Tears of Love

Chapter I "The Secret"

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Quistis always enjoyed the summer season, but that was before she lived in Esthar. Although the dry heat was bearable Quistis still hated to feeling of sweat pouring down her back.

Cringing, Quistis jogged up a short flight of stairs and bolted into her apartment. She shut the door quickly behind her as if the cold air would escape. Quistis sighed and fanned herself with the handful of letters in her hands.

A distant cry made Quistis regret shutting the door loudly. Another sigh escaped her lips as she lazily tossed the bills onto the kitchen counter and walked into her bedroom. The room was still dark due to the curtains blocking the sunlight from entering. The walls were bare, Quistis was never interested in posters or picture frames, her small closet was neatly organized and not a single wrinkle could be found on her bed sheets.

The distant cry became louder as Quistis stepped in front of the crib that stood next to her bed. "Shhh, I'm sorry." Quistis whispered, she reached down and gently picked up the kicking infant. Once the baby felt the warmth of his mothers arms he calmed and his crying ceased as he was wrapped in a cuddle.

The nineteen year old blonde headed for the kitchen, warmed up a bottle, and gave it to her eager son. As he drank, Quistis turned her attention to the bills she tossed on the table. Supporting her son's body and holding the bottle with both arms disabled her from shuffling through the letters, but one, that was on top of the pile, caught her attention.

The return address was unfamiliar, but it was labeled as being an official notice from Esthar's government. Quistis chewed on her lip from a sudden nervousness. What did the government want with her?

Since her resignation from Balamb Garden, Quistis decided to move somewhere far. Originally she wanted to move to Deiling City, but too many memories made her feel uncomfortable there. Eventually she decided to move to Esthar. Although she only visited the city for a short amount of time, she had to admit she enjoyed the high tech city. It was a massive place that was easy for anyone to get lost in.

Quistis found a small and comfortable apartment with a bunch of elderly neighbors. They've all been friendly, Quistis smiled as she remembered the swarm of baked goods she received on the first day she moved in. For about a year Quistis supported herself and her son with her savings. Even now Quistis did not have to worry about finding a job until another couple of years. As a SeeD from the age of fifteen, climbing through the ranks until finally becoming an instructor brought a lot of gil to Quistis' pocket. Unlike other SeeD's, though, Quistis never found any reason to spend her money. She only used it for extreme necessities, and she was never the type of girl to engorge herself at a mall.

Quistis was happy. She thanked Hyne she wasn't a struggling single mother. A nice apartment, friendly neighbors, enough money to provide food for her son, and spending all her time with him was great. She paid her taxes, she never really stepped foot outside unless it was for groceries, Quistis had been offered many dinners and coffees but Quistis never could bring herself to ask her neighbors to look after her child any longer than they did whenever she needed to leave the apartment. So what did the government want with her?

Once her son finished his bottle, Quistis' slowly paced in her bedroom while she waited for him to burp. Quistis placed him in his crib and he immediately fell asleep. She tiptoed out of her bedroom and gently shut the door. In the kitchen she started the oven and cooked herself a classic breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast with a warm cup of coffee. As she ate she opened the letter and grew surprised to see that it was from Laguna.

Dear Quistis,

I heard that you've been in town for quite some time now and I also heard it's not SeeD related. How would you like to come visit me? I would really like to see you. Just come by HQ and tell the receptionist your name. Don't worry about when, I'll drop whatever I'm doing. Hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

Laguna

A thin eyebrow raised. Quistis wondered how Laguna found out she moved into Esthar. Then again he is the president. Quistis obviously didn't have any plans for the day, and she had been growing a bit bored. Not that raising her son was boring, she loved him dearly, but there were some moments where she wished she was back at Garden...

It was decided. Quistis cleaned up, tossed the rest of the junk mail, posted the bills that needed paying on the small billboard she kept on the door and snuck into her room to change.

As she climbed into a pair of jeans and a thin, dark colored shirt, Quistis pondered on taking her son or not. A part of her wanted to leave him with the wonderful old lady next door that always offered to take care of him, but deep down in Quistis' mind she knew Laguna deserved to know the truth.

Sighing again, Quistis tossed herself on her bed and sunk her head into a pillow. Originally, Quistis promised herself she would keep her son's existence secret from everyone. That is why she left Balamb. She left so she wouldn't become a thorn, a problem. She shunned herself from Garden, her childhood friends, everyone. She just wanted to get lost in Esthar.

Quistis' hands twisted into fists. Grunting, she pushed herself off her mattress and dug into a drawer. She was going to take her son.

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The building was huge. The lobby felt even bigger than its appearance from outside. The refrigerated air was bless to Quistis' slightly sweaty face, but suddenly she felt out of place. People around her were all dressed professionally. Every man wore a suit and the women wore either suits themselves or long skirts with button down shirts. Quistis felt like a goth at a boy band concert, she was the only one with a plain shirt and jeans.

Cursing herself under her breath, Quistis adjusted her son in her arms and walked up to the receptionist.

"Hello." Quistis greeted with a smile.

"Good morning." the receptionist nodded, she tore her eyes away from her computer monitor and returned the smile. "How could I help you?"

"Err–I'm here to see Laguna." Quistis said. "President Laguna." She corrected.

The receptionist lifted her eyebrows in surprise. Normal looking people never had appointments with the president. She adjusted her glasses and turned to the computer. "Your name ma'am?"

"Trepe, Quistis."

The woman typed in the name, readjusted her glasses and she read the monitor. Nodding, she picked up the phone, dialed a number, and requested someone to come down to the desk.

Quistis grew a bit nervous. She still felt strange with her clothes. Her son started to whimper and she quickly bobbed him up and down.

A short, balding man appeared. "This way ma'am."

Quistis turned and realized the man was talking to her. She followed him into an elevator, waited several moments to reach the top floor, and was led to a large, luxurious office. Laguna was no where inside.

"The president will be with you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable."

Quistis thanked him and sat down. Her son started to complain, judging by the sounds he was making, he was frustrated. Quistis stood and started to rock him again as she paced around the room and scanned the office.

The walls in front of to Quistis' right were pure glass that offered a magnificent view of Esthar. The desk was made of glass and metal, the chair looked like it provided massages, and a mini fridge stood beside the desk. On top of the photo, Quistis noticed, was a framed picture. It looked old and worn. The photo was black and white, with a younger Laguna on it. Beside him was a beautiful, young woman. In front of them stood a little girl that Quistis recognized easily, Ellone. All three smiled broadly. Quistis felt a smile creep on her lips, she rarely saw Ellone smile so brightly.

The door opened and Quistis straightened her back.

"Quistis!" Laguna smiled. His hair was still long, it was neatly pulled back in a pony tail, and he wore a suit identical to every other man in the building. "It's so good to see you again–oh, who's this little one?"

Laguna stopped before he could hug Quistis and stared at the infant. Quistis chewed on her lip. "This is...my son."

"Wow, Quistis I had no idea!" Laguna bended his knees and chuckled as he made funny noises at the baby. "Nice to meet you little guy."

Quistis' heart rate increased. Despite the refrigerated air, Quistis felt her face warm up. Inhaling deeply, and holding her breath for a moment, Quistis finally said, "He's...also your grandson."

Laguna stopped making noises and stared at Quistis. He straightened up and his jaw opened slightly. "How...how do you–"

"Know?" Quistis finished. She chuckled slightly, it was her nerves. "I've known for a while. Squall does too, but he pretends to be oblivious to it."

Another moment of silence fell, besides the baby's noises. Quistis licked her lips. "He's...he's...um..."

"My grandson." Laguna whispered. It was obviously unexpected. A part of him thought a bunch of his co-workers would jump in and shout "surprise", but nothing happened. The look on Quistis' face said it was no joke.

Smiling, Laguna asked, "Can I hold him?"

Nodding, the blonde handed the baby over. Laguna held him carefully. He never really held a baby before and he felt as if he was holding him wrong. The baby was small, his eyes were scrunched tight and his hair was too short to be combed. He wasn't a blonde, like Quistis. His hair was brown.

Laguna chuckled. "He has your eyes."

Quistis nodded. Suddenly she felt like she would faint. She stumbled slightly, but Laguna caught her.

"Are you all right?" he asked. He led her to a chair and fetched a water bottle from the mini fridge. "Here, it must be the heat."

Quistis thanked him for the water and took a long gulp.

Laguna pushed the chair beside hers so that it faced her. He sat and kept his grandson on his lap. There were so many questions swimming through his head, but he didn't know which one to ask first.

"Does Squall know? I mean..." Laguna kicked himself mentally. It wasn't exactly the first thing he wanted to ask.

"No." Quistis whispered.

Laguna's eyes widened.

The ex-SeeD sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "He doesn't know. I...don't want him to know."