The Reason

Chapter 5



Thank you very much, Starlight Dragon, for your review and your challenge! I love the idea and gladly accept! Shall we see where this goes? :D




Jexebel awoke to the smell of fresh coffee brewing downstairs. She smiled and rolled over, intent on burying her face in her pillow. She was met by the loud crackle of paper as it met her face. She blinked her eyes and sat up, only then remembering where she was, and what had happened. The smile on her face fell, only to hesitantly find its way back. She picked up the note and read it carefully.


"Good morning, Jexebel." It read. The handwriting was elegant and controlled, much like the man whom she suspected wrote it.

"I would like to thank you for last night. I would also like to invite you to have dinner with me this evening, at the Chiisai Hana, at eight o'clock. I have also purchased a dress for you to wear, as the restaurant is a formal one. It is in the bureau in the corner. I hope to see you there. Vincent."

The name was beautifully written. The 'V' was larger, and curved down at the beginning, adding distinct character to the name.

Jexebel couldn't wipe the smile off her face. He wanted to have dinner with her? And he bought her a dress?

She hurried to her room and dressed in denim jeans and a fitted white tank top.

"Tifa!" Jexebel called as she entered the kitchen.

"One minute, Jex!" Tifa called from the bar area. Jexebel could hear Tifa talking to someone. A man, it sounded like. She peeked around the corner to see Tifa talking to the same man from the clothing store - Tseng, if she remembered - and Vincent, in his uniform. Vincent spotted Jexebel and sent a small smile her way. She "Eep"-ed and scurried back around the corner into the kitchen. She listened hard, trying to pick up on the conversation.

"Are you sure it's him?" Tifa asked. "I thought all of Deepground was wiped out last year."

"We thought so too, Ms. Lockhart, but it appears that we were wrong. Weiss the Immaculate was spotted just outside Mideel with another man, dressed in red. Our sources tell us that Weiss called the man 'G'. With the reports that Mr. Valentine picked up while inside Deepground, we think that it is the same man. This could be a real problem." Tseng said.

"That's why you want Cloud."

"That's why we request his services, yes."

Jexebel listened intently. 'G'? A SOLDIER named G. She had heard it somewhere before . . . was it when . . .? No, it couldn't have been. He was dead, right?



"Excuse me, Tseng, I'll only be a moment." Vincent said, eyeing the corner that Jexebel had disappeared around.

"Make it quick, Valentine. You're still on thin ice." Tseng snapped.

"Sir." Vincent said through his teeth.



"Eavesdropping could get you into trouble one day." Vincent said, rounding the corner to find Jexebel still waiting there.

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I was just . . . curious . . . sorry." Jexebel said, bashfully.

Vincent smiled. "Have you thought about my offer?" He asked.

"No need, Vincent. I would love to have dinner with you." She answered.

"Good." He said, leaning down to her. He placed a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth, and then he was gone, back into the bar area.

This was gonna be a long day.



'I can't believe you are getting us into another mess like this!' Vincent's brain scolded as he walked beside Tseng to the company car waiting for them.

'I'm not getting 'us' into anything.' He answered.

'You invited her to dinner! You bought her a VERY expensive dress. YOU SPENT THE NIGHT TOGETHER!'

'Yeah . . .' his heart cut in. 'It was great, wasn't it?'

Vincent pictured his brain pacing back and forth, then stopping to stare incredulously at his heart.

"-cent? Vincent?"

"Huh? Sorry, Tseng. I was . . .thinking."

"You were thinking about that girl, weren't you? I saw her in the kitchen. I saw you kiss her, too."

Vincent looked shocked.

"Pay attention the shadows you throw, Mr. Valentine." Tseng said. "You really shouldn't be doing this now, though. There is a lot going on that we don't know about. You don't have time to go chasing after some woman."

"She's not just some woman!" Vincent surprised himself by snapping.

'You've done it, now. You're fired for sure.'

Tseng just stared out the windshield, his jaw clenched.

"I can see it's too late. She's the reason you crashed your bike, am I right?" He said, finally.

Vincent nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll mind my own business. But Vincent,"

This caught his attention as Tseng rarely called him by his first name.

"Don't let her get in the way of this investigation."

"Sir." Vincent said. He turned away and stared out his window, signaling to Tseng that he wished to stop talking about that particular subject.

'I am NOT in love. She's been hurt, and I've been hurt . . . maybe we can . . . help each other for a while.' He thought.

'Love love love.' His heart said, jumping in his chest.

'I hate you.' his brain said.




It was a long day, indeed, for Jexebel. She couldn't stop thinking about dinner with Vincent, or about the conversation she had overheard that morning. She seriously hoped that it was just a misunderstanding. She didn't know what she would do without Milo to help her through another crisis.

'Vincent would take care of you.' That voice in her head was back again.

'Who are you?' She asked herself.

'Has it really been that long? I'm your heart, stupid.'

'My heart?'

'Yes. It's been awhile.'

'Great, now I'm crazy. Vincent will REALLY like me now!' Jexebel complained.

'He already does, Jexebel. He invited you to dinner. He asked you to stay with him last night. Pay attention to how he looks at you. I'd wager he more than likes you.'


The chirp of the clock downstairs pulled her away from her internal conversation. It was seven already! She jumped up fro her position on the couch in the den. She didn't have to worry about work. Tifa had closed the br for a few days so that she and Cloud could help ShinRa and the WRO. She ran to Vincent's room and hesitantly opened the bureau.

The dress was amazing. It was red, the same color as her knives again, and it seemed to be made entirely of glitter. It sparkled beautifully every time she moved it. It had a low dip in the back - clear to the base of her spine - and a high boat-neck. There were no sleeves, just small loops for her arms to go through. There were even matching shoes!

Jexebel undressed and slipped the gown onto her curvy frame. She decided that her knives could not cross over her chest like they normally did, and had to search her room until she found her leg-straps. She slipped the knives into the straps on the insides of her thighs., then slipped the shoes on. She left her hair down. It was straight today, and looked very silky. She applied her make-up - maroon eye-shadow, mascara, blush, and deep merlot-colored lipshade. That done, she slipped outside and began the walk to the restaurant, checking the directions that Tifa had written for her that morning. 'Ready or not . . . ' she thought to herself.



Vincent waited impatiently at the door to Chiisai Hana. It was fifteen minutes past eight, and Jexebel still was not there. Had she decided not to-

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Valentine." He said, stopping the agitating screech.

"Valentine. We need you at the base. Now. You may want to bring your girl. Intelligence has just spotted four large airships and an entire battalion of choppers headed for Edge. We were right. It's Weiss." Tseng sounded out of breath, like he had been running a long way.

"Where is the Pres-"

"He's at Safehouse twelve. Hurry, Vincent. We have less than ten minutes. The shit is about to hit the fan."

Tseng's use of foul language tipped Vincent off as to just how serious the situation was. He hung up his phone just in time to see Jexebel walk through the doors to the restaurant.

He ran to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing the almost panicked expression on Vincent's face.

"We have to go. The city is about to be attacked. WRO agents have been stationed to help evacua-"

"It's Genesis, isn't it?" She interrupted.

He froze and stared at her. "How do you know ab-" He was cut off again by the sound of choppers firing upon the small city.

They were too late. They were stuck.



(A.N. - I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! I have big plans for your challenge, yet! See you next week!)