Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Emerge ❯ Accidental Admissions ( Chapter 5 )

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Chapter 5: Accidental Admissions

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After four days, Tifa Lockheart was released from the hospital. Cloud and Aerith walked beside her Vincent pushed her in the hospital provided wheelchair as the made their way to her home. Reeve, Yuffie, Cid, Barret and Nanaki had left shortly after she was discharged because of prior engagements that they couldn't miss. Tifa was sad to see them go but glad that she did get a chance to see them, despite the circumstances.

The door was opened and Tifa was grateful to see that the blood and broken items from that horrible night were no longer present. Because of Tifa's temporary wheelchair confinement, the living room had been rearranged slightly and small bed was set up against a vacant wall. Luckily, there was a bathroom on this floor or she would've had a hell of a time trying to make her way up and down the stairs.

"Home sweet home." Tifa said dryly as Vincent wheeled her into the kitchen. Cloud and Aerith were making last few changes in the living room to make her ability to move about the first floor of her home easier.

Vincent locked the brakes on her wheelchair met her red-brown orbs. "I will return shortly." She nodded and he disappeared back into the living room.

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Vincent walked back into the living room and nodded at the adjustments that were made to the small space. He knew that Tifa was not happy with her limited mobility but the changes to the space would allow her to maneuver her chair around for the next week, then she would be able to use the crutches the hospital was sending over.

Aerith motioned for him to come over to the corner where they were standing. "Vincent, I don't think that she should be alone right now." She said with a worried look on her face.

Vincent nodded. "I agree. I will stay with her for now." He said flatly.

"We'll come back later to check in on you two. Call us on the PHS if you need anything." Cloud said as he and Aerith went to the door and closed it gently behind them.

He stood silently for a few moments before he heard a strangled cry from Tifa. He rushed into the kitchen to find her starting at nothing with glassy, hollow eyes and a horrified expression on her face. This disturbed the gunman greatly to see Tifa like this. Besides the look of terror, her eyes looked lifeless, almost as if it had been sucked away by some unknown foe.

Vincent crouched down in front of her and gently touched her arm with his organic hand and received no response. "Tifa are you okay?"

The martial artist jumped and put her hand to the cheek that Thomas had slapped as tears slowly began to travel an unfamiliar course down her pale cheeks. Tifa rarely cried, she avoided doing so at all cost simply because it made her feel weak. Her eyes refocused and stared down at the face of the handsome gunman who was still crouched before her.

"Tifa, what happened?" He asked, allowing a small amount of emotion to creep into his voice.

"I…I was remembering…you know, what happened that night…" She said after taking a shuddering breath.

<THIS IS YOU OPPROTUNITY TO FIND OUT, MASTER.> Chaos said from deep within Vincent's mind.

He gave a mental nod to the demon before focusing on the woman in the wheelchair before him. "Tifa, would you like to tell me what happened that night?" He asked in a quiet tone.

She tipped her head back to gaze at the ceiling for a moment to compose herself. "Over the last few weeks he was becoming more and more violent. He began to drink a lot more and it was beginning to scare me. I was loosing sleep and I couldn't eat…" she paused for a moment. "I decided that our relationship needed to end so that night, I was waiting for him here in the kitchen and he finally stumbled in completely wasted."

She blushed at the next part of the story but kept going. "He wanted to go upstairs and began to fondle my breasts. I pulled out of his reach and told him that I thought we shouldn't see each other anymore." She shuddered. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look in his eyes when he started laughing.

"He had been accusing me of having an affair for some time at that point and he said 'Oh, I see, so now you decide to leave me for your fuck buddy.' I kept telling him that there was not one else but he wouldn't listen and we began to circle the table." She sighed and closed her eyes. "He accused me of having an affair with you and said that he was prepared for this day. I was so angry and scared I told him to get his shit and get out of my house. He charged at me and we fell to the floor…that's when he started hitting me in my face."

Her eyes remained close as she continued to tell her story. "He called me a whore and said that I wasn't gonna get away that easily." Tifa heard the faint sound of metal on metal, but continued. "I was so angry, I began to fight back, I broke his nose and maybe a few ribs but just as I was about to run out the door, I heard a gun cock. He said that he was going to kill me, then Aerith and Cloud…and you." She said the last part so quietly he had to strain to hear it.

"I made it to the door and ran from the house. I didn't want to take a chance by running to the mansion or Cloud's house so I ran to the mountains where he eventually caught up with me…I asked him not to shoot me but he did…and well you know what happened after that. I don't remember what happened after I fell, but I do remember the look in his eyes…he was insane Vincent."

She opened her eyes to see Vincent's crimson orbs glowing a bloody red. He was furious. She glanced down and finally saw what the scraping noise was, he had his claw clenched and the metal fingertips of his artificial limb were scraping against his palm. She looked down at the table top, feeling incredibly weak. "Vincent, you're angry with me…I am sorry for dragging you into that. It's just that I really like spending time with you and he took it all the wrong way…I put the lives of my closest friends in jeopardy just because I was stupid enough to get involved with -"

Vincent placed a finger to her lips as the glow of his eyes subsided and returned to their usual claret color. "I enjoy your company as well Tifa. I am not nor was I ever angry with you for any reason. I am grateful that I was there in the mountains that night…" He snarled. "It is that Son of a Bitch Callahan that I am angry with…along with myself."

She looked up at him ready to speak but the look of sorrow in his eyes told her to listen to what he had to say.

"He was so much like Hojo…I didn't want what happened to Lucrecia to happen to another woman that I love, so I began to withdraw thinking that it would keep you safe." In an unusual display of emotion, Vincent's eyes widened when he realized what he had said. He had just admitted to himself and to the beautiful fighter sitting before him, that he loved her. Vincent drew in a shuddering breath. "You could have been killed and it would have been my fault for not voicing my concerns sooner."

Tifa sat stunned at the admission the gunman had accidentally made. "You…you love me?

Vincent looked down to his folded hands in silence trying to corral his rampant thoughts. "Yes." He said with sadness clearly evident in his voice.

"I was telling myself that the feelings that I had for you were those of admiration and friendship because I will still engulfed within the shadow of my past relationship with Lucrecia. I could not see the truth." He sighed. "In spending time with you, I was finally forced to see the truth about Lucrecia. Though I still care for her, I do not love her."

Tifa gave him a watery smile. "Vincent, I care for you also…I have fallen in love with you, but it will take me time to get over what has happened. I know it's unfair of me to ask you to wait but I just need some time to heal from what he did to me. I want to give you all of the love that I have been harboring but in order to do that, I need to do this first."

Vincent nodded and Tifa rolled forward to take his claw and his hand in hers and pressed her forehead against his. "Tifa, I have not qualms about waiting." Vincent freed on hand and unclipped his cloak then dipped his head and gently pressed his lips to hers, taking pleasure in the sweet taste of her lips.

Tifa was overwhelmed at the sensation that emerged inside her body as she deepened the kiss. It just felt so right to be with him like this. She wanted more, but now would not be the right time.

The kiss was broken, both sides panting heavily and staring into one another's eyes. Tifa's eyes widened as she saw Vincent give her a full, genuine smile for the first time.

"I love you." He said in a whisper.

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Vincent pushed Tifa into the living room and helped her onto the bed. The couch was a bit too firm at the moment. Her hip had begun to throb and her leg was aching mercilessly. Vincent knew she was in pain and without prompting; he went to the kitchen and quickly returned with her medication and a glass of water.

Tifa accepted the items gratefully and made quick work of them. She looked up to the cloak-less man and gestured to a spot on bed next to her.

"Vincent, there something I need to ask you."

"Yes?"

He saw a frown form on her face as she spoke. "What happened to Thomas? Did the police catch him? Is Reeve setting up a trial for him? No one told me and I don't remember much of what happed after I fell."

He looked at her in shock. He had not realized that no one had told her what happened. He took her hand in his and looked to her. "Tifa, Callahan is dead." He said plainly.

"You killed him?" She said in an approximation of his emotionless monotone.

"Yes."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Vincent I don't think that even jail time or even time in an asylum would have helped him. The man was far beyond help."

He nodded in agreement and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

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See disclaimer at the beginning of chapter 1

AN:

Oh My GOSH! I was typing this chapter at about 3:30 this morning and drinking my Pepsi when I fell asleep and had the weirdest dream last night…

I was dreaming that Sephy was sitting in a sitting in a kiddy pool in my bedroom wearing a g-string and pouring Pepsi all over his body. Then my dad came into my room and looked at Seph and said "hello Seph," but he turned around and looked out the door to my younger brother and said "I don't think your sister would appreciated it if she knew you were in here reading her story while she was asleep."

I threw a shoe at my brother and hit him in the head before my dad closed the door and then I woke up.

I looked at my computer screen and half of the entire story had been deleted. I was frantic…all that work, gone and I couldn't use the undo button! Thank god for Autosave and gateway goback...I was able to recover everything.

I know now not to drink Pepsi before bed…although I wouldn't mind seeing Sephy do that…

Anyway, please review

Ja Ne

Ezri-Candy
aka Freaky Dreamer