Chapter 7

"You said that you became president because you weren't paying attention. Why did you stick with it?"

Laguna and Brenna sat across from each other at a table in a small restaurant in downtown Esthar. All around them conversations buzzed, creating a soft hum in the background of their world. As far as they were aware, they were the only two people in the world.

After taking a moment to swallow the bite he was chewing, Laguna responded. "I stuck with it because I found that I actually kinda liked it. The Estharian people needed help getting things re-established after Adel's fall, and they asked me to do it. With Raine and Ellone both gone, I didn't have anything holding me in Galbadia anymore, so I gave it a shot." He chuckled briefly. "I guess I'm good at it, or at least Kiros and Ward have made me look good for a long time. The people keep asking me to stay, and I enjoy taking care of them."

Brenna shook her head and took a small bite of her salad. "You just don't seem like the presidential type," she observed. "You're so laid-back and easygoing…"

"Kylah says that I'm only scary and presidential when I need to be, which is why people like and respect me so much." He shrugged. "I dunno if she's right about that or not, but she is right about me being 'presidential' when I need to be. But only when I absolutely have to."

"From what I've heard, the definition of 'being presidential' includes moments that you have to wear a suit," Brenna replied, grinning as she took a sip of water.

He made a face. "I have never understood how those stupid things are supposed to make me look more 'presidential,'" he complained.

"I suppose that the suit is meant to make you look more handsome, strong, and imposing."

Laguna eyed her speculatively for a moment. "Does it?"

Immediately Brenna's mind raced back to her first day in Esthar, and the sight of Laguna as he'd walked into his office straight from an official appearance. "Ahhh…" she said, heat flushing her cheeks as she dropped her gaze to her meal. Yes, the suit had certainly filled the objectives it was meant to.

Laguna, too, blushed brightly. "The suit is much better than the official Estharian robes that I have to wear occasionally," he piped up to try and change the subject. "They're long and kinda flowy and girly looking. Kiros and Ward say that they aren't so bad, though, because they let air get to your—" Laguna suddenly broke off, his eyes widening as he realized what he had been about to say. "Uh, I mean…" he stuttered.

Brenna nearly choked on the mouthful of water she was trying to swallow. She coughed several times, and Laguna looked desperately around and wondered if he should help her somehow. It took him a minute to realize that she was fighting hard not to laugh and the coughing was merely a cover-up.

"I will never," she finally managed to sputter, "be able to look at someone dressed in traditional Estharian robes the same way again."

When he realized that he hadn't embarrassed himself or Brenna, Laguna visibly relaxed and laughed along with her. "Yeah, well, now you know why I don't wear the things," he finally said.

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment, taking time to focus on their meals. "Do you ever come under fire for having Kylah on your personal staff?" Brenna finally asked.

"Huh?" Laguna asked, confused. "Why would I come under fire for that?"

"She's your Minister of Foreign Relations – among other things – and she's also your daughter-in-law," she replied. "No one has accused you of nepotism?"

"Oh that!" he said, nodding. "No, I haven't. There was an easy way around that: Kylah has worked for me for two years, and she's only been married to Squall for a year. In a weird sort of way, I came along before he did. Kinda. Sorta."

Brenna looked confused. "But Cassidy…?"

"…Isn't Kylah's biological daughter," Laguna replied. "She loves Cass as if she'd given birth to her, and she's the only mother that Cass has ever known. But Cass' biological mother died when she was a baby. Kylah has only been in her life for the last couple of years."

"So, your son was married once before?" she asked, trying to put things together in her mind.

"Yep," he replied. "I didn't really know her that well – only met her a couple times. He was pretty broken up over it when she died, but it looks like things have turned out okay for him."

"I've only met him once in passing, and he didn't exactly seem like the most cheerful individual," Brenna ventured.

"Squall?" Laguna said, grinning. He shoved a mouthful of quesadilla into his mouth. "He's as loveable as a cactuar sometimes. Kylah got mad at him once a few months ago and told him he has two moods: neutral and bad. That's a slight exaggeration," he said, dryly. "He's just not as expressive with his emotions as Kylah and I tend to be."

"I don't know too many people who are," she replied, amusement falling over her face. "I never have any doubts what's going through your mind."

"Really? Then what am I feeling right now?" Laguna challenged her.

Carefully, Brenna considered him for several moments. "You're feeling very relaxed, happy, and stress-free. And for the first time in several weeks, you're acting very much like the care-free, happy man I met in Trabia."

He fell silent for several moments, a slow smile lighting up his face. "I feel pretty relaxed and happy right now," he admitted. He slid his hand carefully across the table and took hold of hers. "And I'm very much enjoying your company."

Though she flushed once more, Brenna couldn't hide her smile. "I'm enjoying myself, too," she murmured, lacing her fingers through his.

"Mr. President," a voice spoke up at Laguna's elbow. He looked up to see the server standing at his elbow. He was dressed in full Estharian garb. "We'd like to give you and your companion this bottle of champagne, on the house," he said pleasantly.

Out of the corner of his eye Laguna caught Brenna biting her lip. Her face was flushing as she struggled valiantly not to laugh. "Thanks!" Laguna managed to reply, graciously accepting the bottle. "We really appreciate it."

"Enjoy the rest of your dinner," the waiter said, bowed, and walked off.

Both Laguna and Brenna watched his retreating back, flowing robes and all. When he was finally a safe distance away, they dared to glance at one another. They grinned and snickered for several moments before they both burst out into laughter.


"I had a nice time tonight," Brenna said as Laguna walked her to her apartment door.

"I did too," he replied, stopping in the corridor just outside of her apartment. He leaned against her doorframe and grinned at her. "We should do it again sometime. Soon." Very soon…

A smile bloomed on her lips. "Yes, we should," she replied softly. "I, ah, never did thank you for the beautiful flowers that you sent me today. They were lovely."

"You're welcome," he said, brushing an escaped strand of hair away from her forehead. "I'm glad you enjoyed them so much." The two of them stood in silence for a moment, neither one willing to end the evening. Finally, Laguna glanced at his watch and sighed reluctantly. "It's late, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to get some sleep," he said. "I should let you go."

"And I'm sure you have an early morning full of paperwork ahead of you," she responded, and chuckled at his scowl. Impulsively, Brenna leaned forward, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Good night, Laguna," she murmured. She smiled up at him as she unlocked her door, and quietly disappeared inside.

Laguna remained in the hallway for several moments more, staring at her door with a goofy grin on his face and a hand pressed to the cheek she'd kissed. "Nope, you haven't lost it," he finally murmured to himself. Then, still grinning broadly, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered down the hallway toward his own apartment, a spring in his step and a whistle on his lips.


It was early the next morning that Kiros and Ward entered Laguna's office and found that he had already arrived. That in and of itself was a surprise, as they were usually hard at work long before Laguna started his day. Even more surprising, he was busily tackling the mountain of paperwork he had allowed to accumulate on the corner of his desk.

To top it all off he was singing. Badly.

"You're in an awfully good mood this morning," Kiros observed.

Laguna stopped mid-verse and glanced over at his two friends. "And why not?" he asked. "It's a beautiful day outside."

Ward glanced out the window. It was grey, miserably cold, and pouring rain. He and Kiros raised a brow at each other and then turned their gazes back to Laguna. "So," Kiros asked casually, "what did you do last night?"

"Nothing much," Laguna shrugged. "I had dinner, then went home and relaxed the rest of the evening."

"…"

"Ward wants to know if you enjoyed your dinner."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I had some really awesome quesadillas."

The two men looked at each other once more and rolled their eyes. "It sure looked like you were enjoying yourself," Kiros said dryly. He pulled a newspaper out from under his arm, unrolled it, and slapped it on Laguna's desk. On the cover was a rather large picture of Laguna and Brenna seated cozily at the restaurant the night before, and a bold headline that read "Estharian President Romancing Galbadian Socialite."

"Well, hell," Laguna muttered. "I can't even take a dump in this town without someone reporting it to the press."

"Nah," a voice spoke up from the door. Kylah entered the room with a smug grin playing on her lips. "There are some things that you do that even the press doesn't want to know about."

Laguna waved her off as he read over the article. "This is blown completely out of proportion," he muttered. Irritated, he smacked the paper with the back of his hand. "They make it sound like I threw her on the table and had my way with her in the middle of the restaurant!"

Kiros, Ward, and Kylah exchanged amused looks. "Did you?" Kiros asked.

"No!" he replied indignantly. "Of course not! We had dinner, I took her home, dropped her at her front door, and then went home myself. End of story."

"Ward and I are willing to forgive the fact that you didn't tell your best friends that you were going on your first date in twenty-five years," Kiros said, leaning against the desk, "but, man, will you please just tell us what the heck has been going on?"

"…"

"He's right; it does look a little stupid for your top aides to have to say, 'I have no clue what's going on,'" if someone asks.

"It's not like it's anyone else's business, anyway," Laguna muttered. He sighed. "Alright, here's what's happened…" After taking a deep breath, he launched into a long, detailed description of what all had transpired between he and Brenna, starting with their vacation in Trabia leading up to the dinner date the night before.

"Awww…" Kylah cooed when he was finished. "That's so sweet!"

"Yeah, yeah," Laguna muttered, blushing.

"She seems like a nice lady," Kiros observed, grinning. It was good to see Laguna so obviously happy. "I like her."

"…"

"Ward says don't do something stupid and screw it up."

"Don't you people have anything better to do than to sit around and talk about my love life? I mean, you do have jobs you know…" Laguna grumbled good-naturedly.

"It's just that we haven't been able to talk about that subject in so long," Kiros retorted.

"It's a novelty," Kylah added, grinning.

"All of you, out! Lemme get some work done for Hyne's sake!"

"Fine, fine," Kiros replied. All three of them turned toward the door, smirking amongst themselves. "You'd think we were here to work or something."

The chuckling trio stopped in the corridor outside of Laguna's office once the door had slid closed. "What do you think?" Kiros asked, once they were out of Laguna's earshot.

"…"

"Yeah, he does seem to like her a lot. And her background is clear. We checked that when we hired her."

"I think she and Laguna would be good for each other," Kylah murmured, thoughtfully. She fell silent for several moments. "I wonder how Brenna is taking this entire deal with the newspaper." She pushed herself away from the wall she was leaning against. "I think I'm going to head over to the hospital wing for a bit," she said, grinning slyly at Kiros and Ward as she disappeared down the hall.

"I almost feel sorry for Brenna," Kiros observed. "Kylah has the uncanny ability to wrangle information out of even the most unwilling victim."

"…"

"True. She isn't above torture, is she?"


The day had started off rather oddly. Since she'd come in that morning, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was buzzing around the hospital wing, though what she had no idea. At first she thought she was just imagining things. But then she could swear that she heard two of the nurses whispering as she passed by, and three times now an entire room had gone silent as soon as she entered. Twice she thought she'd heard giggling as she approached.

"What is going on?" she murmured to herself, glancing sharply to the side as another round of giggling erupted. Two nurses gathered in the corridor abruptly jumped and scurried away, whispering furiously amongst themselves.

"Having a bad day?"

Brenna jumped at the sudden voice and whirled around, surprised to find an amused Kylah behind her. "Kylah!" she cried. Briefly, she glanced at the clipboard in her hand. "I just saw you yesterday, so I know we don't have an appointment," she said. "What are you doing down here?"

"Ah…" Kylah began. "Can we talk in your office for a minute?" she asked, nodding at the door.

Nerves clenched in Brenna's stomach. "Sure," she replied, curiously. A thousand reasons that Kylah might want to speak with her began tumbling in her mind as they approached the office. They stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

"I'd rather sit here, if you don't mind," Kylah said, pointing to two overstuffed armchairs, one with a footstool. She glanced down at her swollen feet. "It'd be a little more… comfortable…"

Despite the nerves, Brenna smiled. "Only six more weeks," she reminded her.

"And I can't wait," Kylah sighed, settling down into a chair. She waited for Brenna to settle in too before she launched into her discussion. "So, how has everything been in the hospital wing today?"

"Well… to be honest," Brenna hesitated. "It's been a little strange. I feel like everyone is staring at me and whispering as I pass by. It's very odd."

The redhead chuckled softly and unrolled the newspaper in her hand. "I think I might be able to explain that," she said, and passed her the same newspaper that Kiros had shown Laguna earlier.

When Brenna caught sight of the picture and headline, the color drained from her face. "Oh, my," she murmured. Kylah remained silent as Brenna flipped the newspaper open and read the article printed on the first page. Her eyebrows raised with every sentence that she read. "Well, apparently I was either very drunk last night, or my twin sister was in my place?"

"Oh?" Kylah asked, confused.

"I remember having a nice, pleasant dinner and then being walked home by a considerate gentleman. It was a perfectly pleasant evening. But, according to this…" she trailed off.

"The press rarely gets anything right," Kylah snickered. "Don't take it personally."

"Has Laguna seen this?" Brenna asked.

"Yes, he has. He was offended by the implications in the article, and slightly surprised that news traveled this fast, but I don't think he was entirely surprised." She shrugged. "I guess he's kinda used to his every move making the front page of the newspaper."

"Hmmm…" Brenna replied. "This isn't even close to the way it happened."

Kylah smiled sympathetically. "I think Laguna's exact response was 'I can't even take a dump in this town without someone reporting it to the press.'"

She bit her lip hard, but Brenna couldn't manage to completely suppress a laugh.

"When I saw the article this morning, though," Kylah continued, "I thought I might ought to talk to you about the situation."

"What about it?" Brenna asked, cautiously.

Kylah's expression grew serious. "Before I go any further, I want you to understand that I'm not saying this to you to scare you away or turn you off to the idea of seeing Laguna. I just don't think that it's fair to you to be blindsided by things like this," she gestured to the newspaper, "when and if they happen."

"Okay, that's fair." The newspaper was set aside and Brenna gave the redhead her full attention.

"Unfortunately, because of his position, there's a lot of, well, baggage that comes with being involved with Laguna. You'll have to deal with a lot. For starters," she said dryly as she glanced at the paper again, "the press nosing into your privacy."

"Apparently I've had my introduction to that."

"There's more than that, though," Kylah continued. She hesitated. "I've been with the presidential staff for two years. I'm his Minister of Foreign Relations, but I'm also involved quite a bit with his security." Again, she paused. "In the last two years, I've seen four death threats come through the presidential office, and one attempt on Laguna's life." This information made Brenna grow still and her eyes wide. "Most people like Laguna, but not everyone. There are a lot of people who think that their lives would be easier if he wasn't there anymore."

Slowly, Brenna nodded. "So, press, death threats, and assassination attempts," she said, though a bit weakly.

Kylah nodded. "There's also the possibility that someone might try and do something to you in order to hurt Laguna," she added, gently. She gave that a moment to absorb. "And, besides all that, you're going to have some people… Okay, some women, say some pretty nasty things about you. Laguna is a good-looking guy, and there have been many women vying for his attention for a long time. A lot of people aren't going to be pleased that he wants to be with you."

"This is sounding less and less like a pleasant experience," Brenna remarked, chuckling.

"Like I said, I don't want to scare you off because of it. I just wanted to make sure you knew up front the reality of the situation. And," she added, softly, "I want you to know that I think you can handle it. From what I've seen, you're a pretty strong woman. Laguna needs a strong woman, and I think you can handle it. But, when it does get tough – and it will – just know that I know how difficult it is, and I'm here to talk to and vent to if you need."

Brenna was truly touched. "Thank you, Kylah," she murmured. She paused for a moment to mull over all that had been said. "I haven't known him long," she said, "but I will admit that I'm very attracted to Laguna. I'm not willing to step away or let this go easily. Last night he said that he wanted a chance to see where this might go, and I want the same thing." She looked Kylah in the eye. "And so, hell or high water, I'm going to stick this out and see where it leads."


Author's Note: I just wanted to thank all of my loyal readers for your reviews! It's the reviews and comments that keep me going and keep me writing. It really makes the effort worth it. So, thanks guys!