[A/N: "Mama" is Matron. That's what they call her in the German version (which I finally beat!), and I've always called her Mama because it's more endearing than "Matron." I wrote this one for Mother's Day. So for all the moms, stepmoms, pet moms, foster moms, and all mom figures, happy Mother's Day! You are all very much loved and appreciated! Enjoy!]
Edea could hear the Ragnarok pulling up all the way from the lighthouse. In fact, she had spotted it from atop the lighthouse several minutes ago and had been watching, waiting for the arrival of her children. It had been three years since they had defeated Ultimecia, and they made it a tradition for all of them to visit Edea every year for Mother's Day. Most of them knew no other woman deserving of such a title, with the exception of Zell of course, who made plans to celebrate with Ma Dincht later that evening.
It wasn't just her children that celebrated every year with her. A certain president always made sure to go out of his way to express appreciation for the woman who raised his son and did her best to protect Ellone.
This year was going to be different, and Edea knew this. Shortly after Mother's Day last year, Edea had made the difficult decision to file for divorce. Nobody had seen it coming except for Cid. He knew he hadn't lived up to being the respctable, honorable husband, knight, and father figure he knew Edea needed him to be. He had separated the children and kept secrets from them that they had every right to know, which caused unnecessary rifts. He dismissed his responsibilities as a knight. Edea would have forgiven him had he killed her in order to protect the children, but he put them in the position to do the unthinkable. Irvine especially wouldn't be so forgiving about that, but rarely would he state his opinion of the former headmaster.
There could have been another way to protect everyone. There were countless paths not taken to a fitting solution, countless paths that might not have ended so destructively. But Cid hadn't made the effort to come up with any other solutions. Everything he had started was completely unnecessary. Although he had kept the children alive and, ultimately safe, the bonds between them were so long separated that they had to work really hard to become a family again. Edea could no longer trust him after his questionable behaviors, but she pulled through. She was granted her divorce and was very supported by her children as well as her old friend Laguna. And since she was no longer a sorceress, she had no need for a knight. Edea was truly free now.
"Sounds like the kids are almost here. How do I look?" Laguna pondered aloud, still trying to win over his now grown son. Edea chuckled, seeing no need for the president of Esthar to be worried about his appearance.
"Are you trying to impress someone, Laguna?" she teased her old friend, making him blush. "He's your son. You must remember to simply be yourself. You have spoken to him before." She patted him on the cheek and continued watching the ocean waves roll in and out, disturbed by the exhaust of the Ragnarok.
"I know, but..." he sighed as he began leading the way down the lighthouse to greet the kids. "He's just so..."
"Distant?" Edea followed up.
"Yeah. Any pointers?" he nervously asked.
"If you're searching for a way to bring him out of his bubble," she began, "...you'll have to find another time and meet with Rinoa."
"Aw, she isn't coming this time?"
"Afraid not," Edea said. "I'm sure you understand though. She wanted to visit her mother's grave before her father gets there. They... don't really talk."
"She looks so much like Julia..." Laguna spaced out and commented. "I get it though. I was gonna have Squall tag along with me to Raine's grave today, but I'm not sure he'd be up for it."
"Are you telling him today?"
"... Look, Ed. I've been trying to tell him for years. But every time I finally get the courage to do it, he says something insulting or he just leaves, and it doesn't happen. And when I start to explain where I'm going... he just tunes me out! He's so infuriating! Does he do that to everyone?"
"All the time. He thinks too much. We've all been trying to get him out of that habit for years."
"Does anything work?" Laguna desperately begged.
"Laguna, you just need to find a way to capture his attention. Relate to him. Sometimes you have to be invasive. Ask him if he's still there if you have to," Edea suggested as she sniffed the colorful bouquet Laguna has presented to her earlier in the day. "These smell so lovely."
"They're Raine's favorite. They're the only ones I know how to care for, 'cus she taught me."
"I didn't think you were interested in flowers."
"I wasn't. I was just trying to get to know her and spend time together."
"That was very sweet of you, Laguna. Just do the same thing with Squall and you'll be fine," Edea commented. "I wish I could have met Raine. She seems like a wonderful person."
"She was. I think she would have loved you if you had met her. She was so kind and caring, but tough on people when she had to be. Very... motherly. Kinda like you, Ed!"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Edea said as she stopped at the bottom of the steps. "Seifer is going to be here today. You shold probably be aware of that."
"You say that like there's some significance to him being here that I should know and, well, I don't know."
"He's a huge fan, you know."
"A fan? I didn't think somoene his age would be interested in Estharian politics but I appreciate the support."
Edea laughed. "No, silly. He's a fan of your acting."
"Why is that bad?"
"Well, he and Squall... have never really gotten along. Just keep that in mind before he starts chatting you up."
"Oh. Um. Well. You go on ahead, then. I'll, uh... figure out what to do."
"Don't do anything weird," Edea commanded as she left.
"You know me better than that!" Laguna called out just before the door shut. He watched her cross the beach and head back to her house, then nervously paced around the lighthouse, looking for something... anything... to help with his predicament.
...
"Mama!" Seifer just HAD to be the first one to greet her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, partially because he had remembered her more than most the others had (Irvine and Ellone being the exceptions) and partially because he just couldn't stand one more minute being in that damn spaceship with his fellow orphans. Perhaps if his closest friends had been there with him it wouldn't have been as bad, but Seifer had too much hostility with a lot of his ridesharers. Most of them had just left him alone. She hugged him back tightly and accepted more flowers from him.
After Seifer exited Ellone, Squall, Quistis, and Zell (who felt especially lucky to have two wonderful women to celebrate today), each of them carrying a bouquet of flowers for their Mama. After each of them had greeted her, Selphie came out with three bouquets - one from her, one from Irvine, and one extra - and a bundle of balloons. Following closely, Irvine exited with a giant cake, walking carefully so as to not drop it and ruin it. After all, Selphie had spent hours baking and decorating it. He wasn't about to let all of her hard work go to waste!
"Squall! Before I forget," Selphie approached him with one bouquet after handing the rest to Edea. "This one's for Rinoa. Make sure she gets it when you head back home, okay?"
Squall looked at Selphie like she had just said the most offensive thing ever. "... Okay, but what's the occasion?"
"It's Mother's Day, duh!" Selphie said in her typical cheery tone.
"Sefie, you gotta explain it to him cus you're probably scaring him right now," Irvine pointed out and then looked over at Squall. "She's not pregnant."
"She's a Mom. She's got Angelo! So, she gets flowers too," Selphie happily explained without apologizing for the scare.
"Isn't Sefie the sweetest?" Irvine said with admiration in his eyes, quickly getting lost in his gaze toward Selphie.
"A cake? You guys really shouldn't have," Edea couldn't believe the effort her children had put into making this a special day for her.
"Where do you want all these flowers, Mama?" Quistis asked, offering to take them inside.
"On the counter would be lovely. Thank you everyone, they're beautiful!"
"You know you can't carry all those," Seifer pointed out, but not exactly offering any assistance.
"That is an awful lot. Why don't you help her move them?" Edea asked.
"Of course, Mama," he quickly caved and collected half the flowers.
"Oh and Squall, there's something of yours in the lighthouse. It's really big, you can't miss it. You should go get it and then come back for cake," the ex-sorceress tried to be cryptic so a certain rival of his wouldn't attempt to steal his father's attention from him. She winked at him, and although he didn't understand why she winked at him, he figured there was a reason she didn't want him to ask questions, and he trusted her.
Not asking for more details, he immediately took off to the lighthouse to reclaim whatever it was that belonged to him. He couldn't remember leaving anything here, but as forgetful as he had been, he didn't want to risk leaving without it. When he got to the lighthouse, he was very confused by what he saw: a grown man crying on the floor while wearing a chocobo mascot headpiece.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I need a banana!" the man cried from the floor. "Stat!"
"I'm not gonna ask."
"I should have stretched before going all the way up and down these steps. My leg! It hurts so bad!"
"You need to take better care of yourself," Squall said as he extended a hand to help Laguna off the floor once his crying had stopped. With Squall's assistance, Laguna was able to stand up but instantly sat back down on the stairs.
"Nice mask," Squall commented, taking a seat beside Laguna, but not caring to ask why he was wearing it.
"Oh. Forgot I had this on," Laguna laughed as he took it off, then straightened his hair out. "Didn't want Seifer bothering me."
"I can relate," was all Squall said in response.
He can relate?! Yes! I'm doing great! Laguna was getting a little too excited over relating to his son, but tried to play it cool.
"Oh yeah? Does he bother you?" he asked, ready to fight his fan.
"He bothers everyone. A word of advice though, a chocobo mask won't help."
"I just didn't want him to know who was behind it, that's all."
Squall's curiosity had now peaked. "What are YOU avoiding him for?"
"Oh. Eddie said he's a fan and was gonna chat me up."
"That doesn't seem so bad."
"She also said you two don't get along."
"So? It's life. Not everyone gets along. And nobody gets along with Seifer."
"I know, but I respect you, so I don't want to entertain him."
"Doesn't bother me. Why would I care?"
"Uncle Laguna!" Ellone unexpectedly entered the lighthouse, both disappointing and relieving Laguna.
"My sweet Elle! You came!" he smiled as he reached up and messed up the hair on top of her head.
"Of course. Mama said you two would be in here. Hiding so soon, Squall?"
"I'm not hiding. He was hiding," Squall responded, pointing to Laguna with his thumb without even looking at him.
"Hey man! Don't rat me out like that!" Laguna whined.
Ellone chuckled before addressing the reason she had hunted them down. "Selphie says after we eat cake she'll fly us back to Winhill."
"Oh, perfect!" Laguna said, rising to his feet.
"Mama said we can pick some flowers from the garden to bring over. I think she just needs space to put all the flowers she got today. Squall, wanna help me pick out some flowers for Raine's grave?"
"Huh? Why me?"
"Just go help your Sis pick out some flowers, okay?" Laguna suggested, almost demanding, as he shoved the two out the door, only to have the door re-opened by Ellone who pulled him out.
"Mama wants you to come for cake. Stop hiding."
Squall hadn't planned on going to Winhill when he woke up that morning, but was eager to leave the Ragnarok. Ellone and Laguna were ahead of him, and he knew things would get incredibly awkward if he stayed behind. After all, Irvine insisted on tagging along since Selphie offered to pilot them to Winhill. This had to be the longest amount of time Squall had witnessed Irvine trying to pursue the same female. He didn't know if he should be impressed with his friend's ambition or feel sorry for Selphie.
I'm sure she'd just beat him to a pulp if he crossed a line... I shouldn't worry about her. She's proven she can handle herself.
To everyone's surprise though, Selphie wanted to look around Winhill, so she and Irvine followed the others but separated.
"So... where is her grave?" Squall wondered aloud.
"Behind the flower shop. It's the only grave there," Laguna told him, nervously leading the way. "She was loved by everyone, and was so good with flowers so the townsfolk all decided she should be buried here."
"You seem nervous," Squall blurted out.
"Nobody in Winhill ever liked me. Raine was the only one to ever make me feel welcome here."
"She was so good to everyone. I miss her so much," Ellone confessed when Laguna stopped walking. "Here we are."
Squall read the tombstone: RAINE LOIRE.
Laguna began speaking as if he was simply catching up with an old friend. "Hey, Raine. I brought the kids with me this time! Man, you should see them now, all grown up. You'd be so proud of them. Elle's grown into such a smart, fearless young lady! And Squall is the new headmaster of Balamb Garden! He's such a good leader. I think he'd be an excellent pick for president when I retire, don't you agree?"
"I'm leaving," Squall said, turning around and feeling uncomfortable from being talked about. Sternly, Laguna blocked his leave and forced him to turn around.
"Just sit down," Laguna told Squall. Ellone sat on her knees in the grass, gesturing for Squall to join her.
"Why do I have to be here today?" he complained.
"Don't be stupid," Laguna said with a rough push on Squall's shoulders until he sat down. "Talk to Raine for a while. It'll help the flowers grow. I'm gonna buy a few things. I'll be back quick."
Once Laguna was out of sight, Squall sighed. "This is like talking to a wall."
Now that I think of it, I deserve that for how I treated Quistis after she lost her instructor license...
"You don't have to say anything, then. Sometimes it's just nice to have someone there for support. Uncle Laguna means well, I promise," she told Squall before turning to the tombstone and speaking to Raine. "He misses you a lot, too, Raine. I'm sorry for everything that happened. I wish we could all still be together. It's not the same without you. I just want you to know, when I lived here in Winhill, that was the happiest I'd ever been in my life. I never told you, but I heard you and Uncle Laguna talking about adopting me one night. I would have loved that. You would have been the best mom, and I was so excited to be a big sister. I'm sorry you never got to hold your baby. But I know you're watching from somewhere up there... Sorry. I'm gonna go check on Uncle Laguna," Ellone told Squall, who noticed tears forming in her eyes. "Happy Mother's Day."
After several minutes of silence, Squall started talking. "This is weird. I feel like I should say something, but I don't see anyone here to talk to." He started off, instantly becoming more comfortable after remembering how much he had talked to Rinoa while she was unconscious. Hey, at least nobody would judge. "I guess... I don't know why I'm here. I don't know anything about you. I don't know why they insisted that I tag along to visit you on Mother's Day. But you must have been really special to them. I wish I could have met you. You know what Sis can do, right? Well, I've seen you before. In the dream world. I could tell how much Laguna and Ellone meant to you. They really love you. And it's weird. Some people have said I look like you, and I guess I do. I swear, we could be related."
Squall felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't care to turn around and see who it was. He was already embarrassed, feeling like he had been caught talking to himself. He didn't know if it was Laguna, Ellone, Selphie or Irvine... but he cringed in anticipation. The voice behind him then spoke up.
"I saw you come here with Laguna and Ellone," a soft, young-sounding female voice stated. It wasn't Selphie.
"They talked me into it," Squall continued, keeping his eyes fixed on the grave decorated with flowers. He didn't dare make eye contact with a stranger who had just caught him doing something embarrassing. As long as he could keep his face hidden, he could minimize his feeling of embarrassment.
"Well I'm glad they did. I've been in Winhill for several decades now, and not many people liked Laguna. They judged him because he was a soldier and outsider. But I knew him, and he's a decent man. A really sweet guy. You should give him a chance."
"I can't relate to him," Squall said.
"It's okay. I couldn't, either, at first. Differences can be good sometimes, though. There's always something to talk about. He'll talk about anything. You just gotta loosen up," the stranger said as she sat beside Squall. "I know. Why don't you help him in his love life?"
"His love life? I didn't know he had one."
"He's been reluctant to love again, but he should. That man has the biggest heart ever. It'd be such a waste to keep it all to himself, don't you think?"
"If he's ready then I guess he'll love again. It's his life. His choice. Not much anyone else can do there."
The stranger laughed and messed with his hair the same way Laguna always messed with Ellone's. "That's true. He really does deserve to be happy. Do me a favor, will you? When you see him, will you let him know it's okay for him to be with Edea? I think they'd be very happy together."
"Edea? What's this all of a sudden?" Squall turned around to see who the lunatic babbling about Laguna's love life was.
It was her.
Raine.
That couldn't be... Raine died twenty years ago. He was shocked, and couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was like looking in a mirror, had he worn a wig and no scar. "She raised you when I couldn't... you're already a family." With these words, she caressed Squall's cheek with a gentle hand. "I love you all. Go be happy together."
Squall had never felt dumber in his life. What did she just say? She raised you... when I couldn't. Laguna and Ellone had made their hardest efforts to bring Squall here, to this grave... on Mother's Day of all days. He knew Raine died giving birth to Laguna's baby, and he never really was told what happened to that baby. He never asked. Did that mean... "...Mom?"
"So you know," Laguna surprised Squall, approaching him from behind with a bag of goods he had purchased from a local store. Squall jerked his head to look at Laguna, then back to where he had just seen Raine. She was no longer there. Laguna took up that spot. "And here I was, thinking you were the dummy who didn't know after all the signs were there! Why didn't you tell me you knew? 'Cus I've been trying really hard to tell you in a way that-"
"Are you and Edea more than friends?" Squall blurted out, paying no attention to Laguna's words and interrupting his very sentence. The charismatic, talkative, energetic president of Esthar was now at a loss for words.
"That's... a loaded ... and random ... question."
Squall could tell by Laguna's hesitation that something was there, otherwise he would have simply answered. "Yes or no."
"...No. But, I'd like to be. But it's hard, you know?" Laguna began to explain his feelings and starting to tear up. "Nobody can replace your mother. And even though I feel like that's what it would feel like, I'm not trying to. I don't want to replace her. I don't want to push her aside or forget about her or anything. But it's difficult when you lose the love of your life. I don't know if I could ever love someone the way I loved her. And I don't think I could forgive myself if I loved someone more than I loved Raine. But Edea... She's a wonderful woman with a heart of gold and no shortage of love to go around. And I've known her for a very long time. There is a lot of trust between us, and we've always been there for each other. I very much admire and respect her. You know she loves you kids like her own, right?"
"You should be together."
Laguna blushed heavily before replying. "Really? You think so? What makes you say that?"
"It's what Raine would want."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because she just told me," Squall confessed, not even sure if Laguna would believe him, but he could hardly believe it either. She was right here.
He could tell by the look on his father's face that he believed him. His eyes reddened deeper, and yet he smiled. He had already noticed the messed up hair on Squall's head, and now it made sense. "She... she talked to you? What else did she say?"
"She said, 'I love you all. Go be happy together.' And then... that was it."
"Uncle Laguna! Are you ready?" Ellone shouted from a distance, catching up with her friends. "Selphie and Irvine need to get back so wrap it up quick!"
"Come on, let's go," Laguna said with a tearful smile as he stood up and extended a hand for Squall, who accepted. Once the two reached Ellone, Selphie, and Irvine, Laguna looked back at the grave and for a brief moment saw Raine sitting by her grave admiring the beautiful flowers before looking back up and smiling sweetly at Laguna. She waved, and as if in a trance, he waved back before the voices inside the spaceship encouraged him to board.
[A/N: (sorry Cid) I'm surprised there isn't much of a LagunaxEdea ship. Like, literally at all. I think they should have ended up together. She seems like the kind of woman he would go for, which I tried hinting at a little bit in this fic, and let's be honest, Laguna would be MUCH better for Edea than Cid. I find it kind of ironic that Cid failed as a Sorceress's knight, and Laguna played one for a movie. Laguna was definitely more prepared for that role. A relationship between Laguna and Edea just makes a lot more sense than one between Cid and Edea. I don't know if other fans have even thought about them as a pairing due to her being married already but... like I said, it just makes more sense.
I don't dislike Cid enough to wanna kill him off for the fanfiction, but my feelings toward him as a character are extremely complicated. I don't 100% think he is a good guy or a bad guy. I just think he's really stupid. I don't think he was in the wrong or being a coward for hiding in his office when Garden took sides with either him or with NORG, because he can't very well lead a school if he's dead. (Laguna has military experience and is in a position of leadership, so he could defend his country with force if need be... just sayin' ... he wouldn't feel the need to hide.) I don't even necessarily think it was wrong of him to keep the effects of the GF a secret because otherwise they would have knowingly fought their Mama... but I do think it was wrong of him to have those kids fight her. He put them in a crappy situation when he could have hired someone else to kill his wife instead of making her kids do it, while simultaneously causing rifts in their childhood relationships because they no longer remember each other.
Eh, long story short, Cid is an incredibly flawed character, and that in itself isn't necessarily a reason to hate him or even dislike him (nobody is perfect) but Cid was not the right person to be Edea's knight, and the fact that an incompetent person took on a role he wasn't capable of filling was a major catalyst for many of the unfortunate events that took place in this game. Laguna would have done an infinitely better job (although it wouldn't have been possible due to his circumstances).]