Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Connected ❯ Sure, why not? ( Chapter 8 )

 

 

Chapter 6

Sure, why not?

I must believe …
…I can be anyone
I can step beyond
All of my boundaries
It won't be hard for me

Use the Force - Jamiroquai

 

Less then an hour and a half later, Jace found herself in a car with Tseng headed toward Rufus Shinra's office. She smoothed down her skirt, thinking for probably the fifth time in as many minutes that she was very glad she'd put a bit of thought into her outfit today. She'd had no clue that this day of all days would be anything special, but she'd woken up in a good mood and had dressed to reflect that. The clothes were nothing special, just a flattering zip up blouse and a blue, knee length a-line skirt she'd owned for eons, but they were scads better then her usual thrown-together look that consisted of whatever was clean.

 

Jace snuck yet another glance at Tseng. The man seemed the epitome of cool competence. She sincerely hoped that Rufus hadn't somehow decided that she was anything like the head of the Turks. Then again, how could he, considering the circumstances under which they had met? Jace sighed and turned her thoughts to the sudden change in her fortunes. She was being loaned to Rufus Shinra as a personal favor. She felt a bit like a parcel, even though Reeve had made it abundantly clear that she was in no way obligated to take the assignment.

 

Reeve had called Jace into his office, introduced her to Tseng, asked her to sit down and told her that Rufus Shinra wished to borrow her to be his personal secretary, and in the same sentence had reinforced that she could easily say no, with the strong implication that she should. Jace had simply sat in shock, only faintly aware of Reeve's worried expression.

 

Tseng's smooth tones broke the silence. “Mr. Shinra is offering a generous bonus in addition to your regular salary as compensation for your time. He has also offered to make a donation to the charity of your choice. It's a very good offer, considering how little time would likely be required.”

 

Jace stared blankly ahead for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that for some incomprehensible reason Rufus Shinra wanted her anywhere near in him in any capacity at all. “Doesn't he remember who I am?” she asked in a small voice.

 

“He does indeed. That was why he requested you specifically.” Tseng replied, causing Jace to wince. That was supposed to be inner dialogue… Oh well. She lapsed back into thought. Try as she might, she couldn't remember anything about her performance in the elevator that would inspire someone to hire her. Maybe he thought I was cute? No, that couldn't be it. Even if he had found something attractive about a bald woman in fuzzy sleepers trading insults with one of his employees, the whole thing had happened months ago. Jace frowned, unable to come up with any sort of logical reason for this. Since thinking wasn't working, she just checked with her instincts. They came back with a resounding `Sure, why not?'

 

Tseng and Reeve watched as she shrugged. Both men accurately guessed her answer and responded accordingly; Tseng with a quietly pleased expression, and Reeve with a frowning attempt to dissuade her.

 

“Keep in mind, Jacinta, that you are in no way obligated to accept this assignment. Mr. Shinra asked me for a favor, but I am your boss, not your keeper and if you are uncomfortable with this at all I urge you to let this one go. Honestly, Mr. Shinra has a very bad track record with personal secretaries. Every single one he's had since taking over for his father has been manifestly odd in some way…” Reeve caught Jacinta's raised eyebrow and hurried to explain. “I'm not saying you're odd Jacinta, I'm saying that it's odd that he's had such a streak of horrible luck when it comes to secretarial help. Being a personal secretary can involve a lot of one on one time with your boss and I can't help but wonder if there's something about him that…”

 

“Drives people insane?” Tseng interrupted calmly, a small smile on his face. “As I'm sure you're aware Reeve, Rufus can be difficult but he's not contagious. I've worked with him for years…”

 

“Whoever said you were sane?” Reeve interjected. Tseng smiled a little wider and opened his mouth, no doubt intent on returning the insult.

 

“Excuse me, sirs,” Jace's voice was soft but firm. “I'll do it. It's a great opportunity.” She smirked. “I don't think Mr. Shinra is going to dredge up some heretofore unknown streak of craziness on my part, so I don't think there will be a problem. Besides, it's only for a week or two, right? Come on, it's not like I'm going to get hit by a truck or anything right?” Jace looked inquiringly at her boss while Tseng silently thanked the gods that Rufus hadn't told Reeve exactly how he came to be in the market for a new secretary.

 

Jace batted her eyelashes at her boss until he sighed and nodded slightly, at which point she rewarded him with a wide grin. I do so love it when I get my way. Honestly, once she'd made up her mind, there wasn't a lot Reeve was going to be able to do to change it. The last few months of being out and about had reminded her how much she liked to head into new situations and trust her luck. She sat back, waiting for Reeve to launch into a speech about the potential problems she would face, but instead of going through an extensive list of worries as she expected him to, Reeve just shot her an almost pitying look. His expression changed to one of distinct dislike when he swung to Tseng.

 

“I want her back in two weeks or less, Tseng.” Jace was surprised to hear just how chilly Reeve's voice could be. Her boss wasn't willing to call himself her keeper, but he seemed perfectly willing to act like one.

 

Tseng, however, was perfectly unruffled. He merely nodded. “I will endeavor to make sure that Ms. Guerin enjoys her time with us,” was all he said. Tseng then motioned for Jacinta to rise. Jace and Reeve both stood up at the same time, and the three of them walked toward the door. Jace expected Reeve to stop there, but he continued with them into the elevator. Jace wasn't entirely sure why, since neither man said a word. Tseng resembled a very attractive statue and Reeve glowered at the floor buttons. What the hell's going on?

 

Reeve followed Jace and her escort all the way out to Tseng's car, where he proceeded to open the door and hand her into the seat. “Remember Jacinta,” he said, bending over so they were eye to eye. “You are a W.R.O. employee and you can return here at any time should you need to.” Jace nodded and watched as he straightened and looked over the car at Tseng. “Two weeks” he stated tersely, before closing Jacinta's door and heading back into the building. Tseng slid into the car a moment later. Silence reigned as he started the engine and smoothly pulled out of the parking garage.

 

So here they were, headed for Rufus Shinra's office. Jace stared out the window. Stupid reckless streak. Reeve's worried expression had been dancing around in her head for the last two or three minutes. Suddenly, this seemed less like an adventure and more like she was being delivered to her doom. She just barely resisted the urge to groan out loud. For some incomprehensible reason she had blithely ignored red flags the size of Meteor and signed on to work for a notorious control freak/perfectionist/former robber baron. Why oh why did I volunteer to be meat for the beast?

 

`Because the whole situation is dangerous and you like to push your luck.' her inner voice answered smugly. `Oh, and then there's that weakness you have for jerks and rumor has it Rufus Shinra is the granddaddy of `em all…'

 

Jace frowned. Quiet, you! she thought sternly. It's a great opportunity to… um… it'll look great on a resume!

 

`Right,' the voice rejoined. `You let yourself be whisked away from your nice safe job by a paid assassin… and he is still a paid assassin even if he's masquerading as Mr. Shinra's VP… This was in spite of being informed of the unlucky bastards who came before you. I'm sure it's all just been a `misunderstanding' of some sort... Sure. Face it, the common factor in all his failed relationships is him so he's either cursed, or he drove his previous secretaries crazy. Option two seems likely considering the fact that Rufus Shinra is known to be an obsessive workaholic with a less-than- stellar record when it comes to good behavior. What the hell do you think is going to happen?'

 

“Something interesting,” Jace said softly, smiling slightly.

 

“Excuse me, did you say something?” Tseng's quiet inquiry wiped the half smile right off her face. She looked up at him quickly, shaking her head.

 

“No, nothing. Sorry.” Mental note: work on not saying the quiet part loud…

 

Tseng blinked slowly and looked back at the road. Jace exhaled heavily and squirmed a little. Tseng was nice to look at, but he put the hairs up on the back of her neck for some reason and she paid heed to that feeling. His sleek black hair, enigmatic expression and fathomless eyes combined to give one the impression that they were being watched by a jungle cat. Panthers are very pretty, but I'm more of a dog person, thank you.

 

“I'm curious, Miss Guerin.” Jace started a little when Tseng's voice broke the silence and she turned to look at him with wide eyes. Tseng glanced at her for a moment as he continued. “Why did you take the position?” Jace blinked and opened her mouth, but was unable to think of an appropriate reply instantaneously. Somehow `I took the job because I'm rediscovering my reckless streak, it gives me a chance to ogle your boss and you waved quite a bit of money in my face' seemed a bit too honest.

 

“Uh… well… the thing is…” she mumbled. Alert, alert, we're going down! Jace grimaced and took a deep breath. “I felt that it was a wonderful opportunity to expand my skills and challenge myself, sir. Not to mention the prestige associated with working with Mr. Shinra.” There, she thought as she exhaled, that oughta hold him. Tseng simply made a polite noise and continued to drive. The next few minutes passed in what Jace found to be a vaguely uncomfortable silence and she was very pleased when they parked in front of a very tall building in the business district.

 

She was halfway out of the car when she looked up and saw Tseng's outstretched hand. Oh. He had been planning on chivalrously helping her out of the car. Jace flushed and took his hand, allowing him to pull her the rest of the way out of her seat and then waited for him to close the door, feeling for all the world like a little girl who had tripped in front of the coolest kid in class. That feeling remained with her as Tseng began to list off her duties as they headed into the building. He spoke at an even, but rapid pace as they crossed the lobby and headed for the elevators. Jace tried to retain as much information as she could, all the while wishing for a note pad. Her memory could be highly selective when she was as nervous as she was right now.

 

The barrage continued as they stepped into the elevator and began to ascend. When the steady stream of instructions paused, Jace looked up in surprise and found Tseng studying her. “Miss Guerin,” he said mildly. “You are not the person I would have chosen to take over as Mr. Shinra's secretary. But Mr. Shinra has chosen you and that means that he thinks there is something… worthy about you. I encourage you to prove him correct.” Turk and secretary regarded each other for a moment and Jacinta managed a short nod. I've survived hanging out with Reno, Rude and the rest of the nuts I work with, Jacinta thought, not to mention dealing with recalcitrant computers and even more difficult clients. I can handle this. Besides, it's two weeks. Nothing is going to happen in two weeks. Of course, now that I've said that… No. It's all going to be fine. Tseng watched with approval as Miss Guerin pushed her shoulders back and attempted a politely neutral expression very much like his own.

 

The doors to the elevator opened, revealing a broad hallway about a quarter block long. There were two doors near the elevators but after that there were few breaks in the stark elegance of the pale walls. Jacinta counted only four evenly placed windows on either side and between each of those was placed either a simple piece of abstract art or a tall Wutainese vase. She observed everything as she walked, but was careful to keep pace with Tseng. He had apparently decided to hold off on her education for the moment and the brief journey down the hallway was accomplished in silence. The hallways gave out into a large room, tastefully furnished in much the same mode as the hallway. Tseng gestured to the left. It took a moment for Jace to pick out the door he was pointing to; it was so cunningly blended into the wall.

 

“That door leads to a small set of rooms including a restroom, a kitchenette and a small area where we keep files that are, for whatever reason, hard copy.” Tseng shifted his focus to the desk in front of the massive set of double doors that dominated the right side of the room. “Obviously that leads to Rufus's office. You will spend your time there.” Jacinta followed his gaze to the large cherry wood desk that sat equidistant between the doors. Huh. Well, if nothing else, it's a vast improvement over my cubicle. She walked to the desk and looked it over. Everything was fairly standard. The phone was obviously top of the line but didn't look too complicated, same with the computer. She gently pushed back the rolling chair and sat down. She relaxed into the chair almost immediately with a contented sigh; the thing was almost mind numbingly comfortable… No! Must resist the pull of the office chair of joy and focus!

 

Jace looked up when Tseng cleared his throat. “The computer is already on; simply move the mouse to activate the screen. The password for today is `kla07a43tuu56', please be aware that I'll change it tomorrow.” He checked his watch. “If you will excuse me, I must attend a meeting in the main conference room. For future reference, it is one floor below us. Mr. Shinra is already in the meeting and will be going directly to a business lunch afterwards. He will no doubt wish to speak to you when he returns. In the meantime, his schedule and a list of instructions are on the computer's desktop. I will be in my office downstairs; my extension is the second one on the speed dial.” Jace nodded slowly and Tseng gifted her with a small smile. “Good luck Miss. Guerin.” She watched him go down the hall and enter the elevator. As soon as the doors closed behind the Wutain, she let out a huge sigh and surveyed the room. For a moment she simply sat, completely overwhelmed. Then she straightened. Well I'm here… now what?

 

“Do you have something to say, Reno?” Rufus didn't bother masking his irritation as he swung to face his bodyguard. The redhead had been glaring at his boss since he had taken over from Rude right after lunch. He had glowered during the entire drive back and the trip through the lobby. Now they were in the elevator, headed for the top floor and Rufus's office. Rufus locked eyes with Reno and did a bit of glaring himself. He could guess what was bothering the Turk, but he wanted to hear for himself exactly what was going on beneath that spiky hair. “Come now Reno, I've never known you to give up a chance to express your opinion, solicited or otherwise.”

 

The redhead rolled his shoulders and frowned before biting out, “Reeve said she chose to come, so I haven't really got anything to say, do I?” Reno then bared his teeth in what might laughingly be referred to as a smile.

 

The corners of Rufus's mouth moved upward in his own parody of a grin. “I'm so glad to know that you have come to peace with something that you had no control over. When might that inner peace to be reflected on your face?” Reno refused to meet his superior's eyes and schooled his features into a sulky expression. After a moment, Rufus looked at the doors again. Petulant was the best he was likely to get. Hell, he was lucky that Reeve had included the part about Ms. Guerin's willingness in his explanation. Otherwise, it was highly likely that he would have received a call from Tseng regarding Reno's `rescue' of the newest member of the Shinra staff. Reno would never do anything that might endanger his president or his comrades, but that left a lot of leeway for annoyingly rash behavior. If Rufus asked Reno to shoot the girl, the redhead would have done it with a minimum of fuss, but apparently hiring her was a something to pout over.

 

The elevator doors opened and Reno, as usual, stepped out first. He gave the area a cursory glance to ensure that it was safe and then took off down the hall, screaming `Jace!' at the top of his lungs. Rufus heard an answering squawk and then “Reno! What the hell is the matter with you?” Reno wasted no time in screaming back. “What the hell is the matter with me? What the hell are you doing taking this job? Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? Working for Rufus Shinra? I know Reeve told you what happens to his secretaries and I'm not sure I'm ready to shave you bald again! Damn it, I thought you were smarter! Only thing I can figure is you want to get up close and personal with him…” There was a sound amazingly like a feral growl closely followed by a distinctly pained whine. Rufus exited the hallway, almost mesmerized by the sight and sound of his new secretary snarling as she painfully yanked on Reno's ears. They were standing behind the desk, Reno facing the hallway. Rufus let out a startled laugh and Miss Guerin whipped her head around.

 

“Just a sec, please…” she hissed and then turned back to a wide eyed Reno. “Listen you twit, just because you would violate a chocobo if you could sneak up on it doesn't mean I would sleep with the first man to wander by in white. Don't give me that look bucky, I've seen some of the women you give the eye. I've seen you pant after hose beasts of the lowest caliber. You're just jealous because he'd rather hire a bald crazy lady he's met once then trust you with a computer. It's probably because you dress like you lost a bet, wouldn't know a hairbrush if it followed you home and lack the intelligence the gods gave a tree frog!” The woman paused to draw a breath and continued on with her stream of invective, never once relaxing her grip on her captives' ears.

 

The redhead's watering eyes flashed from her to Rufus and back again, his mouth hanging open slightly. “Um, Jace…” Reno's hesitant statement was greeted by another vicious tug on his left ear.

 

Rufus was highly amused, although outwardly he was impassive. Apparently the girl hadn't really looked at him, and was intending to tear thoroughly into Reno; had Rufus not been in the room, he was fairly sure the Turk would have allowed her to get it all out of her system before returning fire. Reno was remarkably tolerant towards his friends, and his little tirade proved that he considered the girl more than an acquaintance. Arching an eyebrow, Rufus relaxed, happy to watch as Reno received an impressive dressing down. Miss Guerin was a spitfire if nothing else. Unfortunately, the tirade only lasted another minute or two before Miss Guerin stopped smack in the middle of a particularly choice phrase. Rufus frowned; he'd been enjoying himself. She was definitely inventive; wonder if she has military in her background somewhere. The young woman sucked in a breath and remained silent. Reno smiled widely.

 

“Figured out who's standing behind you, right yo?” His voice was amused and unexpectedly gentle. He straightened up, which was easy to do now that Miss Guerin was no longer using his ears as handles. Rufus absently noted that even when Reno had fully straightened, he didn't have much on Miss Guerin in terms of height. That puts her at around 5'8”, only an inch or two shorter than me. I wonder if she's wearing heels? He watched as she dropped her hands to her sides and her head to her chest. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a small whimper before Reno started laughing. The Turk grabbed her arm and swung her around. “Rufus Shinra, meet your new secretary, Jacinta Guerin.”