Workings of a Happily Ever After, The

  Chapter One:

  Assignments

  Priscilla Dincht. I wrinkled my nose and scratched out the name as I adjusted my chin within my hand. Yuck. I tapped the end of the pen onto the paper and the half a dozen or so names listed. Zell Jr., the name of our first boy. Beth, the name of our first daughter. Sally Elizabeth Dincht, the name of Zell's first and only wife.

  I sighed, my expression growing wistful as I remembered again the happiest night of my life. My twentieth birthday and all the surprises that had come with it.

  'Sally,' Zell had said, his face so serious and his voice as beautiful as anything I ever heard--'This has been the best six months of my life. I never knew being this close to a girl could be so awesome. I mean, I can tell you everything and you actually listen and think it's important. You stand up for me. You do things just because you know I'll like them, even though you normally wouldn't because you're so shy. We've had our rough spots and smoothed them over because we wanted our relationship to work. We talked, sometimes we argued, but it was all good. No, it was great. I mean... Damn. You love me, and I've never had that with anyone.'

  Then he had gone down on one knee and pulled an opened velveteen box from behind him as he asked, 'Will you marry me?'

  I shivered and giggled as I hid my face in my hands and again whispered, "Yes, Zell. Yes, yes, yes."

  So we were engaged. I was going to be Mrs. Zell Dincht. Sally Elizabeth Dincht. After three and a half years of wishing and hoping and praying, I was going to marry my sweetheart. In my love-drunk mind, life couldn't get any better. Yet I hoped it would. Actually, I knew it would. There was the honeymoon.

  I flushed and giggled again, giving a twitch at the sound of a person sitting at my table in the cafeteria at Balamb Garden. I quickly lowered my hands and looked up into Selphie's smiling face. "Hi."

  "Hey, Sally." She pointed at the paper. "Whatcha doin'?"

  I looked down, my wistful gaze returning as I sighed. "Thinking of names for our kids."

  Selphie squealed. "Cute!"

  I closed the spiral notebook very tenderly. "I should be thinking about the wedding, though," I admitted.

  "Can I help?"

  The spontaneous offer drew my gaze and a relieved smile. "Would you? I don't have any idea how to plan a wedding, Selphie, and I don't want it to be the worst one in history."

  "Sure! No problem. We just need to figure out when you two want to be married, where you want to be married, and then figure out what you and Zelly want so that we can make it happen. Simple."

  "I certainly hope so."

  Selphie reached across the table and gave my hand a squeeze. "It'll be wonderful, Sally. Just you watch."

  I nodded. "Okay."

  "Here. Give me the notebook."

  I passed it to her, watching as she turned the pages to the first available sheet and then took the offered pen.

  "First, we need to figure out when you two are going to get married," she informed, her voice business-like. It made me want to laugh. "Have you two talked about it?"

  I shook my head. "No. This whole week Zell had to be with Marshal at Deling Garden. A meeting or something." And I missed him. "But he's sent me a couple emails." Which made me miss him more.

  "But you haven't talked about the wedding?" Selphie asked, eyes wide as she slightly shook her head. "At all?"

  My cheeks flushed, and I lowered my gaze to the notebook to doodle Zell's name in a corner. "He's been so busy with Marshal and SLC Seifer and Cmdr. Squall. I haven't wanted to bother him. Not yet."

  "But the wedding!" Selphie protested. "You can't put it off until Zell isn't busy; because he always is!"

  "Oh, I won't put off talking to him that long," I assured as I met her gaze. "Just until he gets back."

  "Promise?"

  I nodded, smiling. "I already told Zell I'd like to talk about it. That's why we're going out to dinner."

  Selphie's expression brightened. "Good girl."

  I giggled. "Janine would've had a fit if I hadn't. Every day she's asking me if we've set a date." I shook my head, eyes crinkling at the corners. "I think I'll put her in charge of something, so she'll leave me alone."

  Selphie laughed. "Good idea--Ooo! Ooo!" she suddenly squealed, grabbing my hand. "Can I be in charge of the flowers and decorations? Please? And the pictures, too."

  I blinked, eyes wide. "Really? You'd want to do something?"

  "Sure! Your wedding's going to be the thing of the decade."

  Again, I blinked. "How come?"

  "'How come?' Because it's Zell and you. The cutest couple of the millennium. Well, at least as cute as Rinoa and Squall."

  I flushed and resumed my doodling of Zell's name.

  "But the fact that you're the first of us to be married is making this the thing," Selphie finished.

  "No pressure," I whispered.

  Selphie giggled. "No pressure, Sally. Especially considering how awesome your birthday party was. Now." She took the pen back from me. "What did you want for flowers and stuff? We can talk about when and where later."

  I cupped my chin in my hand as I absently asked, "Flowers?" while already day-dreaming of the white dress, and the white flowers, and the tuxedo Zell would wear at the altar--also bedecked with white flowers. Doves would fly as we kissed and then we would run away to the ship--or yacht--that would take us to Winhill for two weeks of wedded bliss--

  snap-snap "Terra to Sally. Come in."

  I blinked and straightened, my cheeks burning volcanic red as I lowered my gaze and picked at the table. "Sorry," I murmured.

  Selphie smiled at me. "Don't be sorry. It's cute, and you two are so lucky." She focused again on the notebook while she chewed on the end of the pen. "Outdoor or indoor?"

  'Lucky.' "Outdoor," I said, watching her. 'Lucky.' That word reminded me how Zell mentioned something once about her and Irvine Kinneas, but I had never seen them act as anything more than close friends.

  "Ooo. That'll be pretty in the Spring." Selphie jotted some notes. "There are some gorgeous flowers that bloom in the early spring which would be perfect for a wedding. And if you wore a garland of them in your hair?" She squealed.

  I smiled. Selphie was so much like me, but not. Where I was shy and introverted, she was outgoing and a bit outspoken. She was nice, and perky, and was one of the most popular Instructor's at Garden--besides Zell and Janine. I couldn't understand why she hadn't found someone special. I mean, Quistis had Zack--near as I could tell. They always denied everything when asked--I had Zell, Rinoa had Squall, Ahndra had Marshal, and I had begun to wonder if Seifer had a thing for Janine--completely perfect for each other. Why couldn't Selphie have her sweetheart?

  "I'll get some different flowers from each season and have you pick, then that will help you and Zell close in on a date," Selphie continued. "Okay?"

  "Okay."

  "Great!" Selphie nibbled on the end of her pen again. "Did you want a singer at your processional, or not?"

  "I... I don't know."

  "Hm. I'll let you and Zelly talk about it. And what about special music? You know. The couple thing. You can sing to him?"

  I flushed. It would be romantic, but I would die.

  "Oh. What about food for the reception? Can we have it here? That way Francine can be in charge," Selphie suggested.

  My expression brightened. "That would be perfect."

  "Cool!" Selphie wrote a few more notes and then ripped the page free. She folded it up and tucked it into the pocket of her uniform as she stood. "I'll talk to some people and get back to you. Okay?"

  I nodded and then watched her go. Then my gaze was drawn to the notebook. I drew it close and turned back the pages until I saw Sally Elizabeth Dincht. I smiled and sighed. How many times had I doodled the same into journals and onto miscellaneous pieces of paper, hoping it would one day come true while not believing it possible?

  And then I talked to him. And then I asked him for help. And t
hen... then... Everything from then on remained a happy blur of laughter and kisses and intense conversations of what meant the world to us. All led to this one spectacular moment in time when I was engaged to Zell Dincht.

  Me. The library girl.

  I sighed again and leaned back in the chair, lifting my left hand to look at the two rings there. My engagement ring and my half of the ring I had given to him 'just because'. It had always been big enough to wear on my middle finger. As if it had waited for the time when my ring finger would be occupied. As if it knew.

  My eyes crinkled at the corners and I sounded a soft and very silly giggle, closing my eyes and lowering my chin to relive the day I had given him the ring. To relive the day he had given me a better one. To relive all the days I had known him as more than just a watcher. Can a person die of happiness?

  I felt a soft and warm touch on my neck and shivered, smiling wider as I lifted my head and opened my eyes to look to my right. Zell sat down beside me, grinning his usual boyish grin that usually always left me weak in the knees.

  I launched myself from the chair into his arms with a squeal of "Hi, sweetie!"

  He laughed out a "Whoa!" and adjusted his balance to keep us from tipping the chair over backward.

  "I missed you," I told him once I pulled back and settled myself onto his lap.

  Zell rested his interlaced fingers of his joined hands onto my right hip as he smiled up at me. "I missed you, too, kitten." Then the smile warped to an annoyed frown. "And it sucked over there. Nothing but a bitch session on how their life is so damned hard. All I can say is that if they hadn't screwed off in the first place, they wouldn't be there. Each and every candidate and SeeD is given enough warnings to pull their head out of their as--butt. If they don't, well, they get sent to Deling. It's better than getting a dishonorable discharge."

  My lips drooped. "I'm sorry you didn't have any fun."

  "Tch! Marshal made it better than a stick in the a--" Zell cleared his throat. "Butt."

  I giggled and wrinkled my nose at him. "You don't have to censor yourself, sweetie. I can do it."

  He grinned. "I know." Then Zell stood, lifting me up in his arms. I squealed a giggle. "Come on. I need to beat some shit up. A couple of the SeeDs there really got on my nerves. Pains in the ass both. Too bad I couldn't call 'em out. I woulda loved to pop 'em once or twice."

  I crossed my ankles and adjusted my arms around his neck. "Okay, but we can't for too long. Remember, you said we could talk about the wedding plans over dinner." Wedding. I fought back the fuzzies and the daydream so that I could focus on Zell.

  "Are you kidding? I wouldn't ever forget that." His boyish grin returned as he kicked open the cafeteria door. "Why do you think I'm carryin' ya? Practice."

  I giggled and kissed his cheek. "You silly boy."

  Zell chuckled and then set me down to take my hand. We headed down the hall for the main corridor. "You sure we can't just run away and have a Captain marry us?"

  "I..." Eloping would be so romantic, Zell, but... I had wanted a wedding to Zell Dincht for three years.

  "I know. You want your mom and pop there. And Zack. And all your friends. It's just... I don't know. I don't want to wait another six months before gettin' ya to myself. It sucks."

  The flush that burned my cheeks must have been contagious, because Zell looked about as red. I released his hand and wrapped my arms around his middle to give him a tight squeeze. "It'll be worth it in the long run, though. Won't it? To have all the pictures and the memories and... everything? I mean, it's going to be the happiest day of our lives. I want to share that with everyone."

  Zell rubbed my back. "Me, too, it's just... Well, like I said, the wait is going to suck."

  And I knew what he meant. After all, I still remembered Winhill like it was burned into my brain.