Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII Fainaru Fantajī Sebun) © Square Enix & Sony Company Entertainment.
All Original Characters and Paper Hearts Fan Fiction Plot Belong to Me.

Paper Hearts
. . . A Final Fantasy VII Alternate Universe Fan Fiction . . .

Warning:
This is written in Second Person, but is not to be considered an interactive entry because it is NOT meant to be a Reader Insert.
It is strictly because this point of view allows me better access to both first and third person without me having to switch back and forth to piss myself off.
I'm sorry for any inconveniences, but that is the path I've decided to go with this story and I'll see how it works out for the first few chapters before I reassess.
Thank you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to bring them up with me, but I truly hope you enjoy!

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|| -X- || Chapter One || -X- ||
"First Beat"

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"Even if you insist to put up with this crap, as your best friend, I've decided to step in."

"Zack," the blonde acknowledged bluntly, continuing to fill out his paperwork without looking up. Zack drew in his dark eyebrows; his sea blue eyes not falling for the façade that his friend had put up for the last year.

"You have to stop being stubborn. It's been six months since you've last had a secretary and two years since you've had a decent one." He crossed two strong arms over his chest, standing tall on the other side of the desk.

The blonde clenched his jaw, placing his pen down onto the table with a clack. "I know my stats have-"

"This isn't about your stats. It's not right that a Director of your position to have to organize your own schedule, appointments, and this load of crap," Zack gestured widely to the amount of paperwork and files adorning the birch wood desk, "when the company should be paying someone to do them for you!"

"I don't need a secretary, Zack Fair," he grit out.

"Yes you do, Cloud Strife," Zack retorted. Cloud frowned, glancing irritably at the clock on the wall. "We just need to find you a good one."

"We've already tried that," he exploded, making Zack uncross his arms and listen vigilantly. "I've already tried that, and it—" Cloud took a moment to recollect his words, squeezing his eyes shut. "There isn't ever going to be anyone who can replace her."

Zack said nothing, waiting until Cloud settled down to heave a sigh. It had been a little over two years since the tragic death of Cloud's former secretary, brutally ripped away by the claws of cancer. She was so young. She was so beautiful.

Cloud had never admitted any sort of romantic feelings for her – or at least, he never relayed such feelings to Zack - but whether or not they existed, it didn't excuse the fact that Cloud constantly compared his new secretaries to her, so much that he had gone the past half year without one. He was completely ashamed that he could let the company pay someone who didn't even meet his expectation, and spent time - that should have been used to work for - staring at him in admiration, instead.

In time, Zack came to understand that by those words, Cloud wasn't exactly just being stubborn, either.

Aerith Gainsborough was one of a kind.

"No one has to replace her." Cloud opened his eyes at his friend's words, having been lost in reminiscence. "If you have any sort of respect for Aerith, you would understand that she was so much more than just a secretary. She was a good friend to us; a great friend. Whether you take on a new secretary that's a guy or a girl, she'll only be replaced if you let her become replaced."

Cloud winced, the words stinging and burrowing deep inside his conscience. Was that what he was actually scared of? That he would allow for her to be replaced? That he would eventually forget about her if he moved on?

"But especially in hard times like this, you need help. And I'm determined to help you find a new right hand, Cloud, personally." Cloud raised an unconvinced brow.

"What makes you so sure that you can do better than Sephiroth?" Their CEO had become in charge of finding the young blonde a secretary after the first few failures.

"Seph just likes woman who he can control... which is basically all woman. Woman can't help but fall for the badass, rich men with good looks. But take my secretary, Janet! She may be 61, but she works better than any 30 year old I've ever met! And even... what was his name? Brian? He had it bad for you, man."

"Zack," Cloud warned, triggering a teasing chuckle from his opposite. Brian had been Cloud's secretary seven months ago, being the first male secretary that they had given Cloud, who turned out to be a homosexual. Of course, there was nothing wrong with being a homosexual since he happened to be one of the more competent, too. Except Brian had been a flaming homosexual, as Zack liked to call him. He loved to 'accidentally' flash Cloud with his pink, sparkling, skin-tight "boxers". With extra quotation marks on "boxers" part.

The mere memory activated a gag reflex that Cloud hadn't even been aware that he had.

"I think I feel something coming up... " Zack teased, putting a hand over his mouth before throwing a thumb point backwards. "Brian coming up the elevator with those pink man-thongs as a belated-goodbye gift."

"Mr. Fair, give me one good reason why I shouldn't impale you multiple times with a stapler right now."

"Because I'll find you a fantastic secretary who doesn't get all wet thinking about you?"

Cloud rose from his chair, stapler in hand.

"... Is it too late to say that I was kidding?" The blonde glowered as the darker haired eased backwards towards the door of his office.

"Whether you find someone or not, don't think I'm going to cut them any slack just because you scouted them for me," Cloud remarked, shooting him a stern glare. Even Zack knew that the secretarial position for Cloud wasn't easy to fill – both of them were the youngest in the Board of Directors at SOLDIER Corp., and had been in enough magazines and media displays to be recognized even if they walked outside wearing a ski mask and winter coat. There were very few people who wouldn't jump at the chance to stand alongside the man to seduce him and become a Mrs... or even another Mr. Strife.

"Leave it to me." Zack flashed him a thumbs up, hand behind his back, already touching the door switch to open. "I'll just be outside telling Brian that pink really isn't your color."

A stapler hit the carpet door with the solid 'thwack!' as Cloud seethed on the spot, grumbling angry nothings through gnashed teeth. He tried to ignore Zack's immature cackling from the other side of the door – and failed miserably.

-X-

"Are you kidding me?" The man slapped his newspaper irately on the round-table, face twisted into a scowl. Your gaze flickered sideways to him, simply out of reaction to the commotion. "SOLDIER's stocks have risen up again! What is this?"

You took a spoonful of honey and stirred it into your lemon water, shifting at the counter, eager for it to melt into the steaming liquid. Another figure strolled into the cafeteria and you knew it was time to head back to work before the break room crowded up and employees started gossiping. It was always tiresome to listen to the bad words exchanged between employees about each other and other companies.

SOLDIER Corporations stood as one the leading conglomerates of The Planet Gaia after putting Shinra Inc. out of business several years back, and had become one of the leading competitors for TG Group, which you were working for – especially when they both specialized in similar areas. They had flourished in the market with several large, successful companies under their control and gained popularity faster than spiders mating in an attic.

You chocked slightly on your honey lemon tea, forgetting that you were deathly afraid of spiders; especially the giant furry ones, big enough for you to see the multiple eyes on their head. You shivered again, trying to shake the image.

"Resa, you okay?" Linda placed a gentle hand on your back, her recently manicured finger nails the first thing you saw when you turned your head. She was the compassionate kind, whether it was fake or not, you couldn't quite tell – but you knew that whatever care and kindness she showed others was no excuse for the way she whispered and spread rumors around the company like she was the local newspaper. Most of what she said had no depth, and no substance: just pure, bitter spreading of news that wasn't anyone else's business, but she treated you fairly, and so you wouldn't hold a grudge against her as much as a bad impression.

"I'm fine," You smiled brightly at her, and for some reason her look of concern faltered slightly. "I just, um... chocked a bit on my drink."

"I can see that..." She returned with a full-force smile of sunshine, making you avert eyes back to your drink. You were a rather social person – but not when it came to people you weren't particularly fond of. You turned your face away, afraid that your terrible lying abilities would give away just how much you wanted her to leave you alone. "Just... it seems like there's been something bothering you lately..."

"Me?" She frowned again for some odd reason. You tried to think of why you might come off as being 'bothered'. "Well, I guess... I have been a bit stressed lately with—"

"I knew it! It's love trouble, isn't it?"

"All the workload – H-Huh?" you stammered, not hearing her entirely. Linda beamed like a Cheshire.

"It was only a matter time, darling! All of his secretaries fall eventually!" she shouted, much too loudly for the speaking distance we were at. The men and women turned to observe the scene. Blood warmed your cheeks, the unwanted attention giving you a fluster.

"You mean... Mr. Lindor?"

"Oh, you innocent girl, I can't believe you just admitted it like that!" You blinked, sweaty hands wrapping around your mug tightly.

"I didn't... admit anything...?" You really wanted to leave. "Or uh... it's not that bad, I mean, compared to previous months, but lately it's been—"

"Heart breaking? Oh, I know, Resa!" You frowned. Heart breaking wasn't exactly an adjective you would use to describe a workload... heart breaking from fatigue? You had a feeling you were missing something very obvious... What had she said earlier? You hadn't caught it!

"You wouldn't imagine how fast Carrie fell last year. Oh, she crashed and burned!" she elaborated theatrically, laughing and slapping you on the shoulder. You winced, expression starting to honestly betray how lost you were.

"Carrie?" you repeated carelessly, focusing more on the pain in your shoulder than who Carrie actually was.

"Don't tell me," Linda grabbed you by the shoulder, and you gasped. Company workers were starting to approach the break room and take a seat to listen now. "You don't know about Mr. Lindor's previous secretaries?"

"Um, Linda-"

"Oh, now that's just unfair!" You parted your lips to try and get a word in about how you had work to do, but Linda silenced you with an intense zeal in her eyes. "You haven't heard of Felix Lindor's lady-killing streak?"

"...His what?" What did that have to do with anything?

Jenny let out a squeal and clopped over in her 4-inch heels. You backed up further against the counter, thoroughly having your personal space invaded as the other executive secretaries surrounded you. Andrea and Stacy raced over as well, eager to join in on the conversation. You pressed your lips together tightly and looked past them at the men in the room, who seemed to be in a worse mood that usual. They didn't look like they cared at all about your lost situation. You sighed, and swallowed when Jenny and her possy huddled close around you like a barrier.

"Every single one of Felix Lindor's secretaries have fallen in love with the man, and he's rejected them all!" Jenny explained. At that, you eyes grew wide. That definitely wasn't the kind of 'fall' you had thought she was talking about. "I know, it's surprising, right? Don't be surprised, Resa. You're the first one I've seen him show so much interest in. You should conjure up the courage to tell him how you feel!"

"Are you crazy!" Stacy objected. "This is a work environment! It's completely inappropriate to start a romantic relationship when you're supposed to be—"

"Oh shut up, you joy-kill!" Andrea laughed, giving you her attention. "Secretaries get together with their Directors all the time."

"In sitcoms," Stacy spat, rolling her eyes. "Besides, remember what the other secretaries did? They ran out of his room crying and ended up quitting the next day!"

"Ah, true," Jenny acknowledged sadly to her self.

"Um," you said.

"I think you should keep this strictly professional for now," Linda contributed, giving you her best impression of a mother hen. You looked at the clock: your lunch break would end in lass than five minutes. "I would hate to see you lose your job, Resa... especially when you're so good at it."

Andrea, Jenny and Stacy all bobbed their heads up and down hurriedly in agreement.

"Um," You raised your brows sorrowfully, "I think you guys are mistaken. I don't feel for Mr. Lindor that way... at all."

"What?" Jenny blurted, face falling. Linda rolled her eyes and gave them a knowing nudge and a wink, as if you weren't there. You frowned, feeling quite a bit annoyed.

"Of course. But if you ever do... when you do... feel free to come to us, okay? We'll look out for you as your senior secretaries."

"Miss Resa does a better job than all of you combined," Jackson, the 19 year old coffee boy, offered from the round table. He had dark black hair that looked dark blue depending on the lighting, and dark blue eyes that made him look intimidating. You offered him a weak smile, and a quiet thank you. Jackson chuckled; he was a good kid and you liked him, especially when he laughed along with you over the lame jokes that no one else found funny.

"Shut up, Jackson. Didn't you just hear? Resa's got it bad for Lindor." Your smile dropped and you opened your mouth to once again declare that they were mistaken-

"I don't know, I think it's the other way around." Jackson packed away his lunch and swept the crumbs off the table. "I think Mr. Lindor's losing his cool. Miss Resa might be the first secretary to not show him any interest. He's been kinda ... touchy with you lately."

"Touchy," you quoted, the word sounding strange on your lips. The thought hadn't exactly crossed your mind, and you hadn't really paid attention, especially when it was supposed to be normal for Directors and their secretaries to be close... right?

"You should be careful not to let him try anything, Miss Resa." Jackson looked straight at you, something unreadable yet forewarning in his eyes. "He might just think that you're too nice of a person to turn him away."

"As if Mr. Lindor is that kind of person!" Jenny huffed, brushing Jackson off with a shoo-ing wave. He shrugged it off and gave you another glance before throwing away his takeout box. "Don't listen to him, Resa. He's just jealous."

"Who's jealous?" Your gaze travelled to the doorway, where your professional, Felix Lindor had just stepped in. The girls bowed and called out 'Mr. Lindor' in reverence. You looked from them, to back at him with his black suit and slicked back blonde hair at the exit. He was a man no older than 32, one of the youngest Directors of a huge company in the city besides a particular pair working for a rival company...

"Mr. Lindor." You bowed reverently.

"Resa," he acknowledged softly. The girls behind you giggled and whispered to their selves, making you bite your lip anxiously and look down at the lemons floating in your honey water. "I want you in my office ... to talk. I just so happened to pass by and heard something about.. jealousy, Resa."

"It wasn't anything important," you attested good-naturedly. His perfect smile faltered slightly, just like Linda's had earlier, and you faltered slightly at the site of your professional's drop of mood. What was wrong?

"Of course. To my office, then," he beckoned, already striding off. You followed him without a glance back at the girls, but you could hear their distinct voices floating in the back.

Felix opened the office door for you, something that Directors didn't usually do for their secretaries at TG, you noticed, but you weren't about to deny him the courtesy of being a gentleman. You always made sure to pass with a grateful bow and thank you. He closed the door behind you and you stood in front of his desk as per usual, waiting to get your orders, and always angling your body to face him so that your back wouldn't turn towards him.

"Resa, did you have a nice lunch?" he began, digging his hands into his pocket. You nodded, already feeling the unfamiliar, hard vibe emanating from his gaze. "I invited you out today. I wasn't sure if you had forgotten, or..."

That was strange... "I don't recall ever hearing you ask me out to lunch, Sir..."

"I slipped a post-it note in your notebook."

"I...I haven't checked my notebook since yesterday night, Sir. I'm very sorry..." Felix made a noncommittal sound, taking his hands out of his pocket to approach you. You glimpsed up to meet him.

"You memorized my schedule again, Resa?" You smiled hesitantly. Maybe if you acted like there was nothing wrong, it would lighten the atmosphere a bit from all the sudden tension...

"I always do, Sir, and I've told you many times that I would continue to," you answered swiftly, not sure if you should move backwards as he casually came closer. There were many times that you had seen him get angry and mad, but he was careful to never let others see that side of him, but he often did this... Act of intimidation to arouse fear and respect for him. You recognized his body-language, but what had you done to deserve to be...

"I should have known." He nodded apathetically to himself, finally distancing him self from you and choosing to take a seat in his chair. He collapsed with a sigh. "You're always on top of things, Resa. I should have just asked you directly."

You considered the thought seriously. "I have always respected you, Mr. Lindor. I am very sorry that I made it seem like I didn't... um... want to have lunch with you."

"...You're the first one, Resa." He laughed quietly to himself, running a hand through his slicked hair to smooth the loose strands. "It's been over two years, and you've never so much as given me the same smile that you give everyone else. It hurts my pride a bit."

You forced a shy smile, feeling the trickiness behind his words. "Oh... I... um, I really didn't-"

"I was just worried, that's all. That maybe you were trying to avoid me because you didn't like me..."

"Of course I like you, Mr. Lindor," you admitted softly, trying to convey your sincerity. He looked up abruptly, eyebrows drawn up in wonder. He cleared his throat, and you noticed that his mood had gotten better.

"I wasn't expecting that, Resa..."

"Without even a degree in college, or any experience with secretarial services, you didn't object to me assisting you, Mr. Lindor, and went so far as to ignore your superiors when they insisted that it was ridiculous to take a 19 year old coffee girl as a secretary. You have no idea how much it means to me that you accepted me for the job. I can never repay you," you declared, offering a timid smile.

"Oh, Resa... I had no idea that you felt that way. You should have told me sooner." He came around quickly, and you backed away absentmindedly, wondering why he was getting up. "Besides... you've lasted the longest out of all of them. I've never had a secretary to stay with me for more than a year, and in a few months, it will be your third."

You grinned that he would remember, until suddenly he placed his fingers over your mug and loosened it from your fingers, setting it down on his table. You parted your lips, your voice caught in your throat.

Something was very wrong.

"Resa, you have to understand that... I can't love you as anymore than a secretary..."

"What?" you blurted, suddenly feeling him drawing closer. You backed up against his desk, hands beginning to shake slightly. What was he doing? Where was this even coming from?

"I'm so sorry that you mistook my kindness with such... romantic sentiments, but I don't feel for you the same way..." he went on. You gasped, realizing what he was saying. You let out an embarrassed smile, just about to tell him that he had gotten the wrong idea-

"Resa, you're special to me," he breathed, leaning in. You turned your cheek to him, hands out in front of him as a precaution, eyes not knowing where to look- "You've lasted so long before telling me, and you must have kept everything inside of yourself..."

You were a statue. You squeezed your eyes tight, and then opened them again to see if you might awake from your nightmare. Struggling to keep the composure you'd spent years earning, you swallowed the lump in your throat. "Mr. Lindor, I don't feel comfortable with you at this distance—"

"Don't try to be modest, Resa." He chuckled. You blushed, feeling your heartbeat thundering in your chest. Your insides felt like they were trembling, an emotion of some kind bubbling deep within the pits of your gut. "I can feel how excited you're getting, Resa. To be honest, I've thought about you too, all those days you ignored me and would only give me the same smile you give everyone else..."

"Mr. Lindor!" you interjected strongly, eyes darting to the door. Had it always been so far? "You're mistaken! Please, clear your head and move away-"

"Oh, you're getting flustered, Resa. I've always wondered what you'd be like once you broke down for me-"

"Mr. Lindor, please, you're not listening to me! What has gotten into you?" you cried, hands clawing his chest like a house cat. Why were you so weak? Why was he like this? "You don't understand!"

Felix smiled against against your cheek, his breath hot and sultry. His fingers reached up to claim your jaw. "I understand perfectly, Resa."

Slap!

You struck him hard against the cheek, grazing yourself in the process due to the proximity. You scrambled past him and threw your trembling fingers on the door handle. It was locked, but only from the inside. You couldn't even turn one stupid dial clockwise properly without your fingers slipping anymore.

"R-Resa," he sputtered, eyes shaking uncontrollably, "you weren't... lying?"

You finally got the lock undone despite your fingers quivering like a hummingbird's wings. You burst out from his room door, tears threatening to unleash from your eyes and blur your vision. The workers outside stopped to look at you, your entire body shaking as your stumbled out, going to your desk to gather your things.

"Resa!" Felix called after you. "Wait, don't-"

A hiccup of a sob escaped from you, and you thrashed to take everything personal into your bag. It had gone too far. You had to leave. "Mr. Lindor, please... calm yourself and organize your thoughts."

You gripped your bag your shoulder and walked around your desk, ignoring the unhinged jaws and roaring whispers around the office floor. You gave him a bow, and stifled another sniffle, feeling the mucus in your nostrils threatening to come out like a grade-schooler.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lindor. You're a good man, so please... return back to normal." You hiccuped, and then stood up to see a look of horror on his face.

"Resa, you can't possible mean that you were serious about never likin –"

You were already on your way to the elevator. "Goodbye, Mr. Lindor."

"You're fired, Resa Brighton." Your legs froze. Slowly, taking your time to absorb the words, you faced him, breathing irregular and thoughts in a mess.

"Mr. Lindor-?"

"You can't possibly think I'd still leave you employed after you dare to slap me like that." He cleared his throat, eyes wavering and scanning the crowd, like he was presenting a new project.

"Don't bother coming in for work tomorrow," he supplied, gaze hard and cold. You were baffled.

You were blank.

"I knew it, she confessed!" Your eyes flickered to Jenny, Andrea and Stacy, all whispering to each other.

"Poor girl, she was rejected..."

"But he's never fired any of his secretaries before! She must have been the first bold enough to slap him..."

"Miss Resa..." Jackson breathed, coming up to you from the side, but he stopped himself a few meters away, giving you a look of confusion. You clenched your fist around your bag strap, and grit your teeth.

You could point fingers. You could scream, and pull your hair, and demand that he had assaulted you, and that he had gone bat-crazy. But you looked up at him, the man you'd been working with for nearly three years. He rescued you from your status as a labor worker. Felix Lindor looked back, eyes fearful, wondering how you'd take the accusation he created.

He had been kind to you once. He had been collected and always understanding; appreciative and gentlemanly, once. The entire opportunity of being a secretary, and nevertheless the secretary of someone so well known and experienced had been priceless to you, especially since it had come while you were in so desperate need of money. Where had that Felix Lindor gone? What had gotten into him to make him so... so...

You couldn't forget what he had once done for you.

But you couldn't forget what had happened in the last half hour, either.

You pulled out the binders in your bag, letting them fall to the ground, the rings bursting open and the papers scattering. The secretaries gasped, the men raising their brows even further up. You pulled the rest of your binders out, throwing them to the ground.

"The past two years working for you have been wonderful, Felix Lindor." You let out a shaky breath. "It's unfortunate that you had to go and mess it up like this."

The women gasped, "How could she say that?"

"We're finally seeing her for who she really is," Linda stated smugly, giving you a sideways glare. "I always knew that quiet, good girl was all just an act."

You closed your eyes to smooth out your breathing, and then when you opened them, you pulled out your notebook from your bag: with his entire schedule and all your notes on his behavioural habits on that you had kept since your very first day on the job. You let it drop on the stationary mess you left on the floor, bouncing twice before landing on the spot with its pages fluttered open. A yellow post-it note fell out from the pages, scrawled on with some thin black ink.

You bowed to your former professional. You bowed to your former coworkers.

And then you spun on your heel and trudged down the stairs without another word, trying to focus on the clip-clop of your steps instead of the gossiping crescendo you were leaving behind like a trail.

You finally let your tears fall once you were out of the building.

-X-

"My name is Jason Tran, 27," the boy at the front of the line began. "I have gone to secretarial school for 4 years, with a major in..."

"My name is Tracy Waters, 35," the woman twittered. "I was formerly the secretary of Maurice Stephens, but due to unfortunate circumstances..."

"The name is Gilbert Marthers. I'm 26, with a Bachelor's..."

"Katrina Ingram, but everyone calls me Kat! I'm turning 23 this year..."

"Resa Brighton. I am currently 22 years old." The interviewer, Kieran Jacobs tapped his pencil to his lip, looking rather bored from all the profiles and candidates already.

"Miss. Brighton, it says here that your education stopped at High school, is that correct?"

You nodded, unfazed, long accustomed to the jeering and prejudice. "Yes, that is correct, Mr. Jacobs."

"However, it says that you worked as the secretary for Mr. Felix Lindor of TG Group for ... 32 months. Can you elaborate on how you got the job for such a well-known company without any experience or post-secondary institutional degree?"

He was mocking you, and he was accusing you of lying about your references as well. You bit hard on the inside of your lip, and plastering on a bright smile. "I was a coffee girl at TG Group when Mr. Felix Lindor decided to take me under his wing. At the time, he was without a secretary and graciously gave me the opportunity. I have learned many valuable skills and assets during my time with him."

"You expect me to believe that one of the youngest and most successful business men in the country chose a random coffee girl to be his assistant?" You bit your lip. If he wasn't going to trust your words, then what could you do?

"Please feel free to validate my references, Mr. Keiran Jacobs, if you feel that my words are even the least bit untruthful." He looked taken back, and then slapped you with a scowl.

"Moving on."

-X-

"How was it, dear?" You exhaled steadily into your cell phone, rubbing your tired eyes with the back of your other hand.

"Another failure, mom. That was the last one I had." You blinked back tears, knowing that it was probably impossible at this point to get a job as a secretary. You were working part-time at a diner in your neighborhood, since the folk there all knew you and had offered you the job upon seeing you walk in with tears staining you face and asking if you could buy a tub of ice-cream from them to drown your sorrows in.

It had been almost three months since you'd been fired, and every company you went to looked at you with nothing but spite and disbelief. Most of the time, you were rejected without even an interview, and by 'most of the time' it was 9 time out of 10. You had no college degree, no actual references other than the TG Group you were recently fired from, and corporations were quicker than most to assume immediately that you were lying about working there. It was understandable since all the companies you applied for were much smaller and less known from the one you had come from. It was preposterous to think you had left such a wealthy corporation by your own will, so it was obvious that you were fired. You'd even considered the possibility of waltzing back into the office and demanding that Mr. Lindor write you a recommendation letter... But who were you fooling: you were gutless. You couldn't face him after what he'd done. The last time you set foot in there was to pack your belongings, and it took every ounce of bravery and tolerance to keep from bursting out into tears at the scrutinizing gaze going your way.

Mr. Lindor's new secretary didn't let you speak with him either, claiming that he was busy. After calling in twice, you knew it was futile. You doubted that TG would even confirm your time there if references called: in fact, that was most likely, because the copanies would have at least checked out of curiosity to see if you had actually worked there before rejecting you.

It was like the two years hadn't happened at all, and you were thrown back in time as a jobless 19 year old.

"If only they could see you work, darling! Don't stress about it, dear, I can tell that you're losing your patience, which is always a bad sign..." You laughed, sniffling into the phone. "Oh, my baby!"

"Mom, I'm 22!" You laughed, wiping your face with your sleeve childish as a passerby snuck a judgemental glance at you. "How's Raymond? Tell him I say hi!"

Raymond was your mother's husband. It never really felt right calling him Dad, because you thought of him more as a friend than a Father. Your father died when you were a little over 6 years old from chronic liver failure, and with an okay from both Raymond and your mother, you kept his last name instead of taking Raymond's. Raymond and your mother got together when you were 13, and tied the knot four years later. You moved out the day you became an adult and were legally able to sign your own documents. Your family had accumulated quite a lot of debt from your father's treatment. With Raymond working as a construction worker and your mom as a seamstress, your family was hardly able to live comfortably with the debt. It was your own decision to move out and to try to make something of yourself.

"Of course, sweetheart." She pulled from phone, and you could hear the distant, "Honey, Resa says hi!"

"Hey Resa!" came Raymond's clear, baritone voice. "Sorry, I'm taking a dump right now!"

"Honey! The neighbors must have heard that, too!" You snickered, taking a seat on a table outside of a coffee shop. You mom's voice came clearly again. "Baby, you know that if it gets too tough, you can always come home. We miss you."

"I miss you, too! But don't worry: I'll be fine." You drew circles into the table. "It's not even like I have to be a secretary. It's just that... doing it for so long has really made it become a part of me, so I wanted to follow it up, but anything is fine with me: my part-time is holding up well, and I might just make it full-time. You raised a daughter who can take care of herself."

"I love you, darling," she reminded gently.

"I love you too, Mom," You looked at your wristwatch. "I have to get going. I want to take a long, hot bath before going to work- Oh gosh!"

You shot out of your seat, coffee spilled all over you blazer from the man -...Boy? - who was walking by. The shock of spilling one caused him to tip over, where another tray of four fell, and as he reached for it, the other cups shot from its tray and hit the ground. You winced as each of the cups hit the ground with a loud splash. "I'll call you later! I've... got a spill! Bye!"

"Bye sweetheart!" You pressed your phone to lock and shoved it into your bag, bending over to pick up the coffee cups on the ground that the boy was already scrambling to pick up his cups.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" the boy apologized, eyes shaking. "Y-Your suit! Oh my God, they're going to kill me." And then he looked up at you, and you basically read the words from his mind: unless this lady kills me first...

"Don't worry about it, it's black anyway," You took it off, and luckily he had spilled it on your sleeve and side, unable to soak through onto your white blouse. The boy you had bumped into looked no older than 18; or maybe a tall 16, 17 year-old. "Are you... a coffee boy?"

"Y-yeah..." he confessed, eyes darting from you to the coffee. "What am I going to do, God, why am I such a klutz..."

"Don't beat yourself over it," you tried to offer helpfully, genuinely feeling bad for what a comedian he had unintentionally been. "Where do you work? It was mean for them to think you could carry 6 trays by yourself!"

"What?" he blurted, and then blushed. "I-I work for SOLDIER Corporations..."

You dropped the cup you were holding and stared up at him. He gave you an 'told you so' look, which justified his panic. He was definitely going to get fired, nevertheless a really good talking to for spilling 30 cups of coffee.

"Um," you said, calculating. "By any chance... did you bring any money?"

"H-how did you-" he started, and you snickered at the poor boy. "I only have the change from what I paid the barista... I am so dead..."

"I'll pay for you, don't sweat it!" You laughed again. Maybe you weren't the only one having a bad day. "It's only like 2000 gil, right? I'll just pretend I dropped a few coins."

He blushed, pulling out the receipt. You ogled at it blankly and bit your lip. 6000 gil? For coffee?

You peeked up at the coffee brand and blew out a sigh. Of course the Directors at SOLDIER would only have the best coffee at the most expensive shop in shop. Of course. But you'd think that the most successful form would afford simple delivery. Maybe they were trying to be generous and offer more employment opportunities, but still!

"You really have bad luck, don't you?" He blushed even harder. A lady from inside the coffee shop, looking significantly more ticked than any usual person should, came out with a mop to clear away the puddles, at least. You offered the boy a smile and took two of his trays before standing up, a little bit shaky from all the blood rushing back to your head.

"I am so sorry," he apologized sincerely as he stood in front of you.

"I'm Resa Brighton," you introduced.

"Sh-Sherman Baker," he addressed. "Uh, I don't have a car, and the building is... 10 blocks away..." Poor kid: they were going to make him lug 4 trays of coffee for 10 blocks? He flushed in his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"You can be more sorry after I save you from getting fired," you quipped, turning him towards the shop entrance for your next purchase. "Job hunting has gotten a lot harder than before. Believe me."

-X-

Unfortunately, you didn't get to see much of the SOLDIER Corporations building, since Sherman explained that going through the front entrance and lobby way would only attract fan girls that wanted to relay messages and other obscene things, as well as paparazzi that wanted to catch a glimpse of the famous men that had young woman everywhere, single or even married, wetting their beds every night.

Heat overcame your cheeks when Sherman put it that way. He laughed at your reaction. "Are you actually older than me?"

"Of course!" you declared haughtily. "I'm 22!"

"Ooh," he hissed, like you had taken a low blow. "I'm turning 17 in three months. I thought you were more like... 19."

"I'm holding 2 trays of coffee," you threatened playfully. He swallowed.

"22. Definitely 22. What moron said you were 19?" You chuckled at how quickly he had recovered.

"This is top secret, but..." Sherman looked back at you as you both approached a rusty door. It looked like a back shed of someone's shady apartment and hadn't been cleaned for years. "I don't think you're insane." You narrowed your eyes at him. "Well, you didn't freak out and scream all over me when I told you that I worked for SOLDIER... You can't tell anyone about this entrance, okay? It's disguised as run down for a reason, so that people won't connect the dots, y'know?"

You nodded and looked down at the trays you were holding. "I would make a gesture of zipping my lips, but my hands are busy at the moment."

"That's what she sai-"

"Open the door, Sherman!" You laughed, cheeks already hurting from all the bantering you had been doing with this kid. It'd been a while since you last talked to someone so carefree - and why not admit it? Going out into the work world at a young age had made you miss out on a lot of immature things, and the fun aspects of being a young adult.

He pressed the password in with a chuckle, and you looked away to notice that it was a good ways away from the main building. You could hear screaming and chanting another block down, but it sounded far away, like an approaching parade.

"Come on." He immediately stepped into a glass elevator that asked him for another pass code. You turned your back towards him respectfully and closed your eyes. The machine didn't even beep with each character inputted, so it was completely silent except for your breathing when the machine beeped once, signifying that the code was correct.

"Welcome aboard the SOLDIER Express," Sherman jested, and elevator headed up.

-X-

"Oh, Mr. Baker!" When you reached one of the top floors with the elevator, you were greeted with an older woman sitting behind a desk. Her graying hairs were pulled back into a tight bun, and she had glasses attached at the back with a string, reminding you of a librarian. But you knew immediately that she was a receptionist or secretary. "Finally decided to show up, I see. I even brought the cart from the back room because you were late."

"Sorry, Jan," Sherman put the coffee trays down atop of her desk. "I had a bit of an accident."

"At your age? I thought you grew out of that habit when you were 8!" Sherman rushed forward and you followed gradually behind to place the coffee trays down.

"I obviously wasn't talking about that kind of accident, Gran!" So this was his grandmother. Their playful relationship, as well as the absolute ridiculous situation with Sherman had helped release you from the negativity of the past few months, thankfully.

"Oh, I know, I'm just teasing, Sherman dear," she turned to look at you, fixing her glasses onto her nose bridge. "And you are...?"

"Resa Brighton, Ma'am." You gave a reverent bow, now that your hands were free. She nodded in appreciation, and held out a hand for you to shake.

"I am Janet Baker," You shook hands firmly, "Sherman's Grandmother, and secretary to SOLDIER Corporation's Director of Marketing, Zack Fair."

You froze. You hadn't even thought about the fact that she could be-!

"The... Zack Fair?" Janet nodded amusedly as if y reaction was customary. You smiled, fixing your hair out of nowhere, as if you were nervously greeting the man himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I was a secretary myself, and I can't imagine the work you do and how it must be..."

"You're a secretary too?" Sherman intercepted, eyes twinkling like a little kid. He seemed to be even younger when around his grandmother, which you found sweet.

"Was, she said," Janet corrected softly, and you could tell that she was trying to be helpful, not spiteful. "Now go, Mr. Baker, before the coffee gets cold!"

"Ah, right!" He pulled a tray out from the side of Janet's desk and placed the trays on the two shelves.

"I'll go with you-" He opposed your offer with a hand held up, and a huge grin.

"You've been a great help, Miss Resa!" You blushed, the familiar title - that Jackson used to call you - coming from another coffee boy just as young, hit a nostalgic note inside of you. You really did miss your job. "Gran, could you... pay Miss Resa for me until I get back? I promise to pay you back when we get home!"

"Why, that boy!" Janet chuckled. "Of course, dear. Go on now, before you get scolded."

He disappeared into the elevator, still toppling side-to-side a bit. "That Sherman... he's not the smartest, but he's hardworking and a good boy." You agreed whole-heartedly. She looked back at you then, and you met her auburn-brown eyes, the same as her grandson's. "So Miss Brighton. You used to be a secretary."

"That's correct," you confirmed anxiously. "I recently left, or..."

"Were fired?" she offered carefully. You bit your lip and nodded dejectedly. "For whom did you work for, may I ask?

"Felix Lindor," Her eyes went wide, "of TG Group."

"Oh, I know exactly who Mr. Felix Lindor is, dear." You liked the way she called you dear and soft names of endearment like your mother did. "Every year he comes to our banquet with a new girl at his side, and I'm aware that he changes several times in between as well. However he came alone these past two years..."

"I'm not very good with parties, nor do I like the attention that comes with it," I divulged, "The first year, I felt a bit sick, and the second, it happened to be my mother's birthday. I had received permission to not attend..."

"I see. But two years... That's quite a feat for someone working for the Lindor," Janet muttered to herself, gaze wandering elsewhere. "Where are you working now?"

You tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. "I'm unemployed from office work, Mrs. Baker, but I work at a diner in my neighborhood as a waitress."

"Oh, now, how come?" You were surprised to find her sounding genuinely alarmed. She chuckled, as if reading you thoughts. "Don't look so surprised, dear. I can tell that you're a good person, not some criminal. My Sherman spilled coffee on you, didn't he? And then he toppled and spilled a whole bunch more, so you were kind enough to pay for the new batch, weren't you?"

You tried not to drop you jaw, but you had been told many times before that you were like an open-book. But that level of deduction was just insane! "How did you...?"

"Well, for one, I can see that fresh coffee stain on your suit, as well as a few drops on your blouse. And the fact that Sherman told me to pay you back just now before leaving proves - oh, hold on!" She held up a finger just as the phone rang and she received with the utmost professionalism. "Good afternoon, this is SOLDIER Corporations, Zack Fair's Office, Janet Baker speaking, how may I help you today?"

You waited patiently for her to finish her conversation as she jotted down a few dates and times. When she was done, she turned back towards you with a smile. "Coffee at Martina's isn't cheap. You were willing to pay 6000 gil for a boy you didn't know, and even help him bring it up to the office he worked at?"

"He apologized so many times," you clarified, blushing for his sake. "He looked so helpless, and I guess... I wanted something to pass the time with too."

"I can only imagine," she chuckled and looked thoughtfully at the elevator where Sherman had left. "I understand this to be rude, but why were you laid off, Miss Brighton?"

You directed your attention to the floor, hands beginning to wrench.

"It's... very complicated, I'm afraid. But there was a misunderstanding... that was blown very much out of proportion, and I suppose Mr. Lindor no longer wanted me by his side anymore," you decreed steadily. Janet bobbed her head at you thoughtfully, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I'm so sorry, dear. That barely sounds like something that would prevent you from being hired at any other companies." You let out an embarrassed laugh and clasped you fingers together; if only she knew the full story. Or how you had slapped him right across the face.

"I actually don't have any post-secondary education." Janet blinked, but she didn't look as surprised as I thought she would, especially when you had so many interviewers looking at you with repulsion. "Nor do I have much experience in any kind of notable service sector or outstanding references of any kind."

"Yet you lasted two years as a Board of Director's secretary," she muttered quietly, as if to herself again. You had no idea how this woman thought, but you knew that she was not some elder that needed help with crossing the street. It was like her brain was constantly working and calculating things that you weren't aware of. You were a bit frightened at the possibilitypo that she might have even concluded many things about you merely from this conversation, that you weren't even aware of.

"Well, here you go, dear. Let me pay you the gil back before my old memory forgets," she went on, giving you a knowing look. You couldn't help but laugh at her sense of humor, as she was poking fun at her age, even though you both knew that if the joke about her memory were true, she would never last as the secretary of one of Gaia's most famous business persons under 30, who easily outranked even the older veterans of his position. "How much was it?"

"2000 gil," you answered. She glanced up at you, bemused.

"Do I look that easy to trick to you?" You opened your mouth to deny the accusation. "What did Sherman do? Serenade you on the spot?"

"W-What?" you stammered. Janet snickered.

"Coffee at Martina's is 250 gil per cup, and he bought 24 cups." You blinked. If she knew, then why did she ask?

"My chair leg was out, and that's what tripped him," you lied casually, tugging your lips upward.

Janet looked unconvinced. "Here's 10, 000, dear."

You gasped. "I-It was only 6000!"

"So you admitted it," she retorted with a wink. You blushed, biting your lip again. You didn't want to look like some goody-two-shoes girl who was too nice to receive compensation, but it genuinely didn't seem right receiving this amount of money from someone who hadn't done anything morally wrong. He had just made a mistake, and he was just a boy, at that. He had put you into a good mood. You got to meet Zack Fair's secretary. You got to enter SOLDIER Corporations! This was a once in a lifetime experience, and all you did was sit and talk on the phone with your mom.

"Is she not taking the money?" Sherman came bolting out the elevator, rolling the cart back to the side. "I knew it!"

He gave an awkward shrug and then cleared his throat. "Th-there's no other option then! I'll just have to treat you out to as many coffees as y-you had to pay for, then! H-How does Saturday afternoon s-s-sound?"

You paused, blinked, and then gently slipped the money from Janet's outstretched hand. "... Actually, I, um, was going to take the money."

Janet let out a less than subtle "Pfft."

"Geez, Jan," Sherman grumbled, cheeks a rosy pink stain. "... It sounded a lot smoother in my head."

"It will be a while until you can use them as smoothly as Mr. Fair, you silly boy." You checked the time on your watch and bit your lip. It was nearly 3, and your part-time started at 4. You still had to go home, shower and change.

"I'll have to get going now," you bowed. "I can't imagine how busy you are."

"Today's a slow day, honey, and Mr. Fair's out at a meeting right now." You nodded, but didn't bother asking why she didn't have to be there. "Would you by any chance have your resume on you?"

"Um, yes," you informed, already beginning to take it out, but I slowed yourself and looked at Janet. She smiled sweetly. "I know a few... places that might be hiring. I'll contact you if I find anything. Would it be alright if we performed a background check for you, and looked-"

"Oh please, don't worry about it. I'm more than honored, and I have nothing to hide!" The words came out tumbling from your mouth, and Jan whipped out a pen and form for you to sign, just to be sure. You didn't hesitate for a second. Janet simpered.

"That's..." You blushed and handed your resume to her. "That's so nice of you. Thank you so much!" You bowed with your head down for a long while, before meeting the eyes of Sherman, who seemed to be grinning like a little kid during Christmas.

"I'm actually going to be late for my part-time at this rate, so I have to go!" You made your way to the elevator, and pressed the button to descend. You looked back at them both. "I'm really glad you spilled coffee on me, Sherman. But try not to do it anymore."

"Y-Yeah!" He laughed, scratching his head from behind bashfully. The elevator whisked its doors open. "It's L-Zero. It'll let anyone out, so you don't need a password."

"Roger that!" You nodded graciously, and took a second to admire the tiles and decor before finally pressing the button. You didn't want to leave the building, but you had to. You didn't belong here, and you knew that, but you were lucky enough to set foot on those tiles when girls outside might divorce in a heartbeat for the chance.

"Goodbye, Ms. Baker! Bye, Sherman!" The doors closed, just as you caught Janet wave.

"See you soon, dear!"

-X-

"You want to recommend someone?" Zack pressed a pen to his lips, just having gotten back from his meeting several minutes ago. "My own superwoman of a secretary has a recommendation. Now this I gotta hear."

"To be honest, I have only recently become acquainted with her, and there are... several catches," Janet explained, and Zack braced himself. "She is only a high school graduate."

Zack frowned. "Janet."

She gingerly passed him a sheet of paper, and Zack scrutinized it for a few seconds before his eyes widened. "Former secretary of Felix Lindor? The playboy from TG Group? Janet, you know full well that all of his secretaries are just women that look pretty and get their heart broken, so they end up quitting-"

"She was fired, Mr. Fair."

"Oh, what a good impression of her you're giving me, Janet," he drawled sarcastically. "So she got her heart broken and refused to leave, and so the man had to go as far as firing her!

"Please look at these records," She passed him another sheet, and Zack shifted in his seat, not liking this 'recommendation' so far. "She worked for TG Group for 32 months. You can see very distinctly that as of then, Mr. Lindor's revenue and even his net worth has grown rapidly, and he's taken on a significant amount of large land projects and was promoted to Director of Finance 7 months after this girl worked with him."

"...Go on."

"And as of 3 months ago, when she was fired," She handed him another sheet. Zack's pen twirling froze. "Mr. Lindor has..."

"They've fallen 6 percent," Zack breathed. "This is crazy talk. It's just a coincidence, Janet. Maybe their company hit a major problem and had to cut wages, so they were forced to fire this woman."

Janet nodded. "That is also likely, but then that would present the argument that she was fired for her youth and inexperience, not her lack of ability. I would like to present yet another fact, Mr. Fair."

Zack looked up from the paper, giving her his attention. Janet continued, "Miss. Brighton never attended any public events or our banquets with the man, Mr. Fair."

He furrowed his brows, beginning to catch on. "So you're implying..."

"I am implying that Mr. Lindor did not have the same effect on her as he did on his previous secretaries. Women everywhere would have jumped at the chance to be at that man's arm, if even for a few minutes."

"She stayed with him for nearly 3 years," Zack muttered to himself, gears churning as he continued to draw information from the resume, "and didn't even take the opportunity to bask in the glory of it?"

Janet nodded. "One of the main problems each secretary for Mr. Strife faces is that he become too much of a... distraction."

"More like attraction," Zack snorted.

"...That is also correct, Mr. Fair." Janet was accustomed to her professional's eternally immature ways. "And I believe that with such statistics, and the evidence supporting that she is not a woman who would let romantic emotions hinder her in her work, I believe that she is an exceptional candidate for the position of Cloud Strife's secretary."

Zack tapped his pen once, twice, and a third time on the table, eyes scanning the sheet.

"Resa Brighton... 22 years old?" he calculated. "She was a secretary for Felix at 19?"

"Very unusual," Janet agreed. "But also very promising. I went through the liberty of archiving articles, and it is true that Mr. Lindor's secretary was named Resa Brighton. They haven't even taken her off their site yet."

Zack's blue eyes sprung to his secretary, finally noticing her poised, steadfast expression. He set down his pen and leaned forward with a devilish smirk. "You really like this girl, don't you, Janet?"

"No, Mr. Fair," she corrected, "I believe in her."

-X-

You collapsed on your bed with a monstrous groan, feeling your limbs release from their tension and the heat from your feet tingling through your toes. Friday nights were always busy, and with all the sitting around you had been doing for the past few years, your lack of fitness didn't do you any justice when trying to maneuver past loud, bustling tables at the diner. You slapped your hands onto your thighs. Your legs had definitely gotten more toned from the running around, which was a plus. You laughed at yourself, sitting upright and giving a stretch: it was just past 11 o'clock. Time for a nice, long hot shower, baby!

In the middle of stripping off your black top, you froze, finally noticing the soft vibration coming from your bag. In hopes that it'd be a job interview offer, you threw the shirt off your head and leaped for the phone in your bra.

"Hello, Resa Brighton speaking," you greeted hastily. Three years of answering the phone formally made it hard for you to just say a simple 'Hello'.

"Good evening, Miss Brighton," came a familiar voice, slightly distorted through the electronic device. "This is Janet Baker, the head executive administrator of SOLDIER Corporations speaking."

Your jaw unhinged. She was... the head executive-!"I would like to apologize for the untimely hour of this call, but I wanted to tell you as soon as the items were approved."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Baker," you blurted, noticing how you were sounding a bit too desperate. "Um... what is it that you're calling about?"

Janet chuckled, but maintain formality over the phone. "I am calling on behalf of the Secretarial Department to bring you good news..."

She was silent, and then chuckled again, like she found it funny how you had absolutely nothing to say. You were speechless. You held your breath in case it got in the way of you hearing her words.

"We have decided to hire you on the spot for the position of secretary to SOLDIER Corporation's Cloud Strife."

End of Chapter One.

-X- End Notes -X-

THIS IS AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE STORY! So other than the similarities that you already see in this story, please don't get all up in my case about Zack supposed to be alive and how Sephiroth is supposed to be an enemy, not their boss. I called the company SOLDIER on purpose, not AVALANCHE, if that tells you anything.

Please note: I am very sorry for inaccuracies! I've been doing my research and asking people. I hope you guys won't flame me about it. I'm trying my best to make this as accurate as possible, but please remember... I'm not a secretary, and I'm sure as heck not working for the world's most powerful conglomerate.

Resa means laughter, and Brighton means Bright Town. I'm trying to pull her apart from my usual Tomboy, 'speak my mind' kind of OC, but she ended up being more talkative in this chapter than I had intended. She will, grow, though, and you will see her for who she really is! Though feel free to voice your concerns if you feel that Sue-ness is getting excessive. I'm always trying to keep myself in check!

I hope you enjoyed this! Please, please review if you have time! I'll get the next chapter out as fast as possible, depending on how many people like this! Thanks!