Author's note: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. This is AU.

Circling the Wagons

Squall frowned as he drove the wagon into town. Rinoa sat beside him on the sit while Selphie was in the back. The girls had wanted to go to town to pick up some supplies, and Squall had not been about to let them go on their own. Not with what they now knew about what had happened to the Trepes. Mr. Trepe had been shot and killed by a man named Seifer Almasy who had then proceeded to kidnap Miss Quistis. As far as anyone knew, Miss Quistis was still alive, but Squall was not going to risk anything happening to Selphie or Rinoa.

Not that he thought Almasy would be able to get very far into town. Both the murder and the kidnapping had shaken the town, and there were wanted posters with the man's face everywhere. But it would be better to be safe than to be sorry. Squall couldn't stand the thought of something like that happening to Rinoa. So he kept a close eye on her as she and Selphie headed inside the general store for supplies.

He had to admit, though, things had been calm out at the ranch. There had been a few suspicious characters hanging around, but other than that nothing much had happened, and that itself was beginning to worry Squall. He had expected something to happen before now. But at least since nothing had happened yet, they had time to prepare at the ranch. Save for the supplies that the girls were currently purchasing, the group at the ranch was prepared for just about anything at this point.

What Squall really wanted to know was why all this was happening. Yes, Mr. Trepe had owned some of the best land in Centra, but really, murdering him seemed rather extreme. That was something that happened out here twenty years ago but not now. This might still be the frontier, but it wasn't as savage as it used to be. A man could expect to work hard to make a life for himself and his family, but he could expect to do so in relative safety. Squall did not like this latest turn of events at all.

He had been saving up his wages from Mr. Trepe in order to be able to afford a place of his own. Squall wasn't about to propose to Rinoa until he had a home of his own to offer her. The banker's daughter had plenty of men in the area vying for her hand, and while she seemed to prefer him, he was determined to have something to offer her besides just himself. But this whole situation had thrown a wrench in his plans. Squall didn't know what would happen to the Caledonia Canyon Ranch if Miss Quistis didn't come back. He didn't know what would happen to the ranch if she was dead. He didn't even know if Mr. Trepe had a will.

Squall shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his head. It would do no good if he was too caught up in his own thoughts that he couldn't notice what was going on around him. He and Rinoa were nominally the ones in charge now, and they needed to keep their wits about them. It was clear that someone had put a lot of thought into this plot to take Caledonia Canyon Ranch, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

As he waited for Rinoa and Selphie to return with their purchases, Squall caught sight of someone lurking around the saloon. He frowned as he tried to place the face. He had seen that man before somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where. Squall knew better than to go off and investigate on his own though. He would keep an eye out for the man, and when the girls came back, Squall would try and point him out to them and see if they recognized the man. If they didn't, he would mention it to Irvine and Zell when they got back to the ranch, and they'd keep their eyes out as well.

Still, Squall didn't like playing this waiting game and just waiting for someone to make the next move. He wanted to be able to do something about the whole situation.

"Squall?" Rinoa's soft voice brought him back to the present moment.

"Ready to load your purchases?"

She nodded, and Squall got to work. For now, all they could do was sit back and wait for what happen next. But the moment that he could take action, Squall was planning on doing so.