Part IV: Shards Of Broken Glass
The sun warmed the bench and sparkled off the central fountain in the Quad. Rinoa closed her eyes and simply drifted, allowing herself a rare, quiet moment. She refused to think, to worry; instead she simply let her mind drift where it would. She focused on the splashing and burbling of the fountain, the twittering of the various varieties of birds that flitted amongst the decorative trees. A cooling breeze drifted through the concourse, ruffling her hair and brushing it away from her face, a brief touch of ethereal fingers that brought a pang as she remembered real, warm, solid fingers doing the same thing on numerous occasions.
The twins were in class; she had thought that she'd have to fight Squall on the subject of their schooling but he had agreed with her on that subject. It did surprise her at first to learn that he did not want them fast-tracked into SeeD unless they chose it themselves; until she remembered that he hadn't been given the opportunity to choose. That both of their eldest children had chosen to follow in their father's footsteps despite his assurance that they didn't have to… had surprised and disconcerted both Squall and Rinoa.
There were criticisms on all sides about it too. Those thinking that loving parents shouldn't have to shove their children into the rigid discipline of a military academy, that they were forcing their twins into the SeeD program. There were those who, on the other side of the coin, thought that the twins were receiving preferential treatment because of who their parents were, and were excelling because of that, rather than their abilities. Nothing could be further from the truth.
They did what any parents did in support of their children's schooling. She and Squall both helped with their homework, and later, when astoundingly both children chose the gunblade as their primary weapon, Squall helped them practice. On that one point Rinoa had to admit, if only privately, that the kids did have an unfair advantage in living with an acknowledged master of the weapon.
Misty however, had just started preschool and Rinoa was content to let her find her own way. Perhaps she would follow Rinoa's path and become a healer. One could hope, anyway.
As she sat there, drifting mentally, she suddenly felt a surge of energy and the entire feel of her surroundings changed. She knew, without opening her eyes, what it was.
"Griever," She said, opening her eyes to focus on the GF.
"Mistress." It acknowledged, padding forward to lay down at her feet, wings tightly closed against its back.
"You have been blocking me from contacting Squall, haven't you?" She asked.
"Yes," It answered, bowing its head and closing its eyes briefly.
"Why?"
"To protect his mind. His injuries left it fragmented, shattered. His body and his mind were both broken, and he needed to be isolated within himself so that he could heal. Outside contact, even through the bond, caused him too much confusion and distress, interfering with his healing process." Griever explained. "I had to isolate him even from the other Guardians for a time."
"And now?" Rinoa asked, hoping that the Guardian had good news for her.
Griever sat up, regaining its regal bearing, flipping its red-tipped tail in a very catlike manner as it answered, "he is recovering. I am no longer blocking the bond, but I would proceed carefully, for his state is still fragile."
"What happened? Can you tell me?" Rinoa asked.
"Yes," Griever nodded gravely. "He and his team fought a pitched battle; they were badly outnumbered and cornered. They prevailed, but at a high cost. Only Squall survived the battle, gravely injured. One of these injuries was to his head, which in turn damaged his mind. He recieved help, fortunately, and is healing. He's putting the shattered pieces of himself back together...and he's searching for you. I've shown him the bond and told him to follow it to you. Go to the place in your mind that you both recall and wait for him there. He will find you. He remembers you now."
"He didn't before?" Rinoa asked, ice starting to curl into a cold lump in her belly. Tempest squirmed and kicked her in protest, and she gasped, rubbing at her tummy and trying to calm herself lest her tension affect him further.
"Not completely. He remembered that he loves you, but could recall nothing else. Go carefully when you connect with him, you may help but you may also hinder...to him, this is a dream. As he grows stronger, more will come back to him...But this is his fight. You cannot do it for him." Griever advised her.
"You're certain of this?" Rinoa asked him.
"Yes. I've been inside his mind and have seen the damage first hand. Go delicately." It repeated.
"I see. Thank you, Griever." Rinoa said.
It made as though to leave, indeed Rinoa felt the energy surge that heralded Griever's disappearance into its home dimension, but it was halted when a little girl's voice squealed happily, "Gee-kitty!"
Misty, just now leaving her preschool class, was the reason that Rinoa was waiting in the quad. Garden held the preschool classes outdoors in a special section of the quad on days with good weather, allowing the children space to run and play when class structure became too much. It was an innovation put forward by Quistis after she became Headmaster, that so far had positive outcomes for all the children enrolled.
Griever lay back down, for all the world like the giant purple lion that it resembled, and purred loudly as a tiny, black-haired dynamo launched herself at it. While unusual in the extreme, everyone in Garden knew by now how unique Griever's connection to the Leonhart family was. It was not a traditional Guardian Force, nor was it a traditional junction that it shared with both Squall and Rinoa. Instead, Griever was an integral part of their bond, and could come and go at will, rather than awaiting a summons. It was part of why it was able to block Rinoa out while protecting Squall's mind. No other GF could do that.
Right now however, Griever was playing the part of a large, rather frightening-looking (to the uninformed) family pet, for the benefit of the little girl who was happily snuggling into its mane. Rinoa rather suspected that Griever had a soft spot for Misty, far more so than for the older children, though as time had passed, it had become more of a family avatar than a Guardian, and cared for all of them. Griever had assured her that it would watch over the older children as they continued on their pathway to becoming SeeDs. Rinoa, and Squall, both took a great deal of comfort in that.
"You like scritches, Gee-kitty?" Misty was saying happily, both hands buried in the GF's thick mane and scratching industriously. Griever purred louder in response, rubbing its face gently against the child's, prompting her to giggle. Rinoa smiled at the image, and at the joy exuded by both the Guardian and her daughter. She let them play until Griever gave her a silent message that it had to leave, then she stepped in.
"Misty honey, Gee-kitty has to go home now, and so do we. Do you want a snack?" Rinoa asked her daughter.
Misty pouted slightly and asked, "Will Gee-kitty come back to play again soon?"
Griever nodded and Rinoa said, "Gee-kitty says yes. Come along sweetie." Rinoa held out her hand and Misty reluctantly left Griever, and took it.
She waved and said sadly, "Bye Gee-kitty." The Guardian gradually faded from sight, rather than simply disappearing like it normally did. Rinoa suspected that it did so for Misty's benefit so that she could see that it only existed in this world part of the time.
As they started walking home, Misty asked, "Can I have a peanut butter sandwich mummy?"
"Certainly you can. And milk too if you like." Rinoa answered.
"Okay," Misty skipped about a little, hand still gripping Rinoa's, asking, "Gee-kitty talks to daddy too, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Rinoa answered.
"Good. I told Gee-kitty to tell daddy that I missed him and hope he comes home soon." Misty said.
Rinoa felt her eyes stinging with tears and sent a silent message to the Guardian to be sure to relay the message...When it felt it safe for Squall to hear it.
"Me too, baby. Me too."
It was much later, after Misty and the twins had all gone to bed, that Rinoa, lying in bed herself, mulled over what Griever had told her. It had left her almost afraid to try and contact Squall through the bond, because of what she feared it would do to him if he wasn't ready for it. Go to the place in your mind that you both know... it had told her. Along with that statement had come an image of the flower field next to the ruins of the Kramers' old orphanage. It was a place integral to their relationship. There, Squall had pledged himself to her as her knight. Rinoa had found his body there, after they had defeated Ultimecia, and had called him back to her somehow. A year later, he proposed to her there. Now, hopefully, he would find Rinoa there, waiting for him once again.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm her mind. Then she visualized herself in that field, waiting for Squall. Just like he'd promised her, years before; If you go there, I'll find you. She hoped he would.
So, she set out to reconstruct a memory; golden sunlight of a particular rich, burnished hue only seen during a glorious sunset. Flowers of every type and color, red, white, pink, purple and blue, carpeting the field. Petals drifting on the wind. Birds singing, surf crashing in the background, and herself, standing in the flower field. She worried for a time over how she should appear; would he best remember her as the girl he'd asked to marry him or the woman who was now six months pregnant with his son?
She decided to stay in the present. Perhaps this too would help him to remember.
Her breathing slowed, steadied and she entered a nearly hypnotic state as she went to a place that wasn't quite a dream, but wasn't reality either. It was something in between. Once there, her mind picked up the thread of the bond, and followed it to Squall. He was asleep, she discovered, and dreaming. And in his dreams, he was searching for her, just as Griever had told her.
Go delicately, it had warned her, and so she did, not speaking to Squall, simply insinuating herself very carefully into his sleeping mind. It was very similar to the method that Ellone had used to link to her brother's mind on more than one occasion, though in this case, Squall was already asleep. As carefully, delicately, as she could, Rinoa slipped into his dreams.
He was dreaming of the flower field, and Rinoa almost wept at the aching loneliness and sense of loss that she could feel from him. She looked around, unable to see him, but sensing him all around her...not surprising as she was inside his mind. She could sense the bond, pulsing and alive, and through it could "see" his injuries. Oh...my love...I am here..., She thought, feeling the pain of his broken bones, his injured head. She could also sense the fragmented state of his mind; she saw the blank spots and the brief flashes of memories that left him confused and frustrated. She wanted to hold him in her arms, soothe his hurts, heal him...but she couldn't. Not while she was still pregnant, at any rate. Erring again on the side of caution as she had with her first pregnancy, Rinoa refrained from using any magic at all while she was carrying..with the exception of the bond, which was an entirely different thing.
Rinoa...
His longing called to her, and she answered.
I am here. Waiting for you.
The temptation to use the bond to draw him to her was acute, and Rinoa fought that impulse, instead slipping back into her own mind and back to her image of the flower field, a mirror image to what was in his mind. As hard as it was for her, she had to remain passive and wait for him.
A cool breeze from the nearby sea lifted her hair, sending it riffling back from her face in streamers of black silk, and she closed her eyes, hands clasped over her breast, fingers rubbing at her wedding band for comfort and reassurance. Squall's presence within their bond seemed to grow stronger, as though he was following its thread to her. Then...
"Rinoa?" He asked, hesitantly, as though unsure.
She felt him behind her, and wanted to turn and fling herself into his arms. Instead, she turned around slowly, and gave him a tremulous smile.
"Yes," She confirmed, trying to hide her dismay at how he looked, knowing that it was reflective of his physical state. He was thin, his face lined with pain, his hair shorn close to his skull. A streak of white illuminated the healed scar at his temple.
"You're...my wife?"
"Yes."
He was silent a long moment, simply studying her, as though striving to fit all the pieces together. Slowly, he limped toward her, eyes fixed on hers.
Coming to a stop in front of her, he lifted his hand to touch her cheek, whispering, "you're beautiful. The most beautiful, radiant angel that's ever haunted my dreams...I've wanted to see your face for so long..." He stopped as his eyes traveled downward to rest upon her protruding abdomen, glittering suspiciously as he took his hand away from her face and rested upon her belly. "Mine?" Rinoa nodded confirmation, and he asked, "Son or daughter?"
Tears flooded Rinoa's eyes as she answered, "son."
He took a deep breath, swallowing, and looked around at the field, the ruined orphanage, the seashore, saying wistfully, "this is a dream. This isn't real. But, oh, Gods, I wish that it was." He returned his gaze to hers, and the naked longing in his eyes threatened to break her heart.
"So do I." Rinoa said. "But...this..is a real place. And those memories of it that we both share, they actually happened in this place. THIS is a dream. But...I will wait for you here, just like we promised each other. We WILL find our way back to each other again."
He nodded, falling silent again, and looked down and away for a moment. Then he raised his head and met her eyes again. Rinoa knew what he wanted, what he ached for, and could no more refuse him than she could ignore her own need. They were in each others arms with the speed of a thought, and they simply held each other while tears streamed down their cheeks.
"I wish this was real. I wish you were really in my arms..." He couldn't help thinking it, and Rinoa held him tighter to her heart.
"I wish that too. But it is real enough for now. And I will always be with you."
"Always?"
"Yes. Do you feel it? The bond?"
"I...think so. I followed it... To you."
"It is real. Think of me, and you will feel it."
They fell silent for a time, still holding each other.
"I miss you." He eventually whispered.
"I miss you too." She answered.
Suddenly, he began to fade and his panicked gaze met hers as he clutched at her.
"What...?" he gasped. Something was pulling him away, and he didn't want to go.
"You're waking up. Don't worry, I'll stay with you." Rinoa reassured him.
He receded from her, hand outstretched and fingers still reaching as they faded and slipped from her grasp. "Wait! Not yet! I need to ask you first...what is my name..."
Then he was gone. From the dream anyway. Rinoa could still feel him, still feel his regret as his mind awakened without the answer he had sought. No matter. She could give him the answer and he would hear it now. She whispered it, softly, into his mind.
"Your name is Squall Leonhart..."
Rinoa was happy. She woke that morning with an upwelling of joy that she couldn't even begin to contain, and it spilled over onto the children as she sang while making them their favorite breakfast, kissed them enthusiastically and prepared to send them off to school. The children caught her mood and even caught a sense of what had caused it. Saber of course, would be the one to ask her about it however, and so he did.
"How come you're so happy mom?" He asked, then exchanged a glance with Julia and added, "Did you hear from dad?"
Not seeing any reason to hide it from them, Rinoa answered readily, "Yes, I did, finally."
That caught the attention of all three children, and they drew together, watching her eagerly.
"Is he...is he coming home soon?" Julia asked softly.
"I hope so honey, I really do." Rinoa answered.
"Daddy's lost? Is that why he's been gone so long?" Misty asked. "Can you tell him how to find us, Mummy?"
"I already have, sweetie. But I think it would be better if we helped him a little." Rinoa said, not sure if she should attempt to explain why. Fortunately, the children accepted that answer at face value.
They ate in silence for a few moments; Saber's expression was thoughtful, and Rinoa wondered what the boy had on his mind. Very like his father, in that respect, she thought. In other respects however, their eldest child could best be described as an even blending of both parents. Both in personality and in appearance. He had his father's beautiful turquoise eyes, (which girls were already sighing over...) and intelligence, coupled with his mother's inky black hair and outgoing personality. Julia, his twin sister, was completely different; quiet and introverted like her father, she had a riotous mane of rich auburn hair and light brown eyes...and her share of admirers as well. The youngest, Misty Dawn, was Rinoa's "mini-me", both in appearance and in personality; black hair, brown eyes, energetic, outgoing and totally fearless.
Finally, Saber asked, "We're going to look for him, aren't we?"
Rinoa studied him for a moment, seeing more than a little bit of Squall in the boy's serious question. The same level, calculating expression. The same determination displayed in the set of his lips, the hint of steel in his eyes. Personality notwithstanding, he was definitely his father's son, in numerous, subtle ways. She had intended to try and commandeer the Ragnarok, currently in Centra with the team tracking Squall, to bring her to the old orphanage and the flower field. Alone. She now realized that it would be a mistake not to include their children as well, though she worried over them missing class time.
At length, she answered, "Not so much look for him as...wait for him. And help him to find us." Seeing the puzzled expressions on the children's faces, Rinoa clarified, "your father and I, we made a promise to each other. I don't even remember now if it was a promise he made to me or me to him, and it doesn't really matter at this point. The promise was for us to meet at a certain place if we ever were separated for any reason. Originally it was when we were fighting Ultimecia and had no idea where we'd end up afterward. It's since become something...more personal to us. I reminded him of it, and so I want to be there so he can find us. All of us."
The children exchanged a glance, and Rinoa could sense a silent discussion going on between the twins, while Misty simply radiated mounting excitement; her shields were a little unpredictable at the moment. She hadn't quite gotten the knack yet of keeping them up without having to pay attention to them all the time, and as she was just shy of five years old, she got distracted easily.
"When do we go?" Saber asked.
"As soon as I can arrange transport to Centra," Rinoa answered, adding with a smile, "It'll be like a camping trip, only we'll be meeting daddy there instead of bringing him with us."
"Like when we went to Fisherman's Horizon that one time?" Saber said, interested.
Rinoa smiled, remembering that particular family vacation from earlier that year. Squall had flown ahead to Esthar to tend to some business in Esthar Garden, and had told Rinoa to bring the kids and meet him in FH, where they'd then fly to the Outer Islands for two weeks of camping, surfing, and general get-away-from-it-all fun. The kids had enjoyed the adventure, and Squall and Rinoa...had enjoyed each other. And Tempest had resulted. At least this time, Squall was more excited and happy and less fearful. Rinoa's completely uneventful pregnancy and birth with Misty had gone a long way toward calming those particular concerns.
"Yes. And we'll all help him to find us." Rinoa answered.
"Goody!" Misty said, bouncing happily in her seat. "I'll send happy thoughts to daddy!"
Rinoa's eyes watered at this, and she had to take a quick drink of her tea before she replied, "I'm sure daddy would love that." She didn't know if Squall remembered his children yet or not, but...a rush of love from his four-year-old daughter couldn't hurt him at all.
No. Not at all.
It was difficult to get the children off to school with any hope that they'd be able to focus, and Rinoa felt rather sorry about that. But she couldn't hide what she was planning from them either. It wouldn't be fair to them, for one thing. And for another...well, she wanted the kids to be there, not only for her benefit but for Squall's as well. She felt it essential that the entire family be there for him; she knew he would need them. It left her anxious to get started with packing and planning. Taking a deep breath, she sat back down at her dining room table and pondered what she should do first.
She had just about made up her mind to speak with Quistis regarding her plans to secure time off for the kids from school, when Reive knocked on her door. For the first time in weeks, she answered the door with a smile, startling the young man.
He blinked, taken off guard at her sunny expression, then cautiously said, "Good morning?"
"Yes! Very good!" Rinoa answered, smile widening. "Come in, come in! Would you like some coffee? Or tea perhaps?"
"Uh, coffee, thanks." Reive answered, following her into the dining room with a bemused expression on his face. He studied her covertly, as was his habit of late, and found nothing to worry him. Quite the contrary, and he wondered at that.
Sitting down at Rinoa's invitation, Reive took a sip of the coffee she had handed him and asked her, "I take it you've had some good news?"
"Yes! I was finally able to reach Squall. He's doing much better. We couldn't...connect with each other until recently due to his injuries." Rinoa answered.
"Is he able to tell you where he is?" Reive asked.
Rinoa sighed,"You know, I was so happy that he could finally hear me that I didn't think to ask. And that was the first thing that I should have asked from him."
"Can you ask him now?" Reive asked her.
Rinoa bit her lip, then shook her head, answering hesitantly, "He's...I can only connect with him while he's sleeping...it's easier for him right now to think its a dream."
Reive frowned, "Why?"
"He's had a head injury, and has forgotten...a lot. He's remembering some things but..." Rinoa explained with a shrug.
"So, he's forgotten about the bond then?" Reive asked.
"Yes. He says that his memories are coming back; he remembered me, at any rate. But slowly." Rinoa replied, then added. "That's why I need to have the Ragnarok recalled to take me and the kids to Centra."
Reive gave her a concerned look, asking, "do you think that's wise? I mean..." His gaze tracked down to her abdomen, then back to meet her eyes.
"It'll be fine Reive." Rinoa reassured him firmly, adding, "He's remembered our promise, so he'll meet us near the old orphanage."
"If he's still injured, it would be easier if we could bring him there rather than waiting for him to make his way to you on his own, don't you think?" Reive asked her. Then he continued, "We are getting closer to finding him though. That's what I was coming to tell you. Nida got a call from a contact in DCPD. A doctor in a little village in Centra has asked for help in identifying an unknown man that was found nearly dead and now remembers virtually nothing. He provided photos and...it's him. If we can find this doctor and that little village, we'll find Squall."
Rinoa's heart leaped in her chest, and she asked breathlessly, "Where? Did he say where the village was?"
Reive frowned, "No, he didn't. But the doctor's contact information was provided. I'll see if Nida's had a chance to call him."
Rinoa nodded slightly, then took a deep breath and got to her feet, asking, "Are you finished with your coffee Reive?" At his nod, she said, "Good. Let's go. I need to talk to both Nida and Quistis."
"Both?" He asked.
"Yes, both. Quistis is Headmaster now, so I've got to let her know the kids will not be in class for awhile and Nida, well, you know why. He needs to recall the Ragnarok." Rinoa said, heading for the door.
"All right. We need to talk to Nida in any case, to get the details of that call he got." Reive said, following her. "I'm assuming you'll want to leave as soon as possible?"
"Yes." Rinoa said firmly. She opened the door, determination evident in her posture.
Glancing back, she said, "Come on Reive."
"All right." Reive said, following her.
He was pretty certain, based on what he'd learned of her personality over the last few weeks, that chances were pretty high that they'd be flying out to Centra by that evening, Taking into account the amount of time it would take to fly it back to Garden from wherever it currently was, the loading and preparation process as Rinoa and her children boarded the airship, and then the travel time back to Centra.
Reive found it difficult to keep pace with an energized Rinoa; a fact that heartened him somewhat. The last few weeks had been difficult for everyone concerned, but it weighed most heavily upon her. He understood her need to keep a strong, calming mien for the sake of her children, and further, for those who knew and cared for both her and Squall. It shouldn't have surprised him at all that the man should be missed; he'd been Balamb Garden's Commander for over ten years now, a virtually unheard of fact. And despite the fact that as Commander he was largely confined to Balamb, there were rare occasions where he...and most of the time, Rinoa...were sent out on assignment. Anyone who thought that they'd lost any whit of their skill or expertise was very soon disabused of that notion after seeing the two of them in action. Particularly as they tended to get the most difficult of assignments. For them to be involved usually meant that all other options had failed.
Losing Squall, even temporarily, had dealt Garden a devastating blow; the SeeDs and the cadets all shared a collective anxiety that each announcement that went out over the P.A. system would be the one they'd least want to hear. Sitting at lunch in the cafeteria, he'd seen everyone present visibly stiffen and brace themselves every time Nida made an announcement, regardless of how innocuous it ended up being.
In spite of his admittedly hopeless crush on Rinoa (which he rather suspected that she was aware of and too kindly to mention or encourage), he could only feel both happy and relieved for her sake that she'd heard from Squall via their mental link.
So he followed her quick strides to the lift, which she took to the office floor. Upon exiting, she paused in the main hallway, momentarily undecided. Her gaze strayed to the door to Squall's office, and lingered there. It was closed and locked; Xu and Quistis could gain entrance there to retrieve anything that they needed, but neither they nor Nida, who was currently acting commander, would actually use the office. She took a deep breath and swallowed, apparently making a decision, and headed toward the lift that led to the flying bridge, Nida's likeliest location.
He looked up from one of the data screens that now resided on the bridge as the sound of the lift alerted him to their arrival. Over the years, Balamb Garden had, of necessity, been upgraded and modified as it had aged and needs had changed, and these new data screens were an addition that made Nida's job as Chief Engineer much easier and less labor intensive than it had been. The flying bridge now looked more like the nerve center it actually was than the bare-bones means of directing the base that it had once been.
"Rinoa," he greeted her warmly, crossing the bridge to the lift to take both of her hands and squeeze them gently. "I was just going to call you. I take it Reive her gave you his morning's report?"
Rinoa smiled up at him, and laughed at his start of surprise and shock at her obvious joy. She'd always liked Nida, and had been genuinely happy for he and Quistis when they'd finally married. Now in his mid-thirties, he was still handsome and athletic, though time was starting to add silver to his black hair. While Squall was also beginning to sport some silver, it wasn't much, and it was really the only evidence that time had any effect on him at all. Aside from that minor telltale, he still appeared to be in his twenties, rather than his early thirties and Rinoa...looked virtually the same as she had fifteen years ago. No one had yet noticed, and Rinoa hoped that by the time anyone did, it wouldn't matter. She was the sorceress of Time. That was the power that had come to her through Ultimecia and Adel. Age would touch her only lightly, and the same effect would extend to her knight, keeping him strong and slowing the evidence of age, so that he could protect her. It was a part of their bond; she had learned this from Edea, who had been a sorceress for so long that even she could not (or would not) tell anyone exactly how old she was. Until she'd released the bulk of her power to Rinoa, she had still looked to be in her mid to late twenties. She'd only started aging after she'd given her power over to Rinoa. She now appeared to be in her mid-forties, though she was still beautiful
Right now however, her only thought was how happy she was to report that she had in fact heard from Squall, and to request that Nida recall the Ragnarok to take her and the kids to Centra.
"I've heard the report Nida," She answered. "And I have one for you as well. I've finally been able to connect with Squall. He's...doing better, but he was pretty seriously injured."
Nida's eyebrows raised, and he asked, "Did he tell you where he was?" He watched her keenly, light hazel eyes suddenly putting her in mind of a raptor preparing to stoop.
Rinoa swallowed and dropped her eyes for a moment before answering, "No. I...I was just so happy to...to... connect with him, even if it was just through the bond...I didn't think to ask."
Nida's expression softened and he said gently, "I understand. We are getting close to finding him though. I just got a report from DCPD that a doctor had told them about a John Doe he'd been caring for and was searching for his family. I got the man's contact information and tried to call him but didn't get an answer. I'll try again tomorrow..."
"I need you to recall the Ragnarok." Rinoa said urgently, interrupting him.
Nida frowned, "Why?"
"I want to go to Centra. I want to be there when he's found. Me and our kids." She answered firmly.
"Rinoa..."
"Please, Nida. I need to be there."
"Rinoa, it's dangerous. Far more dangerous than you realize." He warned her, his suddenly stern expression not hiding his concern.
"I'll be fine." Rinoa countered calmly. Nida's response was a wordless glance at her swelling belly, then back at her, eyebrows raised.
"Really?" he asked her flatly.
"Yes." Rinoa insisted. "I HAVE to be there for him Nida. I can help, I know I can. And..." her voice faltered and she bit her lip, fighting a sudden wash of tears that blurred her vision. Finally, she finished in a thin whisper "If I go there, we'll find each other..."
"Go where, Rinoa?" Nida asked her softly.
"You know where Nida." she replied.
Nida studied her in silence, frowning slightly as he puzzled out her reply, then he said slowly, "Yes. I believe I do," Without another word, he turned away and approached the comms center, punching in a code upon reaching it, and picking up a headset and microphone unit.
Placing it on his head, he listened intently for a few moments, before finally saying, "Ragnarok, this is acting Commander Nida. You are hereby recalled back to Balamb immediately."
"Copy that Nida, I'll recall the trackers and head out as soon as we get everyone together." came the radio's response. "Is there an emergency sir?"
"Negative. Team rotation and R & R for your guys. That's all." Nida answered briskly.
"Thanks. We could use it. Any news?"
"Yes. There will be a full briefing upon your arrival." Nida answered, signing off with a short, "See you guys soon. Nida out."
Removing the headset, he placed it back on the desk next to the communications array, and turned back to Rinoa.
"They'll be here in about two hours. You'd better start packing." he told her.
Rinoa flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, whispering, "Thank you, thank you, thank you... " then she pulled back and smiled at him through damp eyes, adding. "I'm already packed."
Author's Note: This one took a long time to write, mainly because I had to completely switch out my word processing program from Word to yWriter5...Word quit working on me, and I didn't much like Microsoft's hard-sell tactic of essentially FORCING me to buy the full version of Office in order to reactivate it. SO I figuratively told Microsoft to Suck It and got another program to use. So I've had to upload all of my in progress stories to this new program, then start working on them while getting used to the new environment and how it worked. So far, I really love it. One drawback though is that I can't upload docs directly to ffnet, instead I have to copy and paste, which is terribly cumbersome and time consuming. NOT impossible however, as this chapter is perfect evidence of. So, here's my latest chapter of this story, with more to come from my other in progress works. Back in the saddle again...