Standard Disclaimer: FFVIII belongs to Square-Enix, yadda yadda yadda… You know the rest.

One Good Shoulder

Laguna hobbled down the stairs as best as he could, leaning heavily on his crutch. It had been years since he last had to navigate down stairs like this and he felt pleased with himself that he hadn't lost his touch. Elle was asleep, which meant that he could sneak downstairs and pester Raine for a bit. Normally, she would point to the dishes or some other task to keep him busy, but he didn't mind. At least he could be useful to her for a little while and do something to repay her generosity.

Pausing on the landing, he looked at the empty pub. It wasn't the right time for customers, so he was not very concerned. In an hour or two, Raine would be busy enough with her usual clientele. His ears picked up the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. One was Raine's and the other was of a woman he recognized as the social worker that came to check on Ellone earlier that day. Limping to the bar, he decided to wait for Raine to finish.

"...I'm sorry, Miss Leonhart, but you can't apply to adopt Ellone," the social worker said, "You are only eligible to give temporary foster care. If Ellone isn't adopted in a year, she will have to go to an orphanage."

"But-!" Raine tried to protest.

The other woman interrupted. "You know the rules, Miss Leonhart. Even though you have the economic capacity to provide for Ellone, unmarried people are not eligible to adopt." The tone became sympathetic, "It's the law and I can do nothing about it. If you want Ellone to stay in Winhill, your best bet is to find a family in the area willing to take her in." There was some shuffling. "I'll send this favorable report off. If you wish to take on more temporary foster children after Ellone, you will be more than welcome to. I have been impressed with your ability to keep watch over her and run your business alone."

Laguna propped his chin up with his hand as he leaned on the bartop. She wasn't exactly alone, not recently. For the past six months, Ellone was a nearly constant companion to Laguna, each keeping the other occupied and out of trouble. Then there were the townsfolk, especially the elderly ladies, who enjoyed watching Ellone for Raine during the busier times of the day. Of course, since Laguna regained his coherency and began to heal, those little old ladies had less and less to do when it came to watching over the girl, unless they wanted to watch over Laguna too. They didn't seem to like him being around Ellone so much, but it was Elle who wanted her "Uncle" Laguna close.

The social worker exited the kitchen. "Until our next visit, Miss Leonhart." She noticed Laguna and bowed her head briefly.

Laguna waved at the woman as she stepped out the door. The pub fell uncomfortably quiet for him and he hobbled towards the kitchen door, using the bar instead of the crutch to support him. A choked sob jerked him to a halt. Was Raine crying? Raine didn't cry! She was tough as nails and didn't put up with crap from anyone! The rush of water pouring from the faucet and the clink of glasses soon covered up the sound.

Leaning on the doorframe, he saw her furiously scrubbing dishes and pausing now and then to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. His brows furrowed, then relaxed. Before he realized it, he was reaching out to her, touching her shoulder. "Hey."

Raine gasped and twisted around to face him, her wet eyes wide. He offered her a conciliatory smile. "It's gonna be alright. We'll figure somethin' out. You won't lose Elle."

"We?"

Laguna nodded, "I don't wanna see Elle go, either." Then he shook his head. "It's not fair. You're Elle's family now. She's happy with you."

Raine bit her lower lip and glanced to the floor as fresh tears came to her eyes. Laguna's expression softened and he rested a hand on her shoulder and stepped closer. "Hey, hey... It'll be okay." He grunted and clenched his teeth as she grabbed onto his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. His lower back protested against the extra pressure and his knees nearly buckled. Shifting forward and wrapping his arms around her small figure, he let her frame support some of his weight. Bewildered blue-green eyes searched the kitchen as Raine's shoulders hitched beneath his and his shirt soaked up her tears. 'Oh, man... Is her nose gonna get snotty like Elle's does when she cries?'

Leaning against each other, they stood in the pub's kitchen until the sound of the door opening alerted them to a visitor. Raine pulled away, and then stared at the wet spot on Laguna's shirt. Covering her mouth with one hand, she wiped at the spot with a dry towel. Laguna stopped her and grinned. "Don't worry about it. I got it covered."

He hobbled in front of the sink and dropped a metal pan into the water, splashing himself generously. Grabbing the towel, he slung it over his shoulder and limped out to the bar, using anything he could to support himself on the way. "Hey! What can I do for ya?" he greeted the customer.

Raine cleaned herself up as she listened to Laguna chat to the customer and fill his order. She felt embarrassed about bawling on Laguna, of all people, and wasn't quite ready to face the world. She heard the door open again and the voice of one of her regulars come in.

"Where's Raine?"

"In back," Laguna replied amiably, "So, I'm manning the station 'til she's done."

"Well, if you're well enough to work, you should be well enough to go back to where you came from."

Laguna didn't miss a beat with his reply. "So, what'll it be? We got some fresh Mimett dark this morning. Haven't tried it myself, but I hear it's pretty good."

'Change of subject, a typical Laguna answer,' Raine let herself grin. She took a deep, steadying breath. The pub door opened again and another customer entered. She couldn't dawdle any longer or her regulars would gang up on Laguna and throw him out into the street, if not back into the river.

She stepped into the bar, wearing her most neutral expression like warpaint. "Soup of the day is potato garlic," she announced. Then to Laguna, she spoke, "I'll take over. Why don't you go keep an eye on Elle for me?"

"You sure you don't need a hand down here?"

"I'm fine." She reached over the bar and picked up his crutch. Handing it to him, she added, "If I need anything, I'll ask."

Laguna nodded and accepted his crutch. "Sure thing."

As he reached the top of the stairway, he could hear one of the regulars remark, "Looks like your stray is about ready to be turned out."

Another customer added, "You ain't thinkin' of keepin' him, are you?"

There were a few chuckles from the regulars. "Just give him a collar and his shots."

"Gotta neuter him first."

Raine's reply was crisp. "Laguna still has some healing left to do. I'm sure he'll move on as soon as he's ready."

Stretching out on the couch, Laguna stared up at the ceiling. He would have to move on soon. The question was where. It wasn't like he had a home or a family to go back to. The few mailings he got were sent to Deling garrison, and then distributed from there, depending on his assignment. Deling was familiar ground to him, but if he really wanted to get into journalism, then Timber was the place to go. But, he didn't want to leave Ellone and Raine alone, not when they had done so much for him. How could he ever repay them, especially Raine? He had little for money and not much else but his clothes and his gun. He couldn't even do much for finding a Winhill family for Ellone. People here didn't like him. Even Raine was cold to him at first.

If he got lucky and hit it big in the journalism scene, then he would have plenty of money to give Raine. But that seemed like a shallow way to repay her and money wouldn't help her keep Ellone. If they didn't find a family in Winhill to take her, she would be sent to an orphanage. Most likely it would be one in Deling. From his own experience, being an orphan in Deling was not fun. He wanted to prevent that from ever happening to Elle. Sighing, he closed his eyes. Surely an answer would come in its own good time.