Vagaries of Fate

New Assignments

Chapter 5 

The next morning Clarissa accompanied Genesis and the rest of the Soldiers to the garage. Each team was made up of three Soldiers and a dozen infantry, so going by helicopter was not feasible. She had already spoken with Sephiroth and Angeal about the things that would be needed while they were gone, as well as talked to Kunsel and Zack briefly to wish them good luck. There were three bases on the Western Continent that would be handled by the Firsts, so the two that were on the Eastern Continent would be managed by the two Seconds. None of the locations would take much more than a week to reach, even by truck, but given the fact that they had no idea what they would find, they fully expected to be gone a minimum of a month. It was mostly because they were supposed to not only handle any threats but also assess anything that might have been left behind and either bring it back or destroy it as necessary. It wasn't surprising they were expecting extended stays.

Once she had wished everyone else good luck, she turned back to Genesis. Most of his team was already loaded, and she had been surprised to see Rodney among them. She supposed it made sense as they had worked together previously, sort of. She had given him a wave and a smile before Genesis pulled her off to the side. He had noticed that she wasn't wearing her gloves and smiled as he pulled up her left hand and kissed her fingers before speaking. "I will be back as quickly as I can be, so I want you to start planning. As soon as I know when I will be back, I will set up a venue. In the meantime, decide what you want, and I will get the arrangements made."

She shook her head at him with a smile. "You won't have time to deal with that kind of stuff. We can wait until you are back."

His gaze hardened slightly, but his tone was still soft. "It is a matter of priorities, and this is important to me. If you need input, I will be a phone call away. I know you will be busy as well, so I have a few people I can contact that will take care of everything once you tell them what you want."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You're serious, aren't you?"

He smirked at her tone. "Yes. It shouldn't surprise you by now that once I've made up my mind, I don't hesitate to go after it."

She laughed at him. "Fine, have them call me, and I'll try to get it together in my spare time. Expect a few phone calls, though. It will be our wedding, after all, not just mine."

He kissed her forehead and smiled down at her. "I trust your judgment."

"Uh, uh. You won't be getting off that easy. You may have the means to make it happen quickly, but you will be part of it." She knew this whole conversation was because neither of them wanted to say goodbye, and they were both prolonging it. She finally looked around and noticed that Genesis was the only one not in a truck, as well as the fact that many of the troops were watching, along with Angeal and Sephiroth. She was glad to see them smiling at the pair instead of looking impatient, but she knew she couldn't stall any longer. She squeezed Genesis' hand before she spoke in a softer voice. "I'll call when I can, but don't feel like you have to answer if you're busy. I'll be here waiting when you come back, so come back in one piece, please."

His gaze softened at her request. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return. Armed with the knowledge that you will be here, nothing could stop me from returning."

She smiled at his dramatics, but it was caught up in his searing kiss. When he finally pulled back, she had to catch her breath. She had forgotten they were being watched until several hoots reached her ears. She blushed and glared at no one in particular as he smiled down at her. "I suppose this is a good start, but the whole world will know soon enough."