Author's Note: A new chapter for Workerbee, yes. I've started on one for Victim as well but I don't know if it'll be up before this one or not. I should really write these Author's Notes after I finish a chapter. My inspiration for writing this story again came from watching "The Notebook" long ago, a movie that practically kept me in tears the entire duration. A beautiful plot, and I am in love with it.
Also, contrary to popular belief, (I don't think anyone really thought this but oh well) I'm not dead! I really lost touch with Victim and just sort of forgot about Workerbee, and then I met my new beau and I stopped EVERYTHING in my life until he went to boot camp . Plus at the end of last year I had a different boyfriend and many terrible things happened, but nevertheless, I'm all right, I'm alive, and most importantly, I'M BACK!
- - - - -
For most people a Monday night meant staying at home and catching up on the work that piled up over the weekend. It was a night meant for quick dinners, little nutrition and very few words. Couples seemed unmarried and uninterested in each other, and for the majority, sex was never an option for the first day of the new workweek.
This, however, was not the case for the spawn of the affluent. Their lives were an endless exhibition of lights, music, dancing and drugs. Without souls or morals, these young people created the stereotype for people their age, wild and out of control.
The techno rock blared all around from the mounted wall speakers set up throughout the penthouse, overlooking a sea of beer bottles, cans and food wrappers. If anyone was still sober enough to wonder what color the floor was, they were out of luck since it was covered with trash. At three o'clock in the morning, the party showed no signs of slowing down. Adults who should be in college but weren't because they had so much money that any sort of an education past high school was extraneous, still danced nonstop, bumping and grinding up against the person closest to them, whether they knew that person or not. Some of the hottest girls in the whole city walked half-naked around the room, others dancing in skirts that should have been considered belts, and shirts that covered less than a brassiere.
Partiers danced atop the couch cushions in the living room, shaking one fist while holding a bottle of beer in the other, careful or course, not to spill the liquid. In the kitchen drinking games were being held, one consisting of a girl sitting on the counter, pinned against the cabinets by a man who was not her boyfriend, her legs spread open revealing what was beneath her skirt, with one arm wrapped around the man's back and the other holding the funnel end of a beer bong high into the air. Without even paying attention to the game, she shrieked with pleasure while trying to make out with the man on top of her. People all around laughed as another man poured an expensive imported beer down the funnel and into the mouth of an already wasted partygoer who could barely keep his lips on the cheap plastic as he snickered, the liquid spilling all over his chest without his knowledge.
All of the penthouse's bathrooms were packed with couples having sex, some with lights on, others without. Bodies were stacked in the bathtub; others pinned in the shower and still others happy on a countertop. The worst of it was that none of the couples realized that any of the others were in the room with them, or that the blonde's boyfriend was making out with a brunette in the same room as she kissed his best friend. The bedrooms were occupied by the kinky partners, the threesomes, orgies and even several rapes. Clothes were strewn about all over the carpet and the lights were dimmed, the music could not be heard over the screams and moans.
The study had been taken over by the drug addicts. All the windows were closed and the air had practically been replaced by smoke. In the middle of the musty space was a coffee table with bagged rocks and prepared white dust. Lines were being set up and the name of the game was to see who could make the longest. Pipes and bongs were being passed around in a circle, and needles were being plunged into the anticubitals of the veteran partiers, and every kind of pill was being passed around like candy.
At midnight the goddess of all parties had showed up. Her presence measured a party's worth, if it was deemed good enough; there was a chance that she would make an appearance. Each night she and her friends of close-knit money-hungry gossipers scoured the town for the most raging social event. She returned to the living room from the kitchen, stumbling and swaying as she walked, her rich chocolate hair hanging about her shoulders like a lion's mane, scruffy and in need of a good brush. She carried a bottle of that same expensive alcohol in one hand and a glass of hard liquor in the other. She managed to make her way to a chair where her best friend sat, waiting for her beer.
"Thanks Hun, this one rocks huh?" Her friend asked.
After several beers, the young virtuoso of the party scene was still alert and awake, unlike most girls her size who would have passed out hours ago. She wore a muted pink bikini halter-top with a red rose on the left breast and a deep burgundy corduroy skirt that barely covered her bottom and left the sides of her pink thong stretched over her hips. Her cappuccino colored platform heels accented her hair of the same color, which had been braided into many pieces earlier that day for the party and pulled back into a messy ponytail with a couple strands shaping her face. A large pink scarf was wrapped around the ponytail and hung down to her shoulders. Her luminous jade colored eyes were fixed on the drink she was bringing to her lips. She chugged half the bottle and set it down hard on the coffee table in front of her, while her friend watched.
"Yeah, it's great." The goddess responded with a smile.
She wore a tiny white mesh tank top that reached down to her midriff and a bright red bra beneath that which barely covered her large breasts. She wore an equally short black skirt and red running sneakers of an expensive label. She laughed aloud as one of the other guests made fun of a girl in the other room. Having always been a lightweight, no matter how many parties she went to in a week, she was beginning to feel the effects of her decisions. She put several fingers to her temple lobe after feeling pain during her laugh. The room had been blurred for a couple hours and she felt her world surrounding her with darkness. She leaned back on the couch and dropped her glass to the floor, her head rolling back as she became the first person of the night to pass out.
- - - - -
Cloud Strife had not been able to concentrate on his work all night. He had been staring at the same floor tile for the past four hours, ever since he had arrived. Since at the present moment there was no real work to be done, Barret had let him sit around in his own world and dream about what he would never have.
"Hey man, you still alive?" Barret finally asked, tapping the young officer on the side of the head, snapping him back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, yea, sorry, I was daydreaming." Cloud responded.
"I know. But let it go man." Barret said, placing a reassuring palm on Cloud's shoulder. "You don't even know her."
"Who?" Cloud asked, confused. Surely Barret didn't know what had been on his mind for the past couple hours.
"You know who. Honestly there's no future in her. Its not worth getting hung up on."
Cloud couldn't help it. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he would have done anything to make her his. He just wanted a chance to talk to her, to convince her that she should be with him. What harm could that do? But he also knew that he would never get that chance. He'd probably never see her again anyway.
"Shit! We got trouble, Barret we need your help!" Charleston, another employee yelled while looking through one of the large windows that made up the front entrance wall and motioning his hand for Barret to come over.
"What's wrong?" Barret asked before looking for himself.
Charleston just pointed to the walkway that lead up to the massive building. At the end and in the darkness an expensive sport utility vehicle had pulled up and two young women had exited and pulled a third girl from the back. The third girl was unconscious and limp as the others laughed and dragged her halfway up the concrete path.
"Aeris shouldn't we take her to her dad's house?" A girl with short black hair wearing a green halter-top and khaki shorts asked.
"Who cares? I can't drive any further." The girl in pink barked at her friend. She leaned over and patted the unconscious woman on the cheek. "Teef, wake up. Come on Teef…its no use."
Aeris tried to stand up but fell back on her bottom and started laughing even louder. The girl with her shook her unconscious friend and pleaded with her to wake up. She too laughed when Aeris tried to stand up.
"Shit Yuffie! There are people here." Aeris laughed as Yuffie's eyes widened. "We've gotta go, come on!" She cried as she staggered back to the car, with Yuffie trailing behind and taking one last look at their friend as they abandoned her and drove off.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Barret groaned while throwing his head down. He thought for a moment and scratched the back of his head. "Let's go bring her in." He moaned.
Cloud watched as Charleston and Barret went outside and hovered over the form of a young woman lying in front of the Shinra building. He wasn't sure who it was, but Barret picked her up and carried her body inside, her head rolled back over his wrist and her hair flowing in the night breeze. He set her down on the floor in front of the security checkpoint and felt for her pulse.
Cloud couldn't believe his eyes as he moved the hair off of the woman's face, revealing none other than Tifa Lockheart. She was filthy and the stench of alcohol emanated from her body and nearly made him gag it was so strong. He sat down next to her and lifted her head off of the cold, hard ground and placed it on his knee. He wasn't thinking about how beautiful she was, he was only concerned with her safety. Barret noticed him stroking her cheek but said nothing, just continued to labor over her form.
"Someone else is taking her tonight cuz I'm sick of this job!" Barret argued while Cloud looked at him, puzzled.
"You mean this isn't the first time that this has happened?" Cloud asked in amazement. Barret rolled his eyes.
"No, it's happened before. Normally I take her home for the night so she can detox without her dad finding out, but this isn't in my job description so one of you saps can deal with her." Randy was the first to offer his services.
"I'll take her!" He said, enthusiastically. Barret glared and shook his head.
"You ask every time and every time I tell you hell no! I ain't trustin her in your care if you was the last guy on earth!" Barret snarled. Randy just looked away. "Whatsa matta? The rest of you all got girlfriends? Shit, that's just great, now I'm stuck with her. Again." Cloud looked around for a moment before attempting his plea, which he didn't expect to work.
"I could take her. I live alone so no one would be bothered by her." He stated, hoping Barret would agree.
"Right, I'm gonna leave her with you. You're as bad as Randy!" Barret yelled, shaking his fists.
"No, no, it's not like that. You said you didn't want her and no one else can take her, I just wanna make sure she's gonna be alright, that's all." Cloud asserted.
Barret hesitated and sighed. He didn't want to allow it, but he knew the only other choice was to suffer through yet another night with a drunken heir. He weighed his consequences and nodded.
"Alright, fine. Take her. But—" He held up his index finger, "you better not lay a dirty hand on her!" Cloud nodded obediently.
"I promise she'll be alright." He added.
"Go, take off early just make sure no one sees you with her." Barret instructed. Again, Cloud nodded.
The young blonde lifted Tifa's head off of his knee and cupped it in the palm of his hand and slowly lowered his hand to her back while placing his other arm beneath her knees to lift her off of the ground. Her arms hung limply at her sides and her head rested against his chest as he carefully shifted her weight and walked out of the building and to his car. He set her down on the pavement and propped her against the passenger side door while he fumbled with his keys.
She stirred. A soft moan escaped her lips and he bent down to brush the hair out of her face, thinking she was waking up. He was dead wrong, and she turned her head to the side and vomited. Cloud grabbed her hair to keep it away from her face and grimaced. He never imagined such a beautiful girl to get so drunk, or that he would be the one to take care of her. When she finished she closed her eyes and slipped away once again. Cloud opened the car door and lifted her into the seat and buckled her seatbelt. As much as he loved being in the same car with her, he couldn't help but feel irritated at her irresponsibility. He just didn't understand how someone could let themselves get to the point that she was at, the point of drunkenness.
He drove slowly, trying his best not to make any sudden stops or movements that might make her vomit in his car. It wasn't a nice car, just a simple sedan, but still he wouldn't be able to deal having to clean up after a stranger, whether she was gorgeous or not.
He arrived at his apartment just a short time later and parked his car. He looked around to see if any lights were on in the complex before proceeding to take Tifa into his arms once again. He carried up to his front door and set her on the ground beside his legs while he took out his key and unlocked the door. He picked her up once again and carried her over the threshold and into his bedroom.
Cloud set the sleeping princess down on his bed and pulled the covers over her body. He brushed her hair away from her face and stroked her cheek. He wanted to stare at her the whole night, but he knew that that would be wrong. He knew that he could spend the rest of his life just looking at her beauty, and wished that he were able to.
Instead of being like most men caught in a situation of such caliber, Cloud Strife would make good on his promise to Barret. Instead of slipping into his bed next to his crush, he retired to the living room and drifted off to sleep on his couch. It wasn't the most comfortable night's sleep he had ever had, but it sure beat waking up to an angry and confused goddess.
- - - - -
She blinked her eyes several times before adjusting to the light of the morning sun. She looked around the monochromatic room trying to comprehend her surroundings. It was not Barret's house, and a wave of fear rolled through her body. Where was she and how did she get here? And who was she with? The room was too small and boring to be that of one of the partygoers, which meant she had been taken by a stranger.
She felt her heart start pumping as she felt over her body for signs of a rape or anything else. She was still wearing her clothes from the night before, except for her shoes, and did not feel as though she had been taken advantage of. But she could not tell for sure what kind of a person would take her from a party and not do anything to her. The only person she trusted was Barret, and he wasn't around.
She got out of bed slowly so as not to make a sound, and searched the bedroom for any kind of a weapon. She looked through the closet and could only find some shoes, but it was the best she could do. She grabbed the largest boot she could find and held it over her shoulders, in case the man whose apartment she was in was waiting for her.
She opened the door slowly, keeping her free hand firmly gripped around the toe-end of the shoe, ready to strike with it's sole if she were in danger. She peered out into the hallway for any sign of trouble, then looked to her right and into the living room. The apartment seemed to be empty, except for a large spike of blonde hair resting on a pillow on the sofa.
Tifa walked over to get a look at the man who had brought her to where she was. She had half expected to see a corpulent balding man, the type of man who would abduct a woman. Instead she found young man who looked like he might have been the type of person to frequent one of her parties. He was attractive, blonde, tan and muscular, the sort of perfection that only the privileged could attain. By the looks of his apartment and clothes, he couldn't have been opulent, but she had never heard of a commoner with such good looks. The way she was raised, and the way her mother spoke, only prosperous people were good enough to be beautiful.
Tifa stared at the man for quite sometime, not even realizing what she was doing, until he moved a little and eventually woke up. His eyes widened as he saw her lovely form standing over him with an old boot in her hand. He immediately shot up, frightening her back into her original suspicions and raised the shoe once again, ready to hit him if he came any closer.
"Don't come any closer." She warned, holding her hand out at arms length in front of her with her palm facing him. Cloud could only return her stare with one of confusion.
"Hey, whoa, just put the shoe down, I'm not gonna hurt you." He said, motioning his hands toward the ground to try and calm her down.
"Bull shit." Tifa hissed. Cloud couldn't believe that such a pretty and petite woman could have such a spiteful tongue. "Who are you and why am I here?" She said, backing away from him towards the front door. Cloud let out a sigh of relief before answering.
"I'm a security guard at Shinra. Your friends left you in front of the building last night and Barret told me to take you home so that you could sober up." Cloud confessed, relieved to get a chance to explain himself. Tifa slowly lowered the shoe to her side and tilted her head bewilderment.
"Barret told you to take me home?" She sounded almost hurt when she spoke, as if she felt abandoned or betrayed. "Why?" She asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"He uh…" Cloud didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that Barret viewed her as a burden, so he quickly made up a lie to satisfy her. "He had company." Pleased with his lie, Cloud nodded his head, but Tifa could see right through him.
"You're lying. Barret's sick of taking care of me, isn't he?" The brunette questioned further. Cloud hesitated before nodding again. Tifa groaned and sat down on the couch, leaning back into the cushions and crossing her perfect legs. "I knew it. You know, the first time he took me home, he was all concerned about me, but the last time, he seemed like he was sick of me." She leaned forward and propped her chin up on one of her hands. "It's not like I like being like this. I do all my work, I just like to party." She stated without even looking at Cloud.
The young blonde wasn't sure how to respond, so he just inched his way to the couch and sat next to her. "I'm sure he's not sick of you, he probably just wishes you could take care of yourself." He stated, sympathetically. Tifa stood up angrily and moved away from him.
"I can take care of myself." She barked. "You don't even know me, I don't even know you, how can you say that?" Cloud stood up slowly.
"I'm sorry, I don't know you, but when I saw you last night, I felt really bad for you…"
"Don't feel bad for me, I'm having the time of my life!" She snipped.
"Are you?" Cloud asked.
Tifa opened her mouth to say something but reconsidered. Was she really happy with the way she lived? No one had ever asked her how she felt about anything. Most people told her their opinions and asked her to agree. She plopped down on the couch and contemplated his question.
"I'm happy." She stated. Cloud thought of saying something but she continued, "I'm lonely sometimes, always having to satisfy other people. I go to parties to make other people happy, so that they can say 'Tifa Lockheart came to my party'. I go for my friends, I go for the drinks. But I'm happy." She added, looking back at him with a satisfied expression.
"Sounds like a great life." Cloud commented. He had to admit that it sounded great to party like that every night without worrying about the consequences, and he was sure that he was not alone in his feelings.
"It is, but sometimes I wish that I didn't have to go to a party a night." She said with a laugh. Cloud nodded and looked around the room.
"Do you want a drink, a water?" He asked. Tifa nodded and he walked into the kitchen to get her one.
"Your home is so simple." She stated, following him into the kitchen and taking a seat at the breakfast table. Cloud tried to not take the comment as an insult and accepted it as an heir's mistake. Tifa had probably never been in such a small apartment, she was only used to posh and lavish mansions.
"Well, that's what you can afford as a security guard." He mused.
Tifa laughed out loud and he wasn't sure whether it was her hangover or if she truly found him amusing. He put her glass of water in front of her and waited for her to take a sip, instead, she took it as if it were a shot of alcohol and set the glass down hard on the table. When she had finished the looked up at him in astonishment.
"You're a security guard?" She exclaimed in disbelief. She may not have expected him to be of high class, but she never expected him to be a lowly security guard. Cloud was surprised by her echo and looked back at her as if she had two heads.
"You don't remember me do you?" He countered, almost in misery.
He could never have forgotten her and yet, she had easily waved him off and gone on with her life as if he hadn't existed. It was enough to crush a man's spirit. Tifa shook her head and continued to look confused.
"Yesterday morning, I asked to see your I.D. because I didn't know you were the President's daughter." Cloud informed her, hoping to see a glimpse of recognition in her beautiful eyes.
"Oh that's right, I knew you looked familiar." She said, smiling and pointing at him. "You're the cute one." She added, making Cloud's heart pump faster than ever.
"The cute one?" He asked, just wanting to hear her say it again.
"You look like the type of guy I'd see at one of my parties, that's why I couldn't believe you were a security guard." She confessed, biting her lip.
"Really?" He asked, still not believing she was actually standing in his kitchen talking to him.
"Yeah, I bet if you went to one you'd fit right in. In fact, I have some friend's you should meet, why don't you come to one tonight?" She asked, putting a finger to her lip and smiling at her own idea.
Cloud was taken aback by her suggestion. The most gorgeous woman on earth just invited him to one of her parties to meet her friends that could make any other man on earth drool at just one sight of them. His jaw dropped at her notion and was lost for words. He blinked a few times before regaining his ability to speak.
"You…you want me to go to one of your parties?" He asked, trying to convince himself that this was for real. Tifa nodded.
"Yeah, I bet they'd never suspect you weren't…uh, that you're a security guard." She smiled.
"I have to work tonight." Cloud said, remembering that he needed to pay the bills. Tifa looked as if she had been shot, no one had ever rejected one of her requests. She felt as if she had been stabbed, and quickly thought of a plan to regain her dignity.
"What about this weekend?" She offered, motioning her hands towards him, as if tossing her idea to him.
"This weekend works." Cloud answered, trying to hide the excitement he was feeling deep in his gut.
"All right then." She smiled, then looked at her watch. "Oh, I should be getting to work, it's getting late." Cloud nodded and reached for his keys.
He led Tifa out to his car, happy not to have to carry her any more. She weighed next to nothing but it was nerve racking trying to sneak her around. And he wasn't used to carrying people around, either. He opened the door for her, of which she was accustomed to, and then got in on his side.
It was far more pleasant to be in the car with her while she was conscious. He felt like he was driving around a real person, not just a body. She didn't say anything at first, just stared out the window and watched the buildings go by. It was a new experience for her to be in such a run-down part of town. Even Barret's house was in a nicer looking neighborhood than that of Cloud's apartment.
"You'll love my friends, they're a lot of fun." She informed him.
"I can't wait." He said, wishing that he could have gone to the party that night. "What about your clothes?" He asked, looking over at her. He had almost forgot that she was still wearing the same outfit from the party.
"Oh don't worry, I'll clean up in the executive washroom and have someone buy me a new suit, it'll be fine." She said with a grin, delighted about letting a lesser person know of her wealth and power.
Cloud couldn't help but find her a little conceited, as he had expected. He wished that she would prove him wrong and not be like all the snobby upper class citizens he had always heard about. But he couldn't blame her for living in a different world. She was about his age, so she couldn't possibly have known any other kind of life other than the luxurious. He only wished that he could have been raised that way as well.
He pulled into the Shinra parking lot and again opened Tifa's door for her. She smiled and stayed by his side as they walked through the front doors. Cloud felt like a god standing next to her and walking into a public place with such a gorgeous woman. His co-workers would still be working, since they had to watch the building at night and check everyone's I.D. in the morning. It was a tough job with long hours, but the pay was decent so no one complained.
The other security guards snapped their heads when they saw Cloud walk in with Tifa. It actually seemed like the pair walked in together, usually if she walked in with Barret she wouldn't look at him and rushed to the elevator, trying not to be seen with him. She stopped and turned to him before the security checkpoint and smiled once again.
"So I'll see you this weekend then?" She asked, confirming that she would not be stood up. Cloud nodded and received a kiss on the cheek from the princess before she turned to walk through the checkpoint.
Cloud watched her sashay towards the elevator with a love-struck expression on his face. He was lost in thought even as she disappeared behind the elevator doors and didn't notice the other security guards come up to him.
"See you this weekend?" Randy questioned, bitterly.
"Huh? Oh it's nothing." Cloud lied, wishing that he could tell everyone about his conversation with the heir.
"You better hope it's nothing or her father will have your head!" Barret warned.
Cloud swallowed a lump in his throat. Was this really nothing? She did say that she wanted him to meet her friends; there was nothing about her in the request. Maybe she just thought he was good enough for her friends, but not for her. Or maybe…
