II.

The Ragnarok dropped them off just outside of Winhill, leaving them to walk along the dusty road leading into town. It was a lovely summer morning, the season just starting to ripen toward fall. Flowers bloomed in a riot of color along each side of the road, and everywhere fields and gardens were busy bringing forth their bounty in preparation of the harvest to come.

Squall had slung his duffel over his shoulder while Lion Heart rode at his hip, and Rinoa walked alongside, carrying her own duffel and weapon. Angelo trotted ahead, sniffing here and there at whatever caught his fancy. He glanced over at her and couldn't help a small smile at the entranced expression she wore as they walked.

She always surprised him. He'd thought that she'd be upset or disillusioned that he had an assignment just days before his birthday. He supposed that holding to his promise to her, and bringing her along as his tactical support had mitigated her disappointment. Indeed, the sense he got from her was far from disappointed.

Instead, she seemed…. happy. And…Squall frowned slightly as he caught an undercurrent of smugness. He bent his thoughts toward her and was surprised when she gently raised her barriers.

"Tsk! Tsk!" She sent. "No peeking!"

Squall studied her for a moment, confused, and she gave him a sunny smile in return. He shrugged slightly and directed his attention to their surroundings, scanning them alertly while they walked toward the town.

"So commander, what's our first order of business?" Rinoa asked him. He glanced over at her again, wondering at her mood, then decided not to worry about it. At least she was approaching their assignment with a good attitude.

"We make contact with the mercenaries that were hired to protect the town to let them know we've arrived." Squall answered.

Rinoa nodded and asked, "Okay, then what?"

"Then we check into our room and get settled in, eat lunch, then go on a patrol. Shouldn't be anything too tough to handle here unless we run into a wendigo or something." Squall answered.

Rinoa snorted, "like you can't handle a dozen wendigos all by yourself."

"I can with you as my backup," Squall replied, giving her a warm smile.

Rinoa couldn't help smiling back at him. Squall's smiles were rare but much more in evidence now than they had been in the past. And she felt like she was melting inside every time she saw it. It made her happy to see that beautiful, precious expression on his face.

It had surprised her when she'd learned he'd requested that she come along with him on this "mission". The original plan had been for her to go in advance of him and surprise him at the hotel. She hadn't considered that he'd actually follow through on his vow that he'd take her with him on any future assignments. She knew now that Squall kept his promises, but couldn't recall him actually saying " I promise" when they'd talked about it. So it had been both pleasant and humbling to learn that he'd taken very much to heart what they'd discussed regarding their bond all those weeks ago.

Squall of course was taking this assignment seriously, as Rinoa had figured he would. This in spite of the fact that it would be dead easy for him. The monsters that populated the area around Winhill for the most part weren't too much of a challenge for a warrior or Squall's caliber, but that's just what Rinoa wanted. She wanted him stimulated, not stressed. Challenged but not to the point of injury.

He might have thought something was up if it hadn't actually been a legitimate assignment, albeit one that could have been handled by any available SeeD. There was no real need to send out the Commander himself to cover for a couple of former almost SeeDs that had the misfortune to run afoul of one of the few wendigos that populated the area.

But it had presented itself as a perfect opportunity and Rinoa was glad that Quistis had gotten Cid to go along with it.

They were just passing the shop owned by a crotchety little old man that they had some slight acquaintance with (in Squall's case, as slight as possible, as the fellow was more than a little unpleasant to him), when Squall took a slight turn down a side street and stopped at what looked like a boarding house.

The door was opened at his knock by what Squall assumed was the landlady, a plump, matronly woman, who asked them, "Can I help you?"

"We're here to see your resident monster hunters." Squall answered.

The woman raised one eyebrow and asked, "And who might you be? Those boys are still recovering, so you'll have to keep the visit short."

"Understood. My name is Squall, and I'll be taking over their duties while they're recuperating." Squall responded. Then he indicated Rinoa and added, "This is Rinoa."

The woman studied them both for a moment, then shrugged. "Come on in. I'll let 'em know you're here." She opened the door wider and stood aside to allow them entrance.

Then she shut it behind them and walked further into the cottage, saying, "Wait here a moment."

Squall nodded in acknowledgement and crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his stance so that Lion Heart's handle was in easy reach…and the weapon itself very visible. He glanced over at Rinoa, who was gazing around the home with interest. She caught his eye and gave him a slight smile.

At length a tapping along the wood-floored hallway alerted them to someone's approach, the noise originating from the wooden crutch supporting the young man that limped toward them. He leaned heavily upon the crutch, holding it with one arm, while the other hung in a sling about his neck.

"Hi, I'm Jason." He said. Then he asked, frowning, "You're the SeeDs taking over for me and Terry?"

"Yes." Squall answered. Then he indicated himself and then Rinoa, saying, "I'm Squall. This is Rinoa."

The young man squinted at them, trying to remember why his two visitors seemed so familiar. It was hard to think around his headache however.

"How's your partner?" Rinoa asked.

"Resting. He's not as mobile as I am. Broke his left leg in three places, broke three ribs, and he got a pretty bad concussion." Jason answered.

"Squall? Should I…?" Rinoa sent.

"If you like. It'll get them back into action quicker." Squall responded.

"They'll still need to rest for a few days even with a cure spell." Rinoa thought.

"I know. But that's what we're here for anyway. Go ahead." Squall encouraged her.

"Jason?" Rinoa asked, directing his attention to her. "Would you mind if I visited with your partner?"

"He's asleep right now, I don't see why you'd want to see him…" The former cadet said, frowning.

"Rinoa's here as my tactical support. She's part of the infirmary staff at Balamb Garden and has been trained in first aid and emergency medical care. She's particularly skilled with both conventional and magical cures." Squall informed him.

"Oh. He's back there then." Jason nodded back down the hallway. "Last door on the left."

"Okay," Rinoa said, heading down the hallway.

After she left the young man squinted at Squall again and asked, "Have you been here before? You look familiar."

"Yes." Squall answered simply, but did not elaborate. He felt a rush of power as Rinoa cast the cure spell to heal the other injured man.

She returned to Squall's side soon after and looked up into Jason's face, asking him "Would you like me to heal you as well?" At his nod, she added, "Okay. You will need to rest a few days yet however, so we'll stay as long as we're needed while you both recover your strength."

Before she could cast the spell however, Squall stopped her. "Wait a moment Rinoa. I need some information first." Turning to Jason, Squall said, "I need the details of your patrol routes and schedules."

"Mornings, just after dawn we do a full perimeter up to the main road. Mid afternoon we do just the town proper. Evenings, another full perimeter just before dusk. Mostly we would run into funguar and the caterchipillars, with the occasional cockatrice. Terry and I have been here for years and I think this is the first wendigo we'd ever encountered." Jason supplied.

Rinoa looked over at Squall and he nodded. It was sufficient for their needs. It was also the same route that Laguna had taken when he'd performed those same duties here more than twenty years ago. He felt her power stir again as she cast the healing spell on Jason.

"I remember now! You're Squall Leonhart!" The man exclaimed as the spell took effect and healed his injuries. "They sent you?" He asked incredulously, "How do we rate?"

Squall shrugged but declined comment, and Rinoa spoke up, "We just happened to be available. Now," she said firmly, "I want you to go lie down and get as much rest as possible. I've healed your injuries, but your body's going to need to catch up a little bit. Speed healing tends to burn up a lot of resources."

"I know," the young man said, starting to yawn. "I don't know how you SeeDs do it all the time. Guess that's why I washed out." He stood up straight and cautiously rested his full weight upon the leg that had been injured and sighed in relief. Then he flexed the arm in the sling, removing it in the process.

He smiled over at Rinoa and said, "Thank you Rinoa…Heartilly is it?"

She smiled back and brushed her hair back from her face with her left hand, the wedding band on its third finger clearly visible, saying, "You're welcome, and it's Leonhart now." She dropped the hand and threaded her fingers through Squall's.

He chuckled and said, "Congratulations. I hadn't heard. Kind of hard to keep up with the news in this little backwater, but that's kind of what Terry and I like about it."

"Thank you," Rinoa smiled at him. "Now go get some rest. We'll handle things from here."

"All right. Thanks again, both of you." Jason sketched a wave at them both, picked up his now unneeded crutch, and walked back to his room.


They checked into the hotel after visiting the two injured monster hunters, with Squall being somewhat taken aback that the concierge recognized him, greeting he and Rinoa by name.

"Commander Leonhart! Mrs. Leonhart! Welcome! We have your room ready just as you requested. Please sign here and Joey will show you to your room." The concierge said effusively.

Squall signed the register and frowned at Rinoa, who shrugged at his expression and said innocently, "You can't expect to be completely anonymous anymore Squall. Not after all that you've done so far."

"All we've done. You were there too. And so were Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, and Zell. It wasn't all just me." Squall said. Then he glared icily at the bellhop when he reached for Squall's duffel bag.

"Here," Rinoa said, taking pity on the poor fellow when he gulped and backed away by handing him her bag instead.

He gave her a relieved smile as he took it and said, "Follow me please."

They fell into step with each other as they followed the man to their room, with Rinoa saying, "I know that Squall. But that's not all and you know it. Our wedding was all over the news just a few weeks ago, not to mention that project you did in Esthar just prior to it. Obviously news about all of that even made it here." Then she laughed and added, "If you ever start getting tired of all that adulation and respect, you can always go visit the grumpy grandpa's store."

"If I ever feel the need of a dose of humility, I'll make it a point to go." Squall said wryly.

Threading her arm through Squall's, Rinoa sighed, "You do have to admit that for the most part, it's rather a nice change from when we first came here. At least they aren't as hostile toward us."

"I guess it doesn't hurt that everyone now knows I was born here." Squall said.

"You really were born here? I thought that was just a rumor," The young bellman asked, eyes wide.

"Yes." Squall answered curtly.

"Do you have any family here?" the bellman asked curiously.

"No." None living at any rate, Squall thought, recalling Raine's gravestone. He hadn't been back to Winhill since the first time he'd seen it. He hadn't seen any point to coming back.

"Oh," the man said, nonplussed. "I ….um… Well. Here we are then." He added with obvious relief, opening the door to the suite, preceding them in and placing Rinoa's belongings on the floor.

Squall gazed about the lavish accommodations, which included a kitchenette complete with oven and stove, a sitting room and a positively decadent appearing master bedroom/bath combo.

"Is this the right room?" Squall asked with a frown. "Seems rather a bit much for the job we're doing…"

"It is the room that was reserved for you sir." The bellman answered, asking Squall in turn, "Is there anything wrong?"

Squall shook his head, answering absently, "No, it's fine, thank you." Then he fished out a small handful of gil and tipped the man.

After the bellman left, Rinoa gazed around the room with a sigh, and Squall caught another hint of smug satisfaction coming from her. Feeling his curiosity at that, Rinoa simply smiled at him, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What's going on in that devious little mind of yours?" Squall sent, watching her as she turned up the wattage on her smile, sashayed up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." She responded. She tightened up her mental barriers so that her emotions weren't leaking anymore, disappointing Squall a little.

Tightening his arms around her, Squall studied her face intently, his own smile starting to sneak out despite his best efforts, and asked, "Will I enjoy the finding out part?"

"I hope you will," Rinoa answered, her smile becoming wistful.

"I'm assuming us getting this suite rather than the standard, and far cheaper, single has something to do with it?" Squall asked her.

"It does." Rinoa answered.

"Did you book the room then?" Squall asked, leaning his face closer to hers.

Rinoa's mouth went dry as she gazed up into his eyes. They were lit with both warmth and amusement…. and a shrewd intelligence that was foolish indeed to overlook. Not for the first time, she wondered if his interrogation techniques were actually learned or an innate talent that his training as a SeeD had simply magnified. Whichever it was, Rinoa sincerely hoped that he reserved this particular technique only for her.

She licked her lips and answered, "I…uh… may have…mentioned something to Cid about it…" Then she clamped her lips shut. If she said anything else, he'd figure it out. Squall wasn't stupid.

"Really? And why would you do that, precisely?" Squall asked her, leaning closer still and letting his voice drop to a husky murmur.

His lips were just a breath away from hers, and Rinoa could clearly see the wicked glint in his eyes. He knew what he was doing to her and was deriving a great deal of enjoyment from the opportunity to tease her that she'd presented to him like a gift. She'd handed it to him on a silver platter all gift-wrapped and with a pretty bow on top. She was in real trouble now, and if she didn't do something about it, she'd be blabbing about everything she'd planned from the get-go. When Squall got both seductive and persistent, Rinoa's resistance was nonexistent.

Then a thought struck her and she nearly laughed. It was so simple and elegant (and to a certain extent, even true), that there was no way that Squall could ferret out the true reason that they'd ended up in this particular room rather than the standard one that SeeDs in town would normally take.

Widening her eyes and pouting slightly (and clamping down on her shields again as her amusement threatened to bubble over) Rinoa breathed softly, "Squall Leonhart, surely you're not going to tell me that the honeymoon's over already are you?"

Of course, there was only one real answer to that question, and Squall opted for the non-verbal route. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her close against him, and kissed her thoroughly, leaving her breathless and clinging to him.

"What do you think?" He finally asked her, smiling gently.

Rinoa smiled back, "that I'm incredibly lucky."

Squall laughed softly and rested his forehead against hers for a moment, then sobered, saying "we'd better get unpacked and get lunch so we can do the evening patrol."

Rinoa sighed, "I know, we're here to work."

Squall smiled at her again, then stepped away and picked up Rinoa's bag, saying, "That's right. And it's a perfect opportunity for us to practice working together." He carried their bags into the bedroom and put them on the bed.

Rinoa followed, frowning, "Practice? What do you mean? I thought we already pretty much had that down."

"Well," Squall began, unzipping Rinoa's bag and raising an eyebrow at the jumble inside. Rinoa simply folded her arms and raised her chin defiantly. Squall snorted slightly and continued, "We do, and very well too. What I'm referring to is our mind link. That brings a whole new dimension to it and can potentially be a very powerful tool. I'd like us to get used to using it in battle. The monsters here aren't that challenging, not even as tough as the ones in the Training Center."

He opened the dresser drawer and began carefully transferring items from Rinoa's bag to the drawer, going so far as to actually sort and refold some of the items. Rinoa rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Approaching him, she gently slapped his hands away from her bag and said, "Unpack your own bag. I'll deal with this." Then she defiantly grabbed a double handful of shirts and tossed them into the drawer, repeating the process until it was overflowing, then pushing the clothing down and shoving the drawer closed.

Squall, torn between amusement and consternation, wisely kept silent while concentrating on quickly and efficiently unpacking his own clothing.

Once they had completed that small task, and Rinoa had time to think about what Squall had said regarding their mind link, she replied, "I'm sure it could be a powerful tool. The trick will be figuring out just how it might be used."

"Well, that's where practice comes in. Are you about ready for lunch?" Squall asked her. At Rinoa's nod he reached out and took her hand, and they both headed downstairs to the café in the lobby.


"This is such a picturesque little place. Great place to raise kids," Rinoa sighed as they started on their patrol.

"Except for the monsters, I guess that's true." Squall replied.

Rinoa snorted, "Yeah, I guess that's a little inconvenient, having to worry about patrolling the borders for nasty bugaboos on a thrice daily basis. You ever wonder why they're so infernally insistent upon invading this town? Timber doesn't have nearly as many problems with their monster population."

"Probably because the Galbadian invasion killed a lot of them, and big-game tourists do a pretty good job of keeping the numbers down. Laguna's told me that Esthar's monster population has led to the inadvertent development of a tourist industry there. Hunters out for challenging big game flock to it. No reason the same thing couldn't hold true for Timber as well." Squall said.

"Obviously, that's not the case here." Rinoa said as they walked.

"No. There aren't a lot of different species, what's here isn't very challenging, and Winhill's residents don't much care for tourists in general." Squall explained.

"They're challenging enough for people here to hire mercenaries to protect them." Rinoa commented.

"I didn't say the monsters here weren't dangerous, but if you have the tools and the know-how, they aren't that hard to kill." Squall responded. Then he added, "Besides, nobody here hired those guys to protect the town. Laguna did. Which, now that I think about it, it isn't so surprising he'd ask for me to cover for his guys."

Rinoa glanced over at Squall, startled. Then she shook her head ruefully, thinking, why do I keep forgetting how smart he is? Cid had told her Laguna had done exactly that, framing his request in such a way that if Squall wasn't available, any qualified SeeD that was would serve.

Then she laughed softly, "You still call him Laguna."

"Habit, I guess. Yes, I know he's my father, and it's easy to remember that when I'm in Esthar visiting." Squall said.

"But when you're working for him, it's different, isn't it?" Rinoa asked.

"Little bit, yeah." Squall answered.

They walked through the town in silence, watching for any invading creatures. So far, all was quiet but Squall and Rinoa stayed alert for anything or anyone that might require their attention.

"So, how do you plan on doing this anyway, using our mindlink in battle?" Rinoa wondered.

"Well, just link up and see how it goes I guess. It'll make communication easier, and quicker, I know that. It'll make it easier to coordinate our battle strategies too." Squall explained.

Rinoa frowned, considering that. It would help with battle strategy. However, there was also the chance that information that Rinoa did not want Squall to know yet would bleed into their link. She was getting better with her mental disciplines, but Squall had far outstripped her in that area. She still didn't know how he managed not to let anything leak through to her that he didn't want her to know.

Well, that was what this practice was all about… not just working on the physical aspects of battle, but the mental ones as well. Something that Rinoa sometimes forgot about.

She puzzled over her dilemma a little before deciding that it would only be a problem if she allowed it to be one. In the heat of battle, they would be linked at a different level than when they were being more intimate. Personal thoughts, concerns would be pushed aside in favor of the immediacy of fighting.

They had just left the town proper and were wending their way toward the fields on the outskirts of town when they were attacked by a large caterchipillar. The giant slug-like creature wasn't too dangerous, and would be the perfect opponent to test Squall's mindlink battle strategy on.

As Squall calmly dodged its initial attack, he sent, "Rin, cast regen and protect on both of us, then attack it with your shooting star. I'll attack from the side while its attention is on you."

"Right," Rinoa acknowledged. They had both linked without even thinking about it, and Rinoa was amazed at how quickly Squall had adapted to that new aspect of their relationship. Of course, the fact that it enhanced their lovemaking to a literally mind-blowing degree certainly didn't hurt Squall's willingness to explore it.

And it did help in the fight, she found, as he sent her directions and she sent him information with the speed of a thought. She knew how much space he needed for his attack and was able to give that to him without him having to tell her. She was able to tell him of a weak spot on the creature that he had missed because it was on her side of the monster. It was much easier to coordinate their attacks, with Squall telling her to focus on casting magic and allowing him to do the bulk of the physical fighting.

The caterchipillar was killed easily. Once Squall had learned what he'd needed to from using their mind link during the fight, it had only taken one good, solid blow from his Lion Heart to finish it off.

"Well," Squall said smugly, leaning his gunblade back onto his shoulder. "That worked out rather well, wouldn't you say?" He silently gestured with his head for them to continue and they kept walking, headed toward the farthest border of Winhill.

"I would. It certainly makes it easier for us to work together and pool our talents." Rinoa agreed.

"Now, I wonder where that pesky wendigo went?" Squall asked thoughtfully.

"Shouldn't we practice a bit more on the caterchipillars first?" Rinoa asked him.

"If any turn up," He answered.

Rinoa shrugged and they continued along the dirt lane. So far, there didn't seem to be too many monsters about for them to fight, and she began enjoying the walk as a result. They'd maintained their mental contact, keeping the link open but only at a surface level so as to avoid being distracted by anything deeper.

They had just reached the farthest edge of Winhill's boundary when they heard a scream. Squall and Rinoa exchanged a glance and immediately readied their weapons and raced toward the sound.

"Find them Angelo!" Rinoa ordered. The dog bolted ahead and Rinoa followed, Squall loping alongside.

Angelo dashed off the trail and into a copse of trees, leading them to a clearing near a small spring. A little girl of perhaps five was screaming and cowering in the middle of it, a basket of berries tumbled at her feet. A large caterchipillar was advancing slowly toward her, and the reason she hadn't simply run away became apparent as Squall and Rinoa grew closer and saw the webbing that had ensnared the child.

"Take care of her Rin," Squall sent as he charged the creature.

The fight was over in moments, and afterward Squall approached Rinoa and the little girl asking, "are you all right?"

The girl seemed unhurt but was crying too hard to answer coherently. She clung to Rinoa, shuddering, while Rinoa made quiet soothing noises.

"Rin?" Squall prompted.

"She's fine Squall, just scared. Give her a moment." Rinoa told him.

"She shouldn't have strayed off the trail alone," Squall sent, frowning. He looked around to see if there was any evidence of the girl's parents nearby but didn't see anything.

"Maybe she lives nearby. When she's calmed down enough I'll ask her." Rinoa responded privately.

Squall nodded and kept watch for any other creatures that might decide to attack in the meantime. He waited, patient and alert, while Rinoa comforted the little girl and learned from her that she did indeed live nearby and had decided to go pick some berries for her mother. Rinoa then helped her retrieve the berries that had spilled from her basket and escorted the child home, Squall silently guarding their rear.

Once they had returned the girl to her home and effusively grateful mother, they continued on their patrol. They encountered a couple more caterchipillars but nothing more, and each time they worked more smoothly together. By the time they neared the end of their patrol, Squall was feeling very confident in their ability to work together and was very glad indeed that it appeared to be going so well.

It was not however, perfect.

That was discovered when they were attacked simultaneously by two caterchipillars and a cockatrice. They both dodged the attacks easily enough, but then found themselves surrounded.

Standing back to back with Rinoa, Squall sent, "Can you give me eyes to the rear?"

"Yes." She answered and opened the link further, allowing Squall to see through her eyes. She had already cast protection spells upon the both of them, and was ready with a silence spell to cast on the cockatrice before it could employ its own magic.

But the sudden flood of information into his mind from Rinoa left Squall disoriented as he tried to sort out what he was seeing and what she was sending him. It gave him a weird kind of double vision; a result of the visual information from his own eyes, coupled with what Rinoa saw. It left him struggling to interpret that information so that he could act upon it.

It cost him precious moments and allowed the caterchipillar an opening, spraying its webbing all over him before attacking and knocking him down.

"Squall?" Rinoa sent in alarm. She started to turn around but Squall stopped her.

"Keep your attention forward! I'm fine. Take care of that cockatrice before it causes some real problems here." Squall responded, struggling to his feet. The webbing slowed him down somewhat, so it was harder to dodge the caterchipillar. And the double-vision effect from both his and Rinoa's eyes was not helping him at all. Finally he had to shield himself from it so he could concentrate on the creature he was battling and trust that Rinoa could handle her end of things.

He felt her cast several powerful spells in succession, weakening the cockatrice significantly, then the second caterchipillar attacked him. He slashed it twice, pulling the trigger on his gunblade at the same time, killing it instantly. He turned, too slowly, as the other monster attacked, knocking him down and biting him several times. He struggled free, hitting it with a glancing blow from his gunblade while kicking it back, finally gaining his feet and stumbling backwards.

"Damn it!" He swore, glancing down at his bleeding arm. It wasn't bad, the protection spell had held enough that the thing hadn't managed to bite him too deeply, but it stung and worse, it had injected its venom into him.

Then the creature was coming at him again and he only had time enough to summon Shiva to deal with it. The injury, slight though it was, weakened him enough that the gunblade wouldn't be as effective. He could still kill it with the gunblade but it would take longer and Squall didn't have the time to spare. The venom wasn't deadly but it was painful and it would make him sick if he didn't deal with it soon. The last thing he wanted was to deal with that on his birthday of all days. Particularly as there was no reason that he should.

When Shiva manifested and froze the creature into powdery white crystals, Squall turned to help Rinoa with the cockatrice, and felt the cool touch of her magic soothing the burning sting of the caterchipillar's bite.

"I've got it, don't worry." Rinoa reassured him.

Frowning down at his blood-streaked arm and tattered sleeve, Squall said, "Well, we obviously need a little more practice doing this."

"We meaning you, right?" Rinoa replied with a small smile.

"Yes." Squall admitted.

"Well, we'll figure it out. Let's go back to the hotel and rest a bit. Then we can figure out what to do with ourselves for the rest of the day." Rinoa said.

"I can think of one thing…" Squall began, prompting Rinoa to laugh and slip her arm around his waist. Squall's arm automatically draped around her shoulders in response and they started back toward the hotel.

"What? I was just thinking about logging into Balamb Garden's network to check in with them." Squall said, frowning slightly.

"Sure," Said Rinoa, smiling at him. He glanced at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Really!" he protested.

Rinoa snorted, "Right. If you say so."

"Well, after a shower that is. I really need to get this web goop off of me, and get into a clean outfit." Squall said as they continued walking.

"And you didn't have anything else in mind?" Rinoa asked him.

"Well, you know you could join me…save water, save time…" Squall suggested, feigning innocence.

"Are you implying that I need a shower?" Rinoa asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Squall paused, frowning slightly, then turned and took Rinoa into his arms, saying softly, "Of course not." He gazed down at her a moment, wondering if she'd simply misread his admittedly awkward attempt at playfulness, and trying not to feel hurt and confused at the same time by her reaction.

"You don't have to you know, if you'd rather do something else," Squall said.

Rinoa's gaze softened, "I can't think of a better way to spend time."

Squall smiled at her, and she tightened her arms around him, resting against his chest. She sighed happily as she felt him rest his cheek against her hair like he always did. She always felt so safe, so protected and so loved when he held her like that.

"Neither can I. Which is why I suggested it." Squall said.

They strolled into the hotel arm in arm, their entire attitude relaxed and happy. Young, attractive, and very obviously in love, they prompted smiles from the patrons of the café and the concierge at the desk when they entered. Until the concierge caught a glimpse at the tattered shirtsleeve and dried blood on Squall's arm.

"Mr. Leonhart?" he gasped, "Are… are you okay? Your arm…"

"It's fine." He said calmly.

"But…" the man began.

"We ran afoul of some nasties. He's fine." Rinoa assured him.

"Oh, if you say so…um, will you be taking dinner here in the café later or shall I have something sent up to your room?" The man asked them.

Squall paused, then sent to Rinoa, "I don't know why, but for some reason I find this exceeding politeness rather amusing."

"Probably because you're used to them being rude to you. Not everyone here is like that you know. And they know who you are now." Rinoa responded.

"Maybe," Squall thought.

"So? Room service tonight?" Rinoa asked him. He nodded.

Then she smiled sweetly at the concierge and said, "That would be lovely, thank you."

After telling the man what they would like sent up for their dinner, they continued up to their room. Squall stripped off his shirt after locking the door behind them, and continued into the bedroom, tossing the shirt aside and unbuckling his belts.

Rinoa leaned against the doorframe and simply watched her handsome husband strip, eliciting a grin from him.

"You going to start throwing gil at me?" he asked jokingly. He tossed his gunblade and belts on the bed and unbuttoned his pants. Then he bent down and untied and removed his boots.

"I might, if you shake it a little." She smiled.

"Well," he said, giving her a smoky, seductive look while unzipping his fly. "I'm sorry dear, but this is the best I can manage." He did a slight hip shimmy as he removed his pants. It was both humorous and oddly sexy, and Rinoa sighed.

"You just made my day. I got the rare privilege of watching Squall Leonhart, world savior, SeeD commander and all around stud, do a striptease for me. My life is now complete." Rinoa smiled.

"I'm flattered. Dare I hope that my lovely sorceress wife would be willing to return the favor?" Squall asked as Rinoa came the rest of the way into the bedroom.

Rinoa's cheeks turned pink and she said, "Oh, I don't know… I'm not that good of a dancer…" she began unbuttoning her top.

Squall snorted, "We both know that isn't true." Then he sent, "C'mon, you know you want to."

"Okay. But you know, you won't get the full effect without a pole…" Rinoa sent, then turned gracefully away, somehow incorporating the move into a coy shrug of the shoulders as she looked back at Squall, then slid her shirt off, whipped it out and dropped it onto the floor.

Spearing her hands up into her hair, Rinoa tilted her head back, then turned back around to face Squall, incorporating a little hip sway into the move as she did. Closing her eyes, she got into the spirit of things and trailed her hands down from her hair, down her neck, over her bra and down to the waistband of her shorts. She teasingly unbuttoned only the top button, gave Squall a seductive look through her lashes, then gracefully bent down to remove her shoes.

Straightening up slowly, and smiling at the evidence that regardless of her "dancing" ability, Squall was enjoying the show, she slowly, teasingly, undid her shorts the rest of the way and drew them off. Tossing them aside, she took a slow step toward Squall, undulating her hips while reaching back and unhooking her bra. Then she did another step and pirouetted, drawing off her bra at the same time. Dropping that, she came to rest facing Squall again with both thumbs hooked into her panties. She slowly worked those off as well, swaying her hips again from side to side as she did.

She let them drop to the floor and gracefully stepped out of them, walking with a dancer's step toward her husband. She could feel his desire burning through her mind, the warm rush igniting her own passion.

"Gods…. like a drug you are. I can't get enough of you." He thought, his passionate need for her coming through and permeating everything.

"Same here," Rinoa sent, approaching within arms length and extending her hands to him.

Squall reached out and took her hands in his, drawing her close, then releasing them and wrapping his arms around her. They simply stayed so for a moment, simmering passion placed upon the back burner for the moment while something softer, sweeter came to the fore and held them captive.

Rinoa soaked in his warmth, breathed in his scent, and placed a soft kiss upon his chest over his heart. Squall breathed the scent of her hair, felt its silky smoothness against his cheek, her warm softness against his body, and thought himself incredibly fortunate.

He dropped his arms from around her and recaptured her hands, stepping back and drawing her with him toward the shower.

"Still bent on that shower are you?" Rinoa asked him with a smile.

"Yes," He answered softly, his warm gaze giving away the banked passion that Rinoa could still feel bubbling under the surface. Echoing the physical evidence of his interest.

"Come on," he sent, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature. Then he opened the shower door and stepped in, bringing Rinoa in with him.

They soaped and rinsed between kisses and caresses, the heat and steam lending a dreamlike quality to it all. They didn't need to speak, each knew what the other needed and wanted, their link leading them to it together. And yes, the sweet, dark passion between them held sway and swept them along as it always did, leaving both panting and spent in its wake.

"One of these days," Rinoa laughed breathlessly, kissing Squall on the tip of his nose, "I'm going to get you into a bubble bath with me. Trust me, you'll have a much easier time of it."

Squall snorted, breathless as well, and said, "Only if you gain weight, which I don't see happening any time soon." Then he leaned forward, still joined with her, still holding her braced against the tiled wall, and gave her one more kiss, this one equal parts tender and passionate.

Rinoa smiled at him when they came up for air, threading her fingers through his wet hair. "Then I'm doubly impressed. It felt like your knees were about jelly there for a moment. I was afraid you'd drop me."

"Never. The most earth-shattering orgasm in the world couldn't make me drop you." He assured her. He smiled at her as she unwound her legs from his waist, supporting her as they separated and she stood on her own feet again.

"Who's got the jelly knees now?" he teased her gently as she clung to him. It was the same for her as for him, and he'd felt her knees going weak just as his had done in that moment.

"Me." Rinoa said, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into his warmth adding, "of course, you always make me weak in the knees."

"Really? Should we have the doctor look into that?" he asked her, tongue firmly in cheek.

Rinoa caught the joke and poked him in the side, saying, "No, because I already know what causes it, and it's all your fault for being so sexy that you make me want to melt."

"Melt? Really? Well, I'm flattered but I prefer you solid. You're much easier to handle." He said, reaching past her to turn off the water.

"Mmmmmm," Rinoa sighed, nuzzling his warm, wet chest and kissing him there. "I love it when you handle me."

Squall laughed at that, saying, "I'm glad." He moved away from her for a moment to open the shower door and grab a towel from the nearby rack, returning to gently pat her face dry with it and then wrap it around her shoulders.

Tracing her cheek lightly with his fingers, then brushing her lower lip with his thumb, Squall said softly, "Time to go back to the real world. There are things still to be done."

Rinoa sighed regretfully and nodded. Squall gave her a small smile, then exited the shower and took a towel for himself.

While he was drying off, Rinoa sent, "we can return to this place later tonight. Give each other pleasant dreams." The emotions she sent along with the message conveyed her true meaning; it wasn't the physical location that she spoke of returning to, but the mental/emotional state that they entered into while making love.

"Count on it, love. Now however, I really do have to touch base with Quistis and the gang. And the concierge said he'd send up dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get hungry. Would you mind giving him a call to have it brought up?" Squall responded, padding out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, toweling his hair dry.

Laying the towel aside, he quickly and efficiently got dressed, biting back a smile as he watched Rinoa digging through the drawer that she'd unceremoniously dumped all of her clothing into.

Catching his amusement, Rinoa glared at him and wagged her finger, warning him, "Not a word from you! I don't want to hear it."

Affecting an innocent expression, Squall held his hands up in surrender, shaking his head while pretending to lock his lips shut and tossing the key.

"Good." Rinoa said, finally finding what she was looking for and beginning to get dressed. "Now go play with your laptop."

As he obediently moved toward the door, he paused and dropped a quick kiss on her head as he went past, sending, "It's not playing, you know that."

"Of course I know that, COMMANDER. Now get to work. I'll call in dinner." Rinoa thought, pulling on a tee shirt.

"All right. I love you sweetheart." He sent, picking up his laptop computer and exiting the bedroom.

"I love you too." Rinoa replied.