Author's Note: This story takes place six years after the defeat of Ultimecia. Squall and Rinoa married and had a child, but Rinoa was killed two years before the start of this story. I'm open to all constructive criticism, but please, no flames!

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy VIII characters belong to Square-Enix, and do not belong to me. Please don't sue me!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Off On the Wrong Foot

Squall Leonhart strolled through the gates of Balamb Garden feeling as if he had been run over by a train. Muscles that, two days before he hadn't even known he had, were now begging for some must needed rest. He even thought that he just might be able to count each individual working part in each of his ears.

Squinting against the bright sun, Squall looked up toward the top of Garden, then rubbed a tired hand across his face. He knew that he really should go to see Cid and Edea to pick Cassidy up, but he really wasn't sure that he could handle the antics of a rambunctious three-year-old in his present state.

Heaving a tired sigh, Squall shifted his gaze to the path ahead of him. He took one step, and then stopped in his tracks. With a brief look around, he realized that he had no escape. He was trapped. Coming his way was something he was even less sure that he could handle.

Selphie Tilmitt.

Kylah Deraldi struggled not to laugh at her friend as she and Selphie walked through Garden. Selphie was babbling a mile a minute about the date that she had gone on with Irvine the night before. While Kylah was happy for her friend, she was not particularly interested in just how amazing of a kisser Irvine happened to be. Still, she did not want to be rude, so dutifully injected exclamations and remarks where expected.

"And then we – " Selphie seemed stopped mid-sentence as her eye caught something ahead. She gasped, and then let out a huge whoop. "SQUAAAALLLL!" she squealed, breaking into a run.

Unfortunately, her brakes did not seem to be working. She did not stop once she reached Squall, but instead tackle-hugged him and managed to knock them both to the ground.

"Ow, Selph!" Squall groaned, shoving the petite brunette off of him. "Careful! Man returning from mission. Battle with T-Rexaur. Cracked ribs. Not comfortable."

"I'm so sorry!" Selphie apologized, throwing her arms around him in another hug. Squall barely stifled a groan, his lips turning white with the sudden new onset of pain.

"Selphie!" he yelped.

"Oops!" Selphie scrambled to her feet, then offered a hand to Squall.

"That's okay!" he said quickly, unsure if allowing Selphie to "help" was a wise idea. "I think I can manage."

Kylah watched the scene with amusement and a little sympathy.

So, she thought to herself, this is the famous Squall Leonhart.

She inconspicuously eyed him up and down. Squall was a legend among the SeeD's of Balamb Garden. Kylah had heard around the garden that he was a looker, but she was not prepared for the man that stood before her. Squall was lean and muscular. His unruly dark hair made him look just a little dangerous, and the black aviator jacket that he wore added to the image. SeeD or no, she, as a female, could definitely appreciate the way his gunbelt was held up nicely by his slim hips and muscular backside.

Kylah cleared her throat as a gentle reminder to Selphie that she was standing, watching.

"Oh!" Selphie cried, reminded that she had forgotten her friend. "I almost forgot! Kylah Deraldi, this is Squall Leonhart. Squall, Kylah."

Smiling, Kylah offered her hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said, smoothly.

Squall glanced at her hand, nodded at her, and then waved the two of them away. "Sleep," he mumbled. "Need sleep." Then he strode away.

Kylah stared after him, dumbfounded. Legendary SeeD mercenary, incredible fighter or no, she had never been so snubbed in her life.

"Oh, don't take it personally," Selphie scoffed a little while later as they sat together with Quistis Trepe in the cafeteria. Kylah sat glaring into her lunch, looking as if she were incredibly annoyed with her hotdog.

"Yeah," Quistis agreed. "I'll give him this much; Squall is definitely an equal-opportunity ass."

"Wuff wor wu wawies wakin wawout?" a muffled voice came up behind them. Zell Dincht approached their table, a hotdog in each hand and one in his mouth.

"That's disgusting, Zell," Quistis wrinkled her nose up at him, brushing crumbs from her shoulder.

"Sorry," he put the hotdogs down on a plate on the table, and then pulled up another chair. "So, what's going on?"

Kylah glared at him. "Squall Leonheart has just received this year's award for world's biggest jerk."

Zell nodded, considering his hotdogs. "So, I see you've tried to meet him." He paused. "You didn't ask to play with his gunblade, did you?"

This time he was rewarded with a chuckle. "Zell, please, I don't do that on a first introduction. I don't even do that on a first date!"

The entire table laughed. The Quistis broke in, a serious tone in her voice. "I remember a time when Squall wasn't so serious and, well, asinine."

Zell and Selphie sighed, then nodded.

"What happened?" Kylah asked, curiously.

The other three looked at each other. Kylah had so quickly become a part of their group of friends, they sometimes forgot that she hadn't always been around. Finally, Quistis spoke. "Two years ago, Squall lost his wife, Rinoa. She was the sun and the moon for him, and he hasn't been the same since." She paused, remembering. "When he was with Rinoa, he was happy, even joyful. He would joke around, and even smile occasionally. And when their daughter, Cass, was born, I though he was going to explode with happiness." A light smile touched her face. "They were a small, happy family." Her pretty face clouded. "Then Rinoa was attacked in the park one day with Cass. The baby, miraculously, was spared. Rinoa wasn't."

"Wow," Kylah let out the word on one long breath.

A stormy look entered Zell's eyes. "The creep that took her out was some no-name enemy of SeeD, who had it in particularly for Squall. He knew that the best way to hurt Squall was to take away the thing that meant more to him than anything in this world. Rinoa."

"It's almost like a part of Squall died with Rinoa," Selphie mused, stirring her drink with a straw.

"What happened to Cass?" Kylah asked.

"Oh, she's around," Zell responded. "Cid and Edea take turns with my mom looking after for her when Squall is out on a mission." He chuckled, "Hey, my mom does want grandchildren, and it's not like she stands a high chance of getting them from me!"

"And the rest of us are grateful that you are not reproducing anytime soon," Quistis interjected, patting his arm. "I don't think we could handle another Zell Dincht."

"…And so, I was successful in escorting the ambassador to his destination."

Squall was leaned back comfortably in a chair in Cid's office, his feet propped lazily on the edge of the desk. He had slept and showered, and felt worlds better than he had when he arrived. Cid had given him four blessed hours to rest before debriefing.

Cid nodded with satisfaction at Squall's report. "I knew I could count on you. Good work." He paused, unsure of how to approach his next topic. "So, it looks as though you have a few weeks off."

Squall frowned. "Surely you have something I can be doing."

"I'm afraid not," Cid shook his head. "We can't have our SeeD's collapsing from exhaustion. You've been at it for nearly ten weeks, solid. It's time to take a break." He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts and his courage. "You know, Cass was asking about you the other day. Asking where you were, and why you have to be gone so much."

A painful twinge struck Squall's heart, but he fought to ignore it. "I have to work," was his reply. "She needs to understand that."

"A three-year-old doesn't understand work," Cid replied softly. "She understands that her daddy isn't there when she needs him."

Pushing the chair back roughly, Squall shot to his feet. "She'll grow up. She'll get used to it. I'm only one person. I can't be two parents. Cass will just have to learn that I have to work, and can't be there for her all the time." Angrily, he stalked out of the room, hands jammed into his pockets.

Cid sighed as he watched Squall huff off. "I have to wonder," he murmured to himself, "if you can't be there, or if you won't be there."

With a contented sigh, Kylah settled down in a comfy chair in the corner of the library, a good book in her hands. Rarely did she allow herself this quiet luxury. In all actuality, she really should be in the training center keeping up her skills… but…well…the book lying on the desk in her dorm room had looked so inviting. It promised action, adventure, and romance.

The last, of which, was sadly lacking in her life.

After a few minutes, Kylah was completely engrossed in the story. The rest of the room seemed to fade away around her as she was swept away by the fearless pirate rescuing his lady fair. She was so enraptured by the story that she nearly missed the small sound from behind her chair.

A small, childlike giggle.

With a frown, Kylah reluctantly lowered her book and peered around the side of the chair. She caught a brief glimpse of dark hair as a small figure ducked back behind the chair. Fighting back a smile, she then turned and peered around the other side of the chair. Again, a flash of shining hair, and another chuckle. Grinning by this time, Kylah rose out of the chair, then quickly ducked down beside the chair.

"Aha!" she cried, finally catching sight of her playmate.

A tiny, pixie-like face grinned back at her. The child had long, dark hair and wide green eyes. She had an impish grin on her face, and life seemed to pour out of her bright smile.

"Hi!" she said, walking out closer to Kylah.

"Hello," Kylah responded. She knew that children this young were not common in Balamb Garden, so she had to wonder where this one had come from. "I'm Kylah."

The girl offered her tiny hand. "I'm Cass Leonhart. Pleased to meet you."

Ah, Kylah thought. So this little imp is Squall's daughter. "It's nice to meet you, Cass," was what she replied. She looked around for signs of an adult accompanying the child, but saw none. "Are you supposed to be here?"

Cass covered her mouth with her hands and giggled. "No," she whispered conspiratorially. "Daddy needed to stop by his room for a minute, and told me to stay outside and wait for him. I decided to play a game with him. We're playing hide and seek! My hiding place was behind your chair. Isn't that a good spot?"

Kylah fought back a laugh. Somehow, she thought that Squall was probably unaware that he was involved in his daughter's little game. "I'm sure that your game is a lot of fun," she said, gently, "but we should probably go find your daddy."

Cass opened her mouth to speak, when a masculine voice boomed from the library entrance. "Cassidy Leonhart!"

"Uh oh," Cass breathed, and ducked back behind the chair.

Squall entered the library looking none too happy with his daughter. Stormy eyes resting on Kylah, he asked, "Have you seen a small urchin running around?"

"About this high," Kylah held her hand just below her waist, "dark hair, devilish grin?" Squall nodded. "Check behind the chair."

"Aw, man!" Cass wailed. "You gave it away!"

Squall strode over to the chair, and scooped his offspring up into his muscular arms. "You are in a world of trouble, young lady! I have been looking all over for you! Never, ever do that again!"

Kylah raised her eyebrow at the firm lecture that the small girl was receiving. "Take it easy, Leonhart," she interjected, mildly. "She just thought that she was playing a game with you."

Squall turned his gaze to Kylah. "You, stay out of this. It's none of your business. What do you know about raising a child?"

Kylah shrugged. "I don't really know a whole lot about raising one, but I do seem to remember something about being one. She just wanted to play with the father that she hasn't seen in weeks. What's the harm in that?"

"The harm in that," Squall shot back, "is that I didn't know where she was. She could have been hurt, or in danger."

A roll of Kylah's wide, blue eyes rewarded him. "In Balamb Garden? You can't be serious. Children just a few years older than Cass roam about this place every day without worry of danger or injury."

Cass watched this exchange with wide, interested eyes. She had never heard her daddy yell at anyone like that. Not even Zell.

"She could have wandered into the training center and met up with a T-rexaur or worse!"

Now it was Cass' turn to roll her eyes. "Daddy," she interrupted, "I KNOW not to go in the training center! There is big, scary monsters in there! Cid told me so. And Zell, and Quisty…."

Squall gave her a Look, and she closed her small mouth.

"See?" Kylah gestured toward Cass. "She knows not to go in there. Cid told her not to. Actually, though, I believe that is something that her FATHER should have told her."

Oops. Kylah knew instantly that she had gone too far. Squall's ice blue eyes turned even icier as he glared at her.

"Come on, Cass," he said, a little too gruffly. "We're going to be late for lunch with Zell." He turned back to Kylah. "WE have nothing more to say." He then turned and stormed off.

"Oh boy!" Cass cried in delight. "Zell! I love Zell. I'm going to marry him one day." She waved to Kylah over Squall's retreating shoulder. "Bye! I'm glad I met you!"

"I don't think your father is too glad about it," she murmured to herself as she helplessly waved to Cass.

"How's my favorite girl?" Zell asked as Cass threw herself at him in the cafeteria.

"Zell!" she cried, wrapping her little arms around his legs. "Guess what! I played hide and seek with Daddy, and met a really nice lady named Kylah. She was awfully pretty, and was reading a REALLY BIG book!"

Zell quirked a smile up at Squall as he approached, looking much as if he had been sucking on a lemon. "I take it you weren't as excited about this game of hide and seek?"

Squall merely grunted, then took a seat at an available table.

"Daddy yelled at Kylah. I mean YELLED!" Cass interjected, nodding for emphasis. "He sounded really mad." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "A lot like Quisty did that time that I tied her whip in knots."

Zell gave Squall a look of psuedo-shock. "Whaaa? The Ice King himself, Squall Leonhart lost his temper with someone?"

Squall glared back at him. "She was messing with business that wasn't hers to mess in."

Zell nodded, realizing that he would get nothing out of Squall. That was alright with him, because he knew that Kylah would be more than willing to spill, er, vent it to him later.

"C'mon, small fry," he said, taking Cass' hand. "Let's go get some hotdogs!"

Kylah stood up on the second floor observation deck staring up at the night sky. The stars looked beautiful at night over Garden. This was one of her favorite spots. Her spot to think, to relax.

She was seriously rethinking what she had said to Squall earlier in the library. Maybe he was being too hard on Cass, but he was right; it was none of her business. With a sigh, she rested her chin on her arms.

"I thought you might be up here," said a voice from behind.

Kylah smiled. "Hey Zell."

"You're as predictable as the cafeteria menu. Up here nearly every night, staring at those stars as if you expect them to change or something."

She laughed. "Nah, I know they're not going anywhere. They just help me think."

"Whatcha thinkin' about tonight?"

She turned and looked at him, a remorseful look on her face. "I think I crossed the line with Squall this afternoon."

"You know, I thought he was in a more foul mood than usual," Zell quipped.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "This isn't funny."

He chuckled. "Okay, what did you do that was so terrible."

"I may have implied, slightly, that he was a bad or inadequate father."

Zell let out a breath. "Ouch. You really do know where to hit a guy where it hurts!"

She gazed back up at the ink-black sky again. "Do you think I should apologize?"

"I think so," he nodded. "I mean, Squall is generally impersonable, but he's not unforgiving. I'm sure that if you apologized, he'd let it drop.

Kylah let out a long breath. "I certainly hope so."

"Shhh! We're gonna get caught!"

"If you don't quit shushing me, yes we will. Now shut up already!"

Hand-in-hand, Selphie and Irvine crept quietly through the quiet corridors of Garden well after curfew. They may be SeeD, internationally recognized heroes, and responsible adults, but sneaking around after hours was still frowned upon by administration. They could probably get around it, but to them, it just seemed more risky and adventurous if they snuck around covertly.

Finally reaching the entrance to the Training Center, they relaxed. This was the one area of Garden that was open after hours.

And one of the preferred meeting areas for young lovers.

Selphie snuggled her cheek against Irvine's shoulder as they strolled through the Training Center, both carefully on the lookout for surprises that may jump out from the dark. Finally, after a few silent and careful minutes, they arrived in the "secret area" of the Center. A hidden area in the back, where students liked to meet after curfew.

"Aren't we a little too old to be meeting here?" Selphie asked teasingly, as she turned to face Irvine out on the balcony. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with a coy expression.

"We can go to our own, separate, rooms if you'd like. But I kinda like it out here," Irvine replied, pulling her a bit closer. He brought his lips down on hers in a soft, gentle kiss, their first of the day.

"So, what did you do today?" Selphie finally asked, reluctantly pulling away.

"Not much. Spent most of it at the practice range. You know me, though. Always score a direct bull's-eye!" He was rewarded with a laugh. "What about you?"

She grinned devilishly. "Kylah got an unpleasant dose of Squall's winning personality today."

He winced, feeling sorry for Kylah. "Poor girl. She's never done anything to deserve that."

"No kidding!" Selphie agreed.

Irvine chuckled. "You sure have changed your tune about Kylah. I remember when you couldn't stand her!"

"Yeah…well…. That was before I got to know her!"

"…And before you realized that she was no threat to you?"

She grinned sheepishly. "What can I say? I may get jealous sometimes, but you still love me!"

"That I do," he agreed, pulling her in for another kiss. "That I do."

Kylah twisted her hands nervously as the tried to work up the courage to approach Squall. She had found him in the second floor classroom, scowling at a computer terminal as he caught up on announcements and such.

Does he ever smile? she wondered to herself, thinking that this would be much easier if he were friendlier and more approachable. Gathering her last bit of nerve, she took a deep breath and stepped into the quiet classroom.

"Leonhart?" she said, hesitantly.

Squall immediately felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He stifled a groan and closed his eyes. He had come to the classroom to catch up on Garden news in peace. The last thing he wanted was Kylah Deraldi interrupting his reprieve.

"Yes?" he asked, eyes never leaving the screen.

"I owe you an apology," she began. "I was way out of line yesterday."

"Yes, you were," he replied, still not looking up.

Kylah blinked, somehow surprised that he seemed so indifferent to her heartfelt apology. Fighting back irritation, she pressed on. "I really hope you can forgive me. It was just kinda out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop it."

Squall gave her a dismissive wave and continued to stare into the monitor.

She stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and indignance. She could not believe that he would treat her this way when she was putting herself out and apologizing. And sincerely apologizing, at that.

"You know, you really do make it hard for someone to apologize and mean it."

Squall finally looked up from his terminal, his expression one of annoyance. "What do you want me to say?" he demanded. "I didn't ask you to apologize. You spoke what was on your mind. Let's just drop it and move on."

All thoughts and feelings of remorse immediately fled Kylah. "I don't believe you!" she exploded. "I try to be nice, despite your incredibly rude treatment of everyone else, and you throw it back in my face."

"First off," Squall shot back, "I never asked you to be nice to me or to like me. I really couldn't care less what you think. Second, NICE? You call yelling at me in front of my child being NICE?"

Kylah crossed her arms and took a defensive stance. "I was only trying to defend Cass."

"She didn't need you to defend her. She is MY daughter. I have the right to discipline her as I see fit when I feel that she has misbehaved."

"Maybe so. But put yourself in her shoes. Can't you imagine how it feels to be three-years-old and have the father that you haven't seen in weeks scold you on the first day you're together."

Squall stood, then turned to face her with a cold expression. "No," he replied evenly, "I don't know how it feels. At three years old, I was living in an orphanage. I didn't have a father to yell at me."

The fight slid out of Kylah, and she felt about two inches tall. "Leonhart, I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

"Forget it," he broke in, turning to go "Just do me a favor, and don't be 'nice' to me anymore."

"No problem," she whispered to herself, vowing silently to stay as far from Squall Leonhart as possible.