said with anger.

"Calm the hell down asshole! I have my damn reasons I don't need you on my back right now" Cloud said with an equal amount of anger as Barret's.

"Listen Cloud-the-smartass, not that I miss having these little chats with you, but it would be nice if you came. Marlene wants to see your spiky ass and I want my little girl to be happy…" Cloud smiled and listened more closely… "Besides…" Barret continued, "Cid is asking, he is asking like a little prick with pretty invitations and shit! I'm not passing this opportunity to harass his ass with it!"

Cloud laughed out loud and just thought of Barret going up to mock the big-shot Cid on his adorned invitations…

"You can take Tifa I'm sure she'll like it, women like this crap" Barret added…

Instantly Cloud's smile faded… "Huh? What do you mean take Tifa?"

"Err-she's with you ain't she?" Barret puzzled.

"No she's not, why did you say that? Did she say something to you?" Cloud asked sitting up a little and putting his bottle on top of a near by table.

"Naa man, I thought that after the,- -uhm, I just thought you guys probably hit it off."

"We did hit it off, but …I don't know" Cloud said rubbing his head, the Jack finally getting to him.

"Anyway, see you on Friday, and Cloud…if you don't make my little girl happy I'm going to break your spiky neck" –click—

Shit. Cloud thought, who the hell was he kidding? He had to go, if Tifa didn't want to see him-'damn'.Cloud knew he probably messed things up those two days before the final battle, but she was happy! And he really thought it was straighten out, what the hell did he do? Of course she was going to be happy. She's a devoted friend who would do anything for the ones she loved, especially Cloud. Why didn't he see this before? Why did it all have to be for him, can't one day he just do something for her? She always did everything for the sake of him. Everything.

Cloud gulped down all the remainder of the Jack Daniels and let the bottle fall with a loud thud on his white wooded floor. "Fuck it, -hiccup- I'm going" – Cloud said as he stood up, went inside and barely made it to his sofa, before he passed out.

"Cid! "Cordially" inviting you to a party he is throwing for Shera's birthday!"

"I don't believe it," said the beautiful brunette laying down on a beach chair wearing a white bikini and black sunglasses. Taking the information Yuffie was informing her of with indifference.

"No Tifa! I'm dead serious. Take a look yourself! I was flirting with the mail guy when he actually delivered this! Said Yuffie who was wearing a yellow polka dot bikini herself.

Tifa raised herself to a sitting position taking the invitation from Yuffie's hands and reading it.

"You know Cid didn't write this! Shera probably made him do it...or he probably paid to get them done" Tifa chuckled.

"I can't wait to see everyone again. See how they've changed? Why the hell haven't we seen each other in such a long time? We went through a lot together..." Yuffie said more to herself than Tifa.

Tifa stopped smiling and thought about a certain someone who will no doubt be there on Friday. Her heart gave a few skips before saying his name to herself. Cloud. God even his name is mesmerizing. She couldn't go, he will definitely want answers, and she sure the hell wanted answers herself…but about what? They never spoke of what had happened between them. They just acted like it never happened. 'What the hell was wrong with him? What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought. "What the hell is wrong with us?" She loudly said to herself.

"Tifa?" –Yuffie said, "did you hear me? Why didn't we arrange a reunion earlier?"

"Huh? Ohh I don't know Yuff, I guess we all wanted space from it all, the fighting the traveling, I think our bodies just needed as much rest as our minds…God knows I did" answered Tifa.

"Hhmm, so you are going to see Cloud again…you know he's going to be there. I thought that you guys were you know…" Yuffie grinned and winked at Tifa.

Tifa grinned as welland laughed… "No, I don't know… you little wench. Cloud and I, we are, connected somehow, I know everything about that man..." Tifa's face was wondering into space to that moment when Cloud broke down… Tifa tilted her eyes from her daydream just a little and saw Yuffie grinning at her. "But then that's it! Maybe were supposed to be something else. But things never turn out the way one plans them to…and here we are and that's it." Tifa finished.

"Come on Tifa! Everyone knows about you and Cloud. I don't know why you guys are oblivious to- "

"Yuffie please," Tifa said a little annoyed, "Forget about Cloud and I, there is no Cloud & I, I don't know why everyone is so keen on insisting there's a CLOUD AND I" Tifa projected.

"Are you nervous? About seeing him again?" Tifa gave Yuffie another annoyed look…"You are going aren't you? I mean this is big! Cid is up to something!"…

Tifa just stared into the blue sea, the beautiful azure colored sea that reminded her of his perfect mako glowing eyes. What will they say to each other? How will she react to him once he faces her? She started thinking about Marlene and how much she has probably grown, she remembered how she hugged her leg that night when she confused Cloud's arrival with Barret's, that lead to remembering more of Cloud…hell yeah, Tifa Lockheart was very nervous.

End Chapter