Hey, quite often one-shots interrupt the flow and updating speed of my other stories and until they're down on paper or virtual paper I can't concentrate :S. So this is the place I will be writing the odd scenes, conversations and views that fail to fit elsewhere (at this current time) in any of my other stories. They will be predominantly Squinoa's but sometimes (as this first entry shows) other scenes interfere.
For this conversation (which I wrote entirely in my head - quite literally my thoughts were "Ellone said, closing the door behind her" - is that odd?) I borrowed script from the game. Now when I wrote this in my head it was far more heart-wrenching and sad, a lot more emotional but as usual I appear to be lacking the right words to write it quite right at the moment.

Layout: title
subtitle
Character that the one-shot is centered.

Moments in Time

Apologies.

Ellone:

"Oh good, you're all here," Ellone said, closing the door behind her and glancing round at Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Zell. They sat haphazardly around one of the Presidential palace's more social rooms. The girls sitting on the oval pale red rug while Zell sat nearby on the coffee table and Irvine lay back on the sofa, his feet propped up on the arm.

Ellone's sudden entrance and tone brought the boisterous cheerful conversation the friends were having to an abrupt end. They had all been in high spirits and filled with giddiness in the last week and a half since the defeat of Ultimecia, always laughing, joking and generally enjoying the time they had to just be the teenagers they were. SeeD had been dispatched throughout the world to help calm the turmoil and uproar the world was still under. The six of them however weren't dispatched, Squall had reluctantly agreed that they all needed a rest.

"What's wrong, Ellone?" Quistis asked, standing as Selphie and Zell climbed to their feet also.

Ellone sighed before giving them a wistful smile, "I came to apologise. I owe you guys that at least. I'm so sorry. I got you involved in so many things...so much hardship...without even a thought to how it would impact your lives. You could have been doing anything when I sent you back, I chose a time when it was convenient for me not thinking..."

Quistis opened her mouth to object but the elder woman waved her hand, "Please don't interrupt. I just need to say this." She took a deep breath, "When I visited Garden just over a month ago I was so excited to be able to see him again but so sad to see...I sent you back to Uncle Laguna's past to try to change it but...you can't change the past only look at it anew. When I was kidnapped Uncle Laguna went to find me...but because he did, he wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Raine wanted to show him her new born baby...she kept calling out for him.

"Me and ... my little brother," she hesitated, her eyes glassy, "we were sent to the orphanage where we met you guys but then three or four years later I was removed to be protected and to protect all the other kids, you know, in case Ultimecia came after me. He never knew either of his parents...Laguna didn't even know he had a son until two weeks ago, so I was...all he ever knew, I was the only family he ever had. When I went to Garden and met him again..." She shook her head sorrowfully, "Everyone knew of him. They were all talking, the girls how they fancied him with his good-looks and dark personality, the boys how they admired his confidence and ability but no one knew him... He... didn't remember me - of course I know now why he didn't."

She ignored Quistis and Zell exchanging a wondering glance as she glanced up from her entwined fingers to look at them, "I found myself wondering what it would be like if he'd grown up how he was supposed to, with two parents if only I could change the past. And Laguna he... he didn't deserve this either...

"I'm sorry what I put you through but I did this for my little brother's sake," the tears that had been threatening to fall escaped her eyelashes. "...I did this for Squall," her voice broke, "Please, understand." She asked imploringly.