Chapter 3: The Lone Gunman

Two hours later, well past midnight, Irvine and Selphie finally made it back to their hotel room. The Deling City P.D. officers, for the most part, had been reassuringly efficient in gathering information about the incident. Once the two suspects had been checked out and transported by EMS to a local hospital, Irvine and Selphie had been allowed to leave. One of the officers had been dispatched to escort them back however. At Irvine's puzzled look, the officer had simply told him blandly they didn't want any more incidents.

Irvine's response was that he had warned the muggers before putting a stop to their attempted robbery. It was just their bad luck that they'd chosen to try to rob two trained SeeD mercenaries rather than a couple of tourists out on a stroll.

Opening the door to their room and locking it behind them after Selphie entered, Irvine took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, yawning. The adrenaline rush had faded long since and his long day, along with the two beers he'd consumed, were combined into crushing exhaustion.

He tossed his hat carelessly in the direction of the coffee table and made a beeline for his bedroom, the only thing on his mind was to get horizontal and snoring as soon as possible. Then he remembered. Selphie.

"Hey, sweetie," he said tiredly, pausing in the sitting room. "Sorry this didn't turn out the way we wanted it too." He shrugged off his coat and shoulder holsters, laying them both over the back of the sofa.

"It's okay," she said, yawning herself. "It's not like you planned it to happen."

Irvine laughed quietly, "No, I didn't." He smiled over at her. She still looked beautiful, despite the fatigue he could see plainly in her eyes. And that silk shirt flat did it for him. He walked back over to her, forgetting how late it was, how tired they both were.

He reached out, pulled her into his arms and just held her for a moment, smoothing his hands over the slick fabric on her back before squeezing her tightly. She burrowed her head into his chest, and hugged him back just as hard. Then he bent down and kissed her gently.

Stroking her hair, he whispered, "I'm dog tired baby, but if you want to give it a go…" The he gasped as Selphie's nimble fingers found their way under his shirt, stroking up his chest before she pulled them out and started unbuttoning it.

"I think we can manage." She murmured, kissing the center of his chest. Irvine shivered and his heart started to race. He captured her lips with his own and lost himself in their softness, kissing her until they were both breathless. Slowly, he started walking backward toward the bedroom, still kissing her, while Selphie's busy hands worked his shirt off his shoulders and momentarily imprisoned his hands behind his back.

He was still struggling to get the cuffs over his hands, while still kissing Selphie, when he backed into the doorjamb to the bedroom.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, laughing. Selphie grinned impishly at him as he leaned back against the doorjamb, hands still tangled in his shirt behind his back.

"Mmmm," She said with a wicked smile, "Seffie like."

Irvine smiled, then tugged at his sleeves again, "um, little help here?"

Selphie shook her head and advanced on him, giving in to the irresistible urge to stroke and caress his naked torso. Irvine leaned his head back against the doorway, feeling his knees go weak as she began kissing down his chest, pressing herself against him and stroking her hands up his back.

He had to remind himself to breathe when she got to his beltline.

"Oh, God, Selphie…" he couldn't stand any more; he had to get his damned hands untangled. He finally, finally, got the cuffs undone, by simply popping the darned buttons off. He didn't care; he had to have his hands free. The shirt fell to the floor behind him, forgotten.

He reached for Selphie and swept her up into his arms, kissing her fiercely, and carried her the rest of the way to the bed, kicking the door shut behind him. When they got to the bed, Irvine simply allowed himself to fall backward onto it, with Selphie still in his arms. She weighed next to nothing, so it didn't hurt him. She ended up on top of him, practically sitting on his chest.

She laughed, "Are you that tired Irvy?"

Irvine grinned up at her from flat on his back and said, "Yep. You might have to do all the work, darlin'."

Selphie shifted until she sat on his stomach, straddling him, and leaned forward onto her forearms that she had crossed, resting on Irvine's chest.

"Is that so?" She challenged, then before he could respond, she was kissing him again, hands in his hair.

His arms came up automatically, smoothing up her thighs to her hips before he sat up, pulling her close. The he closed his eyes and gave in to the sensations bombarding him. Silken fabric gave way to silken skin and Irvine was lost, drowning in taste, texture and scent.

He only vaguely remembered kicking off his boots, removing his remaining clothing and molding himself to Selphie's body. They spent the rest of the night so wrapped up in each other; time had no meaning for them.

They made love until they were both sweaty and exhausted, and Irvine at least, could no longer keep his eyes open before he cuddled Selphie close and gave her a final kiss before dropping off to sleep.

They slept until late morning, not having an urgent need to get back to Balamb. Waking up with Selphie still snuggled next to him, Irvine's arms tightened around her and he gave her a gentle kiss to wake her up.

"Good morning sweetheart. How'd you sleep?" Irvine asked her huskily. Selphie stirred, stretching her body against his and nuzzling at the base of his neck. Irvine's body reacted predictably and he began to think about taking another day off and staying in bed.

Kissing him there, she murmured, "warm, cozy, safe.. and wonderful. I could stay in bed like this for the rest of the week but we've got to get back home sometime. We need to get up and get going."

Rolling over on top of Selphie, Irvine kissed her and whispered, "Not yet we don't…"

***

They finally checked out just before noon Galbadia time. Selphie dropped off their rental car and they both boarded the train back to Balamb.

Selphie, as was her custom, stood at the window, watching the speeding countryside go by. Just before the train entered the underwater tunnel toward Balamb, Irvine came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

Selphie laughed, "You make me feel like such a shrimp when you do that!"

Irvine chuckled, "That's because you are a shrimp."

"I wish I could have come with you on the ride over. That would have been fun. Why did you have to leave so early anyway?" Selphie asked him.

"I wanted to catch Squall before I left, and the only way I could figure out how to do that was to literally get up at the crack of dawn and track him down. I had to practically run him down because he was already out jogging on the beach." Irvine answered.

"Why did you need to see Squall?" Selphie asked.

Irvine shrugged, "Well, I wanted to see if I could check out the Ragnarok to fly out here instead of taking the train, but he needed it. Said he was going to Dollet later that morning. I ended up taking the early train and catching a ride out to the shooting range with one of Galbadia Garden's instructors."

"Wonder what's going on in Dollet." Selphie commented.

"Dunno. The Dukedom's hired SeeD in the past, maybe they've got a new contract for us." Irvine responded.

"Maybe," Selphie sighed. "I'm sure Squall will let us know if its anything we're going to be involved in. He might just be setting up a field exam for this year's senior cadets."

"That's a possibility, there are a few cadets that look like they might be ready. We'll see, I guess." Irvine shrugged. They pulled into Balamb Station moments later. It wasn't a terribly long walk back to Balamb Garden from the train station, but they had a good bit of baggage to carry with them. They managed, but Irvine at least had seriously thought about renting a car for the final leg of their journey before remembering he'd just have to drive it back to Balamb afterward and walk back anyway.

He escorted Selphie to her room first, hugging her close and kissing her before reluctantly leaving her to go to his own room. The apartments that the SeeDs got were much larger and nicer than the dorm rooms that cadets and students got, but they weren't exactly lavish. It didn't matter much to Irvine, since he traveled a lot, as did most active SeeDs.

Once he got to his room, Irvine immediately busied himself with unpacking his overnight bag. Then he checked his guns, making sure the cleaning job he'd done at the gun range was acceptable before swiping an oiled rag over his handguns and his rifle and stowing it back in its case.

He spent the remainder of the afternoon puttering around his room, sorting out his laundry and in short, catching up on things that he'd let slide for awhile; either due to disinclination or simply lack of time. Finally, laundry sorted and ready for his next opportunity to do it, various cluttered corners re-organized, and the more obvious areas of grunge cleaned up, Irvine decided to make his way to the cafeteria for dinner.

As he walked he gazed around Garden, seeing faces that he knew, and some that he didn't. A few of those that he passed smiled and waved at him. He'd spent the better part of his life in Galbadia Garden. By rights, that should have given him more of a sense of homecoming when he went back there to visit. But it was here in Balamb Garden where he'd spent the last three years that he'd found his true family. Childhood friends that he'd all but forgotten, the love of his life...

He stopped dead. The love of his life. Selphie. Irvine suddenly realized he'd been, in his way, just as stubborn and obtuse about his relationship with her as Squall had ever been with Rinoa. While Squall's tendencies ran toward isolation and avoidance when it came to emotional issues, Irvine's mechanism was deflection, distraction. When his feelings toward Selphie got too intense and scary, he'd surround himself with friends, flirt like mad, and basically distract himself from his fears. And distance himself from what he felt. Selphie, patient as she was with him, was not a saint and Irvine knew that sometimes his actions hurt her. Hell, that was probably most of the time.

It was one of the reasons why they'd been on and off, hot and cold, for the last three years. There were times when Selphie's patience with Irvine's habits wore thin and there were times when Irvine just felt like he needed to breathe. But he loved Selphie. He'd loved her since he was a kid. He'd never, ever considered her to be like a sister to him, even as a child. He'd been telling the truth when he'd told Selphie on the train to Deling City that they were meant to be together.

He just needed to come to terms with the very real, very adult fear of what truly committing to that would mean. Even when they were "off", even when Irvine was surrounded with girls and having fun, even when he had opportunity, justification, even a blatant green light to go ahead and go for it, make the conquest… when it came right down to it, he just couldn't. He'd remember Selphie's sparkling emerald eyes. Her scent. The feel of her skin. The taste of her lips. He always, always, came back to her.

So why, why did he feel like there was a noose tightening around his neck and strangling him every time he thought about marriage? It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, Irvine!" Zell's hail shook Irvine from his distraction, and he realized he'd been standing in the middle of the hallway with a completely stupid look on his face for who knew how long. Zell bounced up to him and grabbed his hand, shaking it and pounding his back.

"I heard you qualified man! Awesome! We're gonna kick ass in those games aren't we?" Zell said enthusiastically.

"Yup. That's a fact." Irvine replied.

"Yo, man, were you heading in to dinner?" Zell asked. Irvine nodded.

"Well cool, let's go grab a table then." Zell said, leading the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Irvine followed, still trying to shake off the disturbing thoughts he'd been having.

Once they'd gotten their food and found a table, Irvine looked around, wondering where Selphie was. Hyne, I can't get her off my mind. Not even for a minute. He thought, frowning.

"So, how was Deling City? I heard something about a little "incident" that happened this morning?" Zell asked. He took a bite of his dinner and waited for Irvine's answer.

Irvine sighed, "How did you hear about it? It only happened a few hours ago."

"Squall has standing orders with DCPD to notify him of any incidents involving Balamb SeeDs there. Actually, I think he said that all police agencies, not just Deling City's, were to notify him." Zell answered, sipping at his cola.

Irvine frowned, "Why? Stuff happens all the time, I can't believe Squall would want to bother with who got mugged, who got a DUI and who got a D and D after a weekend bender." He poked doubtfully at his entrée, wondering why he'd chosen it.

Zell shrugged, "Dunno. You'll have to ask him. He wants to talk to you after dinner anyway." Zell took another sip from his drink and prompted Irvine, "So, are you gonna tell me what this incident was all about?"

"A couple of street punks thought Selphie and I looked like a couple of good marks to rob. We showed them the error in their thinking and sent them both to a local hospital, and to jail from there." Irvine answered. He cautiously took a bite of his dinner. It wasn't terrible, but after the steak he'd had at Pike's, it was definitely under-whelming. He sighed.

Zell laughed, "I'll bet they won't try that again!"

Irvine agreed, "let's hope so anyway." They continued eating their dinner, with Irvine occasionally scanning the cafeteria and wondering why Selphie hadn't shown up yet. He shook himself mentally, thinking, you didn't directly tell her you'd meet her for dinner. She might have decided to eat earlier, or met up with Rinoa or Quistis to catch up. He decided worry was counter-productive and forcibly put it out of his mind.

"Hey, earth to Irvine! Where'd you go man?" Zell asked, waving his hand in front of his face.

Irvine blinked and frowned at him, "What?"

Zell snorted, "I'm sitting here talking about my qualifying match and you just sorta drifted off into space. What's up with you?"

Irvine stared at him. "I don't..Um.. Have you seen Selphie?"

Zell burst into laughter, "I get it! No, I haven't seen her, but I'll bet if you asked Quisty she'd know. I swear keeping up with you two is exhausting. You need a scorecard. So you on again this time?"

"Shut up Zell." Irvine growled. He got up to leave, fuming.

"Hey man, its cool. Just, you know..." Zell said. He let his voice trail off, but the concern in his eyes made Irvine feel like a larger than usual jerk. He knew what he was getting at. Zell had a brotherly concern for Selphie, and unfortunately, had been her soggy shoulder guy far more times on Irvine's account than he wanted to think about.

"Yeah, I know." Irvine sighed, "I'd better go see what Squall wanted." He gave Zell a half wave and left, feeling more than a little out of sorts. Dammit. Zell had to remind him of that. He didn't deliberately set out to hurt Selphie, ever. It just sometimes happened that way, even when Irvine sincerely tried not to. At least he was good at making it up to her. Most of the time.

He couldn't really help that he liked girls of all sizes, shapes and types. He really enjoyed the way they lit up when he smiled and flirted back at them. And he felt truly warm inside when he left the shy, plain ones glowing from his attention. It was fun, and most of the time, they were fun. Before he'd found Selphie, he might have taken it further. In Galbadia he'd been notorious for his conquests.

But that was before Selphie. Since finding her again, he'd been at near constant war with himself. Hence, the on again, off again, seesaw nature of their relationship. This time however, Irvine decided, it would be the last time. They were "on" this time, and Irvine would do his best to make sure they stayed that way. Where that would lead him… well, he wasn't ready to think about that. But he wasn't going to run anymore.

***

Irvine decided the best place to find Squall, despite the fact that it was past dinnertime, would be in his office. Sure enough, Squall himself answered the door at Irvine's knock.

"Figured you'd still be here. Zell told me you wanted to talk to me?" Irvine asked. Squall nodded and let Irvine enter. Going back to his desk, he sat down and picked up a small sheaf of paper.

"I have an assignment for you." Squall said without preamble.

Irvine asked, "Dollet?"

Squall nodded in answer. "I was going to call you when I heard you'd returned from Galbadia. I assume you qualified, right?"

Irvine snorted, "Of course. Best score yet. So, what's the hire?"

"Two weeks. Training sharpshooters with Dollet's army. The dukedom is having a lot of trouble along their northern border, up in the hills. Mostly Galbadian deserters that had turned to theft and smuggling among other illegal activities." Squall said, then he handed Irvine the stack of papers to look over.

"The terms are really generous. The Duke specifically asked for you and was willing to wait as long as necessary until you were available. He wanted the best, and everyone agrees, that's you." Squall waited while Irvine read the details of the contract he'd worked out with the Duke of Dollet. He hadn't exaggerated the man's adamant refusal to consider anyone other than Irvine Kinneas to teach his recruits how to shoot. Having seen how well Dollet's army had done in the past when pressed, Squall couldn't argue the need for specialized training.

Irvine frowned in concentration as he read the contract. The terms were indeed generous, and included temporary housing, a uniform allowance, a stipend for personal expenses and complete control over the training program. Irvine wasn't an instructor however. He hadn't even thought of getting an instructor's license.

"You did tell them that I wasn't an instructor, right? That I don't have a license?" Irvine asked.

"I did, and it didn't matter. What they want is someone who knows his craft down to his bones. A license doesn't compare to actual experience." Squall replied with a shrug, then added, "I've seen the firearms demos you do for Quistis' junior classes. She thinks you're a natural and should do well, and I agree with her."

"When do they want me there?" Irvine asked, tapping the contract restlessly against his palm.

"Tomorrow. I'll have Selphie fly you out on the Ragnarok at first light." Squall said.

Irvine sighed. Well, he'd had a feeling that Squall had another job for him; he was rarely idle for long.

"I guess I'd better go get my gear ready then." Irvine said. He turned to leave, then noticed that Squall remained sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen.

"Don't you have a wife to get home to?" Irvine demanded, exasperated.

"Rinoa's out with Selphie and Quistis for the evening." Squall answered absently. Irvine shook his head. It explained where Selphie had gotten to anyway.

"Well, how's this for an idea, Commander…go home and wait for her." Irvine suggested.

Squall looked up, irritated, "Why? At least here I'll have something to do." Irvine shook his head and sighed.

"What?" Squall demanded.

"Have you even bothered to eat dinner?" Irvine asked.

Squall grimaced, "no, actually I haven't. And I should, I know. Especially since I've been training like a fiend for the last few weeks."

"That's right. You don't want to lose condition by not eating right." Irvine said. Squall nodded and shut his computer down. Then he stood up and came around his desk, heading for the door.

Irvine fell into step beside him as he left.

"So, how's the training going anyway?" Irvine asked.

"Tough, actually. Tougher than I thought." Squall answered, adding, "I dropped all my junctions three weeks ago so I could get used to training without them. I didn't realize how much I've relied on the Guardians until I stopped using them."

"You can still use GFs for the A-level though, can't you?" Irvine asked.

"I can use one. But no Guardians or stocked magic of any kind for any of the other events, as you know." Squall answered.

Irvine nodded. He did know, but it didn't matter to him because he normally didn't use GFs unless he was going into an actual battle situation. Unlike Squall, who, up until recently, was almost never without at least one Guardian. He'd had Shiva with him from the moment he'd walked through Balamb Garden's gates at seven years old. It explained a lot about why Squall's memories of his childhood were so much dimmer than anyone else's.

They came to the turn off for Irvine to head to his room, and he paused for a moment.

"So, are any memories coming back now that you've dropped your junctions?" Irvine asked.

"Some. They're getting clearer, anyway." Squall answered, the he added, "I still don't remember you though. Its odd, I remember everyone else from the orphanage, but not you."

"Well, you kept to yourself a lot, and we didn't see each other too much as kids. I was busy playing with Selphie and Zell. Then we all got split up. You know how that went." Irvine said.

Squall nodded, "Yeah, I know. Well, I'm gonna go eat. I'll give you an official mission briefing in the morning before you leave." He started to leave when Irvine stopped him.

"Squall, wait. I have a question to ask you." Irvine hesitated, then said, "you don't have to answer it if you don't want to.."

Squall frowned, "what is it?"

"Uh.." Irvine started, then swallowed, "what's it like? Being married?" I can't believe I just asked him that! Irvine wouldn't blame Squall for just walking off and refusing to answer such a personal question. Friends or not, there were limits to just how much he was willing to share. Irvine only knew what he saw, and both Squall and Rinoa seemed happy. That gave him hope. If it could work for them

Squall stared at him for a moment, his expression unreadable. That wasn't too unusual though, Squall's expression tended to go blank when he was thinking. Then a slow smile spread across his features. It was the same expression of pure joy Irvine had seen the day he'd stood by his friend on his wedding day, almost a year earlier.

Smiling gently, Squall ducked his head for a moment, then answered softly, "It's great. Its not perfect, nothing is, but… Marrying Rinoa was the best thing I've ever done. I'll never regret it."

"Then go home and make sure she knows that." Irvine said, adding, "she may already know, but it won't hurt to show her again."

"I will. Right after dinner." Squall began walking down the hall, saying, "see you in the morning, Irvine."

Irvine continued to his room and started to pack for his next assignment, feeling very lonely all of a sudden.