[Author's Quickie: Finally. I started Project Trinity up again. I know, I know, took me a year and half, right? Ah, well. You can't rush inspiration. As I had promised, the second part of this fanfic will be…different. Alternate Universe, as in reality. Dark. I'm not quite sure how I want to press the "reincarnation" bit from earlier chapters, but somehow I'll work it in. No fear! Basically, this can be a stand-alone fic, but there will be a tie-in from the first part. Well, read on.]

Project Trinity:

The Second Loop

Chapter 14, Prologue

She found herself, again, alone.

Brushing a polished nail past the gleaming black granite countertop, she idly waited for her boyfriend--no, fiance--to emerge from the office. When a secretary came to stand dutifully by her side and asked if she would like some tea, Aerith swiftly declined, shaking her head. The secretary retreated back to her desk, immediately immersing herself into her work.

Sighing, Aerith shook out her hair and stared down at the glossy black desk. He was always late, always busy. Of course, she vaguely surmised that being CEO of an international company would do that to someone, but still... Wistfully, she leant her chin on her elbow and drifted into childhood memories.

"Aerith?" At the sound of his voice, she looked up and stood from her chair, an easy smile already appearing on her face. Cloud, a few feet away, smiled slightly in return and motioned towards his office, indicating that he wanted to talk to her inside. As she walked towards him, he took her gently by the elbow in a tender, reassuring grip.

She smiled nervously, a little anxious to see him, and little worried. Worried? No! She was fine. Absolutely fine. As they entered the double glass doors that led to his office, Cloud closing it firmly behind him, she started talking to hide her anxiety.

"I missed you," she said breathlessly, wrapping her slender arms around his neck. She inhaled deeply, the scent of his light cologne filling her nostrils with its deep, warm scent. Cloud chuckled, an amused grin on his face as he pecked her softly on the cheek.

"What, already? It's only been two days," he replied, swinging her legs over his arms and carrying her over to the leather sofa.

She sighed, a little put-out by his careless remark. "It's just... I..."

"You're worried about the wedding," he correctly surmised. He nuzzled her cheek affectionately, his breath warm on her skin. "Don't. Everything will be fine."

Although her head was swimming with emotions, she tried to stay level-headed. Resolutely, she pulled away from his touch and leant back, brushing away the hurt look he sent her. "Cloud, please. The wedding's only three months away. I...I'm panicked," she confessed, tugging on his suit sleeve.

"It's okay," he said soothingly, tracing the outline of her small face with his fingers. She shuddered from his light touch, lifting her face up as a sunflower did to the sun. His voice was so reassuring, so warm. She could trust him. He had saved her life, and, more importantly, it was love... "Just leave that up to my parents and the wedding designers. Everything will be okay, I promise." Just as his lips grazed hers for a brief moment, his cell phone rang and he groaned, pulling back. "Sorry," he mouthed as he held his phone up to his ear, already walking towards the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room. "Mr. Hayasaka? Yes, yes...The business proposal...? Of course, I shall personally oversee the process..."

Silently Aerith sat up on the sofa, her long hair tumbling loose from the barrette that had held it together. As she watched Cloud walk away farther and farther, she felt the security blanket that had momentarily covered her being torn away. Two months. Two months was a long time. But a lifetime was even longer. Till Death do us part...

She tried to reason with herself. It would be okay. Trust Cloud. But her heart screamed bloody murder.

* * *

"But, Miss Gainsborough..." the man interjected, obviously displeased with her request, "I'm not sure that's wise..."

Defiantly she stared him down, even if she was a full foot shorter, determined to have her way on at least this. "I'm only going to browse the stores downtown. There's no need for you to accompany me into Victoria's Secret, is there?" she said, a grim smile on her face.

"Well...err...." Flustered, the bodyguard tried a last ditch effort, his brown eyes darkening in displeasure. "But Mr. Strife had ordered me to protect you..."

"I'll be perfectly fine," Aerith insisted, opening the car door. "If you want, you can watch me from the window. Just don't follow me." She slammed the door of the black Mercedes Benz closed, walking purposefully to the crowded sidewalk. The bodyguard watched helplessly for a moment, then lost sight of her in the crowd. She heard the engine rumble to life, and caught a glimpse of the car as the driver drove off into the thick traffic.

Good, Aerith thought in satisfaction, some quality time alone. When would Cloud stop sending those bodyguards to watch over her, like some broody mother hen? True, there was some disturbing reports of shady underground crime groups stirring, but it wasn't as if they were going to assault her or anything, right? Most people had no idea who she was, but with a tall man dressed in a black suit standing stiffly behind her everywhere she went, it didn't take a law degree to figure out she was somehow important. It was like having the sign "Kidnap me for a lot of money!" hanging over her head.

Aerith glanced scrutinizingly at the front window display of a clothing store, a trifle disgusted by the gaudy print clothes. No way in hell was anyone that skinny. Stores always had the annoying habit of pinning back the shirts so that they seemed waist-trim, when in reality they flapped upon a body like bed sheets. She passed on down the street aimlessly, enjoying being in the middle of a vibrantly alive city, her shoulder bag dangling off the edge of her arm. Cold blue eyes glinted in the sunlight a few steps away.

She ducked into The Limited, browsing the racks for a nice pair of black pants. Alongside of her aisle, a young woman a few years older than her was selecting an ultra-tiny red tube top. As Aerith passed by a mirror, she glanced ruefully down at her own plain white blouse and khaki skirt, wondering how on earth she had ever gotten Cloud to love her. Multi-millionaires get the pick of the harvest, after all.

Shaking her dismal thoughts out of her head, Aerith walked on, gathering a handful of Johnny collar t-shirts in her arms and bringing them to the fitting room.

She didn't get very far, though.

Because the man that had been watching all this time finally struck.

And in a heartbeat, he had already knocked her unconscious with a blow to the side of the head, gathered her in his arms, and left by the back door.

The lion pendant jingled on his chain as he ran, glinting silver in the sunlight.

* * *

[Ending notes: A hefty first chapter, no? I'm quite sure half of you are like "Wow!" and the other half are going "What the hell was that?" Argh. Stick with me, peoples. The storyline will come true in the end.]