Mid Night Visitors

Chapter 1:

It was 5 to midnight, not that Meredith noticed. She had been busy since 9 with trade reports, and it didn't seem she would be

through any time soon. She didn't mind though, that was just came with being a dedicated banker. It was funny though, trading had

picked up ever since the listing fee had been announced. 'Silly Gaians,' she thought, shaking her head smiling as she stood and

picked up a finished stack, taking it over to the finished pile, a desk full, taller than she, and took another from an even greater stack

on the floor.

She had just set it down when the tell tale jingle of the bell on the door told her someone had come in. "Hello there, I'll be right with

you." She called, straightening her skirt and rushing her hair down. Must always be presentable, you know. She walked out, towards

her desk, read to greet her visitor, when she saw him.

He stood with his back to her, staring at the wall of plaques and pictures, hands behind his back as if he were examining paintings in a

museum. He was dressed as formal as she, the night black suit he always wore contrasting greatly with the mane of white that fell down

his back, and speaking of backs…Her eyes drifted down to his firm backside of their own accord, before she snapped her eyes back up.

'It's been years since I've seen him and I'm already falling over myself. I have to make this quick…'

She was pulled out of her thoughts by his rough voice, slightly accented, pouring into the air. "So. This is what you did with yourself after

we…parted ways. I guess it's an honest living, even if you do have to work for Gambino…" He said that last word with disgust, reaching up

to drag a pointed nail over the grinning image of Johnny on the wall. She could hear him chuckle darkly to himself as he pulled back to admire

his work, the picture now beyond recognition. She reached under the desk for a nicely sized pistol, and slid from behind the counter to lean on

it, one hand behind her back hiding it, her steady finger on the trigger while inside, she shook. 'I hate you,' she thought venomously. "Cut to

the chase Zhivago, what did you come for?"

At this, he turned around, a simple smile on his face, marring the look of the red mark that ran down the side of his face. "Why Meredith, we

haven't seen each other in so long, I thought you'd be more welcoming than that." It was her turn to smile, though it was anything but kind.

"And who's fault was that, love?" She hissed the last word, her amber eyes almost glowing. Zhivago shook his head, the smile fading. "Can't

we leave such things in the past? This is important."

He stepped forward suddenly, reaching out. She closed her eyes out of instinct, only to feel a cool hand stroke her cheek. She slowly opened

her eyes, only to see his, staring so intently at her. "You've gone soft, I see." He let his words hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

"But we could fix that." She looked up at him, confused. "What in the world are you talking about?"

He smiled again, almost affectionately, and pulled back. "I've come to offer you a chance to join us." Seeing the look of disbelief on her

face, he continued. "My master has finally decided to put his plan into action, it is only a matter of time before Gambino and his little followers

fall, and we step into our rightful places as rulers of this world. When that happens, I want you to be there, beside me."

Meredith stared at him for a moment, then laughed. First it was normal laughter, but quickly became hysterical. She had to grip the counter to

keep from falling over. Zhivago was lost. "Would you mind telling me what you find so ridiculously humorous?" He asked, stepping back

again. She smiled up at him, then quick as a flash, pulled the gun out, her stance quickly becoming serious, though she reached up, still

smiling, to wipe a tear from her cheek. "You," she answered at last, watching him carefully as he prepared to defend himself. "You and your

master, and your silly plans. It's all so…stupid. I'm going to laugh so hard when you fall flat on your face and fail, but I have to thank you for

the giggles you've given me tonight."

He stared at her for a moment, and indescribable look in his eyes before he shifted into a relaxed pose, a small grin on his face. "Well, at the

very least, I've accomplished something." His words ran through her thoughts for a moment, but before a proper blush had creeped across her cheeks, he moved forward, grabbing the arm that held the gun. His initial plan was to get it out her hands, but as tight as her grip was, he

dismissed the idea and swung her towards the back wall. She hit the shelves with a loud crash, but thrust herself back out onto the desk in front

of her before the pieces of splinted wood could take her down with them.

Even as she quickly gathered her thoughts, he was coming at her again, on her side, his hands going for the pistol again. She twisted away from

his grip and slid further down the counter in a twirl, but by the time she had stopped herself, she felt herself caught up in two strong arms. He

dipped her back until she could no longer rely on her feet to keep her up. Her breath caught in her chest as he held her, one arm holding her

tightly around her waist, while the other had her hand, holding it so tightly that she had no choice but to let it go. It hit the counter with a loud

clatter, and then all was silent.

A breath apart from each other, they stared each other down, until she spoke. "Still as soft as you thought?" He smiled, and the fangs that she

was all too aware of glittered in the fluorescent light. "Maybe. What were you thinking, using a pistol?" It was her turn to smile. "G-Corp's

come a long way. You don't know what could've been in those bullets." His smile disappeared for a moment. "Fair enough. You still haven't

told me what your answer would be." This time, she smirked. "Wasn't it obvious?" He smiled again and leaned in closer, and when it seemed

as if he might do something else, he spoke. "Think about it. I'll be back for your answer tomorrow."

With that, she felt his support on her body disappear, and she hit the counter with a solid thump. This didn't deter her any, in fact, it only

seemed to drive her even more, as she reached out and snatched the gun, rolling off and landing in a crouched position, shooting at Zhivago's retreating form. The sound of shattering glass seemed to echo all throught the Isle of Gambino, though Meredith didn't seem to notice until

there were no more shots left. As soon as she realized this, she stood up and stomped her foot, thoroughly upset she hadn't hit him. "Damn!!"

"Merry! I didn't know you, like, cursed!" Meredith sighed, all anger draining away, only to be replaced by extreme regret. She shouldn't have

made such a ruckus, Sasha had heard and had come to see what had happened. "Sasha," she started, rubbing her temples without meeting her concerned friend's gaze, "First of all, what have I told you about calling me Merry?" The confused island girl blinked, trying to figure what she

was getting at. "Um, like, don't do it?" "Right. And what did you do?" Like a light-bulb coming on, Sasha gasped. "I'm sorry! It won't happen

again, kay?" Meredith nodded. Sasha, pleased again, looked around at the shatter windows of the front. "So, like, what happened, Merry?" Meredith sighed. It was going to be a long night.

AN: So, how was it? Please comment and critique me, this is my first time doing any kind of action scene. How was the characters' personality? Were they OOC any? I know it's hard to imagine with Zhivago being new and all, but did it work out okay? Did the scenes make sense any? I

see the bank as having a desk from wall to wall, or at least pretty long, if that helps any. Reviews of any kind would be loved.