If I get 10 reviews today, I will update the new chapter tomorrow. Ready, set, GO!
Chapter 7
Ami covered her head as the sunlight shone though in the room into her eyes. She wanted to sleep just a little but longer. She was still a little groggy...or was this a hang over? She didn't care to know. All she knew was that this bed was too inviting and soft for her. It practically begged her to sleep in it for a longer period of time. Besides, her alarm never went off. She still had some time to sleep.
She breathed deeply and sighed. It smelled like him...maybe a little too much like him. Why?
She opened an eye noticing the bedding and sheets. They were not the light and dark blue covers she was used to! She began to panic when she saw the white duvet she so comfortably snuggled under. She immediately sat up pushing it off her and groaned. Dang, she did have a massive hang over with a killer headache to top it off. She felt her head fall back into the soft down pillow. She kept her eyes shut to lessen the pounding in her head.
"You're up," she heard.
Whose voice was that? That man's voice... She knew that voice! But who was he?
She felt a chilled, wet rag cover her forehead and a bottle filed with pills placed in one of her hands. "I figured you would need some pain killers with as much wine you drank yesterday evening."
Zachariah Pemmington!
She could not believe it! She was at his home? In his bed? Oh heck no! Her frantic gaze turned to the man she spent the evening (and apparently the night) with. She was comforted to see he was wearing casual lounge clothing. Her mind raced coming to conclusions and determining that that he simply allowed her to sleep in his bed for the night while he took the couch or a separate bed.
He sat in a chair beside the bed and smiled. "Sleep well?" He asked her.
She nodded her head unsure of how to respond. "How much did I drink last night?"
"Five glasses of wine."
She groaned and closed her eyes laying back in bed. "How did I not notice?" She sighed and laid still for a few seconds. "Next time make sure I only drink half a glass."
Zachariah smiled and was relieved that there was actually going to be a next time for him. "Yes ma'am."
She slept an additional two hours, her headache finally fading away. When she got up this time, she noticed that she was still in her dress from the evening before. Although she was a little turned off that she slept in the same clothes from the night before, in her mind it gave Mr. Pemmington brownie points for chivalrous behavior. Perhaps his advances and intentions should be considered.
She walked to the attached bathroom to wash her face of the make up caked on from the night before. She could see the eyeliner and mascara smeared. Borrowing one of Zachariah's hairties, she pulled back her hair and began cleansing her face.
It wasn't long before she felt clean enough to do some exploring. What she saw did make her jaw drop. Breath taking photography tastefully covered the walls of what she deducted as a condominium in the richer side of Tokyo. She recognized quite a few of the pictures being used in various magazines and documentaries. Some she recognized from the internet.
"Breath taking, isn't it?"
She almost gasped at his voice being caught snooping. She held it in and nodded her head. Her eyes landed on the closest photograph of a snow covered mountain range. "What made you want to become a photographer?"
"Instead of a rocket scientist, you mean?" He questioned.
She nodded in confirmation.
He neared her and touched the photograph of the majestic mountains. "I wanted to be my own boss. Using my brain to be an astronaut would involve me being constricted with another person's deadlines and agenda. Though I love this earth and the cosmos fascinate me, I decided to enjoy the beauty of this planet and universe by capturing it on film. It is a nice way to share it with others. I seem to be rather successful at it too."
She smiled. At least she knew he desired that kind of independence, but he also desired a co-partnership with someone who would match his intellect and passion. Her genius brain picked up a pattern that he was very matter-of-fact to the things that mattered most to him in life.
He looked down at her as she continued admiring the beauty of the earth on glossy sheets of paper. In his heart and mind, he knew that she was perfect, that she belonged.
Her attention shifted to another picture of ice, pure white snow in a rugged terrain.
Cold... ice...a kingdom covered from the peaks to the base but warmed with the fire of man. A lonely man... ruling this ice kingdom... eyes that promised life in this desolate winter wonderland...warmth in his smile, frozen weather to combat unwanted enemies...
Ami blinked.
Where did that come from?
She mentally asked herself that question. Zachariah saw her eyes linger on the photo, so he began speaking about it. "My friends and I decided to visit Greenland one year. That was my favorite view from that cold country."
She nodded absently her mind occupied with memories triggered from a life time ago, one that was still very much a mystery to her and her sisters in arms. Although they knew the princess of the moon found love long ago, the mystery still remained if she or her sailor senshi kin also had love in the past. Perhaps the memory that was triggered could give some answers. Could it have been in her home planet, Mercury?
"There's something about this picture," she said to herself. "Something familiar..."
The photographer looked back at it, obviously now more interested in it because of the woman standing beside him. He would have loved to see Ami drunk at this moment so he could ask about her thoughts on this picture. Now sober, she seemed to revert to her old comfort level of keeping her intrigues a mystery to him.
He wasn't enjoying the silent thoughts to much. His next mission was to find ways of getting this lovely sailor senshi to speak openly. Perhaps she may when he acknowledges her greatest secret is no secret to him? He wasn't too sure if and how to predict that outcome. When the right time came, he would cross that bridge per say.
She looked away not wanting to think about it any further. She glanced up to the man who watched her carefully with green eyes. She immediately felt self conscious as he contained to stare at her. She felt his hand reach for her cheek and softly touch her jaw with his thumb. "You are very beautiful Ami," he breathed as his head came closer to hers.
She froze as his lips came closer and closer. Was this really going to be their first kiss? She began to panic in her mind. For her this was too soon! It was...
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
She gasped feeling her body move with the new pumping of adrenaline in her body. She felt Zachariah's hand leave her face as she ran to her Mercury computer completely avoiding his lips. She was thankful to what ever senshi or cat called her at this time. "Excuse me Mr. Pemmington..." She muttered quickly rushing to another room and closing the door behind her.
The man standing now feeling an odd chill of the woman's body heat now missing, silently cursed at the timing. He was close to giving her what he desired to share with her. He would have shared it with her last night, but she would have been too drunk to remember. And he desired nothing more than for her to remember this gesture of his affection.
He neared her door tempted to listen in. He placed his ear on the door to his bedroom as she spoke to the person on the other end of the device.
"No Minako, I'm fine. I'm alive and well."
"Good because we were worried when you didn't pick up the first time hours ago!"
"Hours?" Asked Ami.
"Girl, it's almost two in the afternoon! Some monster decided to destroy some businesses near the mall!"
"WHAT?"
"That's why we were worried when you never answered!"
"Oh no" sighed Ami, "what have I done?"
"Why didn't you answer?" There was a pause and then a tone definitely meant to bait the love of Zachariah's life. "Did the two of you decide to do the dirty all night long?"
"No!" Ami quickly exclaimed, "no...I don't think we did...at last I hope we didn't... I... I don't know if or how we could have...not after what happened at dinner..."
"...what happened?"
"He told me I drank five glasses of wine last evening," guilty admitted the senshi of ice and water.
"So you got wasted and don't remember last night."
"Yes...""
"Wow. So you must have had one hell of a hang over."
"There's still a small headache, yes."
"How did you get home?"
Zachariah smirked when he didn't hear her say a word. He was able to anticipate the next words of her friend.
"Ami, where are you?"
"I'm at his place."
"You spent the night at this man's house?"
"Yes."
"And where did you sleep?"
Another pause. "In his bed."
"AMI!"
"I still had all my clothes on! Nothing was out of place. He did not take advantage of me in my vulnerable state. I just hope he didn't go snooping through my things and find my transforming pen..."
"Do you know where you are at? Your location?"
"No...no I don't."
"Try and find out so I can come pick you up, alright?"
"Okay... thanks Minako."
"Don't name any more foolish mistakes, okay?"
"I got to go... I'll get back to you later."
The photographer immediately backed away and quietly went to his personal study thinking back to the things that he heard her say. So she really was Sailor Mercury. Her friends were the other Sailor Senshi. Were those the same women he photographed earlier this month? And her friends needed her to fight earlier today some new threat? That computer beeped at least ten times. He was woken up at three in the morning when it first shrilled to li
He heard it again fifteen minutes after that and decided to move it to another room so he wouldn't have to hear it. He had gone back to sleep in his king sized bed beside Ami, resisting the urge to pull her in his arms. He was surprised that she was never woken by those alarms from her device. Now it made sense why so many of them went off. It also told Zachariah how stone cold wasted she really was from the night before.
He heard her knock on the door frame of the room he sat in. He looked at her as she blushed brightly. "Thank you for letting me stay here... but I really need to get going home now."
He nodded his head internally sighing that this dream becoming a reality was finally coming to an end. "Do you have a spare key to get in your home?" He asked.
She gave him a strange look. "I did bring my key in my satchel. Why?"
Zach calmly looked into her eyes and coolly said, "Your key was not in your purse. I took you home last night, but was unable to find it. It was lost somewhere between your apartment and the restaurant."
Her face became pale. "Could we check if I may have dropped it at the restaurant?"
"It doesn't open for another three hours," he answered.
She looked to the ceiling, the last piece of the mystery to why she never made it home came to pass. She was so thankful now more than ever for the man in front of her and his hospitality. She also felt equally as foolish no doubt dropping her key in a drunken stupor.
He smiled when he realized she was fitting all the pieces together to this puzzle. Perhaps it would help him to gain her trust faster. Perhaps she may be interested in marrying him now instead of taking his words as a joke. "Ami," he spoke aloud.
She looked over to him with her innocent eyes.
"Do you love me?"
Her face brightened instantly. What kind of a question was that? She frowned her eyebrows, "How can I love someone I hardly even know? I-I think you are good man, but I can't say that I love you."
He nodded, "Fair enough. How about we play game then?"
She remained silent and continued to listen.
He smiled. "Every time I tell you "I love you", you have to tell me "I love you" back. If you don't say it, I get to steal a kiss from you."
Her face turned as bright as a tomato as she averted her eyes elsewhere. "That's ridiculous!"
"So," stated the photographer, "let's practice. I love you."
She gave him a seasoned look. "You're kidding me."
"What did you say?"
"This is ridiculous Mr. Pemmington-"
"Wrong answer," he smirked and stood to kiss her lips. She squeaked and stepped back, "OKAY! OKAY! I love you!"
He stopped his advances and gave a nod. "See? Was that so hard to say? Let's try again. I love you."
She warily looked at him, her eyes still holding a lot of skepticism. "I love you?"
He nodded his head satisfied. "See? You're getting better at this game. Let's try one more time. I love you."
She calmly said, "I love you."
He nodded satisfied. "Now, remember, everytime you hear me tell you those three words, you have to tell this back to me, or else..."
"Or else you will kiss me against my will."
"You'll enjoy it either way," he shrugged. She ignored that comment. "Could you take me home please? One of my friends will meet me at the apartment with a spare key."
He nodded his head a little disappointed that his fun would be ending soon. "Get your things. We will leave within the next ten minutes."
"Thank you Mr. Pemmington," she bowed.
"Zach, " he corrected. "You may call me Zach."
She bowed one more time before going to grab her things in his room. A half smile crossed his lips mentally in his mind asking why she couldn't stay forever.
He stopped the car in front of her apartment. Wearing the same coat she did before, she stepped out into the cold, her breath making little ice crystals in the air. Her shoes crunched in the freshly snow-covered ground.
Minako was waiting just a few feet away waving to the two. Zach smiled to Ami as she kindly thanked him for the ride back. He, in return, spoke rather loudly, "I love you!" As his farewell.
She hesitated, but quietly looked back and all but whispered those same three words back. He pulled the sunglasses down from over his eyes, "Ami, my car is on. I couldn't even hear what you said. Do I need to come or and kiss you Good Bye?"
She panicked and shouted, "I love you!" before slamming the door shut and running carefully back to her apartment. He noticed she slipped one time but expertly caught herself, no doubt from her training and practice as a warrior.
He chucked replacing the sunglass over his eyes. He made sure his princess made it into her apartmentment safely.
As he drove off, a ring was heard in his phone. He picked it up. Interesting. Apparently it was the restaurant he and Ami ate at last evening asking if they left a key behind. Agreeing to come pick it up, Zach turned his car to get the prized possession. Now he could have access to her house if he decided to keep the key...but would he be so bold to do something like that?
Ami covered her face as her team leader howled in laughter, "The I love you game? Seriously?"
"He tried kissing me if I didn't say those words!"
Minako smirked, "Just be careful dear. Over time if you speak something continuously, you may just start to believe it. Who knows, maybe you night fall madly in love with Mr. Pemmington-"
"Zach," inserted Ami.
Minako grinned from east to ear. "And we are now on first name basis! He works fast!"
Ami groaned. How she wanted this week over already.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Minako flipped over her communicator to turn it on. "Minako here."
"Get here quick! There's an attack on the east side of Tokyo by the busses. Bring Ami if she's with you!" Shouted Luna before the transmission cut off.
The friends looked at each other before transforming without a second thought. They held hands and concentrated before beaming to where their friends were battling. What a battle it was...
AN: Again, 10 reviews if you want this story updated tomorrow... maybe I should say 20 reviews I'd you want to see this story updated later this evening?