Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 35: Birthday Girl

Elena woke to the sudden absence of her blanket. She shivered slightly at the unexpected exposure of bare skin to cool air.

“Can’t… have it…” a voice mumbled beside her, muffled beneath the thick fabric. “Mmph… electric… meatballs…”

The young woman snorted in laughter and sat up in bed, leaning over the cocooned lump next to her. “Reno…” she called out softly, shaking him, “Wake up…”

“Huh?” the lump grunted in acknowledgment, and after a brief struggle to extract himself, the redhead managed to peer out from beneath the sheets. Elena giggled at the confused expression he wore, which she could just make out in the pale moonlight that had made it through a narrow gap in the curtains. “‘Lena? What’s wrong?” he asked, blearily.

“Oh, nothing… except that I’m freezing because someone stole all the covers.”

“Heh… Sorry.” He yawned, and untangled himself before finally rolling over and covering her body with his, returning the purloined bedclothes. He grinned and pressed a tender kiss against her lips. “Weird dream… Guess I got a little greedy. Want me to warm you back up?”

Her hands drifted around him, lightly caressing the soft skin along his back. “I wouldn’t complain… but first Iwant you to tell me about the electric meatballs… and who exactly can’t have them.”

“Uh… yeah…” He buried his face against her shoulder laughing. “Like I said… weird dream.”

“Not a bad one, I hope…” She brushed back his hair. It hung loose from it’s usual ponytail, draping him in wild, untamed crimson. Elena let her fingers make their way to the back of his neck, massaging gently.

“Nah… just bizarre,” he replied, closing his eyes and relaxing against her. “That feels fuckin’ amazing. Keep doin’ that…”

“And what do I get in return?” she teased. This was something she’d only recently discovered. The redhead had a handful of areas that he loved having someone touch. The back of his neck was one of them… In fact, if she kept at it long enough, he’d probably end up going right back to sleep.

“Anything…” he murmured, sleepily. “You can have anything…”

“Anything, huh?” She kept her voice soft, trying not to disturb him too much. He was so cute like this… so relaxed and content.

“Mmhmm… anything…” He was barely conscious by now, his slight weight resting comfortably on top of her. Elena smiled to herself. She’d had only a few boyfriends over the years before she’d met Reno – and only two serious enough to have also been lovers – but none of them had ever made her feel as completely adored as he did.

The rookie’s fingers trailed down along his back, stroking lightly along his spine, the way he liked. His breathing gradually slowed, becoming deep and even, and Elena bit back a giggle, not wanting to wake him again. It was ridiculously easy to make him happy. And he asked so little of her.

Elena let herself sink back into the pillows, closing her eyes, intent on rejoining him in a good night’s sleep now that she had her blanket back.

She’d just started to drift off when a loud, pulsing tone… exceedingly shrill at two in the morning… jarred them both awake again. It took her a moment to realize what it was, groaning as she groped with one hand at the table beside the bed. Her fingers finally closed around the PHS, glancing at the screen and noting the caller.

“Y-yes, sir?” she answered, failing to completely stifle a yawn.

“Elena?” Tseng’s voice answered, sounding slightly surprised. It was only then that she realized…

“This… um… this isn’t my PHS… is it, sir?” she managed, feeling an all too familiar heat rise in her cheeks. The redhead next to her in bed snickered softly and plucked the device from her hand.

“I’m guessin’ you’re lookin’ for me. What’s up?”

“Get dressed and get to the office, priority one. And since it saves me a call, bring Elena with you.”

“Crap…” he muttered, flinging the covers aside. “We’re on our way.” He ended the call, and staggered blindly across the dark room, flipping on the lights.

“W-what’s going on?”

“No idea, but Tseng just gave us both a priority one order to report.”

Elena blinked and hurried to join him in hunting for her clothing. Priority one meant no delays… whatever it was, it was important, and couldn’t wait. They were expected to drop whatever they were doing and report within fifteen minutes. She’d never received a priority one order before. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she wondered what could have gone so wrong that Tseng needed them there so urgently.

“Where the hell is my bra?” she muttered, dragging on the handful of garments she had managed to locate. Reno had been a little… enthusiastic… earlier in the evening. The various pieces of her uniform had been flung to every corner of the room.

“No idea… and we don’t have time for a scavenger hunt, right now. You’ll have to go without.” He was already mostly dressed, and waiting somewhat impatiently just outside the bedroom.

“Ugh… fine…” she said, pulling on her shirt, and then the holster for her sidearm, followed by her jacket. Her tie, likewise, had vanished to realms unknown, so she did without that, as well. She trailed him out the door, grabbing her shoes and tucking in her shirt as best she could as she went.

---

The rookie yawned as they pulled into the parking deck. In spite of the adrenaline, it was still only a little after two in the morning, and she was tired.

The pair of them exited Reno’s car and rushed to the elevator, hitting the button for headquarters. Elena caught sight of herself in one of the metal wall panels and rolled her eyes at her reflection, before running her fingers through her hair in a futile attempt at making it look at least somewhat presentable. It was times like this she wished it was longer so she could simply pull it all back like Reno’s. The redhead really didn’t look that much more ruffled than he usually did, at the moment.

When the doors opened, Elena and Reno stepped out, expecting to find the Turk leader waiting for them in the office. Instead, he greeted them in the hallway, looking undeniably irritated and accompanied by a stopwatch-wielding Heidegger.

“Hmph… Thirteen minutes, fifty-two seconds.” the executive stated, “Acceptable.”

Reno scowled. “This was a fuckin’ drill?”

Tseng gave him an apologetic nod and Elena had to force herself not to groan out loud. Reno, meanwhile, looked as though he had a few choice words in mind for their esteemed department head, but wisely held his tongue.

She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do now, so Elena simply followed Reno’s lead, moving to stand to Tseng’s left. She frowned thoughtfully at the sight of the Turk leader. He was masking it well, but he was clearly in pain… not surprising, given that he was still recovering from a fairly serious gunshot wound. He was technically still on medical leave for another two days. Apparently, Heidegger hadn’t gotten the memo.

It wasn’t long before the elevator doors opened again, admitting the final member of their team. Rude exited, and just as the redhead had done, scowled as realization set in.

“Fifteen minutes, seven seconds,” Heidegger bellowed, just a little too gleefully, “You’re late.”

“…”

Anyone who wasn’t especially well-acquainted with the man probably wouldn’t have thought much of his reaction… or distinct lack thereof. Elena, though, knew him well enough to recognize the stiffening of his jaw and the twitch of an eye behind dark lenses. Rude was definitely not amused.

“And of course you know the penalty for failing to respond to a priority one order on time…” he continued.

“… Yes, sir.”

“Gya ha ha! Excellent. You’re all dismissed,” the executive declared, tucking the watch into a pocket and heading for the elevator. He was still chuckling quietly to himself as the doors closed.

“Um… W-what’s the penalty?” Elena asked, nervously. Whatever it was, Rude didn’t look too happy about it.

Reno shook his head. “A week as Heidegger’s personal office slave. Sucks ta be you, partner. Tch… Seven fuckin’ seconds. Ouch.”

Rude sighed in defeat. “Elevator at my place is out. Had to take the stairs.”

“Unfortunate timing for such maintenance,” said Tseng, leaning back against the wall behind him and closing his eyes. His hand rose to his side, pressing lightly against the still-healing injury.

The redhead’s attention shifted immediately. “You alright, boss?”

The Wutaiian Turk managed a somewhat forced smile. “Aside from the thirty eight stitches holding things together? Perfectly.”

“You should really be in bed, sir,” Elena broke in, and Rude nodded in agreement.

“That is precisely where I was, and had intended to stay… right up until Heidegger came and collected me, demanding a surprise drill tonight. I suspect it has to do with the rather unpleasant conversation you detailed to me following our recovery of Mrs. Shinra… He’s attempting to look more directly involved with us for the president, I think,” the Turk leader said. “In any case, I apologize for having to disturb you so late. Go home. Get some sleep, if you can manage it at this point.” He chuckled softly and turned his gaze on Reno and Elena. “Or, barring that… go back to whatever you may have been doing before I so rudely interrupted.”

Elena’s face reddened, as Rude unabashedly snickered behind her.

“Hmm… Caught in the act again?” he teased lightly.

“No!” the rookie vehemently denied, prompting still more laughter from the opposite direction, as Reno joined in.

“Nah… we were done by then,” he said, grinning lewdly, “Weren’t we, ‘Lena…”

“Oh, for Shiva’s sake…” she groaned, “It’s not fair when you all gang up on me!”

“Alright, enough…” Tseng snickered, “Go home… all of you. Reno, if it’s not too much of an imposition, I suspect that Heidegger is already long gone in spite of the fact that he was my ride. Would you mind?”

“‘Course not.”

---

It was a bit of a detour, dropping Tseng off at home, and the redhead had lingered a few minutes to ensure that he was settled before leaving the injured man on his own. By the time he returned to the car, Elena had moved to the newly vacated passenger seat and was curled up, sound asleep.

He climbed in behind the wheel, and stared at her for a moment. Maybe he was a little biased, but to him, she really was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Sometimes it was still hard to believe she was all his.

Reno grinned and started the engine, heading back to his apartment. She was still out like a light by the time they arrived, and he couldn’t bring himself to wake her again. Instead, he opened the door and eased her out, lifting her effortlessly into his arms, and closing it behind him as quietly as he could. He carried her upstairs, nestling her back into bed and crawled in beside her.

Sometimes he truly envied other people’s ability to sleep so soundly. Any little movement or sound tended to wake him up unless he was utterly exhausted. Much of it was learned behavior, stemming from self preservation and paranoia. He’d simply spent far too many nights during his younger years in places that were less than safe. He couldn’t afford to be off his guard back then. By now, it was deeply ingrained in his subconscious.

Though he had noticed that the more nights he spent with Elena, the less she accidentally woke him up. He wasn’t sure if she was somehow adjusting to him and moving less in her sleep… or if he was simply growing used to her being there.

Whatever the case, it was a thought for another time. He was tired, and her body was warm and inviting. The redhead sighed softly and pulled her into his arms, snuggling against her.

---

“You’re no fuckin’ help at all.”

“… What do you want me to say?” Rude calmly replied, biting into the lettuce wrap. The cafeteria’s offerings were much improved since he’d taken them to task, but he still wasn’t quite willing to forgive and forget. He’d brought his lunch from home every day this week, now that he actually had the time and energy to prepare it. He’d also spent far more time than usual dodging the redhead’s requests to share because of it… though he wasn’t sure why he bothered. He inevitably gave in eventually, and offered his friend a few bites of whatever he happened to have packed.

“Come on, man… I need ideas. ‘Lena’s birthday is barely a week away and I got nothin’.”

“Perfume?”

The redhead rolled his eyes dramatically and swiped a handful of almonds from Rude’s lunch. “That’s what I gave her for Christmas. Just how much ya think a woman uses? She doesn’t bathe in it.”

“Never known you to have a problem figuring out what sort of gift to get someone…”

Reno groaned softly and laid his head down on the table in defeat. The worst part was Rude was absolutely right. Usually, he barely had to think about it. He almost always had something in mind well in advance of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or whatever other gift-giving opportunities presented themselves. This time though… this time he was drawing a complete blank.

Christmas had been so easy. He’d spotted the nearly empty bottle as she was tucking it carefully among her most important possessions the night he’d helped her recover them from her rather crispy apartment. It had caught his interest because it had seemed such an easy thing to replace, and there was hardly any left anyway. She certainly hadn’t bothered with any other cosmetics… not that she really wore much makeup to begin with. At the time he’d simply filed it away as a minor oddity. It was only when he remembered it much closer to the holiday and had attempted to find the same scent that he’d discovered how hard it was to get. He’d finally had to enlist the assistance of Kel and the man’s friends among Midgar’s black market dealers… Reno had sworn to himself that he would never admit to anyone just how much he’d spent on that one little bottle of perfume.

But even though tracking it down had taken some effort – and a fair-sized chunk of his paycheck that week – the idea itself had been perfectly obvious. This time, he was at a loss.

What was more… he knew why. Elena had given him the perfect gift. She’d given him El. And he couldn’t come up with a damn thing that could compare to the thought and effort and love she’d put into that little stuffed rabbit. He desperately wanted to find something that expressed how much she meant to him, the way she had. And he was failing miserably.

“Um… Is everything alright?”

Reno somehow managed to hold back the surprised yelp that threatened to escape as he sat up and discovered the very subject of his thoughts was suddenly staring directly at him, a plate balanced on her hand and a slightly concerned expression on her face.

“Yeah… Fine. Great! Everything’s perfect!” he quickly answered. As unconvincing as his response was, it was made even more so by Rude’s barely concealed laughter on the other side of the table. He glared at his partner, willing him to shut the hell up.

“O…kaaay…” Elena replied, clearly not buying it. He needed to beat a hasty retreat before this got any worse.

“So… yeah… I’ve got a shit ton of forms to fill out with Tseng on medical leave and all… so… uh… later!”

Elena watched in confusion as the redhead all but leapt from his seat, and backed away from the pair of them before bee-lining for the cafeteria door.

“Did… did he really just say he was skipping out on lunch to do paperwork?” she asked, incredulously, turning to Rude… who was still snickering quietly to himself.

“… First time for everything,” he said with an amused smirk, and the rookie eyed him suspiciously.

“Is there something going on that I should know about?”

Rude simply shrugged, and went back to his lunch. Elena shook her head and took Reno’s vacated seat across from her fellow Turk. Apparently it was a secret… and Rude wasn’t in a sharing mood.

“So… how’s your day going?” she asked. This was the first she’d even seen of the man all day… he’d been sequestered on the executive floor, at the beck and call of Heidegger, since he’d arrived. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was really as bad as Reno made it sound.

“Depends… Can I talk you into shooting me so I can go hang out with Tseng?”

“Is it really that bad?”

“… Yes.” It was all the answer she got, and she wondered just what the executive had him doing upstairs all morning.

---

By the time the weekend rolled around, Rude had already had more than enough of his forced servitude. For the past two days, he’d been a valet, a waiter, a chauffeur, a secretary… and just about ever other demeaning, menial job Heidegger could throw at him. Even the one request he’d made that might not have been truly awful… that Rude make his lunch personally instead of simply fetching it from that cafeteria… had been met with criticism just for the sake of criticism.

Rude didn’t mind his cooking being critiqued… but for Odin’s sake, the man would’ve complained that water was too wet rather than acknowledge the Turk’s culinary skills. And he still had a further three days of this nightmare. Thank goodness for the weekend.

“Hey… you still with us, partner?” Reno prodded, nudging him slightly with an elbow. Rude looked up from the beer he’d been staring at for the last thirty minutes. The redhead grinned. “Aw, come on, Rude… ya got two days of peace ‘n quiet before Heidegger’s breathin’ down your neck again. Quit sulking and enjoy it!”

“Oh, leave the poor guy alone,” Elena cut in, “He’s had a rough couple of days.”

“Exactly… which is why he oughta be ecstatic that he gets a break. Not mopin’ around still nursin’ the first beer of the night.”

The rookie frowned and set her own bottle down. “Not everyone thinks that drinking solves everything.”

“Never said it did,” the redhead countered, “But it sure as hell lightens the mood sometimes. Fuck, ‘Lena… whatdya got against just kickin’ back after a long week all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. But maybe not everyone wants to ‘kick back’ the same way you do.”

Rude, meanwhile, seemed to have been largely forgotten. He glanced over at the rookie, noting her annoyed scowl. His eyes shifted to Reno, who, apparently, was blissfully unaware of just how peeved his girlfriend seemed to be getting… which may have had something to do with the six empty bottles in front of him. He’d hit the pleasantly buzzed but not quite drunk stage of the evening… which almost certainly meant his mouth was miles ahead of his brain.

This wasn’t going to end well.

They were all a little stressed, to be honest. Rude, because he’d been stuck with the bastard executive from hell for two days straight, and Reno, because he’d essentially been pulling double duty all week, filling in for Tseng and doing his best to keep up with his regular workload. And since Rude’s unexpected transfer to the executive offices, Elena had spent the end of the week juggling her own training – which had been largely self-directed, as Reno simply didn’t have the same amount of time he usually did to devote to her – and taking care of whatever tasks she could in Rude’s place. The Turks were essentially two men down, and it was starting to show.

It hadn’t helped that it had been a busy week from the start. Thankfully, not as relentlessly paced as things had been prior to Malloy’s capture and subsequent death, but they definitely hadn’t been sitting idle. Rude had begun to hear stirrings from their quasi-insider with Avalanche that the group was moving again, and he’d been devoting a fair amount of his time to ensuring that if they had something in the works he’d hear about it well in advance. At the same time, in the Sector 2 slums, Jericho’s gang was causing trouble for a number of his informants. He’d actually lost two… one dead, the other missing but likely in much the same condition. It was making it hard for him to keep tabs on the sector, as people were becoming hesitant to talk to him.

Reno, already utterly bogged down in meetings, reports, requisitions, and all of the other minutia involved in keeping the Turks functioning that Tseng seemed to handle so effortlessly, had his own problems to contend with. They’d had six separate security escort requests that week… one of which, he’d had no choice but to send the rookie off on her own. Rude had already been occupied with Scarlet at the time, and the redhead had been summoned to Junon to look into the disappearance of some experimental material attached to one of Hojo’s projects.

“Chill out, ‘Lena… Not like I’m pourin’ it down anyone’s throat.”

“Ugh… You know, we’re only here because you wanted to come,” she said, accusingly.

“What are you talkin’ about? It’s fuckin’ Friday! We always come here on Friday.”

“Well… Maybe we should try something else once in a while!” Elena finished off her drink and stood up.

“H-hey… Where are ya goin’?” Reno asked in surprise.

“Home. I’m tired and stressed out, and this place is just too busy and loud to be relaxing.”

Rude watched as the young woman gathered her jacket from the back of her chair and stormed out, leaving the somewhat bewildered redhead to stare after her.

“What the hell just happened?” he asked, blinking in confusion.

“Apologize to her,” the bald Turk advised. He doubted it was either the regularity of their visits to the Phoenix Nest or Reno’s drinking that had triggered the little argument. In fact he doubted very much that she was really angry with Reno at all… just, as she’d said, tired and stressed and looking for a convenient outlet for it. Which, unfortunately, was something the redhead excelled at providing.

“For what? I didn’t do anything!”

He finally took a long sip of the beer he’d been staring at all evening, relishing in the cool liquid as it slid down his throat. “Just apologize to her. It’ll be over faster that way.” He smirked and downed the remains of his drink.

Reno sighed and ordered them both another round. “Rude, man… I’m not sure I’m doin’ so great at this boyfriend shit.”

---

Saturday morning… far, far earlier than he would normally be awake on a weekend… found Reno slightly hungover and standing hesitantly outside of Elena’s door. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was apologizing for exactly, but Rude was right. He didn’t want to drag this out, and this was the quickest way to reestablish peace. He was just going to have to swallow his pride on this one. With that thought in mind, he knocked, fully prepared to beg if he had to.

The door opened and for a moment, he was worried he’d gone a little harder on the booze last night than he’d thought… because the person standing in front of him definitely wasn’t Elena.

The man was probably fairly close to his own age, with jet black hair and a jaw so chiseled he half-wondered if it was even natural. His eyes were a cold, steely gray, and even though he wasn’t any taller than Reno was himself, the redhead couldn’t help but feel slightly dwarfed by him. Where Reno was streamlined and slender, the stranger was broad-shouldered and very obviously a fan of the gym. Toned and tanned, the fucker looked like he’d stepped right off the cover of one of Elena’s romance novels. All he needed was…

“Something I can help you with, my friend?” he asked, his voice musically accented in the cadence familiar to Costa del Sol locals.

… That. Because of course someone who looked like him had a fucking accent.

“Yeah… you can tell me what you’re doin’ in my girlfriend’s apartment at six thirty in the mornin’…” he replied, narrowing his eyes. The way the man smirked in response, there was no mistaking his opinion of the redhead.

“Who is it?” Elena’s voice called from inside, and the Turk quickly took advantage of the man’s momentary distraction and shouldered his way past him. The rookie was sitting in a chair in the living room, her foot propped up on the coffee table and draped with an ice pack. “Oh! Reno!” she said, smiling.

“I suppose this means that I am no longer needed,” Elena’s early-morning guest said, glancing at the other Turk, “Unless you would perhaps like for me to stay?”

“Oh… no, really. I’ll be fine. But thank you so much for helping me out, Antonio… I really do appreciate it!”

“Until next time, then, my lovely Elena…” he replied bowing slightly, and Reno’s eye twitched slightly as the rookie giggled. ‘Antonio’ slipped out the door, closing it soundlessly behind him, leaving the two of them on their own. Reno took a deep breath, forcing himself not to ask the first question that came to mind for once. Elena was probably still ticked enough at him as it was, and he was trying very hard not to jump to any of the completely unfounded conclusions his asshole brain kept coming up with… but for Ifrit’s sake… he was only human.

“Okay…” Reno said once he was certain the interloper had retreated down the hallway, “In order of importance here… Are you alright, what happened to your foot, and who the fuck was that?!”

Elena snickered softly. “I’m fine. It’s just a little sprain. I was out running, and I took a new route, and I ended up tripping over some cracked concrete. I was actually going to call you to come and get me… but it turns out my new route is Antonio’s regular route, and he was nice enough to help me limp home.”

“And who exactly is Antonio?” He moved forward, kneeling beside the table and lifting the ice pack away. Her ankle was definitely swollen, and turning an interesting shade of purple. “You sure this is just a sprain?”

“Pretty sure. And Antonio is my new neighbor. He moved in down the hall a couple of weeks ago,” she replied, watching him with an all too amused grin on her face. “Are… Are you jealous?”

“What? No!” he vehemently denied. Of course he wasn’t jealous. What did he have to be jealous of? Some over-muscled pretty boy with good timing… and perfect hair… and an exotic accent? And just where the fuck did he get off talking about ‘my lovely Elena’? She was definitely not Antonio’s lovely Elena…

“You are!” she said, laughing. The redhead scowled and set the ice pack back over her ankle.

“I am not…” he scoffed emphatically. Reno rose to his feet and gently lifted her from the chair, “Come on… I don’t like the look of that bruising. We’re gettin’ you an x-ray just in case.”

“You’re going to feel ridiculous when they tell you it’s just a sprain…” She was still grinning maddeningly.

“Fine… So I’ll feel ridiculous. ‘Least that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about.”

“Have it your way. But I reserve the right to repeatedly say ‘I told you so’ for the rest of the day,” she teased, holding onto him as he carried her toward the door. “Incidentally… what are you doing here so early, anyway? You’re never up before nine on the weekends unless someone drags you out of bed…”

“I… uh… came over to apologize.”

Elena blinked, slightly confused. “For what?”

“For bein’ a jerk last night…”

“Oh. Oh, Reno… I was just in a really lousy mood after work last night. I’m so sorry if I make you think I was mad at you. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” She kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled him as the pair boarded the elevator. Elena smirked and pressed the button for the ground floor. “And you have nothing to be jealous about, either.”

“I’m not jealous!” the redhead insisted.

---

“Reno, what in Leviathan’s name did you do to my office?”

The work week hadn’t even officially started yet… he’d barely even made it through the door. But apparently someone had been waiting for him. He glanced around and realized that their main office was still empty save for one very irritated Wutaiian, who was presently standing in the doorway that led to his private little corner of their space, arms folded across his chest.

“Mornin’ boss… glad to see you’re feelin’ better…”

“Reno…” he intoned, the warning clear.

“Yeah… I meant to get that cleaned up for ya…” he replied, sheepishly, “And then I kinda forgot all about it.”

“The scattered paperwork and remnants of what I’m fairly certain was once a peanut butter and cheese sandwich I can understand. But why is there a hole in the wall?” Tseng asked evenly.

“Uh… Interrogation subject. I was kinda tryin’ to multitask. Which is why he wasn’t in an interrogation room at the time. He got away from me for a second or two.”

“I suppose that also explains the scorch marks on my desk.”

“Actually… that happened later,” he admitted, “Scarlet sent a new upgrade for my EMR down on Wednesday. Packs more of a punch than I expected. Sorry. Probably shouldn’t’ve tried it out in there.”

Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose lightly and shook his head. “Just clean it up, please.”

“Heh… yes, sir,” he replied, grinning slightly, “Hey… I know Rude’s still on slave detail, but where’s ‘Lena? She decide to sleep in or somethin’?” He hadn’t stayed with her last night… In fact, he generally tried to avoid Sunday nights, because as much as he loved being with her, she was impossible when she returned from her weekly Shadow & Sword viewing party with Rude. A person could only take so much fangirling. Fortunately, her ankle really had only been sprained… or he would’ve stayed regardless of the inevitable onslaught.

“I sent her downstairs to submit some requisition forms for me. She’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Yeah? In that case, since I gotcha alone…” he began calmly, before his expression turned pleading, “You gotta help me, boss… I got three more days to find ‘Lena somethin’ for her birthday, and I am failin’ miserably here.”

Tseng’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You can’t find a gift?”

“Can we skip the whole shocked disbelief shit? I already got that from Rude. Help. Me.”

“Hmm…” Tseng thought for a moment. “She did mention to me not long ago that she was looking for a new coffee maker…”

Reno snorted in contempt. “Oh, yeah… that’s real romantic.”

The Turk leader chuckled softly. “Well, I do tend to favor more practical gifts, you know…”

“Next you’ll be suggestin’ I get her socks.”

“Does she need socks?” he queried, teasing the increasingly annoyed redhead.

“Come on, boss… ya gotta have somethin’ I can work with…”

“Reno… I’m sure whatever you give her she will be perfectly happy with. If you’re not enthralled by the practical, then perhaps something related to one of her interests. Shadow & Sword, as I understand it, has a truly impressive amount of licensed merchandise available. She can’t possibly own it all quite yet.”

The Turks second-in-command shook his head. “No way. She’s a little more than just a casual fan and I don’t know nearly enough about the show or its collector’s items to know what she’d want without actually askin’ her. It’d be like her tryin’ to find me a new video game. Too many options and a lot of ’em wouldn’t interest me.” He sighed, and sank down into the chair behind his desk. “Besides… I really wanna give her somethin’ that’ll make her think of me. I give her somethin’ like that and she’s more likely to think about Rude.”

“Ah… Then I fear I’m not going to be of much help to you,” Tseng replied, resting a hand on his lieutenant’s shoulder. The redhead groaned and let himself fall forward onto the desktop, his head hitting it with a loud thump. Tseng chuckled and gently patted him in comfort.

“Sir, I… Reno? Are you okay?” Elena asked as she strolled through the door to the office. The redhead immediately looked up.

“Sure… great… never better!” he replied, trying not to cringe. That was twice now she’d damn near caught him begging for help with her gift. And when the fuck did he get so terrible at sounding convincing? “I… uh… should probably get to work on the mess I left in your office, huh, boss?” He didn’t wait for a response… simply darted into Tseng’s office, slamming the door behind him in his haste.

“Sir?” Elena asked, curiously.

Tseng just smiled and shook his head.

---

It was already Tuesday, and he still hadn’t made the slightest bit of progress on finding something Elena would really love. It was starting to become one hell of a distraction. Tseng and Rude had been completely useless. He was so desperate, he’d very nearly slunk down to the medical suite to get Dr. Ward’s opinion that morning.

Thankfully, he’d come to his senses before he’d risked walking in there and walking out with several injections and Ifrit only knew what else. She’d been pestering him for weeks to come see her again because apparently his recent blood tests had decided to whisper in her ear that a vitamin B shot might not be a bad idea. He strongly disagreed. It sounded like a terrible idea to him.

Though if he didn’t come up with something soon, he supposed the Doc would have to be considered as a last resort…

Right now, however, he had other things to worry about. With Tseng back in the office, he could catch up on the items on his to-do list that he’d had to put on the back burner while he’d been filling in. One of those things was paying a little visit to Lira.

She’d become more and more of an asset to them lately… particularly after all the trouble she’d gone to helping them find Malloy. It had been a risk for her to make it known she was looking for him, even if it had only been to the other girls at the Honeybee. And if she hadn’t taken that risk, they might not have caught up to him in time. It had actually been Rude’s idea to push for more regular meetings with her. He’d even offered to handle them himself… though Reno didn’t think Lira would have appreciated that. She liked Rude, but she could be a bit paranoid as a matter of self-preservation. Reno had earned her trust a long time ago. Rude was still working on it.

Besides which… now that he was officially spoken for, he very likely wasn’t going to be seeing nearly as much of her outside of Turks business. Even if they were no longer lovers, Lira was one of his oldest and dearest friends. He’d known her since he was fourteen, and they’d been through a lot together. The last thing he wanted was to lose touch with her.

Reno stepped off the train and made his way into the residential part of the sector. Lira wasn’t working today… which was just as well. He didn’t want to become too familiar a face around the Honeybee. It was bad enough a few of the girls recognized him as it was. He made his way through the streets to the little boarding house she lived in, hurrying upstairs and knocking.

The door opened slightly, cautious eyes peering out at him, before it was thrown wide.

“Finally! I was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me!” she said, grinning, and dragging him inside. The next thing the redhead knew, her arms were around him and her lips were intently plundering his own. He blinked in shock, and moved to push her away, but Lira pulled back first. “Now don’t get upset. Last time I saw ya, you were terrified of doin’ somethin’ to drive Elena off. I just wanted one last little kiss, is all. I wouldn’t dream of tryin’ to spoil things for you.” She guided him over to the couch, pressing him firmly down onto the cushions and took a seat beside him, her arm snaking around his waist. “So… to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Got a little bit of a proposition for ya…”

“Oh, yeah? I mean, not that I’d ever say no to you,but are you sure Elena’s okay with that?” the woman teased. Reno snickered softly. Lira never changed.

“Not that kind of proposition.”

“There you go, gettin’ my hopes up… You’re such a tease…” Her fingers walked their way up his back, finally coming to rest at the base of his neck. “And tense as all hell… poor thing,” she added, squeezing gently. Reno instinctively let his eyes close, finding it very difficult not to enjoy the relaxing sensation. Elena had found that spot recently, too… but Lira really knew what to do with it. Unfortunately, he really shouldn’t have been doing this, no matter how pleasant it was.

“Lira… Cut it out, will ya?”

“Oh, now come on… You’ve always loved this. I promise, I’m not tryin’ anything. I just don’t like seein’ you in knots,” she purred, redoubling her efforts. “Now… what’s this proposition of yours?”

She’d stop if he insisted on it. Somehow, though, he couldn’t quite manage to get the words out. Finally he sighed, and pressed on with the real reason he’d come down here. “How’d you feel about seein’ a little more of me? And Rude… and maybe ‘Lena, too?” he asked.

“Feelin’ a little adventurous, are we? Do I need to reserve the Group Room over at the Honeybee?”

The redhead couldn’t help but laugh, as a truly disturbing vision came to mind at that suggestion. He shook his head, pulling away from Lira’s massage and turning to face her.

“Oh, thanks a lot, Lira… it’s gonna take me all day to get the image of Rude and that fuckin’ group of gym rats with the hot tub fetish you keep tellin’ me about outta my head.”

The woman grinned widely, and leaned back, casually crossing one leg over the other. “Glad to be of service. All jokin’ aside, though, what is it you’re askin’?”

“We’d kinda like more regular reports from ya… if you’re okay with it. That means someone’d be down here to see ya more than just when we need somethin’ specific. And it comes with a much better paycheck…”

The grin quickly faded.

“Oh… Reno… I-I don’t know about that,” she replied, looking a little frightened at the prospect, “It’s one thing for me to pass along the occasional gossip or help ya out with somethin’ important for a little extra gil… but goin’ full-on informant? In Wall Market? That could land me in an awful lotta trouble if I ever got caught…”

“I know… and I promise you, we’d be very careful. Last thing I’d ever want is for somethin’ to happen to ya on my account.”

Lira fidgeted nervously and reached for a pack of cigarettes on the coffee table. She lit one and took a long drag off of it before answering. “I do want to help, but… Look, can I have some time to think about it?”

“Sure. There’s no rush.”

“Thanks.” She smiled slightly, and took hold of his hand, toying with each finger in turn. “I can’t imagine that’s what’s got you so worked up, though… Why so stressed?”

“… It’s ‘Lena,” he replied with a sigh. The woman’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Don’t you dare tell me you’re back to that whole ‘she’s too good for me’ bullshit… ’cause, Shiva help me, I will beat some self esteem into you if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

Reno laughed. “She is too good for me, and she’s always gonna be too good for me no matter how many times you slap me… but for some reason, she wants me anyway, so that’s not my problem right now.”

“Then what?”

“Her birthday… I have no idea what to get her, and it’s drivin’ me nuts.”

Lira giggled, and released his hand. She stubbed out the cigarette and smirked. “Oh, well that’s easy, then. All girls love jewelry…” she suggested.

---

“Get her flowers.”

“Tch… that’s what ya get someone when you’ve royally fucked up and have to beg ’em for their forgiveness.”

Kel shrugged and popped a french fry in his mouth. “Get her chocolates, then.”

“Too cheap. And anyway, they’d never last long enough to give ’em to her. You know me ‘n sugar,” Reno replied with a shake of his head.

“… Fuck her?” he suggested, laughing at the sudden angry expression the redhead cast at him, “What? Not like the two of you aren’t goin’ at it, anyway. I’m just sayin’… don’t underestimate how much a woman appreciates good sex. Last I checked, Elena was still a woman. A smokin’ hot woman. It’s win-win!”

“First of all… don’t talk about ‘Lena like she’s some chick I picked up after work. And second… have you always been this bad, or am I somehow gettin’ less perverted?”

“Oh, yeah… trust me, that’s all you. You didn’t even look twice at that absolutely gorgeous little brunette that walked by not two minutes ago. The Reno I know woulda had her phone number within about thirty seconds. And if he wasn’t really interested, he woulda shared with his good friend Kel.” The hotel concierge grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You got it bad, pal. Head over fuckin’ heals. I almost feel sorry for ya, tyin’ yourself down like that, no matter how hot Elena is.”

The redhead rolled his eyes and leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. Perfectly good four star restaurant in the damn hotel and Kel dragged him off for 2-gil burgers down the street. Eh… food was food. “Fuck, man… No wonder you’re divorced. You’re probably the last person I should be askin’for advice…” He reached across the table and snatched a few fries for himself.

“Hey! Come on, man… You had your own. Quit stealin’ mine.”

“Like ya need ’em…” Reno shot back with a smirk. He finished off his burger, and sighed. “Ah hell, I gotta get back to work. Thanks anyway.”

“Hey, hang on…” Kel replied, watching Reno get to his feet, “Look, don’t discount my idea completely. She likes all that romantic shit, right?”

The redhead’s eyebrow rose in guarded curiosity. “Yeah… What’s your point?”

“Well, what’s more romantic than a night of hot, mind-blowin’ sex?”

He snorted in contempt and turned to go. “See ya later, Kel.”

“Ah, for fuck’s sake… You really are an idiot, ya know that? Bring her to the Swan for the night. You ever once had a lousy evening there? She’ll fuckin’ love it.”

The redhead paused, considering it. It really wasn’t a terrible idea, now that he thought about it. Great restaurant… or room service, if they didn’t want to leave the suite… huge, insanely comfortable beds… private jacuzzi in the rooms… The Silver Swan was luxury at its finest, and a romantic night would definitely be something Elena’d be into. On the other hand, she kinda of knew about his history of bringing dates to the Swan before they got together. He really didn’t want her making the wrong kind of association on that. Still… Kel was right. He’d never had a bad time at the upscale hotel… and neither had anyone he’d brought with him.

Kel grinned, knowingly. “You’re thinkin’ about it, aren’t ya? Tell ya what… we’re not exactly packed this week. I’ll keep somethin’ extra nice available for ya, just in case. When’s her birthday?”

“Thursday… but, uh, actually… ya think maybe you could swing me somethin’ for the weekend? If I decide to go that route, I mean? It’d be nice not to have to get up and go straight back to work in the morning…”

“Consider it done,” said Kel, “Just let me know by Friday so I can make sure the weekend manager knows you’re my guests…”

“Thanks, man… I owe ya.”

---

As soon as he returned to the office, the very familiar sound of a very familiar doctor berating a patient met his ears. It was only the fact that, judging by the yelling, Ward wasn’t here for him this time that prevented the redhead from doing an immediate about face and stepping back into the elevator.

“I may be getting on in years, but I clearly remember what I told yeh, Tseng… My signing off on yeh coming back to work was conditional. If yer still in that much pain, yer not fit ta be in the office, and I don’t appreciate yeh trying ta hide it from me!”

Reno pushed open the door to the main office, finding their shared space a little more crowded that usual.

“What’s goin’ on?” he asked.

Tseng was resting on the couch, apparently having been forced to lay down by the borderline irate doctor that was hovering over him. Rude and Elena, meanwhile, had wisely opted to retreat to the opposite side of the room and allow her to handle her patient as she saw fit.

“It’s nothing serious… I simply –”

“Nothing serious, he says. Enlighten me, then… justwhere did yehgo to medical school? Stubborn thing. I’ll wager yeh’ve torn out a stitch or seven. I knew I shouldn’t’ve let yeh talk me inta letting yeh come back so soon. You’re a bloody workaholic is what yeh are… Can’t stand ta leave things ta someone else for a bit…”

Tseng quickly sat up, a firm response to her accusation ready, but he never got the chance. Instead, the suddenly movement triggered a sharp yelp, and he fell back against the cushions.

“Yeh see… I told yeh. Yeh can barely move. Now quit yer arguing with me. Yer going downstairs so I can have a closer look at yeh, and then yer either going home ’til I say otherwise… or back ta Midgar General, depending on how much damage yeh’ve done to yerself!”

“What the hell happened?” Reno asked, concerned. Tseng had seemed fine this morning. Still recovering, but not in obvious pain.

Rude crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. “He came upstairs to check on me. Tried to give me a hand moving Heidegger’s desk across the room and ended up on the floor. I brought him here because he wouldn’t let me take him to medical.”

“Which is exactly where yer takin’ him right now,” Ward piped up. Tseng looked as though he would have liked to have argued the point, but kept silent. “Don’t yeh give me that look. Like it or not, yer no more invincible than any of the rest of yer Turks, so stop pretending ta be.”

Reno elbowed his partner. “Come on… let’s get him downstairs before Ward decides she’s not takin’ any chances and puts us all on bed rest.” He carefully eased the Turk leader’s arm around his shoulder and lifted him to his feet. Rude took his weight from the opposite side.

“I am capable of walking…” Tseng insisted.

“Yeah… and I’m capable of runnin’ like hell. But I’m not gonna piss off the Doc any more than she already is and have to actually do it,” the redhead replied, smirking. “‘Lena… keep an eye on things here for ’til we get back, will ya? Just in case Heidegger comes lookin’ for Rude…”

“Er… right,” she replied, watching them half-carry Tseng out. Ward shook her head and sighed in frustration, turning to the rookie before she followed suit.

“Stubborn as sin, that one. I don’t know which of them is worse sometimes. Him… or Reno. Hmph… between the pair of them, they’ll drive me to an early grave yet.”

“Tseng is going to be alright, though… isn’t he?” said asked, cautiously. The elderly doctor chuckled quietly and smile.

“Don’t yeh worry. He’ll be fine… I’m sure it hurts like everything, but I don’t really think he’ll haveset his recovery back too much. But that certainly won’t stop me from giving that man a piece of my mind,” she replied with a conspiratorial wink. “Oh… and just on the off chance I’m not back up here later this week ta yell at one of yeh for ruining all my hard work keeping yeh healthy… happy birthday, dear.”

---

Reno groaned and set another report into the completed pile. This was what he’d been reduced to… data entry. He had to admit, he’d been a little surprised by the sheer number of reports he’d discovered he’d been tucking into the to-file folder lately. He had actually thought he’d been doing better about his habit of procrastinating. Apparently not.

Tseng had demanded he make some progress on it. It had been the last order the Turk leader had been allowed to give yesterday before Ward had officially relieved him of duty and put him on medical leave again for the remainder of the week… with the further stipulation that he report to her first thing on Monday for her to evaluate. Given the expression on the Wutaiian’s face when she’d done so, Reno didn’t dare put this nightmare off any longer. He’d been at it most of the afternoon.

The morning, on the other hand, had been dedicated to far more entertaining pursuits. He’d decided to switch up Elena’s training a bit… and essentially made her the instructor for a change. They’d been on the firing range for quite some time earlier.

Reno had never been terribly gifted with firearms. He was competent, certainly… and not a bad shot, either. Or at least he hadn’t been. Their little run-in with the pack of zenenes on the mountain had concerned him a bit, and this morning had confirmed it. He’d let himself get out of practice.

Understandable, given that he almost never bothered with a gun beyond having one on hand as a backup. His EMR was more than sufficient for dealing out enough staggering pain to floor an opponent. And because he favored a close range fighting style, even when he did use one, whatever he happened to be aiming at wasn’t usually too far off. He hadn’t had to pick off a target from any significant distance for quite some time… not until the zenenes, at any rate.

Elena had jumped at the chance to be in charge of him for once. And she certainly hadn’t gone easy on him, either. Not that he stood a chance of out-shooting the rookie, even on his best day, but she hadn’t let him break for lunch until she was satisfied that his accuracy had improved. He couldn’t deny he’d been impressed… Elena was a remarkably good teacher when she put her mind to it.

“Hey.”

The redhead looked up from his keyboard, grateful for the interruption.

“Ya know… the office sure was quiet for a change without you around, partner,” he said, with a teasing grin.

Rude snorted a laugh. “I’ll try and keep it down now that I’m back,” he replied.

“Officially released from servitude, then?”

“Yep.”

“Thank fuck… Doin’ my job and Tseng’s job and half of your job sucked ass. ‘Lena’s gonna be glad you’re back, too. Think she’s got a whole new respect for just how much intelligence you have to sort through.”

The bald Turk smirked and leaned against Reno’s desk. “Speaking of Elena… I’m making the cake tonight. You find out what she wants?”

“She’s got a thing for carrot, apparently. Not what I’da gone for, but hey… it’s her birthday, not mine.”

“What’d you tell her?”

Reno grinned. “Just that I’m takin’ her to dinner. She doesn’t know it’s gonna be at Tseng’s place, or that you’re the one makin’ it.” It wasn’t really a surprise party, per se… He hadn’t gone to any great lengths to hide their plans from the rookie. He’d just neglected to mention specifics.

“You ever find her a gift?”

“Yeah… I mean, I got her somethin’ anyway. I’m still not sure about it… it’s a little… uh… I dunno. Sappy?” He’d just picked it up at lunchtime, in fact.

“What is it?” Rude asked, curious. Reno glanced over at the door… Elena was in the archives pulling records on the Sector 2 gangs for him. She’d be awhile. He opened a drawer and withdrew a small box, placing it on top of the desk. Rude raised an eyebrow, and picked it up, opening it and pulling out the object inside, studying it carefully.

“She’ll love it.”

“Think so?” Reno asked, a bit uncertain. “Well… even if she thinks it’s incredibly lame, I still got one more surprise for her. But it’s gotta wait ’til Friday night.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“I got us a room at the Silver Swan for a couple of nights…”

Rude chuckled. “So in other words, you’re the present. Hmph… you get her a gift receipt in case she’d rather have something else?”

The redhead glared and returned the box with his gift to the drawer. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about now?”

“Heard you think you’ve got some competition… Someone named Antonio?”

Reno groaned. “What’d she tell ya about that?”

“Just that you got a little jealous when you found him in her apartment…”

“Aw, for the love of… I AM NOT JEALOUS OF ANTONIO!” he shouted. The sound of hysterical laughter suddenly reached his ears… It was coming from the hallway. A few seconds later Elena pushed open the door.

“Could you say that a little louder?” she giggled, “I don’t think they heard you on the executive floor…”

---

It was Thursday afternoon, and Elena was spending it staring at the clock. It just figured… they’d been so busy, being understaffed for so much of the past two weeks, yet today, she mysteriously had next to nothing to do. There weren’t even any reports to kill some time entering… Reno, of all people, had actually managed to finish them off yesterday, leaving her without her go-to activity for slow days. And to think… it hadn’t been that long ago she’d been sick to death of paperwork. Today she was actually yearning for it!

Rude certainly didn’t have the same problem. She’d done her best to filter through the massive amount of tips and reports his network of informants delivered to him, but frankly, by the second day she’d given up any hope of doing more than simply logging it for him. She didn’t know how he kept it all straight… and so much of it seemed completely banal and unimportant anyway. It wasn’t easy sifting through it to find the things that really mattered… things that could be crucially important to them. Up until now, she had never realized just how difficult Rude’s role in the Turks really was.

Oddly enough, he seemed overjoyed to be back at it, too… in spite of the disorganized chaos Elena had been forced to leave him with. In fact, he seemed almost happy to be untangling the mess she had no doubt in her mind that she’d made of his cataloging system. But then again, if she’d just spent a week at the beck and call of Heidegger, that might look pretty inviting to her, too…

But if she was being honest… she didn’t really care about the sudden lack of activity. Having a break was nice. What was really bugging her was that the day was going by at a snail’s pace because she was looking forward to the evening. She’d actually been looking forward to it all week. Reno was taking her somewhere for her birthday tonight… though he hadn’t said where.

“… It only moves slower if you stare at it.”

She jumped, startled, and looked up to see Rude smirking at her. Apparently, her gaze had been fixed on the clock a little too long. Elena leaned back in her chair.

“I know…” she sighed.

“Only an hour to go…”

“That is exactly one hour too damn long,” she muttered, and Rude laughed.

“And I thought Reno could get impatient when he knows there’s going to be presents…”

“I hear someone mention my name and presents in the same sentence?” the redhead’s voice interrupted as he walked through the door, a large cardboard box awkwardly clutched to his chest. “What’d ya get me?”

Rude snorted softly. “It’s like he can sense it when you’re talking about him…”

Reno chuckled and set down the box on top of Rude’s already overly-cluttered desk. “Speakin’ of presents… Got one for you,partner.”

“What’s this?”

“Computer from where Malloy was livin’ before he went into hiding. Tseng thought it might be worth takin’ a look through since he had contact with Avalanche a while back. Probably not gonna find anything useful ’bout that little meeting, but it never hurts to check.”

Rude opened it and peered inside. “… Why is there an alarm clock in here?”

“The fuck do I know about this shit? Last time, you got pissed at me ’cause I left somethin’ you wanted behind. So this time, I just grabbed everything on the desk that looked like it could be plugged in and shoved it in the box,” he replied, grinning.

Rude rolled his eyes. He may not have been an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but Reno knew perfectly well what went with a computer. He was just being an ass. The Turk pulled the clock out, handing it to the redhead. “Here… happy Elena’s birthday.”

“Tch… Ya could’ve a least wrapped it…” the redhead shot back, grin widening before he turned to the rookie. “How’s my favorite birthday girl?”

“Bored out of her mind,” she laughed, “And you still haven’t said where we’re going for dinner… or what I should wear for dinner…”

“I dunno… What do you think, Rude? This place too fancy for jeans and a t-shirt?”

“Hmph… If I say yes, does that mean I get to make you wear a tie?”

“No… It means ‘Lena gets to make me wear a tie. Ya know… if she wants to be completely heartless and make me suffer horribly all evening.”

“You do look good when you dress up…” Elena piped up with a soft giggle. Reno groaned.

“… Keep it casual,” Rude snickered, taking pity on his friend.

---

Shortly after five thirty Elena answered a knock at her door, beaming as she opened it and let the redhead inside.

“Fuck, ‘Lena… Is there anything you don’t look good in?” Reno asked, looking her over. She was dressed in black pants that hugged her body in all the right places, and a dark blue button down top. It was simple and casual… and she looked beautiful. She kissed him softly, and smiled.

“Ilook absolutely terrible in orange,” she assured him, “So are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Well… I was gonna, but then I realized that I could make it a surprise and totally prolong your agony.” He spun her around gently so that her back was to him, and the next moment she found her eyes covered by a soft strip of fabric. Elena laughed as he spun her several more times, leaving her thoroughly disoriented, before guiding her out of the apartment.

“So… just so ya know, I’m only givin’ ya half your present tonight. The other half you don’t get ’til we’re off for the weekend.”

By now, she could feel concrete under her feet and a cool evening breeze on her face. Moments later she was tucked into his car and buckled in.

“This weekend, hmm?” she mused aloud, “That must mean you have something planned… Are we going somewhere?”

The redhead smirked to himself, and pulled onto the freeway. “Sorry, ‘Lena… but you’re not gettin’ any more info outta me. You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”

She laughed. “If I’d known you were going to torture me, I’d have made you wear that tie after all, you jerk…”

“Heh… Why dya think I waited to tell ya?” he grinned in response.

By the time they pulled up in front of Tseng’s apartment, Elena was starting to get impatient. Reno caught her twice trying to subtly lift the blindfold to see where they were.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, catching hold of her hand before she could pull it away. “That stays on ’til I say otherwise.”

“Oh, come on! We’re here aren’t we? Why do I have to leave it on?”

“‘Cause I said so,” he snickered, climbing out. Once again, the rookie found herself being carefully guided, blindly, towards their destination. All she knew for certain was that it didn’t sound like anyplace she’d have guessed they were going for dinner. The sound of other people, even traffic, was virtually non-existent.

Once they were inside, however, the delicious aroma of food hit her immediately, making her mouth water, and music was playing softly from a stereo to her right. A wide smile crossed her face. This was no restaurant. The blindfold was suddenly removed, and she blinked at the unexpected return of the light, before quickly recognizing the familiar sight of Tseng’s living room… along with the even more familiar sight of Tseng himself, and Rude.

“Happy birthday, Elena,” all three of her cohorts chorused, and she grinned.

“You guys are so sweet…” she giggled.

Reno ushered her towards the couch, and pulled her down beside him. “So… presents first, ’cause it’s this isn’t the fuckin’ Christmas party, and Tseng’s stupid rule to make a person sit ‘n stare at ’em ’til he says they can open ’em doesn’t apply.”

“It’s not a stupid rule. It’s free entertainment for everyone else,” Tseng joked. “Believe me… It’s indescribably amusing to watch you suffer through that every year.”

“Sadist,” he shot back.

Tseng chuckled and handed the rookie a neatly wrapped package. “As Reno has complained that my usual choice of gifts tends to be a bit too practical for his taste, I opted for something slightly less so just this once…”

Elena smiled and slid a finger under the paper, gently prying up the tape, before glancing over at the redhead with a smirk. He looked as though he was barely holding back commenting on her method of gift-opening. She snickered quietly and tore the paper away, laughing out loud at the look of relief that came over him.

“Ah… I see I’m not the only sadist at this party…” Tseng teased, joining in the laughter.

The rookie lifted the lid of the box, and smiled. “Oh, sir… It’s beautiful…” She gently lifted the little wooden box from its confines. It was delicately carved in a distinctive Wutaiian style, and lacquered in black. On the lid was a carefully wrought floral design… lotuses, she was pretty sure… inlaid with mother of pearl and silver. She opened it, and was greeted by a gentle melody.

“The tune is a very old Wutaiian folk song from the region where I grew up… It has always been a favorite of mine.”

“It’s wonderful… Thank you.”

“Hmph… Now that Tseng’s shown us all up…” Rude commented, handing her another gift, “This is from me.”

Elena grinned as she pushed aside the tissue paper inside the colorful bag and was rewarded for her efforts with DVD case. Reno groaned aloud when he saw the title.

“Please don’t make me watch that with ya…” the redhead begged.

“Please make him watch it with you…” Rude countered, swiftly earning a dirty look from his partner.

“No promises either way…” the rookie replied, grin widening. The three-part TV movie was the only thing she was still missing from her Shadow & Sword collection. It had premiered before she’d gotten into the show, and hadn’t been released as part of the box sets she owned, so she had never seen it. She’d been shopping around for a good price for a couple of months now. Which she vaguely remembered mentioning to Rude a few weeks ago.

“What the hell do you guys have against me that makes ya wanna see me suffer so bad?” Reno asked, shaking his head. He pulled one final gift out of his pocket. “Here’s mine…”

Elena accepted the package and tore away the paper, a bit surprised at the little box inside. It was embossed with the logo of a jewelry store in Sector 4. That was unexpected… She opened it, curious as to what he might have picked out for her.

“Oh… Reno…”

The silver locket rested on soft black velvet. It was oval-shaped and just a little bigger than her thumbnail, with an iridescent stone in the center that shimmered with flecks of blue and green and gold. She carefully lifted it out of the box and opened it.

“You can put a different picture in it… ya know, if ya want to. I don’t mind… I just didn’t want to leave it empty,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. Elena giggled softly, admiring the tiny image of the redhead inside.

“I wouldn’t dream of it…” she replied, leaning over and pulling him in for a kiss.

Rude snickered softly and elbowed Tseng. “Is he blushing again?”

“Mmm… It seems to be becoming something of a regular occurrence lately…” the Turk leader concurred. Elena finally released him, and the redhead turned to his two fellow Turks, with a half-hearted glare.

“Seriously… What the hell’d I do to deserve this shit from you two?”

---

If she had been anxious for the end of the day on Thursday, Friday had quickly become almost unbearable. And it didn’t help that Reno had been dropping hints about their weekend plans from the moment she’d stepped into the office. Somehow, though, she’d made it… it was five minutes before five, and soon, she’d be walking out that door.

Tseng leaned against the edge of her desk and chuckled. “Elena, I’m beginning to think you might be just a little excited.”

The rookie flushed slightly and smiled. “Just a little,” she agreed, “Er… You don’t happen to know what he’s got planned… do you, sir? I know that Rude knows, but he’s impossible to break.”

“And I’m not?” he chuckled, one eyebrow rising in mock-offense, “I’m afraid all I know is that he made me swear upon pain of death not to call either of you in this weekend, even if the the city spontaneously erupted into utter chaos. Though his phrasing of the request was a bit more… colorful.”

“And you’d better fuckin’ not either,” Reno said, grinning as he strolled through the door, Rude in tow. He set a small bag on her desk. “It’s five o’clock, you’re all packed, and Rude’s gonna take care of Snuffy for ya… We’re outta here.”

“I… You’re not even going to let me go home and change first?” she asked, surprised.

“Nope.”

“Have a good time,” Tseng said with a casual wave, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“Tch… I wanted this weekend to be fun, boss…” the redhead quipped, as he herded Elena out the door. They stepped into the elevator, and Reno hit the button for the parking deck.

“So?” Elena prodded.

“So what?” he asked innocently.

“Dammit, Reno… you’ve been tormenting me all day! Would you please just tell me where we’re going?” she laughed, poking him playfully in the ribs.

“Nope.” His teasing grin was truly maddening, and when he held up an all-too-familiar strip of cloth, the rookie groaned.

“Not again…”

Reno said nothing. He simply smirked and blindfolded her for the second time in as many days.

---

Wherever they were, there were other people. A lot of them. She could hear them all around her, some talking, some rushing by, others moving at a more relaxed pace.

“Ready?”

“Yes!” she cried, giggling. The redhead took the blindfold away, and Elena found herself standing in front of a revolving door. “The Silver Swan?” she asked, gazing up at the tall building. The next thing she knew, he was escorting her inside.

“Ah, Mr. Donovan and Ms. Brewer… we’ve been expecting for you… Welcome to the Silver Swan!” a familiar voice, with a decidedly unfamiliar formal tone, greeted them. Elena blinked as Kel bowed stiffly, and gestured for them to follow. A snap of his fingers summoned a bellboy to take their bags. “We’ve prepared one of our finest rooms for you. I’m certain you’ll enjoy everything we have to offer.”

She laughed softly as the concierge showed them to the elevator. “Quite the welcome…” she teased, as the doors slid shut.

“We at the Swan strive to make everything truly inviting and luxurious for our guests,” he replied, then winked and finally broke from his professional persona, “S’pecially the pretty ones…”

Reno rolled his eyes. “Who do I complain to about the fuckin’ concierge hittin’ on my girlfriend?”

“Well, you could complain to the front desk, but that just goes straight to me, so… I s’pose ya could just skip the middle man and yell at me directly if ya want,” Kel replied, smirking.

“Tch… Yeah, that sounds like it’d accomplish a lot,” the redhead snickered, “Oughta demand a refund…”

“Of your free room, ya mean?” Kel shot back, and Elena couldn’t help but laugh. The elevator dropped them off on the thirtieth floor, and Kel led them to the end of the hallway, unlocking and throwing wide a set of double doors for them.

The rookie’s jaw dropped. “Oh, wow…” she breathed. The room was huge. And beautiful. A massive double poster bed stood to one side, draped in sheer white curtains, and the french doors at the far end looked out onto a balcony. Their bags has somehow managed to beat them to the room, and had been placed on the side table, near a very, very well-stocked mini-bar, and peering through a doorway to her right, Elena caught sight of a marble tub – that could very well have been a small swimming pool – set into the floor.

She’d been in one of the Swan’s rooms before… back when she and Reno had tried to play a prank on Tseng… but it had been nothing compared to this.

“Ya like it?” Reno asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind and placing a gentle kiss on the side of her neck. “It’s all yours ’til Sunday… And ya get everything that comes with it.”

“Oh, yeah? And what exactly comes with it?” she sighed, enjoying the attention.

“Access to all hotel amenities… room service, the restaurant and bar, our pool, the billiards and gaming rooms, in-room massages… and if we don’t provide it, we can certainly try to arrange it for you,” Kel said, automatically, and the rookie got the impression that it was a question he tended to answer a lot.

“In other words,” Reno added, teasingly nipping at her earlobe, “Whatever ya want.”

She giggled softly and twisted in his embrace to face him. “What if I want you?”

“I come with the room, too…” he replied with a suggestive grin.

“Heh… and on that note, I’ll just get outta your hair,” Kel snickered, subtly backing out the door. “Have fun!” He pulled the doors shut behind them, leaving them alone in the room.

“Reno, this is amazing…” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Thank you…”

“Happy birthday, ‘Lena…”

~fin~