Workings of a Happily Ever After, The

by Nona Mae King

  ~*~

  "Okay."

  Selphie crashed down beside my giggling self onto the couch in Zell's room. Zell and Janine were 'fighting' over music choices.

  "Here's my initial thought for the flowers and their set-up. I've sketched them out. . . here. What do you think? Is the ribbon too much? I can do a garland of fern instead."

  I took the sketch, wonder and amazement making my eyes grow larger. Using the front area of the Training Center, there would be about 50 chairs set up in two columns, one on each side of the aisle. The aisle would be bordered by the mentioned ribbon or garland with a bouquet of flowers on every three to five rows of chairs.

  My eyes glimmered. "Wow. Selphie, this is awesome!"

  "Hey. Let me see," Zell said, dropping down at my other side. "Rock on. Who knew the T.C. could look like that?!"

  Selphie smiled brightly over at him while I giggled. Janine watched us with her usual smirk and crossed arms as she leaned back in Zell's desk chair.

  "Alrighty. Now that's approved. . . ." She handed me another sketch. "Here's what I think we should do for the Quad for the Reception. The Cafeteria will mainly be a home-base, I guess, for the catering. Then the cafeteria ladies and some others will ferry the food out to these tables here."

  Selphie reached across to point at the tables sketched in near the entry of the Quad. "The Cafe will be closed and their normal tables cleared to make room for these with the food. Dancing and the band will be over here where it usually is for the balls," she continued, pointing down toward the main portion of the Quad. "Seifer said that the majority of Garden will be locked off to roaming, with the exception of the Quad, the Cafeteria, and the Training Center. Security will be disguised as guests, so there shouldn't be any raised eyebrows."

  Zell pointed. "Check it out! There's plenty of room for the band, the dancing, and the band's equipment without having to do anything funky."

  Selphie laughed. "But I'm still going to see about getting a new stage built for the band."

  "Sweet!" Zell agreed.

  I giggled and gave each a nudge with my shoulders, one after the other. "You guys are so cool. You're making this whole married thing easier than I thought possible."

  Zell grinned. Selphie smiled. Janine chuckled and shook her head. "Yeah, well, I still got the shaft. I've got to try and look damn sexy in a floor-length gown that doesn't show a bit of skin. What're you trying to do to me, girl?"

  Selphie, Zell, and I laughed. "If you want to do something, Janine, then you can coordinate all the other Receptions. Zell wants to have one at each Garden, but I'm not up to making it work."

  Janine made a face as she focused on Zell. "You crazy, man? The last thing you'll want to be doing after saying 'I do' is shaking hands for 6 hours!"

  Selphie howled with laughter as Zell's face reddened and he pushed himself to his feet from the couch. "Shut up, Janine."

  I sent him a sympathetic look, but I couldn't have said it better myself. Hadn't I already leaned toward the 'elopement' idea more than once?

  Janine shrugged. "Okay. You want a Reception at each Garden, I'll coordinate them. But I'm telling you it's a bad idea. If you don't spend as much time at one as you did at the other, they'll get all bent out of shape and piss in your punch or something."

  I grimaced. "Ew. Janine, that's gross."

  She smirked and stood. "Yeah, well, so is the picture I have in my head of the two of you trying to have your honeymoon between Receptions."

  Selphie howled again, and this time so did Zell. I flushed crimson and tried to keep from thinking about it.

  Janine turned at the door and gave a single wave. "I'm off, kids. See you tomorrow." She closed the door behind her.

  I cleared my throat and looked again to the sketches. "These are great, Selphie." I handed them back and she accepted them. "Just let me know if I can do anything to help. I hate to think you're doing all the work."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I love it!" She put the sketches into her folder and then stood. "I better go. I have to talk to the florist about the order and cancel the ribbon order. I think ferns will look better. Bye." And she exited with a wave and her usual bright smile.

  Zell sat down beside me and draped his arm around my shoulder. "Cool. Now we've just got to pick up the invite at the print shop tomorrow, start printing out the labels for them, and get the rings from the jeweler, huh?"

  I nodded and snuggled against him, drawing my legs up beneath me as I closed my eyes and released a deep breath. "How are the plans coming for the honeymoon?"

  "You don't sweat about the honeymoon. That's all me. You just have to be there."

  I giggled. "No problem."

  He kissed the top of my head and drew me a little closer as we both snuggled into the couch. "We should probably look into getting furniture for the apartment while we're in town tomorrow."

  "Okay."

  Our first apartment. We were going to be buying furniture for our first apartment. Together. I smiled and released a happy sigh. Zell chuckled but didn't say anything. What could he have said? I had a wedding dress hanging in my closet. He had a white tuxedo hanging in his. There were three bridesmaid dresses hanging in closets around the world (Rinoa, Janine, and Selphie). There were flowers on order. Garlands being made. Bands being auditioned... I was getting married to Zell Dincht and I was shy Sally Regal.

  'Where did you get that GF summon?'

  My smile warped and faded as I opened my eyes and stared at Zell's sneakers, still laying haphazard where he kicked them off near his desk on the left side of the room. What GF summon? Where would I have gotten a GF? I only have Shiva and Ifrit, and I didn't bring them that day. And for two weeks that question asked by Commander Squall gave me nothing but stress and worry. If it hadn't been for the distraction of the wedding plans and my voice lessons with Rinoa practicing the song, I would have gone mad days ago.

  It just didn't make sense, and I couldn't find the 'secondary report' Zell told SLC Seifer to reference. I'd tried to find it. Tried everything, short of hacking the Security Grid I was supposed to protect. There was nothing there, and there was no way I was going to ask him when I didn't have the 'need to know'. If I did, Zell would have told me.

  I sighed and sat up, not looking at Zell as I stood and slipped into my leather sandals. "It's getting late. I better go."

  "Sure, kitten."

  And I could feel him watching my face as he walked me to the door. "I'll meet you in the parking lot tomorrow after breakfast," I told him.

  "You sure you don't want me to walk you over?" he asked, trying to feel out what the problem was.

  I finally looked up and gave him a small smile. "That's all right. I'll grab coffee in the Cafeteria and bring it with me." I kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, sweetie."

  He kissed me back. "Night, kitten."

  And then I stepped out into the hall and slowly made my way to my own little dorm room, all the while trying to think back to that day two weeks ago when I had supposedly summoned a GF. My head began to throb, and I rubbed at my forehead with a trembling hand. There was no use. I couldn't remember. There was nothing to remember.

  My shoulders slumped forward and I sighed. Maybe I'm trying too hard? Maybe I just need to walk through it, matter-of-fact, and see what comes up? Maybe if I write it down, I'll remember something else? Then I can turn that into SLC Seifer. Wouldn't that help? I shrugged and slightly shook my head as I dug my key card out of my pocket and stepped up to my door. How would it help? There's nothing to remember.

  And that made me feel helpless.

  I leaned back against the closed door, staring into my little dorm room with unseeing eyes for a long time before pushing away and moving to sit on my bed. Then I kicked off my shoes and laid back to stare at the pictures accumulated over the past several months. Me and Zell. Me and Selphie and Zell. Zell and Janine and me. I yawned. Rinoa and me and Cmdr. Squall and Zell. Zack and Zell and me. Zack and
Zell. Dad and Zell. My eyelids drooped. Mom and Dad and Zell...

  '...You know why I came...'

  I bolted upright, eyes wide as they stared at the wall in front of me. A shiver cascaded down my spine and I scrambled out of bed, something making me hurry for the door to jerk it open.

  The hallway was empty.

  I slowly closed it, staring down at my hand gripping the doorknob before forcing it to relax and release and stepping back from the door. I know I had heard--

  I twitched and took a quick step back from the door when it was flung open to reveal a beautiful woman with a multitude of arms holding weapons... and then she was ugly... and old... and then beautiful... I stepped back as she came forward, moving into my room with assurance and determination as her hold adjusted on the different weapons in her hands.

  I only stopped moving backward when my back came in contact with the wall. I gasped and pressed myself against it, cringing away when I could feel the woman's hot and yet cold breath against my face. I tightly shut my eyes.

  'You know why I came, heart child. The evil hearts of these men has begun to infect the innocent. They thirst for power and lust for my throne. My throne! Until this avarice is curbed and the blood-lust is halted, I will come and bestow judgment. And their judgment is death without mercy. So decrees Asura, Queen of Summon. Queen of Gods. So it will be done.'

  I screamed and sat upright, cringing to the left when a sudden movement of shadow beside me--"Zell!" I threw myself into his arms and held him tight.

  "It's okay, Sally," he soothed. His arms tightened around me. "It's okay. It was just a bad dream."

  And I would have given anything to believe him.