Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Endless Dream ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

A/N- Hihi minna-san. Marika Webster here. I've been given the privilege of writing this chapter of Endless Dream-Revised Edition. Some plot things have been changed and updated…. For the better! Please enjoy this chapter. And remember, reviews make us happy so click the button down below!

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue, got nothing.

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Endless Dream
Revised Edition
Chapter 1
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Tensei swallowed hard, she clutched her suitcase in one hand, and the stuffed rabbit in the other. She stared at the door of the massive estate, frown firmly entrenched on her fairy-like features. She shifted her gaze to the stuffed animal and drew in a deep breath. "It's now or never, Kuma-chan." She stuffed the rabbit into the pocket of her suit jacket until only the head was sticking out.

Raising her free hand, she rapped the brass knocker against the door. Moments later the door swung inward. A tall man stared at her, impish grin in place. He was dressed in a bright, glaringly red suit, his head adorned with an equally red fez. Sunglasses covered his eyes despite the fact that it was cloudy out and he was indoors.

Tensei resisted the urge to squint in the face of the neon red pimp suit. "I'm here."

"So you are. If I may ask, Miss… now that we've established the fact that you are indeed here… who are you?"

Tensei drew herself up to her full height. All 5'2" of it. "My Name is Tensei Jiano. I'm Mr. Winner's new personal assistant. I was told to come here…"

"Oh yes! Auda mentioned you. Please, come in." He stepped aside to allow her entrance into foyer of the house. "By the way, I'm Abdul el Mohammed el Shair el Nazir el Mohammed el Mohammed. But you can just call me Abdul."

She blinked trying to process the sheer length of his name. "I'm just plain old Tensei."

"Pleasure to meet you. If you'll just leave your suitcase there by the door, Teppei will take care of having it taken to the guesthouse where you will be staying. Come with me, Master Quatre is expecting you." He turned for the staircase, leaving her to follow.

She rested the suitcase on the marble floor and followed him to the staircase. "Abdul? I don't mean to be rude… but who is Teppei?"

Abdul did not pause. "Teppei is your maid."

"Oh. Why do I need a maid? Doesn't she have better things to do that wait on me?"

"Teppei is a he, and no. That is his job. Make sure you ask him to make you one his famous cheesecakes. Really good thing." He turned down a long hallway, pointing to a door on the end. "Just go on in. He's waiting in there."

With that he turned back to the stairs and disappeared. Tensei absently patted Kuma's head. Long, purposeful strides carried her to the door. She raised a hand to knock, startled when a voice called out. "Just come on in."

Eyes wide she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. A young man knelt by a king-sized posted bed washcloth in hand scrubbing furiously at a black shoe. "Well come in and shut the door behind you." He didn't even look up from his task.

Tensei shut the door silently and remained where she was.

"I don't understand how he could have made a mistake like that." The young man turned to face her, sinking fully to the floor. A bright smile played at his lips as he studied her. "So, you're my new assistant?"

Tensei nodded, regarding him in silence. He was considerably rumpled, as though he'd been attempting very physical manual labor for some length of time. His suit jacket and tie had been discarded over a nearby chair, his blue dress shirt hung open revealing a white undershirt. His navy trousers sported stains in varying shades of black. Platinum hair that Tensei had only seen meticulously arranged in photographs was messy, as though he'd repeatedly run his hand through it in exasperation. He held the offending shoe up, waving it for her inspection. "What color is this?"

Was this some kind of test? "Black, sir."

"Hmm." A frown marred his features as he examined the shoe once more himself. "Normally I wouldn't have a problem with black shoes. However, you must understand… this morning Abdul took it upon himself to polish these shoes. That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad if the shoes weren't suede… you don't polish suede. Add that to the fact that these shoes started out a nice camel brown color… do you understand why I need an assistant Miss Jiano?"

Well at least the shoes were laced. Tensei bit back a giggle. She stepped forward taking the shoe from him. She passed her fingers over the toe of the ruined shoe. She reached out and took the other from the bed. "Where is the kitchen?"

"First floor, through the dining room." He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What does the kitchen have to do with my favorite shoes?"

"You'll see. I'll be back in 15 minutes."

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

13 minutes and 42 seconds later she re-entered her employer's room. Apparently he had busied himself in her absence with papers from his briefcase. He sat on the floor before a low table, files spread before him.

Silently she moved across the plush blue carpet setting the shoes next to him on the floor. He blinked behind his glasses and laid his engraved fountain pen on the stack of papers. He picked up a shoe and stared at it in disbelief. The formerly black shoes were now returned to their original state. No traces of the polish remained on the delicate suede. His mouth formed a silent "o". A slow smile traveled across his face.

"How much am I paying you Miss Jiano?" The question came unexpectedly.

Tensei frowned. What did that have to do with anything? "4000 credits per month, Sir."

He dropped the shoe and pulled out a clean sheet of paper, scribbling a note on it. He scrawled his signature across the middle of the page almost lazily. "Take this to Mark Simons in Human Resources sometime tomorrow so he can make the necessary adjustments before your personnel files are finalized."

A moment later he thrust the folded note into her hands. "Would you mind grabbing that black attaché case on the bureau over there please?"

Tensei stared at the note for a moment before opening the note to read it silently. It was short, but to the point.

"Mark, effectively immediately, pay scale for Tensei Jiano is changed to 8000 credits per two week pay period. Thanks, Q R Winner."

Tensei's eyes widened. With one simple sentence he had quadrupled her salary. Because she'd gotten a stain out of his shoes?

"Mr. Winner, this isn't necessary."

The Arabian man snorted. "It's the way I want things to be. If this," He tapped a shoe with his pen. "Is any indication of the your abilities, I'd say that you are well worth the money. That said, discussion on this issue is closed. Would you please bring the briefcase?"

He returned his attention to the papers before him once more, dismissing her immediately. Tensei folded the note once again and tucked it into her pocket. She had just reached for the case when she heard his voice, a smile in his tone. "And if I find out you didn't give Mark the note, I will speak with him personally. Either way, I will have my way."

She returned to stand before him, depositing the briefcase next to the table. He gestured to the other side of the table. "Please have a seat."

Good thing she was wearing pants. She lowered herself to the carpeted floor and waited for his next command. "In the briefcase is a laptop. It is yours for as long as you work for me. Each Friday afternoon, my secretary will upload my appointments and commitments for the next week into the task planner program. Each morning she will give you a disk with any changes or cancellations. I suggest you learn quickly to familiarize yourself with my schedule and routine. It will be your job to inform me of any and all changes and adjustments to my schedule as they occur. Is that clear?"

She gave a quick nod as she drew out the laptop and booted it up. The screen came up, the Winner corporation logo in tones of gray on the desktop as wallpaper.

"Please feel free to change the desktop configurations as you see fit, the only thing I ask is that you do not have pornographic pictures as your background, it can lead to a most embarrassing explanation at some very uncomfortable situations. Also in the briefcase you will find a PDA and a copy of my agenda. It is imperative that you keep it updated and current. There is also an agenda for your personal use. There will be occasions where you will have to function as a representative of WEI in my stead."

Tensei withdrew the aforementioned items from the bag as he continued speaking. "There are also social events when a suitable companion can not be arranged and you will be needed to accompany me. You will go this weekend with the credit card that is provided for your personal use and purchase appropriate articles of clothing as well as membership to the spa of your choice."

Tensei opened the top planner and blinked. An array of charge cards were tucked into pockets. Mr. Winner continued to speak without missing a beat. "A company vehicle is parked in the garage of the guest house. You may feel free to use it as you need to, there is a gas card for your use. Sundays will unfortunately be your only day off for the next few weeks, after the Klien merger is completed, your weekends will free up a bit. Anytime it is necessary for you to work on Sundays you will be compensated accordingly for your time and given an evening off sometime during the following week. You're schedule is the essentially the same as mine. For all intents and purposes, you are as of now, my shadow. With the exception of double booking of appointments you will be with me at all times. You will be my extra hands and eyes."

He extended a piece of paper to her. "This form gives you full authorization to make any staff changes in any capacity with the exception of executive staff and board members. Given the fact that this is a high-stress position with regard both to the work load and hours, it is required that you reported to the physician of your choice once every six months for a complete physical as well as the company psychiatrist once every 3 months for an evaluation. It is also a requirement that you go to the gym at least three times a week for a workout with a personal trainer. Call and ask for Tanya, she's really good. The reason for the workout requirement is that physical exertion has been proven beneficial for high-stress jobs. If for any reason you are unable to fulfill that requirement, simply report to the doctor and get a written excuse. Let's see if I've forgotten anything."

He tapped his temple thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. One more thing. You're office is connected to mine through a door. There's a small suite that connects them. I sometimes sleep at the office, so you'll have to make certain that I have a change of clothes and some ties at my disposal when necessary."

He smiled disarmingly. "You think you can remember all that?"

Tensei nodded. "Of course, Mr. Winner."

Her employer waved a hand dismissively. "When we are alone please call me Quatre. Mr. Winner was my father. Hearing it makes me feel old."

"Yes Mr.. Um.. Quatre."

"Well then… I do believe that's everything. I have a dinner meeting in two hours with Mr. And Mrs. Klein. You recall what I said about social events?"

"Yes." She hesitated to answer.

He grinned cheekily. "This is one of them. It's a sensitive merger and needs to be treated with the utmost care. In such instances as these, it only makes sense that my assistant accompany me. I can't very well take someone who may spill confidential information to ears that have no business knowing anything."

"Of course."

"Feel free to go get ready, I'll pick you up in an hour and a half. Can you be ready by then?"

"Yes."

"Good good. I'll see you then." He flashed her another brilliant smile and returned his attention to his work.


Tensei placed the items on the table before her back into the briefcase and rose from the table. She had just pulled open the door when she heard his voice drifting behind her. "By the way, nice rabbit."

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Musha laughed into her cell phone. "You can't be serious. They gave you a male maid? That's just wrong on so many levels."

Her friend's voice came over the line. "I'm not so sure about this, Mu… I'm starting to think you'd be much more suited to this whole personal assistant thing than me."

"Tensei, you aren't making sense. We've had this discussion before. You're much better with infiltration than I've ever been. No one will suspect a thing. Just stick close to him and do your job, both of them. Remember, you have to stay close to him to make sure that this entire thing doesn't fall apart."

She smiled when she heard the unvoiced growl in Tensei's tone. "I understand that, but he's just so… brainless. It's as though he's so absorbed in his work that he can't think of anything but the next big deal. It's hard to protect someone who's so oblivious to all surrounding danger."

Musha nodded though she knew her partner could not see her through the lines. "Listen, if it makes you feel any better, while you get that nice comfy three story 'cottage guesthouse' complete with pool and in house sauna…. I'm stuck living in the barracks. The freakin men's wing. It's embarrassing."

She stood over her bag of meager possessions and pulled out the only three things that she considered essential to any place she called home, no matter how temporary. Her laptop, which immediately took a place of pride on the tiny, horrid excuse for a desk. Her framed picture of her and Tensei taken several years before, that got a new home on the nightstand just beside the lamp. And her one lonely book. 'Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance.'

"The men's wing. Are you kidding me? I remember reading in the Preventer's manual that women and men were to be strictly separated when not on duty or on a mission."

Musha snorted as she took out a few articles of clothing and placed them in the bureau drawer. "That's what it says, but in all actuality the don't have room in the women's wing, which I might add is pitifully smaller than the men's. Not only that, but I have to trek 500 yards across that damned excuse for a courtyard to use the shower and other facilites… know what I mean Vern?"

Tensei gave a low chuckle. "You're really roughing it aren't you?"

"Actually." Musha straightened and gazed around her storage closet sized room. "Once you get past the fact that I'm sleeping on a Japanese futon on the concrete floor, the rather odd reality that I don't have a mirror, or even a sink, and I mean that literally. I have a faucet where the water hose used to connect to clean out mop buckets… and the sheer dinginess of it… it's really not so bad. At least I know the room will be easy to secure, I mean there's just the one door in and out. How hard could that be?"

Tensei was hiding a smile behind her sympathetic words. "I'm sorry it's so bad over there. I wish you could stay here. But don't even say it. I know you NOR Master U would approve of that."

"Exactly right." Musha heard the knocking on her door. "I gotta go. Time to go meet my slave driver."

"Right. I understand, I need to go finish getting dressed. Luck." Tensei cut the call leaving Musha alone to face her virtual demons. Gods, sometimes she just hated her job.

She dropped the phone onto the bed and straightened the tie she wore as a standard part of the Preventer's uniform. She pulled the door open and faced her company, expression schooled into tightly controlled neutrality.

The Preventer she'd met earlier smiled at her warmly. Sally Po. That was her name. "Miss Ein, are you all settled in?"

Musha nodded. "Almost, Ma'am."

"I'm sorry about have to put you in the men's barracks, it's only until a space opens up in the other wing, then we'll have you move. It won't take long at all."

"I assure you, I will be comfortable no matter where I sleep." *If I sleep.* She added mentally.

"Preventer Chang would like to speak with you for a few minutes. He asked to meet you this evening before you got too busy with your training tomorrow morning."

"That's fine." She stepped into the hallway and closed the door to her closet behind her.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, Quatre steering the car deftly around all obstacles. Tensei gripped the arm rest tighter. He cut off a child on a tricycle as he maneuvered through the through the upscale neighborhood and toward the main road. Tensei smothered a shriek of surprise as he rolled smoothly through a stop sign without slowing down in the least. All that escaped her was a tiny whimper of shock.

Her boss merely smirked. "I've been driving for 11 years Miss Tensei, in that time I've never had an accident. Have faith in me."

He reached out, his steady gaze never leaving the road as he moved his fingers over the CD holder on his visor. Third one from the left he plucked out and pushed into the player. "This should help distract you. I'm sorry to drive so fast, but we're going to be late if we don't hurry. Auda burned my shirt and I had to change before we could leave."

As he finished explaining his tardiness he hit the play button. Tensei stiffened as the music started. It wasn't the classical she'd expected from the aristocratic young man. No, quite the opposite. It was rock… something that had been popular years earlier. He beamed at her and shouted over the music. "My friend Duo gave me this for my last birthday. It's something called Heavy Metal. I find it very relaxing."

Relaxing? Tensei bit her tongue when her stomach physically lurched as her hit the gas and sped through a red light. They had to be getting close, didn't they. She furtively checked her watch. They'd been driving for 15 minutes already. Nothing in this city was THAT far away.

*Please, if you're there God… don't let me die yet… I want to go out in a blaze of glory…. Not a bonfire of death metal music.* She sincerely hoped that whatever god was listening surely must know of her fervent pleadings. Mercy, that's all they needed, a little mercy. Silently she vowed that from then on, she was riding by herself in that nice little company convertible. Behind Quatre…. Far behind Quatre.

She pride her fingers free of the armrest and picked up her purse. She peeked inside at the pack of cigarettes that had taken up residence there a month before, when she'd been informed of this mission, the mission that could very well end her life. She drew out the pack and flipped it open pulling a cigarette out. The never-used lighter followed a moment later. She'd vowed she'd never touch the vile weed unless she was about to die. Now seemed like the right moment to have one at last. As she lit the cigarette and drew in a shaky shot of the foul tasting tobacco product.

She exhaled heavily, instantly returning the stick to her lips and taking another drag. Her boss glanced over to her, an expression of distaste written on his handsome features. "Can you please not smoke in the car?" He raised his voice to be heard over the music.

In a risky move, to show she was not deterred, she glared daggers at him. She was facing imminent death and dammit she was going to spend it basking in the fumes of her least favorite toxic substance.

He sighed heavily in resignation and hit the button rolling down her window a crack to let the smoke out.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Musha stood before her commanding officer… or the equivalent of it seeing as how it was greatly stressed that the Preventers weren't a military organization.

Chang Wufei did not speak immediately, studying her closely as though sizing her up. "You seem smaller than your physical implied."

Musha did not respond to this verbally. Too many times, her skills had been underestimated by the opponent based on her size, it was a pet peeve to her and Tensei both. They certainly weren't going to intimidate anyone with their physique. They both preferred to show rather than explain when their skill was called into question. And as yet, Chang had not said that, he'd tactfully only made reference to her stature.

He took a look at the file in his hands, flipping through the pages. "This lists your skill as a virtual plethora of martial arts and street fighting techniques. Your firearms test scores were excellent. However I notice here that you have yet to be tested with your hand-to-hand techniques. Why not?"

Musha did not break her military bearing as she answered firmly. "I finished my other exams late in the day after the instructors had all gone home. There was no time. I am to be tested tomorrow morning by Preventer Po."

Wufei stepped around her, walking in a slow circle. "At ease, Miss Ein."

Musha instantly dropped into position.

He continued his trek around her, stopping behind her. "Attention."

What the hell? Musha bit back a growl and snapped to attention one more time.

Silence followed for another moment. "Left face, right face, right face, about face."

Musha narrowed her eyes slightly. She followed the movements exactly. He took several steps away and snapped out other commands in rapid fire. "Left face, left face, about face, left face, right face, right face, left face."

Calmly, without changing her breathing she complied with his orders, odd though they were. Her last movement brought her to face him once again. He wore neutral expression. "Parade rest."

The last command was given and Musha gratefully moved into position.

"Good response time with the basics, no insubordination to rapid command, no evident lapse in willingness to explicating following orders." He made some notes on the file and flipped to another page.

"I took the liberty of running a background check on you this afternoon Miss Ein. Would you be interested in knowing what I found?"

Musha raised her eyes to meet his boldly. Let him try his little ploys, he'd found nothing amiss. She'd laid the foundation for this mission herself. Everything was perfect, untraceable. "There should have been nothing amiss, Sir."

A smirk rose on his features and he regarded her in silence for a long minute. "I found something quite out of the ordinary, Miss Ein. Apparently you have ties to one Miss Tensei Jiano, who oddly enough started working as personal assistant to Quatre Winner. I find it odd that you as well as your closest friend were employed at the same time, both in some capacity or other to be near to two former Gundam pilots. Does this disturb you?"

His implications were quite clear. He suspected something. It was evident that he was paranoid… all her research on the pilots had revealed that they were all quite paranoid.

"Why should I find a mere coincidence disturbing sir?" She knew her voice remained steady, they were trained for just such an event as this.

A lower ranking gopher entered the building, holding paper in his hands. He extended it to Chang and spoke too softly for Musha to hear what was being said. She took a glance at the small black object being passed to Chang. A chill spiraled through her as she recognized it. A bug. Damnit, she KNEW she should have checked the room before making any calls. This could compromise everything.

She held herself straighter and turned her eyes to the firing squad as the roach scuttled away. Chang was silently skimming the pages he had been handed. They'd obviously taken paranoia to an entirely new level.

As he casually lowered the pages, a near smile graced his features, softening them until they were almost…handsome. He held the sheaf of papers up in one hand. "Care to guess what I'm holding in my hand, Miss Ein?"

"Papers, Sir." She answered careful to keep all sarcasm from her voice.

His smile broadened. "Amusing attempt to throw me off guard. What I hold here." He shook the papers slightly. "Is a transcript of all words and sounds from your room from the time you entered to the time you left with Sally Po. And do you know what I found as I was reading over it?"

"I can answer that. Not a single incriminating thing." She knew the answer was a gamble. Her side of the conversation had been kept to a minimum of references to the mission. However, there was that one unavoidable statement.

Chang quoted verbatim the piece she knew he would consider damning. "Tensei, you aren't making sense. We've had this discussion before. You're much better with infiltration than I've ever been. No one will suspect a thing. Just stick close to him and do your job, both of them. Remember, you have to stay close to him to make sure that this entire thing doesn't fall apart."

Yeah, that'd be the one. Musha almost smirked. He couldn't get anything out of her with only that.

"What that proves Miss Ein, is that your purpose here is not merely to help protect peace, but to put some sort of plan for a disturbance into action. Now, if you come clean and tell me your little plot, I can help you get out of this mess with minimal time In prison, perhaps even only probation." He glared at her harshly, as though daring her to deny his words.

Musha chuckled dryly. "Sir, with all due respect, what you just quoted to me proves absolutely nothing. I could have been referring to something completely innocent, and I assure you that a judge would certainly dismiss any charges brought against me as frivolous and without merit. And then that would open up all sorts of avenues for me take legal action of my own in order to gain reparation for damage to my good name."

Chang flushed brilliantly. She could feel the anger emanating from him in waves. She had him nailed. Calmly he raked his eyes over her once more. "Report here at of 3:30 tomorrow morning for your physical testing. I will be seeing to it personally. If you are late, I will be forced to take disciplinary actions against you. You are dismissed."

Musha snapped a smart salute and turned on heel, leaving him alone in the room.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Could this evening possibly get any more boring? Tensei clasped her hands together under the table, her fidgeting fingers unnoticed by their dinner companions.

Her attention was once again on the conversation as she heard Quatre speak politely to the elder Mr. Klein. "I have those figures at my office, I thought that dinner shouldn't be tainted with business."

Figures? Darn it all, she should have followed the conversation more closely instead of indulging in her fantasy of that oh-so-tempting Jacuzzi tub in her new bathroom. Mr. Klein looked to his son sharply. She knew that look. It contained an "I told you so" statement in them, the same look Natadza had given her and Musha the numerous times that done something foolish against her advice. Figures! Oh yes, she remembered now. She reached for her purse, her large purse, and extracted a file folder.

"Mr. Winner has had an extremely long and arduous day, you'll have to forgive his little memory lapse. He appears to have forgotten about asking me to bring those notes along." She gave a charming smile to the elderly man as she extended a copy of the statements to him, then handed another to his son.

Quatre blinked, carefully schooling his face into an innocuous smile. "So I have."

Tensei gave the elder Mr. Klein a knowing smile. "I'm trying to make certain he takes more time to rest, fatigue does catch up to someone as busy as Mr. Winner rather easily, wouldn't you agree?"

"Indeed it does young lady." The man smiled sweetly, eyes dropping to the page.

"If you'll take a look at the first three columns, you'll notice that Mr. Winner prepared a statement of current numbers as applies to the figures we were given by your accounting department. On the second page is a brief summary of the improvements that the Winner Corporation will make to your manufacturing facilities within the next 3 financial quarters. Pages 3-9 give a basic projection of profits and costs after the upgrades have been made to the facilities and equipment. And the last 4 pages give a summary of how he came up with the numbers. If you'll take a quick look at pages 13, you'll notice the post script, in which I noticed, Mr. Winner felt the need to inject a bit of light-hearted humor with the smiley face icons, there is a standard comparison of profits if you remain on your own, and those you would receive should you accept the merger with no further negotiation." She smiled to the two men. "Unfortunately the reason we were a bit late is that Mr. Winner was poring over these numbers just before we left. He's always triple checking for accuracy, you know. Isn't that right Mr. Winner."

Quatre turned to stare at her for a moment. Immediately a smile crept across his face. "Of course. It wouldn't be ethical if we couldn't deliver on the promises we make."

Tensei turned her gaze back to the men at the table. "If you'll take a few days to go over the papers and make any adjustments you feel appropriate, I'm certain that you can close early should you feel that is the proper way to go. Now, that said, how does everyone feel about desert, I'm sure I saw some cheesecake that looked divine on the menu."

"Of course." The younger Mr. Klein signaled the waiter over. "Really Mr. Winner, I don't know where you found this girl, but I'd like to be the one to steal her away."

Quatre reached over and patted her hand affectionately. "She is the best."

Tensei fought back a blush at the simple contact. "Nonsense, I'm merely doing my job. Mr. Winner is the one who does all the real work." She scooted her chair back a bit and rose from the table. "Please excuse me for a moment."

"Of course, Miss Tensei." Quatre beamed at her.

Tensei turned away and made her way to the restroom. She needed a minute to recover from the harmless touch from her boss that felt like it had burned her hand. She leaned against the wall. This couldn't be happening. What was this strange emotion that threatened to overwhelm her? Chemistry? Attraction? No… to experience such emotions could distract her from the mission. She nodded sharply to herself, the mission…yes, she must focus only on the mission.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Quatre watched Tensei all but scurry away from the table, putting distance between them and the slight physical contact he'd made. He plastered that fake smile back up on his face, tuning into what the older Mr. Klein was saying.

"Such a lovely girl. I can see it already, the reason why you are reluctant to let her go."

"Come again?" Quatre blinked in confusion.

"She's a lovely girl, and any man would be lucky to have her on his arm. It's very rare to find one as loyal and smart as that one there."

"I don't understand what you mean." Quatre let his smile slip.

"How many years have I know you, Quatre?" The older man smiled.

Quatre mentally counted. "Since I took over in my father's place. Ten years now, I suppose."

"And not one time in those ten years have I ever heard of you bringing financial reports to a social dinner."

Quatre would have sighed, instead he smiled brightly. "There is nothing more than a mutual respect for each other as professionals Alex. Please don't mention your…assumptions in front of Miss Tensei, it would embarrass her."

"Very well. If you think that best." Alexander Klein grinned mischievously. "She's willing to lie for you though, give you credit for work she did…she's a keeper young man. Don't lose that before you realize how important that really is. Ahh! Miss Tensei returns." Alexander lifted his glass in greeting. "Mr. Winner and I have just been talking."

Quatre's heart dropped as Tensei took a seat. Surely Klein wouldn't refer to their conversation.

"Really? What about?" She arranged her dress carefully.

"We've just decided to accept Mr. Winner's generous offer, no doubt swayed by this excellent presentation he prepared. Good work, Mr. Winner. Franklin and I will be by to sign the papers tomorrow."

"Wonderful." Quatre responded automatically, stealing a glance to his assistant. To his surprise, her expression betrayed no dismay at the obvious reference to her shady way of presenting figures.

Tensei smiled broadly. "That's a nice thing to hear and the perfect way to top off the evening."

"Well then, desert!" Franklin Klein raised his glass as well.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Quatre gave a final nod to the waitress as he tucked his platinum card back into his wallet. Tensei could not help but smile as she noticed the strangest thing. The man was 25 years old and carried a wallet with a picture of a yellow ducky on the front. She snickered to herself. Quatre frowned and peered at her. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing." She cleared her throat. "It's just that… I don't know many billionaires who use black canvas wallets with ducks on the front."

"Oh, that." He blushed brightly, quickly shoving the wallet into his back pocket. "It was a gag gift from a friend of mine. My wallet was stolen last week and I didn't have another one at home besides this one. I haven't been able to go shopping for a new one yet and…" He trailed off. "All right! You win. Duo did give me the wallet, but I thought it was cute so I use it on regular basis. There's nothing wrong with that."

Tensei nodded. "Of course, Quatre. If you say so."

"Well I say so, so there." He stuck his tongue out at her and extended a hand. "After you."

They weaved their way expertly through the maze of tables and walls to make their way to the front door. He held it open for her, standing to the side to let her exit first. She stepped into the cool air of the darkened night. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet. The door shut behind Quatre as he fell into step beside her. She heard it then. The cocking of a gun. She stopped in her tracks and lifted her gaze to Quatre. He had continued on a few steps before noticing she was no longer by his side.

He stopped walking and turned to her an inquisitive expression on his face. "What is it?"

Tensei held up a hand for silence and stared at him. One his torso was a tiny, perfect red light. She walked closer slowly, a slow smile spreading across her face. *This had better work*. She stopped in front of him and slipped her arms up around his neck, whispering in his ear. "Kiss me."

"What?" He attempted to pull back. "Miss Tensei, I don't understand…I'm not.."

She glared at him and hissed. "Just do it. There's a sniper. Kiss me and turn us around slowly so I can see him clearly."

With a barely perceptible nod his arms encircled her waist pulling her flush against his body. His lips descended on hers with interminable gentleness. She felt him move, slowly turning them in a half circle so his back was facing the direction the laser had come from. She forced herself not to get distracted by the gentle, unerring touch. He pulled her closer on instinct, deepening the contact. *All for show, for the mission.* She mentally reassured herself. She parted her lips, allowing his question tongue to invade and explore the moist cavern of her mouth.

Once they were in place she opened her eyes to slits and followed the telltale red line to its point of origin. Ever so carefully she snaked the arm around his neck, tilting his head to the side. She felt him begin to tremble. There the sniper was, tucked behind a car, peeking up over the hood. Thank the gods the baby Glock she carried would do the job. She moved her free hand to the back of her skirt, reaching beneath the jacket and coming into contact with the pistol. She broke the kiss, whispering softly, for his ears only. "Put your left arm around my shoulder and kiss me again."

He did not question her, following her instructions as well a possible. She knew that from a distance in probably did indeed appear as though they were just another couple engaged in a romantic interlude in public. She felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach as he melded their bodies together. She leveled the revolver underneath his arm, thanking the gods once more for her luck that night. He was thankfully wearing gray. The metal of the muzzle of the gun would blend in perfectly with the color he was wearing and taking into account that it was a new moon and no extra light to glint off the polished surface. She tipped her head to the side, never breaking their intimate contact. She pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Her target had no time to scream. Quatre's grip on her tightened protectively as her heard the shot. She watched the man slump over the hood of the car, blood trickling slowly from the wound to his forehead. Tensei felt her body relax. She stood for a few moments completely still waiting for him to release her from his steely grasp. Who knew he was so strong. The door to the restaurant flew open and servers came pouring out onto the sidewalk.

"Umm, Quatre. You can let me go now."

He buried his face in her shoulder, showing no signs of having heard her.

"Quatre… can't breath."

Her words registered. He released her suddenly and took a step back, shoving his hands in his pockets. He stared at her, his expression unreadable. The manager of the restaurant immediately began hovering over him. "Mr. Winner! We heard the shot, are you okay? What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

Tensei stared at the manager. "Mr. Winner is fine. There is however, one very dead sniper in the far corner of the parking lot. I suggest calling the police and having them come out here. It is imperative that I take Mr. Winner home straight away for his own protection. If the police need to speak with anyone have them call me at WEI tomorrow morning. Good evening."

With those stern words, she took Quatre by the arm and pulled him towards his car. "Keys."

"Pardon?" He shook his head as though coming out of a daze.

Tensei held up her hand. "Give me the keys. I'm driving back."

Quatre chuckled. "No one drives my car."

"Well then you go ahead, I'll call a taxi." She moved to sit down on the curb in front of the vehicle, pulling out her cell phone.

"Taxi? Why? There's nothing wrong with the car is there?" He peered down at her, puzzled.

"No, but you drive like a bat out of hell, I'm not getting in that car with you behind the wheel. Either I drive, or I take a taxi and foot you with the bill. Your choice."

Quatre frowned. "Are you always this difficult?"

"Most of the time, yes." She answered frankly.

He snorted derisively and fished his keys out of his pocket, tossing them to her.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~