A/N: This is the beta read version of the same story. My beta reader thought that where I am good with my expression, I have failed to convey emotions and I must agree that after reading her scenario, mine sends me in fits of laughter. So a huge thank you to her and for all of you who liked the previous version too! :D

Beta Reader: Nao Takumi (my twin . )

Key To Their Hearts

Summary: Her moments of weakness were private, yet he witnessed them. Will it affect their lives or will he continue to have doubts about everything.

Characters: Tifa Lockhart x Cloud Strife

Genre: Romance

Rating: T

"I'm home," said the blonde, spiky-haired warrior as he entered the bar, 7th Heaven, and looked around. There was nobody out there to greet him; no jumpy kids and certainly not his raven-haired companion with her ever-ready smile. He felt a little strange, maybe afraid as well. Dropping his keys on the kitchen counter, he hurried to the stairs when he heard the patter of two pair of kids' feet climbing down them.

"Hey Cloud, welcome back," said one of the aforementioned kids, "you are late, what happened?" the little girl continued while tugging on the hem of her skirt.

Cloud knew this to be a habit of her when something troubled her, so he decided to give her a complete reply to at least calm her nerves. "Sorry Marlene, I had to make a delivery to Coral so I had to travel across continents. Your father sends his love and a parcel for you," he said as he took out a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. With that done, he nodded at the other kid, his and his partner's ward and asked about the last member of this household, his raven-haired companion, Tifa.

"She's upstairs, watching TV. She seemed tired so we suggested she take a day off and rest while we put up the 'Closed' sign for the bar," replied the shaggy-haired boy in response to Cloud's question.

The man's only response to that question was an okay as he ascended up the stairs towards her room. Knowing that no matter how ill she was, Tifa never took days off from bar tending, so her doing that on the kid's request actually gave him a reason to worry about her. He just wanted to be sure that she was okay. He knew that he was not around a lot at home with the kids and her, what with his deliveries and job restoring Edge after Bahamut's attack alongside Reeve, but he also knew that he was tied to this home in a sense of duty, a responsibility that he wanted to take and not let go. So, when he discovered that the lady in question, who ran the household with him, was not well enough to do something she loved, he was given a genuine cause to panic.

With his thoughts running wild as to what might have happened to her, Cloud made his way to Tifa's room and gently peeked inside. Gently because it was not in his nature to be rushed and haphazard even when tense and also because he thought that if she were busy doing something, then he could make his exit without her knowing it. However, all logic, all sense evaded him when he observed the sight in front of him.

Tifa was busy watching a song and she had tears in her eyes. He could hear the faint music from it but not the lyrics so he was at loss as to how to interpret the situation at hand. All he actually heard was the soft sound of music on a piano and a women in a white body-length gown lying near a fountain as she sang. The song had no colours in its video and somehow, the lighting and set all gave the song a lonely, depressed feeling so any body's crying made sense to him if it were triggered by that. However, what did not make sense was the person who was actually crying.

Tifa was not the sort of woman who would shed tears at something so girlish, he thought. No she was the sort of person who used to give others inner strength with just her smile, the determination to do anything and the faith in ones own self sprouting naturally. And now she was crying…

Why was she crying? What was in that song that had brought up these emotions in her, he thought as he closed the door gently behind him and made his way downstairs. Stopping near the centre table, he generally asked the kids if something had happened to Tifa while he was away on deliveries, to which they replied in negative and shrugged. Making his way to the kitchen counter, he warmed the meal he knew Tifa cooked for him and decided to take it upstairs to have it with her. Maybe even get her to talk about what was bothering her.

While he was still preparing the stuff in the tray, his phone rang. Noticing that it was Barret, he put it on speaker and answered him before calling Marlene in the room. He observed Denzel standing in the doorway as Marlene made her way to the phone and started talking to her dad when a booming voice suddenly exclaimed on the phone, "Oh hey Spiky, open the door, how long are you gonna make me wait here outside!" Startled, Cloud made his way to the door and found his walkway blocked by a giant of a man with a gun in place of his arm.

"Barret," Cloud nodded in acknowledgement to the giant in question who just stood there grinning.

"I am going to take the kids to Coral for a week. Just decided I wanted to meet Marlene an' she won't have come if Denzel weren't to come," Barret explained with a goofy grin plastered on his face. If Cloud's mind wasn't so preoccupied, he would have remembered his face and teased Barret later about it. Everybody knew that he was this way only around Marlene but that didn't stop them from making a few jokes occasionally.

"But their stuff, it isn't packed and-"

"Don't worry, Cloud, I'll handle it!" Marlene shouted as she efficiently busied herself in packing up two duffel bags. She was done with the packing in such a short time that Cloud just stood there amazed at her haste in going with Barret. Giving the bags to her father, Marlene reached up and hugged Cloud's waist whispering to him when he bent down to take care of Tifa. And with that, she just took Denzel's hand and left in the same flurry she packed.

All this time, Cloud stood and noticed that Denzel gave him a wave as he started moving towards the truck Barret had brought. He remembered waving back to Denzel as he closed the door and started moving upstairs to Tifa's room after grabbing the tray. It was surprising for him that she had still not noticed all that was happening around her.

She was lost. Nowhere to go, no one to turn to. Not being able to keep up with this charade of pretending to be a mom to two kids when she herself knew so little of childhood. Having grown up pretty fast, considering the state the world around her was in, insecurities were now troubling her. She could not even keep the man she wanted near their family, their home, her. So when she saw a couple of songs on TV, her already waning mental strength was dissolved of its last barrier and she cried. She cried for all the times that she had seen life play mental games with her and destabilise her. All those times when she comforted others, all the while thinking that who'd do that for her. The times when she smiled just so people would feel that everything was alright with her. She cried for herself.

She was self-absorbed at that moment, unaware of all that happened around her. A little part of her said that she was being stupid but she couldn't help herself. She was giving in to emotions that would have been pretty normal for any girl and she felt like being 'any' girl at the moment, not Tifa, not the Avalanche's emotional support, just a normal girl.

"Oh Aeris, I just long to be like you at this moment, lie cold in the ground and forget about everything around me, just give myself up to the life stream and wash my hands off of all my sorrows. Tell me it is time for me to come join you guys up above," she said between tears, "I don't think I have the willpower left to survive this harsh world."

Cloud stood in shock as he realised the depth of her words, having lost the strength to announce his arrival now. He was too confused and hurt with her words. Confused because he never thought that Tifa would so willingly want to die. She, who was always so full of life, the one who kept bringing him back to life, why would She feel that way? Her words hurt him because they meant she'd leave and make him suffer endlessly without even giving him the chance to create a life with her, a more meaningful life, one where they shared everything not because they had to for their wards, but because they wanted to for their own progeny.

He moved back, standing with his back close to the wall. Hands fisted by his sides, eyes shut tight, a few tears escaping them. He was in pain, his insides closing up on him, choking him when he suddenly heard the voice to a familiar tune. That piano tune which Tifa was listening to earlier that evening, it seemed that she was now playing it herself. And then he heard her voice. Her soft voice, barely audible but still clear,

I'm so tired of being here,

Suppressed by all my childish fears,

And if you have to leave,

I wish that you'd just leave,

Your presence still lingers here,

And it won't leave me alone,

The words that left her mouth coupled with the depressing aura surrounding them and the hollow tune of the music played havoc with his feelings. His feet gave way and he slowly sat down on the floor which seemed colder than usual. Head between his knees, hands clutching the blond tresses, mako blue eyes glistening with tears, Cloud looked vulnerable like never before. Having never seen Tifa like this before, Cloud felt gutted, the feeling he first experienced when he saw Tifa lying on the floor in the Mako reactor all those years ago. He felt a sense of foreboding loss.

These wounds won't seem to heal,

This pain is just too real,

There's too much that time cannot erase,

No. Tifa was wrong here, time is the best healer of all wounds, new and old, all fall to its flow and a person moves on. That is what he learned being with her, even when she never said those words explicitly, she showed it by her patience around him. How can she forget all of this now after all that they've been through together. After all the times she has been around him, helping him in and out of battle, how can she forget that their wounds always healed in the end. All it took was an act of love and somebody to help you go through with it.

When you'd cry, I'd wipe away all of your tears,

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears,

And I held your hand through all of these years,

But you still have,

All of me …

A sigh escaped his lips and he finally opened his eyes,taking in his surrounding. Everything was the same, the bar, their hou- no, it wasn't his... he had long lost the right to say that, hadn't he?. The words sung penetrated his heart deeper than he had imagined. But nonetheless, it was all the truth. If like his thoughts, his actions would have been as thorough, Tifa wouldn't have suffered such. But after all through which they had gone by together, why would she want to give up on him now? Or was she really giving up on him? Cloud groaned at the splitting headache that accompanied the hurtful thoughts, his mind a scattered mess of long piled up emotions, reality and... Tifa. She had always been there for him; through Sephiroth, both times; the Remnants; Bahamut; the Life stream, even Nibelheim. He stood up, staggering at the outburst of emotions in him. Part of him wanted to enter that room and encircle his arms around Tifa and comfort her while another part of him wanted to escape.

His logic to escape was fueled by his own insecurities. He had failed her twice, once in the Mako Reactor in Mt. Nibel and once when one of the Remnants had attacked her and left her in the flower field. He didn't want her to go through pain again on account of him. However, if he left, he knew that this way, they'd both hurt for each other. He needed her around him, she gave him a sense of security, of importance and of being wanted. No, she needed him, just like he did. And love, there was definitely a lot of that between them of which they weren't aware.

As if in sync with his feelings, the rectangular velvet container in his pocket made its presence known to him by poking on his leg. His hand inadvertently went to it and he fingered its lining. Making up his mind, he made his way inside Tifa's room. It was a little dark now and the only light was from the TV. It gave a last flicker as he switched it off and faced Tifa. Her head was down on the piano, resting on her arms. She either didn't notice the lack of light or she was still crying. Making his way to her, he put his hands on her and gently turned her around.

Cloud held onto her shoulders tightly as he stared into the depths of his own being. The past years replayed in his mind and he shuddered. Tifa's warmth, her reassuring words which held the power of bringing him back from death itself, her eyes which always stared at him with affection, her sweet scent, everything. He remembered everything about this girl, from the day he met her till now. She had always been the one carrying the burning torch in her hand, guiding him through all the hardships in his life and seeing her now, Cloud felt that the flame was slowly extinguishing.

"Tifa … " he encircled his arms around her waist and held her near to him, "Don't cry please, talk to me, I can't stand to see you like this," he continued, all the while rubbing her back with his hands. He felt a little better when she responded to him by moving her arms and holding him by his waist.

They stayed in the same position for some time, just holding onto each other. Tifa remained silent but had stopped crying now, for Cloud was standing in her room, holding her as if his life depended on it. Thinking about releasing him, Tifa's grip loosened on his shirt but Cloud's only tightened. They were close, so close that she could hear his heart hammering in his chest. She felt him remove his right hand from her back and move to his pocket. Her mind was trying to process all of that which was happening when she heard him whisper her name, claiming her attention.

"Tifa, I know I have never been there for you when you needed me... I also know that I am not the perfect guy to live with but I have to tell you something before I make irreparable damage to our life," Cloud said while his hands opened the velvet box behind Tifa and he took out a chain from it, "Tifa Lockhart, you're the key to my heart, the only one who has unlocked me and seen me for who I am. I want to give more of myself to you. I want you to be more than just the key to my heart, I want you to be the gateway to my soul, the reason of my existence. I want to enjoy a life with you, experience the joy of waking up next to you, with you in my arms. I want … you," and with that he slipped the white gold chain holding the solitary heart pendent studded with diamonds in her neck and clasped it shut behind her, pulling her into a hug.

If Tifa was surprised before, she was openly shocked by now. Cloud was never one who would speak a lot and specifically for something related to his feelings. He liked keeping his personal space with everyone, so why was he saying all of this now. She lowered her eyes to look at the pendent and then raised them up to see his face. Wine eyes met blue ones and a feeling of content washed over Tifa. If anything, Cloud's eyes showed love at this moment. Love and a hint of peacefulness. Before she even had a chance to reply, he cupped her face in his hands, inching it closer to his own.

"I wanted you to know all of this because I know that it is foolish to pine for somebody and not tell it to them. Life's too short to live like this and I am going to spend everyday with you as if it is our last together. I hope you can forgive me for all the times I was dense enough to not realise that and made you cry," Cloud whispered, his hot breath caressing her face. Tossing one last reassuring look at her, Cloud locked their lips in an all too innocent, beginner's kiss.

Tifa was momentarily stunned, unable to respond to the overflow of emotions guided her way. She could feel Cloud's warm hands tightening on her, his breath tingling her lips and in that moment, the snow frozen atop her crumbling heart melted completely and she responded to the kiss. Her left hand moved around his neck, curling in his hair whilst her other hand rested on his chest, tightly holding onto his shirt. Their kiss deepened, with no hint of urgency or underlying lust. It was simply about feeling one another. Cloud pulled back briefly, finally finding the courage in him to spell his feeling out to Tifa.

"Tifa, I … I-"

"I know Cloud, I feel the same way," She interrupted him before he could say anything else. Even if they didn't say those words now, they knew the feeling was mutual. They had their whole lives ahead of them to say something as trivial as that.

"Three words..." Cloud whispered before he pulled Tifa into another searing kiss, using her distraction to his advantage. He picked her up bridal style and swiftly walked towards her queen sized bed, gently placing her down. Hovering above her, he took in a deep breath. Even in the darkness he could see Tifa's blush deepening, the cloudy look in those dreamy claret eyes. The eyes which sucked in his sorrows and gave his life their sparkle. He knew he owed a lot to this girl and tonight, he planned on showing the extent of his gratitude to her.

Closing the distance between their faces, Cloud placed a passionate kiss on her lips, allowing his hands to roam on her fevered skin, memorizing every curve and dip. While he lost himself in everything that was Tifa, making up for all those lonely and sleepless nights, Cloud felt himself standing at the edge of heaven itself. This was everything he ever wanted, needed and wished for. Tifa was here, she was with him and from now onwards, he would be there for her, always. And all Tifa knew was that this was the beginning of a new life, a single ray of light appearing in the murky sky giving her hope to continue living with a smile on her face, a smile that could rival the sun's shine.

Waking up, the first thing Cloud noticed was the empty bed. He got up from his pillow, rubbing the last of the traces of sleep from his eyes, observing his surroundings. Unlike the gray morning sky which implied the possibility of rain or a brief shower peeking in from the opened windows, the weather inside him was clear and sunny. A small, content smile adorning his face, his eyes looked around the rest of the room, settling on a pile of neatly folded laundry on the drawer and a clean pair of his clothes near the edge of the bed. He picked them up and got out of bed, moving to the shower. By the time he was done and came out, he saw Tifa entering their room with a tray in her hands.

"Breakfast?" She asked with a smile, all of the previous night's hurt now vanished from her eyes.

"Of course. Have it with me?" He responded to her with a question of his own.

"Naturally. I was waiting for you. Come, here by the window is an awesome spot but hurry up with your hair, I am hungry," she replied with a slight laugh.

Cloud hurriedly finished drying his hair with the towel. He threw the towel on the edge of the bed, combing a set of fingers through the freshly washed golden hair as he made his way to Tifa by the window after grabbing the plate of sandwiches from the tray. As he joined her, she handed him one of the glasses of juices, still smiling brightly.

Yuffie made her way towards the 7th Heaven when she happened to glance up. What she saw sent her into an ecstatic fit. It was something out of a picture: Tifa was sitting with her eyes fixed on the sky, her back pressed to Cloud's chest, with his hand around her waist and his chin on her shoulder, both of them with a sandwich in their hands. She instantly took a picture and sent it to all the members of Avalanche with the caption: Oh my god guys, I just happened to witness this. They do look perfect together! The family at 7th Heaven is finally complete! And with that, she backtracked and decided to visit the couple in question later, with a few more of their friends.