Chapter XXV
Rinoa really didn't want to be dragged away from Squall right then, particularly with Senator Blonde and Busty eyeing him like a lion studying a particularly delicious looking gazelle. But she did owe her father a dance, a privilege he was apt to claim at the most inopportune of times as a matter of course. At least it seemed so to her.
Squall didn't look too thrilled about it either, which heartened her a little. So, she gave him a small, apologetic smile as her father urged her away. Squall's answering not-quite-smile was an obvious effort to at least attempt to be polite. It was also glaringly apparent that he wanted to be anywhere else but there, right at the moment.
Of course, the moment they got out onto the dance floor and started dancing, her father started in on her.
"So, you're dating a SeeD now." he stated.
"Squall's not a SeeD anymore." Rinoa replied.
"Once a SeeD, always a SeeD."
"He's retired."
"So he says." Caraway responded cryptically. Then he asked, "how did you two meet, anyway?" I want to know how you managed to cross paths with the likes of HIM.
Careful, Rinoa thought. She knew first hand just how skilled her father was at ferreting out information. He'd started out in the Intelligence Corps, which in this particular case, was not an oxymoron. Best to stick to the truth...just not the whole truth. She didn't think her father would be as understanding of Squall's previous employment as she was. Which, if one thought about it, was the very definition of ironic.
"We met in Esthar. I was sent to a spa there as a birthday present and he was the self-defense instructor there." She answered.
"How long have you known each other?" the general asked, cueing her into a graceful turn. Her father truly was a very good dancer. It made Rinoa wonder why he didn't dance with more women than just her.
"Since March." She answered.
"Hm." Caraway grunted noncommittally.
"What?" she asked, miffed at his response.
"What do you know about SeeDs?" He asked her.
"I know they're mercenaries. Squall told me you'd worked with him before." Rinoa answered.
"That's it?" Caraway asked her.
"Yes. Why?" Rinoa asked.
"He ever talk about what he did as a SeeD?" he asked her in turn.
"Not really. Other than telling me that he'd made commander at eighteen and giving me a brief rundown of what his duties were, no." Rinoa answered, wondering why that was even relevant. Squall wasn't a SeeD any longer, had in fact taken great pains to distance himself from it over the last two years, to the point of virtually abandoning his former collegues that still served. Rinoa wondered why, and had never really gotten an answer to that question. Squall was very good at not answering questions that he didn't want to answer.
The music had changed to something more up-tempo, and General Caraway decided a more private talk with his daughter was necessary. The conversation he needed to have with her was best done someplace more private than the middle of a hotel ballroom.
"Come with me Rinoa, I have some things I need to explain to you." Caraway said grimly, taking her firmly by the arm and urging her to follow him. Rinoa glanced desperately back to where she'd last seen Squall. She felt her heart stop when she didn't see him there. He was gone.
Where's he gone? He didn't actually LEAVE with that sleazy senator lady, did he?
She followed Caraway without protest, trying to calm herself down and not jump to conclusions. He could have gone to the restroom, or stepped out for some air. Just because he wasn't where she'd seen him last did not mean that he'd left. Either alone or with someone else. She took a deep breath and immediately felt better, more calm.
It wasn't destined to last.
General Caraway closed the door behind him and approached Rinoa. She finally had regrouped and was looking around in confusion, wondering why he'd brought her there. It was a smallish, private conference room off the main ballroom. She was surprised it had even been open.
"What..." She began when her father interrupted her, "I wanted this to be a private conversation. What I need to tell you is not for casual listeners."
Rinoa swallowed and licked at her suddenly dry lips, "You don't have to tell me anything. I already know he's was a SeeD and what they do... "
"You only think you know." Caraway said, pacing slowly toward her. He sighed and shook his head, muttering, "of all the people..."
Rinoa frowned and crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut, Caraway answered, "Rinoa, SeeDs are to our elite Special Forces like lions are to kittens, and Leonhart was the worst...or the best...of the bunch. Take your pick on that one. Just think for a moment about what it would take for someone to reach the highest rank in that organization at eighteen? The man has been trained to kill almost from infancy. Its instinct. You can't walk away from that, no matter how hard you try. It is a part of him."
"But..." Rinoa began. Squall had never been even close to aggressive with her. She never felt anything but safe and loved with him. True, he had an outlet on his island but...
"Just listen to me." Caraway said. "Yes. It's true I had worked with him. Once when he was a regular SeeD, and once after he'd made commander. We have to hire SeeD on occasion to take care of a situations that we can't handle overtly. He was a consummate professional, through and through, and he delivered results. He was ruthlessly efficient in executing his orders. He was cold, calculating, methodical and meticulous...and incredibly dangerous. Even if the action was declassified, I wouldn't tell you what he did. SeeDs are a weapon of last resort. We call them in when everything else has failed and they deliver or die trying. They are highly trained, very skilled killers, and the most frightening thing about them is that they're smart as well. Certainly, Leonhart is. Stupid SeeDs die fast. Smart ones reach the top of the heap and become commander. Everything that makes a man a great SeeD, he has...but...the things it takes to be a great SeeD also makes for a horrible human being."
But he's NOT that anymore! Rinoa wanted to shout, but she held her peace while her father said his. She tried to anyway.
"If you're with this man to get back at me for Allyn, Rinoa..." Caraway began and Rinoa interrupted sharply, "No. I'm not. I know Allyn's death was just bad luck. The fact that you issued the orders is irrelevant. This isn't some ploy. I don't play those kinds of games. You might think everyone has an agenda, but I don't. I never did."
Caraway smiled slightly at that, "no, you're right about that. But that doesn't mean Leonhart doesn't have one."
"What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked him warily.
"A man who hangs a priceless piece of jewelry around the neck of the woman he's escorting is making a statement. What kind of statement remains to be seen, but the fact is he's making himself highly visible with you wearing that thing. He's planning something." He stated.
"Yes, he's planning on auctioning the damn thing off for as much as he can get for it. That's what he's planning." Rinoa snapped. "You don't have to tell me any more father. I've seen the scars on his body. Whatever he did as a SeeD, he's paid the price for, in blood, and pain, and nightmares that leave him trembling. Nightmares that he won't talk about. You may not believe that a man can change in two years but I do. He's not the same person you hired however long ago." She'd had enough. Suddenly, she just wanted to leave. She turned away and headed toward the door.
"Rinoa..." her father called softly behind her. She paused, hand on the doorknob but didn't turn around.
"I never told you how beautiful you look tonight. And the necklace is stunning."
"Good night father." she opened the door and left.
The night air was fresh and the breeze sweet with the scent of petunia and rose. The courtyard garden was lovely even in the dark, but what Squall liked best about it was the fact that it was virtually deserted.
He had to get out and just breathe. The press of people and in particular his encounter with Senator Saranoff, had simply become too much.
He raised his glass and took a drink, grimacing at the bite of alcohol that came along with the woody, smoky flavor of the whiskey. He'd detoured to the bar on his way out for something a little more fortifying than champagne. He found it bracing. They served very good whiskey there.
Somehow, he'd lost track of Rinoa during the course of the evening, though he supposed she was still in the company of her father. Likely still dancing. The crowd had gotten thicker, and distractions had multiplied as a result. He decided he would go and look for her in a little bit, after he finished his drink.
Until then, he figured she was safe enough, with both Irvine and Zell watching over her, and in the company of her father as well.
The necklace had indeed attracted alot of attention, with a few bold souls even approaching him to ask about it. While not at all interested in engaging anyone in the sort of protracted, inane conversation that was the norm at events like this, he at least managed to be civil if not overly warm. And he answered their questions about the diamonds. Whether or not that translated into any bids when they were finally put up for auction was anyone's guess.
Not that it mattered all that much to him, really, aside from the extra gil, which admittedly he could use.
The senator's thinly veiled threat though, that was another thing entirely. He had skeletons in his closet too. More than the senator could even guess in her wildest fantasies. But most of the dirt on him was of the classified variety, and he seriously doubted that she had enough political clout to de-classify it. Not while the current players were in power, at any rate.
All he had to do was to make a phone call and Senator Indra Saranoff's political career would be ended...along with her marriage.
The more high profile the client, the more they had to lose, and there were times that Marti had needed to use that leverage to her advantage. It wasn't something that she, or Squall for that matter, wanted to descend to however. The resort's reputation for discretion had been hard-won, so outing a client had to be considered very carefully.
In the senator's case though, Squall would be more than happy to bury her political career and dance on its grave.
He took a final swallow of his drink and then a deep breath, steeling himself to face the crush of humanity in the ballroom, and set the empty glass aside. A waiter would come by at some point, he knew. He wasn't the only person who'd wandered out into the courtyard this evening.
He did two circuits of the ballroom, threading his way through the crowd, noting sardonically how everyone had more or less formed into groups. There was some drifting back and forth between those groups but for the most part, folks hung together with their cronies.
There were Politicians, Career Military, Top Brass, Movers and Shakers, Foreign Guests (His Grace, the Duke of Dollet, had in fact shown up), mingling with Retired Officers from every branch. There was the odd specialist there as well. They were pretty easy to spot; even the aged, retired ones reminded him of wolves. Teeth blunted and muzzles whitened by time, they were still worthy of the respect they'd earned.
Caraway had that same air. He'd obviously never been a run of the mill grunt, early in his career. Squall knew this for a fact; the general had been forthright enough about his past in the Military Intelligence section of Special Branch.
It had certainly lent weight to the intelligence that he'd imparted to Squall and the SeeDs he'd hired; intelligence which had been both accurate and invaluable. It had made the difference between Squall and his team accomplishing their objective, or dying in the attempt instead.
"Oh! There you are, Mr. Leonhart! I wish a word with you if you please?"
The Duke's heavily accented voice hailed Squall and he sighed inwardly as he turned around to see the man approaching him. The ridiculously formal dress uniform that the Duke wore, in colors of navy blue, white and red, and festooned with an astounding array of medals and gold-braided trim, put Squall in mind of a luxury cruise ship. The mental image was reinforced by the man's large, rather portly frame, his slightly rolling walk-possibly due to the amount of alcohol he'd imbibed- and the way he cut through the crowd like a frigate under full steam.
"Your Grace," Squall said, greeting him with a formal nod.
"You are well this evening, yes?" The duke asked him.
"I am." Squall answered.
"Ah, good. This is good to hear. Where is your lady? My wife, she wishes a closer look at the lovely necklace she is wearing?" The duke inquired politely. His Grace, Duke Eron Strasski of Dollet, was nothing if not polite.
"I was actually looking for her," Squall answered. "Last I saw her, she was dancing with her father."
"Ah," the duke said, turning to scan the crowd with a frown on his face. "I do not see her. She is perhaps dancing with someone else? There are many people here."
"Perhaps." Squall replied, scanning the crowd himself, becoming both irritated and concerned at Rinoa's continued absence. And where the hell were Irvine and Zell, for that matter?
"This diamonds? Where did you find?" the duke asked curiously.
"On some property I own," Squall answered vaguely. No way was he going to tell anyone exactly where. Even with the very aggressive grendels in the immediate area to discourage casual traffic, he didn't want to have to deal with the type of insane greed that a diamond mine would incite. Eden Island was intended to be his home, not a fucking war zone.
Of course, given his history, he wondered sometimes if that was even possible.
"Ah?" the duke asked, studying Squall closely, pale grey eyes far too keen for the man's supposed inebriation. He waited a beat, then smiled at Squall's continued silence.
"You will not say? I understand." the duke's smile broadened. "I have always thought you far too intelligent for a mere mercenary. Come and find me when you locate your lady so that I can introduce her to my wife. Good evening, Mr. Leonhart." The duke took his leave with a polite inclination of his head, which Squall returned in kind.
"Good evening, Your Grace."
He did another circuit of the ballroom, becoming both more concerned and more irritated at Rinoa's continued absence. Where in the hell was she?
To say that when he finally did find her, he wasn't in the best of moods, would have been putting it mildly.
He'd already enlisted the aid of both Irvine and Zell, who were suitably abashed at having let her slip away. Squall had to exert a considerable amount of self-control to not give into the urge to throttle them both.
All kinds of scenarios ran through his mind, some of them involving secluded alcoves and overly amorous dance partners, which did nothing whatsoever to help his current mental state. The truth was, he wouldn't have put it past Caraway to throw one of Rinoa's erstwhile admirers at her, in the hopes of ...whatever. It was obvious the man was less than happy with her turning up with a former mercenary as her date.
He did derive some comfort in knowing that he'd instructed her how to deal with unwanted advances, and was reasonably certain that she would in fact, find them unwanted, rather than the opposite. As far as the necklace went, if someone was after it, he'd already told Rinoa to give it to them. A piece of jewelry, no matter how valuable, was not worth her life.
Rinoa fled the conference room and looked around for Squall, trying to ignore a thrill of unease at not seeing him in the milling crowd. She had no idea how long she and her father had been dancing, and then there was the "interview" afterward- really just a lecture, as far as she was concerned- in the conference room.
She knew what he was, what he'd been. She also knew he was working at moving past all of that. Caraway however, was not easily convinced. He never was. He always believed the worst of people, and sadly, more often than not he was right. The nature of his military career had reinforced that point of view.
Rinoa also knew there were details about his past actions that Squall could not reveal to her, and for the same reasons that her father couldn't provide any details. Even acknowledging that he'd had to resort to hiring SeeD at one point or another could be seen as a breach.
She did wish however, that she knew what had caused his nightmares...but only from a desire to help him. Fortunately, it wasn't often that they plagued him. Not as often, by his own admission, as when he'd first arrived in Esthar. Obviously, the spa had provided more than simple employment to the ex-SeeD. He'd told her as much.
Still, it was a little unsettling to sometimes wake to him moaning and covered in sweat. She quickly figured out that simply cuddling close to him and whispering, "I'm here", was enough to calm him. Usually.
Sometimes he was already awake and gone. Those occasions were rare however, and he always returned, tired and sweaty, obviously back from an early run.
Rinoa wandered aimlessly through milling crowds, wondering if Squall had decided to go out to the courtyard without her. He'd been increasingly tense, and concierge training notwithstanding, it had become apparent that he needed a break. She did too, and some uninterrupted alone time with him in the garden sounded wonderful.
Besides, she had some questions to ask him.
"Ah, there you are," came a voice she instantly recognized as Zell's. Of Squall's two friends, she liked him the best. Given his oftentimes grim line of work, his ebullient personality was a welcome surprise. "We were looking all over for you."
"Squall wasn't terribly pleased you'd slipped our guard." Irvine said with an apologetic half-smile as he joined them.
"Where is he?" She wondered.
She remembered Senator Saranoff standing next to Squall as she'd whirled away in her father's arms, and examined the memory critically. The woman obviously wanted Squall. Squall on the other hand, had been very obviously cool in his response to her. A blind person could see that he was not interested. She decided she was worrying needlessly on that account.
"Well, last I saw of him, he was looking for you." Irvine answered her.
"Yeah, he sent us to see if we could find you." Zell said.
"Well, here I am." she said, spreading her hands out.
"Let's go find him," Zell said with a shrug.
"Fair warning, he's...in a mood." Irvine said with a grimace.
"I'm not surprised, I could see where things were going. Hopefully we can get out of here soon." Rinoa replied with a sigh. "I was headed out to the courtyard. He'd suggested we go out for some air before my father claimed his dance with me. Maybe we could meet him there?"
"Seems as good a place as any," Zell said with a shrug, then looked over at Irvine, "I'll walk with her over there. Why don't you tell Squall where we are?"
"All right. Will do." Irvine nodded and walked off.
Zell glanced over at her and tilted his head toward the open doors leading to the courtyard gardens.
"The necklace is beautiful. Squall told me you designed it?" Rinoa said as they walked.
"Yeah, jewelry making is a hobby of mine." Zell replied, adding with a lopsided smile, "I guess I never outgrew my fascination for pretty rocks. I was always picking them up, polishing them...Even started carving them when I got older and could afford the tools."
"Well, these are lovely." She said, placing her hands upon the cool gems. "Squall also mentioned that you and Irvine picked a few of the stones up yourselves."
"Yeah. We've already had them cut and polished, just figuring out, like Squall, what to do with them. Some I want to keep to make jewelry out of. There's different grades and colors.. some are black, chocolate brown, blue..." Zell began, then stopped with a snort. "This has to be boring you."
"No, not at all!" Rinoa said. "I didn't know diamonds came in different colors."
"Yeah well, its the colorless, pure white ones that are considered most valuable, but between you and me, I think the colored ones are just as beautiful. Certainly more interesting to look at." he replied with a shrug.
Rinoa looked over at him with a smile, appreciating the hidden facets of himself that he'd shared with her. Another man, like Squall, that could not be taken at face value.
"Are you going to go into jewelry making if you decide to leave SeeD?" She asked him curiously.
He shrugged, "Maybe. I've thought about it. Especially lately."
"Well, I've only seen this necklace, but I think you'd do well with it." Rinoa said.
They walked out into the garden and the perfume of flowers added to the freshness of the cool night. Zell kept her company until she reached a lovely display of roses near a small wood and wrought iron bench. There, she paused, sighing and breathing in the scent of the flowers.
"I'll just be over here." Zell smiled at her, then politely withdrew to become part of the scenery. Or at least it seemed so to her. One minute he was smiling and talking with her, the next he was a remote, expressionless sentry, barely visible in the shadows he'd withdrawn into. She wondered if it was a SeeD thing; maybe Squall could do the same thing, if he felt the need for it.
She reflected that Zell and Irvine were both right; their presence as bodyguards was an unfortunate requirement, but at least they were friends. She rather thought that Squall was far luckier in that regard than he realized.
The sound of voices drew her attention and she turned to see Squall and Irvine coming toward them. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the low, growling tone of Squall's voice gave away the fact that he was indeed "in a mood", and not a happy one at that.
He ran into General Caraway again, while looking for Rinoa. As if things couldn't get worse, he had to deal with him again. Already in a less than amenable mood, Caraway's judgmental, contemptuous attitude didn't help matters. At all.
"So, you've lost track of my daughter." Caraway stated.
"So have you, apparently. She was with you last, wasn't she?" Squall asked pointedly, well beyond done with being polite to the man. "I figured she was safe with her father. Was I mistaken?"
"She left after we spoke. Presumably to find you." the general answered.
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of people here." Squall replied.
"Indeed there are. I'm sure you know a good many of them, though I don't recall you being quite so willing to socialize." Caraway commented.
"I don't know as many as you think. And things change." Squall said flatly, gazing around the ballroom, looking for Rinoa. He caught sight of Irvine's tall form, moving through the crowd, presumably looking for her as well.
"So I hear." the general replied, then added in a harsh voice, "And I don't believe it. Now, I don't know what your angle is or who hired you, but I'm telling you right now that involving my daughter is a fatal mistake."
Squall stared at him in disbelief, asking slowly, "you think I was hired? For what?"
"I'm still figuring that out. Its the necklace that puzzles me. I can't see what angle you're working with that." Caraway answered.
Squall took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself before he punched the man. "I am here at Rinoa's request. As her date." He said evenly. "The only angle, if that's what you want to call it, that I'm working is showing off that necklace so that it'll sell for a good price."
"Typical mercenary. Always comes down to the bottom line. Gil. That's what it's all about for you, isn't it? And Rinoa's just, what? A way to look respectable? Not on my watch!" the general declared.
Squall stepped closer to the general, a dangerous glint in his eye, and asked him, voice softly menacing, "What do you call a mercenary who's rich enough to retire? Who only needs to follow his own orders? Who doesn't have anybody holding his leash? What do you call him?"
General Caraway narrowed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the sudden chill that chased down his spine at the look in the young man's eyes. It wasn't a look he'd ever seen before, and he doubted there were few alive who had, but he recognized it for what it was: it was the light of battle, of challenge. Of determination.
Finally he answered, "Dangerous."
"No." Squall shook his head. "Free."
Free. No one to issue orders. No contract to adhere to, no one to answer to. Unfettered and uncontrolled, and able to follow his own conscience, live the way he pleased. But...SeeDs did not have any conscience. They couldn't afford to. And no amount of money existed that could buy one.
The stab of fear that hit Caraway's heart was as sudden as it was unexpected, and it centered entirely upon Rinoa.
"Stay away from my daughter."
"Too late. She's made her choice."
Caraway clenched his teeth and swallowed, then repeated in a low voice, "Stay away from her."
"No." Squall said flatly.
"I will kill you. If anything happens to her. If she even so much as gets a nail broken. I will kill you." Caraway said calmly.
Squall raised an eyebrow sardonically and replied, "You will try."
The tension between the two men was palpable, radiating from them like heat . It was also beginning to attract attention. Fortunately, intervention came in the person of Irvine, who had finally located Squall to tell him that Rinoa was waiting for him outside. It came not a moment too soon.
Irvine had seen a dogfight once. An unaltered and un-socialized male dog, had unfortunately met up with a similarly intact dog, and both had stood growling at each other, hackles raised, for what had seemed like forever. He'd almost gotten bored with watching the spectacle, thinking that both dogs were simply posturing to see who'd back down first. It had been a horrific shock when, in the blink of an eye, one of the dogs had gone for the other's throat. It had very nearly ended tragically, but their owners had managed to separate them before permanent damage had been done. Interestingly, dousing them with cold water hadn't helped. Their owners had had to forcibly pull them apart, at great risk to themselves, as the animals were in such a state that they were snapping at everything.
Squall wasn't a dog. Nor even a wolf. If anything, he was more feline than canine, with regards to his attitude and fluidity of movement. Even so, cat, dog or human, his hackles were definitely raised. And he was every bit as deadly as the lion on his pendant.
Well, damned if Irvine was going to let him go for General Caraway's throat.
"Squall. C'mon, man. Rinoa's waiting for you out in the courtyard." Squall glanced at him sharply, then nodded and turned to leave.
"Watch your back, Leonhart." Came the General's parting shot.
Both Irvine and Squall turned to face him, and Caraway was once again reminded of how loyal SeeDs were to each other. Former commander or not, it was obvious that SeeD had his back. At least one of them did, at any rate.
"Duly noted." Squall replied, then left.
Squall fumed the entire, torturous trip through the ballroom to the courtyard doors, following Irvine through the crowd. Formerly logical and unemotional to the point of being nearly robotic, now he was the complete opposite. Try as he might, he simply couldn't think his way out of the roiling mass of emotions that raged through his mind and heart. Logic had gone by the wayside a long time ago. Like from the moment he first saw Rinoa staring at him from his doorway all those months ago.
The entire night had been a complete and utter disaster, and this was simply the capper. What he really wanted to do was simply leave, drop Rinoa home, go back to his boat and drink himself insensible. Either that or sail out to his island and find something to kill as messily as possible. He wasn't fit company for anyone right at the moment.
Finally, they were outside and the cool night air enveloped them both. Irvine had slowed to a stroll, with Squall padding silently alongside. Rather like a lion on the hunt, Irvine thought. If he'd had a tail, it would be lashing right now.
"She's right down there," Irvine said, gesturing toward where Rinoa waited for him, seated on a bench in a rose garden. "I'll be back here with Zell. Don't worry. We've got your back."
Squall glanced over at him and nodded. "Thanks." He did appreciate that, though he rather doubted Rinoa's father would send anyone after him just yet. Not while she was close enough to get caught in the crossfire, at any rate. The man wasn't stupid.
She stood as he approached, and his irritation began to fade as he was struck anew at how beautiful she looked, standing there in the garden. A slight breeze riffled the silk that draped her, and starlight painted its wan light over cheek and forehead, shimmered on the flowing blue silk of her dress and brought answering sparks from the diamonds around her neck.
Suddenly, he wanted very badly to go home. With her. Forever.
"So, obviously Irvine located you." She said.
Squall's lips twitched in an almost smile and he replied, "And Zell, you."
She nodded, and smiled as he approached, but the smile faded as he stopped just out of reach. He looked...grim. She sighed quietly to herself. This hadn't been the best of nights, what with the paparazzi getting up in their faces, among other things; something she didn't expect and knew for fact that Squall wasn't used to or comfortable with. Add to that a disquieting encounter with Senator Saranoff, and it was no wonder he wasn't in the best of moods.
"So..." she began awkwardly. "Rough night?"
"You could say that." He answered, looking away for a moment.
He wasn't giving much away, and Rinoa wondered if they should just call it a night and head home. Still, she had questions to ask, and mood notwithstanding, the evening's events had brought some of them to the forefront. She just couldn't seem to figure out how to ask them.
"Is...everything...okay?" she asked hesitantly.
Squall frowned at her slightly, then opened his mouth to answer...shutting it again when he was left undecided on how, exactly. He shifted restlessly and shook his head, his disquiet spurring him into movement, and started to pace.
"I spoke with your father, while I was looking for you." he finally answered. "And before, while you were dancing with that friend of yours."
"Well, you're still in one piece, so I guess that's a good sign." Rinoa said with a snort.
Squall's response was a quiet grunt.
Seeing the ironic twist to his lips, Rinoa sighed, "That bad, huh?"
"He remembered me from before," he finally said with a shrug. "I was...different then."
"So I've heard. How different?" Rinoa asked curiously.
"Very." he answered shortly, pacing a few steps away. Turning to face her, he folded his arms and added, "enough for him to warn me away from you."
Rinoa tilted her head and studied him closely, before finally asking, "Did it work?"
"I said 'no'." Squall answered, shaking his head. Rinoa took a deep, steadying breath at this, surprised at how knotted up her stomach had gotten while waiting for Squall's response. She hadn't doubted him, not at all but...his firm response did reassure her.
"What did he do?" Rinoa asked.
"Threatened to kill me." Squall answered with a shrug. Rinoa stared. Her father had been notorious for intimidating and occasionally chasing off her boyfriends, but she'd never heard of him actually threatening to kill one. General Caraway wasn't given to issuing idle threats. That meant he was serious. What amazed her was that Squall was so nonchalant about it.
"Why? Why would he do that? He's never done that before!" Rinoa shook her head in disbelief. "That arrogant, controlling...Ugh! If he thinks.." She began, then words failed her. she turned to head back into the ballroom, ready to give her father a piece of her mind, then noticed Squall simply watching her with interest but without much in the way of concern over her father's statement.
She stopped, frowning. "You know, most people, if my father had threatened to kill them, would be running. He doesn't issue idle threats."
Squall shrugged, "I know. It's not the first time my life's been threatened."
" I know you were a SeeD, and I know that means that you were involved in a lot of dangerous things..but you're not a SeeD now! Can't he see that?" Rinoa demanded in exasperation.
"Maybe you should ask him that."
"Yeah, maybe." Rinoa said, then tilted her head to one side and asked, "So, what was the deal with that Senator lady? She looked like she wanted to eat you for breakfast."
Squall grimaced and answered, "That's pretty much exactly what she wanted."
Frowning fiercely, Rinoa growled, "You're here with a date and she hits on you? Classy broad."
Squall shrugged. "Some people are like that."
"She kind of acted like she knew you. If she didn't, she was being awfully familiar." Rinoa grumbled.
Squall raked his hand through his hair in irritation, pulling some strands loose to fall into his eyes. He studied her with narrowed eyes and compressed lips, finally responding, "She was a former client. One of my first. She wanted to renew our ...acquaintance."
"I'm assuming you didn't?" Rinoa asked. She didn't think so but there was a moment ... a brief one, where she'd had...doubts.
"No!" he burst out, annoyed. "You know, I came here with you because you asked and because ...well I wanted spend a night out with you. And this shit..." he broke off and shook his head, stalking away. "Just because I had to be polite and nice and social as part of my job, doesn't mean I particularly like it! You know, I was actually kind of relieved when your father said he'd kill me. That, I can handle!"
She watched him in fascination. She'd never seen him this upset before. He wasn't given to bursts of temper; she'd seen him tense, frustrated and irritated on occasion, usually due to something relating to his island project. This was different. Energy fairly crackled from him as he paced like a caged torama, blue eyes flashing. His accent had shifted too, falling back into childhood patterns and thickening as his emotions held sway. It was impressive..and just a little bit scary.. to watch.
"Bloody two-faced fucking judgmental...why are you looking at me like that?" He growled, swinging around to glare at her.
She couldn't help it, she smiled sweetly at him and answered, "You know, you're beautiful when you're angry."
He blinked, taken off guard. "What?" Then he frowned at her, folding his arms firmly across his chest again, saying gruffly, "That's supposed to be my line. Why do you keep doing that?"
"Because it's true." she said, approaching him. It was interesting to her how, as he worked through his anger, he kept his distance. She already knew she had nothing to worry about however, and deliberately invaded his personal space, gazing up at him.
"Why did you come to Galbadia?" She asked him pointedly.
Squall swallowed and licked his lips, then answered, "Because I wanted to."
"Why?"
"What?"
"You heard me. Why?" She pressed, gaze intent upon him.
Squall gave her a confused look and retreated back a step. What was she getting at? "Because it was time."
"And?" She prompted, taking another step forward.
"I already told you why!" Squall protested, taking another step back. Rinoa hid a smile at his retreat.
"Tell me again. And this time, tell me everything ." she pressed.
"I have told you everything! I told you about buying the island, and you were with me when I bought the boat. Hell, you even helped me pick it out! I told you all about my plans, my hopes and dreams... " His voice trailed off, then he swallowed and added, "What more do you want from me?"
"I want you to tell me the truth." Rinoa said firmly. She was pushing him. She knew she was. She also knew that he needed to be pushed. She only hoped that she didn't push him too far.
"I have told you the truth!" he cried, flinging his arms out before letting them drop to his side.
"No. Not all of it. My father seemed to think you had some kind of agenda in coming here. Do you?" Rinoa asked, stalking him. He backed up again and fetched up against the stone wall that deliniated the border of the property. They were at the very edge of the garden and completely out of casual view. That should have frightened her, and if it had been anyone but Squall, it might have.
"Now," Rinoa went on relentlessly. "Tell me the real reason why you quit your job, left your sister behind and shipped everything you own into a storage unit, just to come here to Galbadia. No more evasions. No more hiding. Tell me. Why. Are. You. Here?"
"Because I had to come." He answered simply. He was literally backed into a corner, with nowhere to go, and he had no idea what she wanted from him or why she kept after him like that. It was not a comfortable feeling.
"Why?'
"I needed to." he licked his lips, heart pounding.
"Why? Why did you need to? Why did you want to come here? I need to hear it from your lips Squall. Tell me!" She urged him.
"Because I love you!" He burst out in frustration. Then he froze, face white, and continued in a soft, shaking voice, "I love you. Only, I didn't want to...tell you... Like that..."
Rinoa's heart leaped for joy, and she wanted to fling herself into his arms. But she waited, sensing that there was more.
"How did you want to tell me?" she finally asked him softly.
Squall gazed at her for a long moment, and the lost look in his eyes made Rinoa's heart ache for him.
Swallowing, he looked away and stuck his hand into his hip pocket, bringing out a small, velvet-covered box. A ring box. Rinoa's heart nearly stopped.
"Like this," he answered, his voice barely audible. "I had it made..from the shards of my diamond. I didn't want it to be too big..I...I sorta figured you weren't into huge rocks but.. I wanted..." he took a shaking breath. "I wanted... you. Forever." Taking her hand, he gently placed the box into the palm and closed her fingers over it. Then he crossed his arms tightly over his chest in an effort to contain the ache that threatened to eat a hole right through him. What if she didn't want him after all? Part of his mind told him he was being silly but...the other part was terrified.
"Its yours. Do with it what you want..." His voice trailed off.
Stepping forward again brought her closer to his body, well inside of his comfort zone. Reaching out to him, she took both of his hands and gently uncrossed his tightly crossed arms. His lack of resistance was telling; he was more than strong enough to thwart her if he really wanted to.
"I love you." She said softly. " More every day it seems. I know you're not perfect and you have a...shall we say, spotty past...it doesn't matter to me and never did. I won't promise to never be jealous of any former clients but...I'll try to understand." Releasing his right hand, she raised her left and caressed his cheek, feeling the slight prickle of stubble over his smooth skin.
Squall leaned into her caress, closing his eyes on a nearly overwhelming flood of relief and hard upon its heels, joy. He pressed her hand against his face briefly, then pulled it away just enough to place a kiss in its palm. Then, still holding her hand, he brought it down and then let it go, turning his attention to her other hand, the one that held the as yet unopened ring box.
He brought their joined hands up, the box still resting between them and said, "I'm...sorry I was such an asshat.."
"To be fair, it's been rather a stressful night for the both of us." Rinoa replied. "Not too surprising you'd get pissed. You were wound pretty tight from the start. Worried about that senator woman?"
"Yeah. I shouldn't have been but..." Squall shrugged eloquently. Dropping his gaze to the box still resting in her palm, he caressed it with his index finger, adding, "there's still a question that needs an answer."
"I don't recall you asking me anything. I know you said this ring was mine but you weren't terribly specific about it..." Rinoa said lightly, smiling up at him.
Squall snorted at this, acknowledging the omission. "hadn't you better look at it first? You might not want it after all."
"I will love it. Period. But okay, go ahead and open the box. Then ask your question." Rinoa smiled at him. "Or maybe ask first, then open it. Whichever works for you."
Squall gave her an exasperated look, then murmured, "This is so not how I wanted to do this..." as he opened the ring box.
Rinoa had to consciously remember to breathe, and only just managed to gasp out, "how did you want to do this?"
Squall sighed, "Well, I had something ridiculously romantic in mind with lots of flowers or something but...I've never done this before...then everything sort of went to hell and..."
"yes. Oh, Gods, Yes!" she said breathlessly, tears starting to flood her eyes. It blurred out the vision that sat in the little ring box, nestled in black velvet. A single heart-shaped diamond...not so large that it was ostantatious, nor so small as to seem miserly, sparkled brilliantly in an elegantly simple setting of white gold.
Squall smiled, "I haven't asked yet."
"I don't care. The answer's yes!"
Squall's smile broadened as he took the ring out and slid it onto her finger, saying, "Well, just so it's official... Will you marry me, Rinoa? I mean, assuming you want to do that whole marriage thing.."
"Shut up and kiss me."
Squall obliged her willingly, pulling her close and kissing her so thoroughly they were both lightheaded when they finally came up for air, resting their foreheads against each other and smiling into each other's eyes.
"I love you." he whispered softly.
"I love you too." Rinoa replied, adding, "Let's go home."
Author's Note: My deepest and most sincere apologies guys, but this chapter wasn't nearly as ready to post as I had initially thought. to put it quite simply, someone made some observations that crystallized things that I'd been having difficulties with.. I wasn't "feeling it" and I wasn't entirely sure why. upon further review, I decided to temporarily delete the chapter, rework it and repost. It happens...nobody's perfect. Situations like this are where a good Beta Reader is invaluable. I'm still thinking this story will be heading toward a conclusion soon, but I'm not going to make the mistake of rushing to the finish. Instead, I'll let the story go where it will. Hopefully, you all will find this revised chapter a better one.