A/N: 'Ello my pretties…
Hope you've had a pleasant weekend… Mine was crap since the Republicans won the elections… :-p
BTW, we've had a small change of plans. I know I said that in this chapter you'd read about Irv and Selph questioning witnesses, but I realized that it would be…. BORING. So I took my beta's advice and picked up the pace of the story a bit. This was supposed to be the chapter after the one with the witnesses, but there was no point in delaying it. So there ya go. Oh, and the '****' indicate there's text missing. You'll see what I mean.
Last chapter summary: Quistis and Seifer come very close in revealing something about Faris Chang's past. Meanwhile, Seifer reveals to Quistis the true story of his childhood and gives her a promise.
~*The Beginning, is the End, is the Beginning*~
A sequel to 'Love Conquers All'
By: Sickness in Salvation
Chapter 9: Secrets held within
Quistis buttoned up her brown coat tightly. She glanced around the room, checking if she was leaving anything behind. The full suitcase stood against the wooden wardrobe across her. Quistis slipped her hand in her pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. She stepped over to the bed, where the tall frame of a sleeping Seifer was laid. She covered his bare chest up with the blanket and left the note on the pillow next to him. Ever-so-gently, she leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, softly raking a hand through his fair spikes of hair. Seifer didn't stir. Quistis walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed her suitcase. She made her way to the doorway, taking one last look at Seifer before she left. Edea was waiting for her at the entrance, dressed in her sleeping gown, a thick woolen stole wrapped around her bare shoulders.
- "I'm off, Matron." she said, letting her suitcase rest on the floor momentarily "Tell Seifer I'll be back as soon as possible."
- "Why can't you stay until he wakes up? He'll be very disappointed…" Edea said, as Quistis hugged her.
- "Squall called early and said I should get there as soon as possible." the blonde replied "My absence is starting to look suspicious."
- "As you wish my daughter. Call me when you arrive, alright?" the older woman said.
- "I will. Bye Matron." Quistis replied, picking up her suitcase, stepping outside the small white building.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The blonde Instructor ran her fingers down the cold window of the SeeD aircraft, as the first morning rays lightened up the horizon. Suddenly, her cell-phone rang, piercing the up to now eerie silence inside the airborne craft. She retrieved it from her coat pocket and answered the call.
- "Hello?"
- "Quistis? This is Squall. Where are you?" her brown-haired friend asked.
- "I'm airborne. Left about twenty minutes ago." replied Quistis.
- "Good, good. Just calling to fill you in. Rinoa will be waiting for you outside Deling. You should be there in about seven hours. Take the time difference into consideration too, and you'll be there late at night." Squall said "Make sure you get some rest."
- "I will, Squall." Quistis replied, rubbing her sore temples.
- "Right. You go in, complete the operation and then head straight back to Garden. It should take very long. Sorry to drag you from Centra and send you off in a mission immediately, but I can't send anyone else. Irvine and Selphie have already left to go question witnesses, Zell has classes to teach and obviously, I can't go."
- "It's alright." Quistis reassured him "Besides, I've been dying for something to do all this time. I will be able to return to Centra though, right?"
- "As promised, you'll spend a couple of days here to appear clean, and then you can go back." the young Commander replied.
- "Great. Is that all?"
- "Yes, that's all. Give Rinoa a call when you're getting there, alright?"
- "OK. Bye Squall."
- "Bye."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The silence outside the Deling Mortuary was only disturbed by the rumor of leaves, slowly swaying to the light breeze which blew that night. A small squirrel wandered around the roots of the tree right outside the building. All of a sudden, a pair of boots hit the ground with a thud, making the animal squeak and dash away. Another thud, and a second figure joined the first one. Both were dressed in black, bodies totally covered. Only their eyes were left bare. The tallest one stealthily moved towards the tree, resting its back against it. The other one followed.
- "No guards outside." Quistis whispered to Rinoa.
- "Alright. On the count of three, we make a run for it." replied the brunette "One, two, three!"
The two women dashed as silently as possible towards the entrance, sticking their backs against the wall once there. Footsteps were heard from inside the building, through the door. Quistis moved a finger to her covered lips. The sentry standing behind the counter at the reception had gotten up and was now walking towards the entrance, to check out the hardly audible disturbance he'd heard. Rinoa took out a white hanky and a small bottle, pouring some liquid onto the hanky. The door opened and the guard's head poked out. Quistis gave Rinoa a firm nod and grabbed the guard's front shirt, pulling him forward. The man stumbled and fell to the ground. Right on cue, Rinoa rushed over to him and covered his mouth and nose with the wet hanky. The man struggled in protest for a few seconds, but soon passed out.
- "We've got about an hour, before he wakes up." Quistis said "Let's make the most of it."
Rinoa nodded and made a nod towards the fence. Angelo dashed towards his mistress within seconds. Rinoa pet his head and pointed her index finger in front of her lips. Angelo remained silent. Quistis pushed the glass front door open and walked inside, silently followed by Rinoa and her dog. The blonde skidded towards the stairway, ascending up as quietly as possible. She stuck her back against the wall and slipped her hand into her pocket. She retrieved a big piece of paper, unfolding it. She showed it to Rinoa, pointing at the room on the floor above they should be heading to. Rinoa nodded and Quistis folded the blueprints of the building that Shizuka had given to Rinoa. The Instructor went up the remaining last steps, keeping her ears peeled for any sounds. Carefully, she scanned the corridor in front of her. A guard had just passed by and was heading down the hallway, with his back turned to them. Quistis beckoned Rinoa to step up with her index finger and made a run towards the door they wanted. Acting quickly, she slid a credit card through the crack of the door, unlocking it. Hastily, she stepped inside and motioned to Rinoa to wait. She looked down at the hallway and saw the guard turning to the right, disappearing to another corridor many feet away. Quistis nodded and Rinoa dashed into the open door, closely followed by Angelo. When they were both safely inside, Quistis closed the door behind them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rinoa's gloved fingers flew through the dusted files inside the large cabinet 'Dammit… Why did Connelly's last name have to begin with a 'C'?! There must be thousands of files in here!' she thought. The small black torch was now wedged between her clenched teeth, lighting the cabinet. Angelo was standing on his hind legs and had his front paws resting on the edge of the cabinet. Quistis was right next to her, looking into another cabinet containing the files of people's names that started with a 'C'. 'Cibil, Cidoran, Cininstra, oof, Connor … oops, missed it…Conel, Connelly… Oh! Connelly, Sirius! Got it!' Rinoa thought.
- "Quisty, I found it!" whispered Rinoa excitedly, pulling out the file, accompanied by a cloud of dust.
The two girls coughed and fanned the air in front of them to rid the dust. Rinoa handed Quistis the file, who opened it and skimmed along till she reached the autopsy report.
- "There we are…" said Quistis creasing her forehead "Here's what it says:"
Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Deling County Medical Examiner's District
Deling County, Galbadia
4 Privet Drive, Deling City, Galbadia 79734-4049
(817) 945-8999 FAX (817) 945-4932
AUTOPSY REPORT
NAME: SIRIUS F. CONNELLY
Case No: 981110T
Approximate Age: 52 years
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 170 pounds
Sex: Male
We hereby certify that on the thirty-first day of December 2003, pursuant to Statute 49.25 of Galbadia Criminal Code, an autopsy on the body of Sirius F. Connelly was performed at the Deling County Medical Examiner's Office in Deling City, Galbadia and upon investigation of the essential facts concerning the circumstances of the death and history of the case, we are of the opinion that the cause of death was as follows:
CAUSE OF DEATH: MULTIPLE CUTS INFLICTED ON CHEST, FATAL GUNSHOT WOUND ON HEAD
MANNER OF DEATH: UNNATURAL
ANATOMICAL SUMMARY:
I. Gunshot wound of head, through-and-through.
A. Entry – center of forehead, contact wound.
B. Course – skin, front retro-orbital, frontal bone, right above nasal bone, back (retro) orbit.
C. Exit – back of skull.
D. Trajectory – front to back.
II. Gunblade wounds on chest (17)
A. Course - chest wall, left hemithorax,
B. Trajectory - downward 45 degrees, right to left.
C. Fractures of left 6th and 8th ribs.
*******
COMMENT:
Mr. Sirius F. Connelly was 52 years of age at the time of his death. He was discovered in his Holiday Mansion in the Outskirts of Deling City already deceased, in his study. The exact downtime is estimated around 02:00 a.m. on the 31st of December 2003. The Forensics vehicle arrived at 02:17 a.m. and he was transported to John Peter Smith Mortuary in Deling City, where this autopsy was performed.
Records obtained from Federal Medical Facility in Fort Worth indicate that Mr. Connelly [sic] had no clinical history of severe illnesses or injuries.
98111 OT Sirius F. Connelly Page 3 of 9
Signature John A. Matthews, M.D.
Signature Andrew Potter, M.D.
A CERTIFIED COPY ATTEST DECEMBER 31ST, 2003 ANDREW POTTER, M.D. CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER DELING COUNTY, GALBADIA BY [signature] KYNDRA HAILSTORM
*******
GROSS ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION
Photo 1: Identification
I. CLOTHING AND PERSONAL EFFECTS: The body is presented to the
Morgue secured in a body bag and clad in:
1. Navy blue pajama shirt (cut)
2. Navy blue pajama bottoms
3. Pair of white socks
*******
Ill. EXTERNAL BODY DESCRIPTION:
The body is that of a normally developed, well-nourished and well-hydrated, adult Caucasian male appearing somewhat younger than the given age of 52 years, with a body length is 70 inches and body weight is 170 pounds (175 cm, 85 kg). The body is well-preserved, unembalmed and cool post refrigeration. Rigor is fully developed. Lividity is developed, posterior, dependent, purple and slightly blanchable.
The scalp is covered by short, straight gray and occasional brown hair with frontal, sagittal and slight occipital pattern baldness. The face is shaven. Body hair is male distribution and average.
*******
TOXICOLOGY TEST RESULTS:
OFFICE OF CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER ANDREW POTTER, M.D., DABFP
TOXICOLOGY LABORATORY SERVICE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER
4 PRIVET DRIVE SERENA STEINFIELD, PH.D., DABFT
DELING CITY, GALBADIA 76104 CHIEF TOXICOLOGIST
NAME: SIRIUS F. CONNELLY PRIORITY: 1
M.E. CASE NUMBER: 981110T M.E. TOX NUMBER: 980204T-00
BLOOD ETHANOL NEG
URINE ETHANOL NEG
URINE CANNABINOIDS ADX NEG
URINE COCAINE ADX NEG
URINE OPIATES ADX NEG
BLOOD CYANIDE NEG
URINE CYANIDE NEG
GASTRIC CYANIDE NEG
BLOOD ABN (HEART) POS FLUOXETINE 2.720 UG/ML
BLOOD ABN (FEMORAL) POS FLUOXETINE 0.778 UG/ML
URINE ABN POS FLUOXETINE 0.770 UG/ML
GASTRIC ABN POS FLUOXETINE 4.200 UG/ML
LIVER FLUOXETINE POS FLUOXETINE 61.410 UG/ML
BLOOD ABN (HEART) POS NORFLUOXETINE 1.960 UG/ML
BLOOD ABN (FEMORAL) POS NORFLUOXETINE 0.617 UG/ML
URINE ABN POS NORFLUOXETINE 2.280 UG/ML
GASTRIC ABN POS NORFLUOXETINE 1.070 UG/ML
LIVER NORFLUOXETINE POS NORFLUOXETINE 49.810 UG/ML
JACOB W. LEWIS
- "Hmmm…" hummed Rinoa "Nothing unusual there…" she said.
- "Yes, but how could we tell if it's genuine?" asked Quistis suspiciously.
- "You think it's not?" asked Rinoa.
- "Well, according to Zell and Selphie's story, the supposed crime scene was probably bogus, so why not the autopsy as well?" the blonde replied.
- "It does say who performed the autopsy, right?" asked the teenage sorceress.
- "Yeah, Doctor," said Quistis, searching the document "Steinberg. Doctor Peter Steinberg."
- "Think we could have a talk with him?" suggested Rinoa "Y'know, see if he seems trustworthy or something…"
- "Not a bad idea… Not at all… Let's write his name down…" said Quistis, reaching into her pocket.
The blonde woman retrieved a small notebook and a pen from her pocket and noted down the doctor's name.
- "We'll have Zuka perform a search on him and find his residence. Then, we'll pay him a little visit…" said Quistis, putting the notebook and pen back in place.
- "Are we done then?" asked Rinoa.
- "I was hoping we could get a copy of the autopsy, but I don't see a Xerox machine anywhere…" replied Quistis, looking around her.
- "Copy it down on paper. That's the best we can do." said Rinoa.
- "I suppose you're right…" said Quistis "Gimme five minutes and we can go…"
Rinoa looked around curiously, Angelo following right behind her. She read through some files just out of curiosity, making sure she put them back in place after she did. After a couple of minutes Quistis had copied down all the information on the autopsy report and returned Connelly's file in its original position. The two girls made certain they'd left no signs of their presence in the office and got ready to leave.
They both wore their black masks turned off their torches and quietly walked to the door. Quistis extended her gloved palm towards the door handle, getting ready to open it. Out of the blue, she felt her head spin, staggered a bit and took an abrupt step forward, to keep her balance. Rinoa put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her in concern.
- "Quistis, are you alright?" she asked.
- "I'm fine." Quistis replied a bit too quickly "Keep quiet now, we're going out…"
The Instructor slowly pulled the handle and opened the door. Stealthily, both women and Angelo moved outside and Quistis closed the door behind her. They speedily moved to the stairway, descending to the floor below, the bottom floor. Quistis, who was moving in front, came to a halt suddenly and motioned to Rinoa to backtrack. The two girls stuck their backs on the wall and Quistis moved her index finger to her lips. A guard patrolling the floor was passing by the stairway and they had almost been seen. Quistis and Rinoa held their breaths for a fair whole minute until it was safe again. Quistis slowly slid her back across the wall and barely poked her head out to get a clear view of the hallway. The guard was now out of sight and they could move freely. She beckoned Rinoa to follow her with her index finger and stepped down the few remaining stairs. The blonde gazed down at both directions of the hallway and broke into a quiet run towards the right. Rinoa and Angelo followed suit behind her and skidded down the hallway.
Suddenly, Rinoa accidentally stepped onto Angelo's tail, making him howl in pain. The sound of Angelo's wail echoed among the walls piercing the eerie silence of the corridor. Both girls stopped on their tracks and winced at the sound. Footsteps were heard from afar and within seconds the guard that had passed by them before came running to the far end of the hallway.
- "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!" he shouted and sprinted towards them.
- "Shit! Run!" hissed Quistis and all three broke into a run.
Many feet behind them, the man took out his transmitter, alerting every guard in the building. Quistis Rinoa and Angelo were already at the entrance when the first guards arrived down to the bottom floor. The blonde and the brunette ran towards the fence and began climbing up. Angelo crawled down to his hole and quickly slipped to the other side. About five men came barging out seconds later, while the girls were still on the top of the fence. Rinoa swiftly jumped down, but Quistis remained up, as if frozen in spot. She looked down to the ground and saw it spinning, twirling around like crazy. She held her forehead with one palm and wobbled unsteadily. The guards were now outside and were gradually gaining on her.
- "What are you doing?!" shouted Rinoa from below, while Angelo barked "Jump!"
Quistis didn't stir. Rinoa bit her lip anxiously and tried to think quickly.
- "Angelo!" she said eventually "Go get them, boy!" she ordered, pointing at the guards now feet away from the fence.
Angelo barked and slipped back down the hole, passing on to the other side. He stood right in front of the fence and began barking menacingly at the men, baring his teeth. The guards stopped in their tracks, threatened by the dog.
- "Come on!" shouted Rinoa to Quistis "Jump! You can make it!"
Quistis took one last look down to the ground.
- "I… I…" she mumbled.
Her vision was beginning to grow hazy. It all seemed like a bad dream; Rinoa's shouts and pleads to her to jump down, Angelo's loud barks and the guards' voices, were all mixed in her head in a frenzy. She had to jump down, they had to escape…
A flash of Seifer's face rushed inside her head. They were in the cemetery in Centra together…
I feel like my life is finally piecing itself back in place… I'm getting 'reunited' with the people I love most…
I have you…
We have each other…
Seifer… She needed to get back safe to help him… Rinoa… She had to get down so they could leave… The sounds were all beginning to sound more and more muffled and distorted. Blurry images of Angelo chasing the guards back to the building flashed before her eyes in slow motion. She had to move, she couldn't stay there…
I have you…
Rinoa's shouts were becoming more and more intense, but all she could hear was an eerie silence, pumping in her mind. She read Rinoa's lips:
- "JUMP!"
We have each other…
- "Seifer… I… I can't…"
And then the world went black…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "How high was the fence?"
- "About ten feet."
- "Did she get hurt?"
- "I don't think so… I caught her…"
- "Were you hurt?"
- "I think I just twisted my ankle a bit. I'll be fine."
- "What happened to her?"
- "I don't know… She just… froze. She wouldn't move. She just wobbled around on top of the fence, not moving at all."
- "And then she fainted?"
- "She mumbled something before falling, but I couldn't hear her. Angelo was barking, I was shouting, the guards were yelling… Chaos."
- "Hey, I think she's coming around!"
- "Quistis? Quistis, can you hear me?"
A pair of fair eyelashes fluttered open slowly and Quistis' blues eyes slowly focused. Squall, Rinoa, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Shizuka, Cid and Dr. Kadowaki were all standing above her. They were all looking down at her worriedly. She creased her forehead and tried to sit up on the bed, standing on her elbows.
- "Quistis, do you know where you are?" Dr. Kadowaki's stern, but motherly voice came to her ears.
The blonde looked around her. She was in her and Seifer's dorm and she was lying in their bed, dressed in her nightgown.
- "I'm OK…" she mumbled feebly, touching her pounding forehead.
Sighs of relief came from all directions. Dr. Kadowaki grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. She touched her forehead with one palm and then smiled.
- "She's fine. No fever, steady pulse… Everything is alright." she said.
- "W-what happened?" asked Quistis.
- "You tell us. You fainted." said Squall.
- "Hyne, I was so scared Quisty…" said Rinoa faintly.
Quistis noticed she was still dressed in the black attire they'd worn during their investigation.
- "I'm OK… I just felt really dizzy up there…" said the blonde.
- "You're straining yourself!" Selphie protested "You shouldn't work so hard!"
- "I have to help Seifer-" began Quistis.
- "You won't be of much help to him if you keep collapsing!" Irvine scolded her.
- "C'mon guys…" Zell intervened "Give her a break… She just recovered…"
- "I agree with Zell, but," piped in Cid "They're right. You're working to the edge Quistis. You should rest more often."
- "OK, I-" Quistis tried to speak, but was interrupted again.
- "I don't think you should do any field work for at least a couple of days." said Squall.
- "What?!" protested Quistis, jumping up from bed "You have no right to-"
- "Quistis, we're all saying this for your own good…" said Zuka.
- "If you try to restrain me, I swear to Hyne I'll work twice as hard!" Quistis said stubbornly, crossing her arms in her chest.
- "We called Seifer-" began Cid.
- "You told him about this?!" yelled Quistis.
- "Actually he called you himself and asked why you weren't answering, so we told him." said Zell.
- "He's got enough to worry about right now!" shouted Quistis "You shouldn't load him with even more!"
- "We calmed him down," said Irvine "And he agrees that you should rest for a couple of days. If you don't believe us, call him yourself and he'll tell you."
- "Fine…" mumbled Quistis, falling with her back on the wall behind the bed "I'll stay here and rest, but only for two days!"
- "Glad to hear you agreed…" said Dr. Kadowaki "Now, everyone return to your dorms. I need to examine her a bit more and then let her sleep."
All of them followed the doctor's orders and slowly left the room, leaving the two women alone. The doctor walked over to Quistis' double bed and sat right next to her. Quistis made an attempt to take off her nightgown, for Dr. Kadowaki to examine her, but the latter placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, stopping her.
- "That won't be necessary, Quistis…" she said gently.
- "Oh… Are you going to examine me with my clothes on?" Quistis asked, confused.
- "Actually, I'm not going to examine you. I sent everyone away so we could have a little talk alone…" said the older woman, looking at the blonde meaningfully. Quistis was now even more bewildered.
- "Alright," she said, sitting up on the bed, resting her palms on her lap "What about?"
- "You, just like every student in Garden, have been my patient ever since you set foot in here." began the doctor "Hyne has gifted me with an incredibly good memory, allowing me to remember each and every injury or sickness any student has ever had." Quistis nodded, unsure to where the doctor was taking this "As a result, I'm well aware that you've never had a problem with anemia, or anything else in your blood that could be giving you fainting tensions."
The blonde Instructor bit her lip. She had caught on to what the doctor was trying to say…
- "The quick examination I ran over you, showed nothing wrong." continued Dr. Kadowaki "So I'd like to ask you: Is there anything you wish to tell me?"
- "L-l-like what, doctor?" Quistis stuttered.
- "Like… when was the last time you got your period." the doctor said meaningfully.
- "Umm…" began Quistis, biting her lip again "I always got it during the last week of the month. That's when I didn't take my pills…"
- "Buuut…?"
- "But… I didn't get it at all the previous month…" said Quistis sighing.
- "Why didn't you come to see me?" the doctor almost scolded her.
- "I was intending to, some time after New year's, when I was a week late, but then the whole deal with Seifer came up and I just…" said Quistis, at the verge of tears "I… I didn't think of anything else…"
- "Did you take a pregnancy test all this time?"
- "No… Like I said… I kept my mind busy with helping Seifer…" replied the blonde, now wiping away a few tears from her eyes "I don't get it… I always took my pills… I know I did, because I always emptied the box. I've never forgotten to take one…" Quistis said exasperated.
- "Although contraceptives are the best means of protection against pregnancy, they're not 100% effective." said Dr. Kadowaki matter-of-factly "There a very slight possibility of getting pregnant even when you're using them, only about 0.5-1%, but it's still a possibility…"
- "Great… I just had to fall into the exception, didn't I?" Quistis said resentfully, hugging her knees.
- "Well it's still not confirmed, although it's almost certain that this is the cause of your dizziness… It's not the first time it happened, right?"
- "No…"
- "Any… 'morning sickness'?"
- "Yes…" Quistis said sniffing, burying her head into her folded arms.
The doctor could easily tell she was silently crying, even though her face was hidden. Sighing, she moved closer to her and placed her hands gingerly on the young girl's shoulders.
- "Quistis, listen to me… You can always consider having an abortion, it's your body, but think about it…" Quistis slowly raised her head and looked at the other woman "This child could be a great thing in your and Seifer's life… It will be a part of both of you and it will represent the love you share with him." Quistis narrowed her eyes at the doctor "And don't tell me you don't love him, because it's written all over you both!" said Dr. Kadowaki exasperated.
- "Of course I love him… That's not the problem…" Quistis said, wiping her eyes with the outer part of her palm "First of all, we're both too young and immature to have a baby. I might want it, but I'm quite certain Seifer's not ready for something like this…"
- "Quistis, you'll never know if you don't ask h-"
- "The real problem," Quistis interrupted her "Is the timing. This couldn't have happened at a worse moment. Seifer is out on the run, struggling to prove his innocence and stay out of prison for life. The last thing he needs to hear is that I'm pregnant."
Dr. Kadowaki sighed. Quistis was right; even if the couple had wanted to have a child, the timing was indeed awful. The doctor slid her hand in her pocket and retrieved a small box, resting it on Quistis' nightstand. Quistis glanced at it; a home pregnancy test.
- "Take this some time tonight and come see me tomorrow." said Dr. Kadowaki "When you talk to Seifer about it and you make your decision, we'll talk again, alright?"
- "I'm not telling Seifer." Quistis said firmly, shaking her head.
- "Don't you think he has the right to know?"
- "Maybe, but it'll just be another burden for him that I'm not willing to put him through."
- "It's not my place to interfere," said the older woman sighing "But I still believe you should tell him. Anyway, you'll be the judge of that. I'll see you tomorrow then. Unless you'd like me to stay when you take the test."
- "No. I'd rather be alone…" replied Quistis.
- "Your call." said the doctor, getting up from the bed "Goodnight Quistis."
- "Goodnight…" the blonde mumbled feebly, as she heard the door close behind Dr. Kadowaki.
She looked at the rectangular box resting on her nightstand again. She picked it up and reluctantly got off bed…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "So we run out of the building and head for the fence. We climb upon it quickly and I'd already made it to the ground, when I noticed Quistis wasn't budging."
Rinoa and the rest were all sitting in Zell and Shizuka's room, talking. Selphie was sitting on Irvine's lap on the bed, right next to Zell, while Rinoa, Squall and Shizuka were sitting around the small table inside the dorm, Rinoa slowly sipping a mug of coffee. She still hadn't changed clothes, as everyone wanted to know what had happened during their mission to Deling.
- "I started yelling at her to come down, but she had just frozen up there." the raven-haired girl continued "The guards were gaining on her, so I sent Angelo back again to stall them. I kept calling her to come down for ages, when she just fainted and of course lost balance. Thankfully, I caught her in my arms so that she wouldn't get hurt, but I fell down from the weight and twisted my ankle a bit. I began running as fast as I could towards the car and when I was close enough, I called Angelo. I put Quistis inside the car, Angelo ran is as well and I drove off immediately. I drove to the station and took the next train here. Quistis was 'out' almost all the way to Balamb, although she woke up at some point for seconds. I put her back to sleep because she was obviously exhausted and called Squall to come pick us up when we got back here. And that's about it."
Rinoa finished her narration, taking a big sip of coffee, rubbing her temples.
- "Damn… You were lucky to get out of there alive…" commented Irvine.
- "Yeah… If it wasn't for Angelo, we'd surely have gotten caught…" agreed Rinoa, shooting a sideways glance to Squall.
- "What?! It's not like I've ever forbidden you to take him along…" protested the young Commander.
- "Yes, I believe your exact words were 'Why do you keep dragging that dog along wherever you go? It'll only cause trouble'…" Rinoa said sarcastically.
- "Well he did bark and alerted the guards, didn't he?" Squall asked smirking, folding his arms.
- "Maybe, but he also saved us!" Rinoa retorted.
- "Whatever…" mumbled Squall, shrugging.
- "Speaking of which… Where is Angelo?" asked Zell.
- "I took him back to our dorm when we got here." replied Rinoa.
- "Anyway, wanna hear what we came up with?" Shizuka asked everyone, changing the subject.
- "Sure, go ahead." said Selphie intrigued.
- "It's not much, but here goes…" said the brunette, going through some notes in front of her "Quistis asked me to do a little research on Faris Chang."
- "Y'know…" piped in Zell "That guy Robinson's old girlfriend…"
- "Quistis and Seifer found a connection of her with a certain group…" said Zuka meaningfully "Although it's not necessarily suspicious."
- "Anything protected by an Internet virus obviously wants to remain hidden. If that's not suspicious, then what is?" said Squall.
- "I know, but we can't prove that, can we?" replied Shizuka.
- "What group?" asked Irvine.
- "It was called… 'Aidra', I think." replied Zell.
- "Yes, that's right. 'Aidra'. I tried to do some research on it, but stayed away from the official site. All the articles said that it involved environmental issues. All of them were activists." said Zuka.
- "So nothing that could have connected her to anything illegal of some sort?" asked Selphie.
- "Nope, nothing." replied Shizuka.
- "Although it could be a cover-up for something else, for all we know…" said Zell shrugging.
- "What did you get on the group?" asked Rinoa.
- "Not much. At least nothing wary enough…" said Zell.
- "Nothing?" asked Squall.
- "Well…" said Shizuka, biting her pen "There is something that bugged me, but it's not at all suspicious. Just… a bit weird."
- "What?" asked Irvine.
- "All the members were women." replied the brunette.
- "So?" asked Selphie.
- "It didn't say anywhere on the name of the group that it involved women only." said Zuka "And all the articles made it clear that it didn't have anything to do with feminist issues."
- "Maybe the name of the group stood for something." suggested Rinoa.
- "It wasn't in capitals and there were no periods among the letters." said Zuka.
- "I don't see how that could lead to anything…" Zell said puzzled.
- "I know, I just thought I'd mention it." said Shizuka shrugging "It's probably nothing…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Quistis was standing with her back against the vanity of her bathroom pacing back and forth the floor from time to time. She was shooting glances at a small cup on the counter, while checking her watch every few seconds.
- "Four minutes are up…" she said quietly.
She approached the cup and with two trembling fingers, she slid a small white bar out of it. She brought it close to her and shaking, she looked at the three small boxes in front. They all had a thin blue line on them. Her eyes opened up wide. She gasped and held a hand in front of her mouth. She bit her lip and touched her stomach with one palm. A tear came trickling down her face. It was time to decide whether that tear would be one of joy or desperation…
A/N: YES, she is pregnant OK? Happy now? She has been ever since Chapter 1, but I didn't want you to know right away. However, many of you realized it from the first 'hint'. Kudos to you then ^_~
BTW, I always thought that it was supposed to get pink when you're pregnant, but I read some fics in which they said it turns blue. Aaaanyway…
The Autopsy report is a merging of two actual reports. I wanted it to seem as realistic as possible, so I researched it a bit ^_^ The only thing I can't understand even in the tiniest bit, is the toxicology report. Don't ask what's goin' on there, I'm not even sure if it would look like that in such I case. I just put that in to make it look more professional :-p
ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'THE BEGINNING, IS THE END, IS THE BEGINNING':
Back in Centra, Seifer and Edea talk and come across something very interesting.