Hey, hope you all had a good crimbo and happy new year for 2008!
As usual I don't owe anything to do with FF7/Square Enix
The Third Date
"Wow, you look really nice!" Tifa smiled as she wiped the bar counter in preparation for tonight's opening. Denzel looked up from his reading book and silently watched Vincent shrug on his black jacket and smoothed it down.
He wore a black suit with a simple cranberry red shirt and had his hair pulled back into a loose ponytail.
"Thanks Tifa." He simply acknowledged.
"I hope you'll have a good time tonight Vincent, you deserve to." The barmaid smiled as Vincent gave his pockets one last check.
"I'll see you later, I got my key so don't wait up for me." Vincent gave a final wave as he headed to the door.
"Good luck man!" Denzel called out as he shut the door.
Luck?
What do they say?
Oh yes, third time lucky.
He twirled the stem of his wineglass between his fingers as he blindly stared into the deep crimson liquid that swirled around.
He was sitting alone at a table for two for he arrived early and ordered a glass of wine with a good vintage whilst he waited for his date to arrive.
Absently he checked his mobile for any messages despite expecting none, in case Zaren may have texted him.
He was putting his mobile away when the waiter interrupted him, "Your guest, Mr Valentine."
The waiter stepped to one side to reveal…Zaren.
He felt his jaw drop as Zaren's eyes bugged outwards as she exclaimed his name.
Vincent took her in, she wore a simple black sleeveless shift dress that ended above her knees and black high heels.
Completely different from the two other times he seen her, this time she was simply…stunning.
He rose to his feet and with a smile, pressed a simple chaste kiss to her cheek and politely waited for her to sit down before seating himself.
"This is a surprise!" She breathed, "I can honestly say I'm so glad it's you and not some arrogant man I pictured sitting there."
"Likewise, I was dreading yet another disastrous date."
"The night's still young Vincent, plenty can still go wrong!" Zaren smiled, the dim light catching the simple diamonds studs in her ears.
"We best not tempt fate then."
"You could tempt me with the menu instead." Zaren grinned as Vincent handed her his menu.
"So what made you answer my ad in the paper?" Vincent looked up from his starter.
Zaren smiled sadly, "My brother insisted since your ad was the only one that wasn't lewd."
"My friend Tifa did it without telling me."
"You have good friends Vincent; they must either hate you or really care for you in their own way." She joked.
"I've yet to decide."
"No, my brother felt it was time for me to move on. You see, I was engaged over a year ago. I was with my fiancé for three years before he finally popped the question. He was killed in the Deepground Conflict. He was caught in crossfire between the WRO and Deepground Soldiers."
"I'm so sorry." Vincent breathed; his hand lowered his fork and slid across the table towards Zaren's own where he gently gently squeezed her fingers.
She squeezed back, "It's alright. Everyone lost someone in that war."
How true, Vincent thought, his mind briefly wondering to Shalula, older sister of Shelke who never gave up her search and love for her younger sibling.
"I learnt many things from Kelsin's death. I'm much stronger now and value my life and it's small things whereas before I let trivial things upset me. I saw all that destruction around me and knew I must do something in this world to make it a better place and help ease suffering of others. That's why I'm now training to be a WRO field medic. So I can help civilians instead of them becoming another pointless death like Kelsin."
"That's a selfless thing to do." Vincent smiled, she smiled back at him and he knew she was be alright for she was healing.
"You should know about selfless Vincent, after all the things you've done for the planet."
"It was a way for me to right my sins."
"You still didn't have to do it."
"But then who else would do it?"
"True, but who'd do it three times?"
"Guess you could say I'm a sucker for hard work?"
She laughed.
He felt his mobile ring and slowly, he slid his fingers away from her hand and pulled it open.
It was Tifa and for her to be ringing him was clearly a sign something was up.
"Apologises, I must take this call."
"Please do."
He flipped it open and raised it to his ear.
"Vincent!" Thank Gaia!" was Tifa's breathless answer.
"What's the matter?"
"I wouldn't ring you but Cloud's out on delivery and his phone's signal is weak and Yuffie is away. I need you to come back and watch Marlene and the bar as I got to take Denzel to hospital. He dropped a glass and cut his hand pretty bad. I think it's going to need several stitches. I'm so sorry about all this."
"It's ok Tifa, get Denzel to hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can." He frowned.
He hung up and looked at Zaren's concerned face.
"Tifa needs to take her adoptive son to hospital as he cut himself badly and needs me to watch her niece and her bar." He briefly informed her.
"Go! I'll settle things here." Zaren was already waving her hand to call the waiter.
"Zaren I'm so sorry…"
"Go Vincent, your family needs you. Don't worry about it." Zaren practically pushed him towards the door.
Taking the hint, he ran from the restaurant.
My family?
Yes…my friends are my family….
"Thank Gaia Vincent! There's blood in the kitchen, orders are coming in thick and fast, customers are getting grumpy and Marlene's crying upstairs. It's a nightmare!"
Paul, the Final Heaven's resident chef cried out as Vincent stepped into the bar and immediately shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
Where shall he start?
"Come on Vincent, let's sort this mess out." a familiar face pushed passed him in a black dress and heels.
"Zaren?"
She didn't answer as she weaved her way through the crowd and got behind the bar as Vincent followed, looking somewhat stunned. He heard over the loud din of noises from the bar a child sobbing and apparently so did Zaren as she stepped through the door that lead out to the kitchen and up to the residential area.
There sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, sobbing her eyes out was Marlene.
"Hey sweetie, what's the matter?" Zaren cooed as she sank down before the girl.
Vincent did so too, the girl looking up at his familiar face and let out a hiccupping wail as she wrapped her hands around his neck.
The gunman looked a little awkward as he tried to calm down the hysterical child, he simply stroked her back and let her soak the front of his shirt with her tears and runny nose until she quietened down and Zaren returned from cleaning up the bloody mess and broken glass that was on the kitchen floor.
"You ok?" he quietly asked the hiccupping girl who nodded, sucking on her thumb as she remained tight against Vincent.
"She needs to change out of her clothes." Zaren softly spoke, and he looked down to see Marlene's nightdress was covered in splotches of blood where Denzel had bled.
"I'll change her if you want? You can leave her with me."
He looked over the top of Marlene's head and nodded, eternally grateful that Zaren, somehow was here.
"Marlene, this is my good friend Zaren, she's going to clean you up and get you to bed." Vincent rose to his feet as did Zaren who smiled at the girl who hiccupped in response. "I'll take her up and show you where everything is."
They slowly climbed up the stairs, Zaren following Vincent and nodding as he pointed out where the bathroom was then his room and Marlene's room where he lowered the girl to her bed and stepped back to allow Zaren to take control.
"You may wanna change your shirt." Zaren said, causing him to look down at his tear soaked lapel and snot. He stepped out from the room and did so, leaving his soiled shirt on the floor by his door and pulled on a black t-shirt.
"I'll be downstairs if you need me. You only need to shout and I'll be up here."
Vincent informed Zaren who was taking Marlene nightdress off.
"Thanks, will do." She replied, somewhat distractedly as Marlene demanded Vincent to 'stop peeking.'
"Zaren?" he waited for the woman to look over at him, "Thanks."
"You're welcome." She smiled.
At some point during the night, Zaren came down and informed him that Marlene was bathed and was now sleeping after a reading of her favourite book. She then proceeded to help Vincent behind the bar much to his objection. She ignored him and pointed out he couldn't turn down her offer for there was too many customers and not enough hands.
Paul had already returned to the kitchen and from time to time, he called for Zaren to take out a food order and she did so, going into her waitress mode as if she was back working at the diner.
Between the three of them, they worked as smoothly as a well oiled machine and by the time closing time came, all customers were happy and the bar lived on for another night of business.
After letting Paul out, Vincent locked the bar doors and turned to see Zaren sweeping the floor.
"You don't need to do that." He said, she paused and looked up at him. "I don't mind."
"I do, I mean tonight we were supposed to be out enjoying a nice meal and instead you're…" he broke off and held his arms out to indicate their current situation.
"It's ok…"
"At least let me make you a drink." He took the broom from her grasp and with hands on her shoulders, he guided her to a bar stool and walked around to the other side of the counter to serve her.
"What would you like?"
"How are you at making cocktails?"
"I use to work in a bar a long time ago to work my way through college."
Zaren grinned, "How are you at doing a 'Long, hard screw'?"
Vincent blinked, then picked his mind out of the gutter long enough to realise she was talking about cocktails in a teasing manner.
"They're my specialty." He flirted back, satisfied to see a faint pink tint rising on her cheeks at his double innuendo.
She wasn't going to back down just yet though.
"How about a 'Screaming Orgasm'? I mean, every woman love one of those."
"I pride myself on making sure every woman I meet gets one of those." The more Vincent flirts, the smoother it felt. "How about I make you something I excel exceptionally well at, it's been said no man beats me at it."
She watched his hands gather the necessary ingredients and proceed to create a sparkling, light blue cocktail which he placed before her in a tall glass.
"What's this that you supposedly excel at?" Zaren asked as she sipped it.
"Clitoral stimulation."
He grinned at her when she coughed, and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Liar! This is a simple Blue Lagoon cocktail!"
Caught out, he smiled instead and put away the bottles he used and wiped the counter.
"How did you get here so fast after leaving you in the restaurant?" he asked.
Zaren idly stirred the drink with a black straw, "Got a taxi. Kinda thought you could do with my help."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Vincent idly picked up several dirty glasses from a nearby table and placed them in the sink, mind whirling as he formed a plan and gathered courage to carry it out.
"Can I make it up to you?" he tested the waters cautiously.
"What do you mean?" she replied, clearly interested.
"Let me take you on a date? I mean a proper one that I've organised and not my friends? You don't have to feel obliged to go but…"
"I love to." Her voice cut through his defensive rambling, the usually smooth Vincent who dodged death with a cool-ness unmatched by any elite soldier was nervous.
"What?" he jerked his attention fully on the woman who sat on the high bar stool, with her chin resting on her hand, earrings and eyes sparkling in the light as she smiled.
"I said I love to Vincent."
He blinked at her, then a small smile spread across his lips and he nodded, finally content with the outcome of the scenario he dreaded.
"I better be off soon, can you call me a taxi?" she eyed the clock above the bar showing it was nearly three in the morning.
He did so, and when it arrived, he walked her to it.
"I know you'll probably won't believe me but despite how this evening turned out, I had fun." Zaren turned to him with her coat draped over her arm.
"I'm thankful then for that small mercy. Hopefully the next time I'll do better."
Vincent opened the back door of the taxi.
"Let me know when and I'll be there." She grinned.
Vincent bent down and handed the driver several Gils to cover Zaren's journey home, as he stood up he felt Zaren's warm lips pressed against him own in a simple kiss and all the nerves in his body jangled.
She pulled away, a smile upon her face as her eyes darkened with lust, "See you later Vincent."
He swallowed and for a second, he feared he'd been robbed of his voice until he found it, weak and hoarse. "Y-yeah. Take care; call me when you get home to let me know you're safe."
She got in the back of the taxi and closed the door. With a final wave, the taxi took off down the dark street, leaving a stunned man standing alone in the cold.
Though a simple kiss, so quick it was that even he couldn't react to it, it hinted at all the possible things that could be with Zaren. Like dark nights in her arms, black lace stockings, perfume, tight heat and lazy morning languishing in bed together.
He shivered, not with the cold but with something else and decided to head back into the bar and to bed.
He checked on Marlene after he locked up the bar and readied himself for bed.
The girl's nightlight was on and cast the room in an orange glow as Marlene stirred to look at him with wide sleepy eyes.
"You ok?"
The girl nodded and pulled her blanket closer.
"Uncle Vinnie?" came her small voice. "I like your girlfriend, she's nice. Do you like her?"
Smiling at her question, he nodded, "I like her a lot now go to sleep."
She didn't answer, her eyes already closed in sleep.
