A/N: Hello everyone! Ah, it's November 1st today! Fall is really starting to kick in…
I see that no-one of you expected that character to show up, huh? Heh, heh… This chappy is the conclusion of the mission everyone! Enjoy it!
Chapter 17: A near miss
Quistis walked around the Great Hall, holding a glass of champagne. She was soon spotted by Lucius Wallace, who came rushing towards her.
- "There you are Quistis! What took you so long dear? I've missed my stunning dancing partner…" he said grabbing her hand.
- "Sorry about that… I just needed to freshen up a bit…" said Quistis.
- "Shall we resume our dancing then?" asked Wallace extending his hand towards her.
- "Sure…" said Quistis taking it.
Lucius Wallace was indeed a great dancer. He knew exactly how to enchant a woman and treat her like a princess. Quistis could have easily fallen under his charms if it weren't for Seifer 'I must be really crazy…' she thought as she looked into Lucius' grey eyes 'This man has exactly everything I ever wanted in a relationship. He's kind, polite, charming, decent and successful… The only thing Seifer has over him is good looks…'. 'Are you sure about that?' said a nagging voice in the back of her head 'Seifer maybe one of the most arrogant creatures ever to walk on this planet, but you know perfectly well he's got a good heart.' the voice continued 'He proved it more than well when he saved you only six days ago. Face it Quistis… He really likes you…'
- "Yeah right…" mumbled Quistis under her breath.
- "What was that dear?" asked Wallace, waking her up from her trance.
- "Nothing…" said Quistis startled "I was just thinking about the mission…"
- "What about it?"
- "Well, things seem to be going fairly well so far… No suspicious-looking characters around…"
- "Yes, indeed… Maybe this will actually turn out to be a quiet night after all…"
- "Let's not make any hasty deductions yet…"
- "You're right… We have so much more to think about…" said Wallace, giving Quistis a meaningful look, kissing her hand. Quistis blushed and pretended to look away casually "Before you left, we were talking about something, right?"
- "If you'd be so kind as to remind me…" said Quistis, pretending not to remember.
- "I was telling you how beautiful you are and how I would love to see you again sometime after this party…" said Wallace smiling warmly at her.
- "Lucius… You're a really charming man. I can't tell you how much you interest flutters me, but…" began Quistis.
- "No 'buts'… If you like me as well, what more is there to discuss?"
- "I never said I liked you… Not in the way you'd want me to at least…"
- "Why? Is there someone else?"
- "No…" lied Quistis "I just don't see you that way, that's all…"
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Seifer wandered around the Great Hall, looking carefully at each and every face in the room. At some point he turned his microphone back on.
- "Nida?" he said.
- "Yes Seifer?" Nida replied.
- "Who's that guy over by your section? The one with the ponytail, the waiter." asked Seifer.
- "I dunno… Doesn't seem familiar…"
- "Did we meet him when they were introducing us to the staff?"
- "I don't recall seeing his face… Then again, I could be wrong… Ask someone else…"
- "Right…" said Seifer, still eyeing the waiter suspiciously "Zell?" he called through the microphone "Zell, do you copy? Zell? Oy, Chicken-wuss!"
- "I swear to Hyne Seifer, if you call me that one more time, I…" came Zell's angry voice.
- "You weren't responding, it was the only way to catch you attention." Seifer interrupted him "Now shut up and listen to me. See that guy over at Nida's section? With the blond ponytail?"
- "Yeah… What about him?"
- "Do you recall seeing him before? When we were meeting the staff I mean…"
- "*Pause* No… Now that you mention it, where the hell did he pop up from?" replied Zell.
- "Thought so… Keep an eye on him, OK? I will too."
- "Roger that…" said Zell cutting the connection.
Seifer looked around to find Quistis and saw her dancing with Wallace. He decided not to think much of it and contacted her through the microphone.
- "Quistis?" he said.
- "Seifer?"
- "Yeah, it's me… Listen, I spotted some guy I think…" he began, but the connection was cut off "Quistis? Quistis? Dammit!"
Seifer took off his microphone and tried to figure out what had happened, when he saw the waiter approach Quistis and Wallace "Shit!" he said and leaving his tray on a nearby table, he rushed over to them…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "You don't need that…" said Wallace, removing the microphone from Quistis' ear.
- "Lucius, what are you doing? I have to be able to communicate with my colleagues!" said Quistis annoyed "It's for your own safety…"
- "The others can handle it just fine…" he said placing the microphone in his pocket "Besides, we were talking…"
- "Lucius, give me back the microphone. It's important!" said Quistis angrily.
- "Champagne sir?" asked a waiter with a blond ponytail.
- "No thank you. Now if you could please give us some privacy here…" said Wallace, but was cut in mid-sentence.
The blond man threw his tray aside and in lightning speed took out a knife. He grabbed Quistis from behind and passing an arm right in front of her neck to block it, he stuck the knife right next to her throat. Zell quickly ran from his position towards them. All the guests turned around to see what had happened and soon screams were heard from many women present. Seifer froze right in place when the man threatened to kill Quistis. He was only a few feet away from them. If only he'd rushed there faster…
- "Now Wallace, if you don't want your little bitch to snuff it, you and I are going to have a private conversation…" said the man threateningly.
Wallace stood still, not knowing how to react. Quistis groaned as the man tightened the grasp on his neck. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the man's arm and raised her leg to give him a kick, square on the face. She succeeded and the man lost his balance for a few seconds. Swiftly, she shoved the knife away from his hand.
- "Zell! Throw me my whip, quickly!" she yelled at the blond-haired martial artist.
Zell swiftly took out her whip, which he'd been carrying and made a move to throw it at her. However, he was soon cut off by the man in ponytail; he'd regained his balance and was quick enough to draw a hidden gun from his suit jacket.
- "Not so fast!" he yelled pointing the gun at Quistis "That wasn't a very smart thing to do lassie…" said the man smirking, wiping his bleeding lip with his other hand "Goodbye…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It all happened in slow motion. Quistis' eyes went wide open as the man went about to shoot her. The room got suddenly silent and the only sound heard was the clicking sound of the gun, getting ready to fire. Her whole life passed right before her eyes in fast-forward as she thought that this was really 'it'. The man went into a fit of horrible laughter as his finger drew close to the trigger. Right then, out of nowhere, Seifer appeared. Jumping in mid-air he launched himself on top of the man. With one arm he shoved the shooter's hand upwards, sending the bullet flying up towards the roof, while with the other he pushed him down to the floor with him. The man fell face first, while Seifer landed on top of him, right on his back. With a swift move, he swung out his Hyperion and brought it dangerously close to the man's neck.
- "One wrong move and I'll slit your fucking throat." he said breathlessly.
The entire room erupted into applause as the man surrendered. Quickly, guards from inside the mansion rushed forward to arrest the man. Zell walked over to Seifer and helped him up, congratulating him on his success. Wallace turned his full attention to Quistis and kept asking her if she felt alright. She did nothing but ignore him though, as she kept her eyes locked on Seifer's. He turned and looked at her too. He mouthed the words 'Are you OK?'. Quistis replied 'I'm fine.' in the same manner. Seifer's lips upturned into a smile. 'Thank you…' said Quistis mouthing the words.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The guests left right after the whole matter had gotten cleared. It appeared that the man was sent by one of Wallace's political rivals for a matter that was never brought to light. Rumors had it that Wallace was connected with many drug-dealing circuits, but no official charges could be made, due to lack of evidence. All seven SeeDs returned to their quarters after the incident. They'd be returning to Balamb Garden first thing in the morning.
Seifer was the last one to get back to his room, as he had a lot of difficulty escaping from the reporters who rushed over to the mansion as soon as the incident got known. He tiredly walked inside his pitch dark bedroom and closed the door behind him. He let out a big sigh and leaned with his back against the door. He couldn't help but smile after tonight's success; he was more than certain to get a promotion by Cid. Plus, he'd once again saved Quistis from certain death… And yet again, he did everything by instinct; he didn't pause to think for a single second. He smiled when he recalled the look on her face when she had thanked him just a couple of hours ago. He sighed once again and pulled his bow-tie loose, flicking the lights on at the same time.
He was surprised to see none other than Quistis, sitting on his bed, still fully dressed in her ruby gown.
- "Hey… How'd you get in here?" he asked smiling, approaching her.
Quistis didn't answer, just held out a small bar of metal, similar to the one he'd used the night before; Seifer let out a small laugh. Quistis got up from bed and approached him.
- "So… Are you OK after what happened tonight? 'Cause when I saw you, you were kind of pale and…" Seifer began, but Quistis interrupted him, by drawing him into a fiery kiss.
She grabbed the white shirt he was wearing and pulled his face right onto hers. Seifer was caught off guard and his eyes shot wide open from Quistis' gesture. She never said a word, just kissed him passionately. She moved her hands on his face, while he held her waist. Without any further ado, she removed his cardigan and bow-tie, throwing them onto the floor and started unbuttoning his shirt. Seifer still felt dazed by her boldness and his mind was still confused by the events that took place before, so he just let everything into her hands. Quistis quickly removed his shirt as well and started kissing his chest and neck. She moved her hands to the zipper of her dress and swiftly pulled it down, leaving it on the floor. She kissed him yet again and started undoing his pants. When those too were removed she pulled away. She held Seifer's hands and pulled him towards the bed. She gently pushed him on it and lied on top of him. She held his face in both hands and looked deep into his eyes. Then, she spoke for the first and last time that night.
- "I love you…"
She kissed him deeply once more and began removing her underwear…
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A/N: OK, OK… Before you rush and start going 'Whoo-hoo! She told him she loves him!' and stuff, keep this in mind: Things aren't always as they seem to be. Meaning, that before you either get excited about it, or start cursing me because you though it was way too soon, wait for the next chapter!
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'LOVE CONQUERS ALL':
How will things be the next morning after what Quistis said to Seifer?
What will happen when the mission team returns to Garden?