Chapter 3: What happened to the bird?

Even though everything around her was black, she felt like she was floating on a cloud. Tifa could not recall a time in her life where she had felt so comfortable. She felt so warm, safe and cozy. She did not want to open her eyes. She just wanted to lay there in comfort a little bit longer. Finally, she slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a large, glamorous bed, in a large, glamorous room that she did not recognize. Instantly that warm fuzzy feeling was gone. In its place was a sense of dread and panic. Just where in the hell was she? Her heart was ramming against her chest and it suddenly got very hot.

She tried to calm herself down and see if she could remember anything that might give her a clue as to where she was. She remembered Rufus suddenly asking her to go to his parent's house for the winter break and meeting his parents. It was then she remembered those weird sounds coming from underneath the staircase. Suddenly she recalled the wall popping out at her, knocking her out. Before she passed out she remembered seeing a chocobo hovering above her.

Feeling a tad bit better remembering what happened, she assumed she was probably in a guest bedroom. Maybe this was the temporary bedroom for her to stay here at the Shinra home. She looked around the room to try and get a bearing on everything when she noticed her suitcases neatly stacked in the corner of the room.

She was about to get up and explore the room when she heard a knock at the door. The door opened slightly and Rufus's head peeked through. Seeing that she was awake and sitting up on the bed he slipped into the room closing the door behind him. "Hey there Tifa. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

"Good, you took a bump to the head. I'm glad you're alright." Looking confused at his last statement, she reached up touching her head, wincing at the pain from the bump that was surely there. Rufus made his way over to the bed and took a seat, taking a look at her bump. "Well it doesn't look to bad."

"The bird!" Tifa suddenly exclaimed when she remembered the bird hovering above her before she passed out.

"What?"

"The bird! What happened to the bird?"

"What bird? What are you talking about?"

"The bird! You know, the chocobo! The one that hit me with the wall. What happened to the bird?"

"Tifa, I don't know what you're talking about. There is no bird, or chocobo around here."

"But I saw a one… a chocobo before I passed out…"

"Hmm, you must have hit your head a little bit harder than we thought. I will have the family doctor come and look at that bump on your head just to be safe. Look, I don't know what happened to you but there was no chocobo. All we heard was my brother screaming and cussing when we walked out into the foyer to find you unconscious on the ground."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah, my brother. That rather rude, unmannered jerk was freaking out about hitting you with his door. We brought you up here to your room and he left."

Tifa looked at him confused. Rufus had never mentioned a brother before. "You have a brother?"

Rufus simply sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "I just said that, didn't I? Jeez Tifa, you really need to work on your listening skills."

She couldn't believe he just said that to her. Slightly raising her voice she stated, "My listening skills are just fine." Getting out of the bed with a slight stumble, she calmed herself and tried to explain. "I was just in shock that you have a brother. You never once have mentioned a brother."

"What's the big deal? It's just my younger brother. He is no big deal. He's sort of the black sheep of the family. Don't even worry about him."

Tifa looked at him with a perplexed look on her face but simply gave him a nod. Why did Rufus just tell her all of that? Did he and his brother not get along? Tifa couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with his brother. And soon she couldn't help but wonder about what his brother was like.

After a couple of minutes of just watching his girlfriend pace around her room, he got up off her bed. "Well you look perfectly fine. Should I still have our family doctor come and check up on you?"

Seeming surprised by the sound of Rufus's voice suddenly, she stumbled for a response. "Uh... Um, no. I don't think that is necessary."

"Alright then. Well listen, my father has a big business meeting tonight at this local restaurant. It's sort of a big occasion and my father wants me to be there. So you have just a couple of hours to get ready for dinner alright. It's a nice restaurant so please dress in something nice, alright."

"Oh, okay."

With that Rufus just walked out of her room closing the door behind him. Tifa stood there in bewilderment. First was Rufus trash talking his brother, making her feel that this guy must be the worst guy in the world and then there was him suddenly dropping the news she had to go to dinner with his dad. With a sigh, Tifa rubbed her temples. She could feel a headache coming on already.

She decided to explore the room a little before she had to start to get ready for dinner. The room painted a magnolia blossom white color and had intricate zinnia gold borders designs with white and brown trimming. The room had hardwood floors with a giant off white and gold rug. The windows were colossal and from them hung large gold curtains. The curtains where pulled back to reveal another set of sheer white drapes. In the center of the room hung a massive glass chandelier with matching lights along the walls. In front of one of the windows was a beautiful white and gold trimmed vanity. On either side of the vanity was two white setteev sofas, open on one end and trimmed in a beautiful wood. In the center of the room, against the wall, was her bed. It was a king sized canopy bed. It was white and had gold designs up the four post, which held up the cream colored canopy. The sheets were also a cream color and had four small golden pillows on top of the regular pillows. At the foot of the bed was a small white chest. The bed also had two small antique nightstands on each side of it. To the other side of the bed was a white and gold wardrobe cabinet. On the opposite side of the room was a giant walk in closet. To put it into simple terms, it was a room fit for a princess. Tifa felt as if she were in Belle's room after the beast turned back into a human and took the spell of the castle.

Tifa felt like she was living a fairytale life right now. She walked over to her suitcases and picked one up to feel that it was extremely light. Frowning, she took it over to the bed, placing it down and unzipping it. When she found that it was empty she slowly shuffled over to the wardrobe opening it cautiously. Inside she found that all of her clothes had already been unpacked and put away into it.

Trying to ignore the disturbing feeling that someone was touching her personal undergarments, she tried to figure out what she was to wear to this business dinner tonight. Now, what did Rufus say about wearing to the dinner? Tifa was just so caught up in the beauty of her room that she had forgotten the conversation she had just minutes ago. 'Oh yeah, wear something nice,' she thought to herself. Now to the task at hand, an outfit fit for the occasion. She hadn't expected to wear something suitable for a fancy restaurant.

Tifa had spent forever and a day looking through every one of her different outfits. She finally landed on a small black dress. It was simple black dress. It had a sweetheart neckline and it ended just above the knee. There wasn't much to the dress but she figured a classic black dress might be appropriate for this occasion. She hated wearing heals but she didn't think she could get away wearing flats so she decided on a pair of black pumps. She had only worn them once and she was dreading wearing them tonight. The still haven't been properly broken in and they were going to hurt like hell. At least it was just dinner, so she would be sitting down nearly the entire time and for that she was thankful for.

She looked at the time on her cell and she figured they would be leaving for the business dinner soon so she had to get ready. She dressed herself in her black dress but waited on the heels. She sat down at her vanity and pulled out her makeup bag. She never really wore makeup but she had some for those few occasions where it was needed and this one was definitely one of them. She put a little foundation on underneath her eyes to cover up the little bags that were there. She had put on just a little bit of a silvery gray eye shadow but not too much as she wanted to keep it simple like the dress. Lastly was her mascara that made her lashes look a little bit longer seeing as her eyelashes were already really full. Having no idea what to do with her hair she just left it down. The last piece to the outfit was her teardrop earrings that belonged to her mother. It was by far one of her most treasured pieces. It was her only way on keeping her mother close with her.

Tifa was giving herself one last look over when she heard a knock at her door. She turned to the door to see Rufus popping his head through the door. She smiled when she saw him and gave him the okay to enter.

He walked over to her and gave her a brief smile. "Are we almost ready for dinner?"

"I think I am ready. Just have to put on my shoes." Tifa got up from the vanity and walked over to her shoes when Catherin walked into the room.

"Well are we ready for dinner?" Rufus nodded his head and Tifa walked up to Rufus after she had put on her shoes and grabbed her leather jacket. Catherin frowned at Tifa slightly. "Is that what you are wearing my dear?" Tifa looked down at herself, then back to Catherin only to nod with a worried expression on her face. Catherin smiled then grabbed Tifa's hand to pull her out of the room and down the hall. "You look good my dear, but let me just fix you up a little."

Catherin dragged her down the hall to what Tifa assumed was her bedroom. Once inside Catherin brought Tifa over to her vanity and sat her down on the stool. Catherin disappeared into her closet only to come out a few minutes later with a long satin coat in one hand and box in the other. She placed her coat on the bed and walked back over to Tifa placing the box onto her vanity. Immediately, she turned Tifa toward the mirror and grabbed a brush. "You know I used to not know what to do with my hair when I first started dating my husband. I had no idea what to wear, what to say, or what to even do. You learn as you go my dear. It's good that you have me my dear. I was in the same position you are at one point."

Tifa just stared into the mirror as Catherin continued to talk and do her hair. Tifa liked her. She wasn't like Rufus's father at all. She had a soft, kind, motherly tone that made Tifa feel really safe and warm. Tifa just couldn't understand what she saw in that man. He didn't seem like a nice man. Catherin seemed like the perfect wife though. She seemed loyal, and always there at her husband's side, to care for him when he needed it.

Before Tifa knew it Catherin had done a simple yet elegant updo on her. Tifa looked surprised when Catherin had presented it to her. She slowly reached for her hair lightly touching it but pulled her hand away for fear that it would fall apart if she touched it more. Catherin giggled when she saw Tifa's reaction, and then sprayed her hair lightly with some hairspray. "This hairspray is the best I found. Your hair will stay up even through a tornado."

Tifa giggled at her comment. She again reached for her hair. She turned around in her seat and smiled thankfully at the woman. Catherin smiled before going into the box she had brought out of the closet earlier, digging for something. Tifa looked at her curiously before she took out a beautiful diamond necklace. Catherin latched the necklace around her neck and smiled. "This was the necklace I wore the first time I went to a business dinner. Hopefully it will bring you as much as luck as it did for me."

A soft smile formed on Tifa's face. She was so touched by Catherin's act. Without even realizing what she was doing, she twirled the necklace in her fingers delicately. "Thank you so much!"

Catherin smiled, nodding as she did so. She grabbed Tifa's hand and guided her over to the bed, grabbing the long coat she had grabbed from the closet. She handed the dresys coat over to Tifa and with a warm smile said, "Here, this coat goes better with such a pretty dress."

Tifa happily accepted the coat, quickly taking off her leather jacket in exchange for the dressy coat. Rufus walked into the room with an inpatient look across his handsome face. "Are we ready yet? We really need to get going so that we are not late to the meeting."

Both women smiled and nodded at the man. The threesome walked out down to the foyer to find Mr. Shinra standing completely dressed for the cold air. He didn't seem to notice the three walking down the stairs as he checked his wristwatch for the seventh time that night. Finally looking up and seeing the three there, he let out a grunt, muttering a "Finally" to himself.

The two couples left the house quickly and headed out to the car. They weren't taking Rufus's car, deciding on the luxury SUV, sitting on top of 24 inch Forgiato Sedici wheels, to give them more room. Mr. Shinra drove the SUV with his wife in the passenger seat, while Tifa and Rufus sat in the back seat. Rufus's parents happily talked amongst themselves the entire ride there about different things, including the thoughts on the meeting tonight. Rufus just sat to Tifa's left completely silent, waiting patiently just to get to the restaurant. All the while Tifa sat nervously in her seat.

She was a total wreck on the inside; she just hoped she didn't look like that on the outside. She couldn't help but be nervous for the dinner. She had no idea what to expect or how to act. She just hoped that these business men were not as stuck up as Rufus's father. She could really use a support system right about now. It was at this moment she wished her best friend's father didn't drag Yuffie back home for the break, and that she could be with her at this very moment.

Tifa then distracted herself thinking about her best friend. She loved her best friend and was wondering just what she was doing now. She wondered if Godo had already dragged his daughter home. Yuffie was a cocky, young, mischievous thing, but in the long run she was the best friend Tifa could have ever hoped for. She was a very loyal friend, and always there for her. Tifa giggled when she remember Yuffie always threatening to kick "Richy Rich's" ass if he dare to hurt Tifa. She just wanted her best friend here with her. She made a mental note to go and kick Godo's ass for taking away Yuffie in her moment of need. A girl always needs her bestie's support when she is meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time.

Rufus looked over at his girlfriend to see her brows twisted in concentration. No doubt she was in deep thought. But what exactly was she thinking about? Rufus studied her for a few minutes before he decided something was wrong with her. He reached over placing his hand on her thigh and giving it s soft squeeze. Tifa, who had been too wrapped up in her own head to notice that Rufus had been staring at her, turned her head in surprise from the sudden contact.

Tifa couldn't believe that she was just so caught up in her head that she didn't notice that Rufus must have been staring at her. Tifa immediately felt herself relax at his comforting gesture. This is one of the reasons Tifa loved him so much. A touch was enough to help her calm down. It was a comforting thought that he was worried about her. She smiled at him and leaned forward for a kiss. Rufus, of course, couldn't deny a kiss from such a beautiful woman.

Tifa gave him another smile before turning her head to stare out the window. She didn't want to worry Rufus anymore so she decided she was going to try her best to remain calm and not fret about this business dinner meeting.

Before she knew it, the car had pulled into the parking lot of some fancy looking restaurant. They circled the parking lot at least five times looking for a spot up close. Tifa couldn't understand why they couldn't park in the back and walk up to restaurant. But Mr. Shinra stated that he will always get the best and he would wait for the best parking space. Finally, they found a parking space right in front of the doors.

They quickly got out of the car and nearly dashed for the door. Once inside, they stopped at the door to speak to a man who quickly escorted they four to a long table where there sat four older men and their wives. The men immediately stood up greeting Rufus and his father, while the women got to greet Catherin with kisses to the cheeks. After the initial greetings, everyone took a seat at the table while Tifa and Rufus remained standing. After clearing his throat, Rufus announced to the group, "Ladies, Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my beautiful girlfriend Tifa Lockhart." Tifa exchanged pleasant greetings with the group before Rufus pulled out her chair for her and helped her into her seat, then taking a seat himself.

The chatter amongst the men and women started almost immediately, the men talking business talk and the women about all sorts of things that involve being married to rich business men. Tifa felt misplaced. She had nothing to add to the conversations the men and women were having. So to keep herself busy, she started thumbing through the menu. She felt like she was reading the menu in a different language. Nothing on here seemed remotely familiar one the menu. Whispering to Rufus, she asked, "What are you having to eat?"

Rufus didn't seem to hear her, he was too wrapped up in the conversation that he was having with the other men. With a sigh, she continued to look over the menu but was at a complete loss at what to pick. A server appeared at the table within the next minute to take everyone's orders. When it was Tifa's turn to order, she stared at the server blankly before Rufus stepped in and ordered for her. Tifa squeezed his hand under the table giving him all her thanks.

When the food arrived just stared at it. It did not in the least bit appetizing, it was snails. Who in the world ate snails? She looked around the table to see that almost everyone had some snails. "It's called escargot. Tifa, eat it. It is delicious," Rufus whispered to her.

Deciding to give it a try Tifa picked up the first snail and just looked at it. She for the life of her could not figure out how to eat it. She looked around to see everyone else using some tong things that looked like it was really a torture device. She picked up the tongs and couldn't quite figure out how to use them. She was glad everyone was wrapped up in their own conversations to notice her attempting to figure the tongs out. As she tried to put her first snail in the tongs, the snail slipped right out of her hands, rolling under the table. She looked around to see if anyone saw, which they didn't, and tried to grab the snail. It was out of her reach so she tried with her leg but only succeeded in pushing it further from her reach. Sliding further up her seat she tried as hard as she could to reach it. It still out of her reach she scooted to the edge of her seat, struggling to reach that blasted snail.

With all her weight on the edge of the chair, it wasn't long before the legs of the chair gave weight and the chair went flying upwards, sending her crashing downwards on her bottom. The entire restaurant went silent and everyone at the table looked down at the girl on the ground in shock. After a moment of complete silence, some of the business men and others in the restaurant started to chuckle. The heat rose to Tifa's face and Rufus had a great look of embarrassment on his face, although he couldn't be as embarrassed as she was.

Rufus quickly pulled Tifa to her feet and retrieved her seat. She sat back down in her seat and didn't look at anyone. She couldn't even dare to look up. She seat there looking at her plate and not saying a single word. She didn't even say a single word the rest of dinner and barely even touched her food that was served to her. Sadly, dinner didn't go by as fast as she would have wanted but the end of the night eventually came.

As the men said their goodbyes, Tifa rushed putting on her coat. She couldn't get out of that damn place any faster. Tifa nearly ran for the car the second the exited the building leaving the rest of her party behind her. She stood impatiently at the car door waiting for Mr. Shinra to use his key to remotely unlock the door. The second he did so, she jumped into the SUV as fast as she possibly could.

The ride back was an extremely quiet one. Rufus's parents didn't even say anything to each other. Tifa wouldn't have wanted it any other way though. She didn't quite feel like talking to anyone right now. She just wanted to get back to their house and run up to her room and stay in there for the rest of the break. She knew that she was just being silly, and maybe was overacting to what happened but she couldn't help it. She had made a fool of herself in front of everyone in that restaurant. She blew it and she knew it. She could tell that Rufus was upset with her and she really didn't want to face him right now. And if she hadn't blown it with his parents already, she surely had now, especially with his father.

Finally after what seemed like an ice age they pulled into the driveway. After shutting off the engine Rufus's parents got out of the car and headed for the house. Tifa would have beaten them to the punch if Rufus hadn't placed his hand on her thigh and had her sit back until they left. Tifa just couldn't handle it. She just wanted to go to bed and get this horrible day over.

"Listen, I did a lot of thinking about what happened at the restaurant and I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened. How were you supposed to know that the chair you chose was a faulty one…"

Tifa couldn't believe what she was hearing. He simply thought that it was the chair and not her. Suddenly she felt a little better. Hopefully his parents were thinking the same thing. She would let them think that. She couldn't possibly tell Rufus that she was the one to make the chair tip out from underneath her because she was trying to get some of her dinner off the floor.

They got out of the car and headed into the house. "Listen, let's just get some sleep and forget this day happened okay? Hopefully tomorrow will be better." With those final words he kissed her goodnight and left for his room.

Tifa was more than happy to follow through with his plan on resting and hopefully what he said was true. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Authors note: Yay! Chapter three is done! I just want to thank everyone who read it and for reviewing, or favoriting this story. Thank you preettygabbysz, ReNeVIerE07, and sunflowerspot. It is you guys who keep me going.

Sunflowerspot, he really doesn't listen to her haha. And I agree, a chocobo is surely the better choice lol. Sorry guys, there is still no Cloud yet. But I do promise that he will be in the next chapter making his grand entrance!

Thank you guys again! Review and stuff haha. I hope you liked it!