Unexpected
"Squall, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" Selphie's voice was tinged with a mix of worry and fear.
"Sure Selph, whats up? You ok?" Squall smiled at Rinoa as he was pulled around the corner of the building by Selphie. He couldn't help but notice that she was unusually quiet. There was obvioulsy something major going on if it made Selphie, of all people, quiet.
"No, I'm not really ok Squall. Look, I know that we said that we wouldn't ever talk about what happened that night when you and Rinoa almost broke up last month, but I have to. See, what we did was bad enough, but...." Selphie looked down, biting her lip.
"Just get to the point Selphie. I was actually in the middle of something kind of important." Selphie noticed the edge of a velvet box peeking from Squall's pocket, and sighed.
"Look, never mind.....its not important. I gotta go!" Selphie turned to run, but Squall was faster. Seizing her arm in a viselike grip, he spun her around to face him.
"Tell me what the hell is going on Selphie! Its obviously not nothing from the way you are acting, so get to it already. I don't have all day."
"Fine! You might want to rethink being so physical though, its probably not good for the baby!" Selphie was yelling at the top of her voice. When Squall realized what Selphie had just said his jaw dropped in shock, and his grip on her arm loosened enough for her to pull away from him.
"You-you mean you're...." Squall sank to the ground, stunned.
"Yeah, I am. And yes, its yours. After all, I WAS a virgin that night." Selphie laughed bitterly, her hand resting on her belly. There were tears in her eyes, but she was fighting not to let them fall.
"You haven't, umm..." Squall's voice trailed off in uncertainty.
"Gone out and pity fucked any other guys? No, nobody but you." The tears trembled on the edges of her lower lashes like trapped crystals, forever hovering.
"Selphie.." Squall reached out and took her hand in his "I'm sorry. You know that I never meant to take advantage of you. Do you know what you are going to do?" He gestured with his free hand toward her belly, implication obvious.
"Well, its not like I have a whole lot of choices. I just can't give it away to be raised in an orphanage, and I can't very well keep it since SeeD won't allow unwed parents. So what do you think that I am going to do?" Tears spilled down Selphie's face unchecked. The thought of killing her baby broke her heart, but SeeD was all she had. With out SeeD she wouldn't have a place to live, or income, or anyway to support a child.
"Selphie, will you marry me?" Squall had lifted himself to one knee, ringbox held up to her. The look on his face was deadly serious. Selphie could see something dying in his eyes as he knelt in front of her, and felt her heart begin to break.
"Squall....you don't have to do this. I can take it, I can handle the consequences of what we did. I know how much you love Rinoa, I could never ask you to give her up." The brief flash of hope on Selphie's face died, replaced once more by grief. Squall smiled up at her, bitter sweet.
"Selphie, you didn't ask, I offered. Yes, I love Rinoa, but she isn't worth killing my baby. I know we aren't in love, but we can learn. If nothing else, we can get married long enough for you to have the baby, and then we can get divorced. I'll leave SeeD and take care of it if you want me to." Squall was still on one knee in front of her, and she could see the tears glittering in his eyes. She knew what it was costing him to leave Rinoa, knew that the ring he was still holding up to her had been intended for Rinoa. Selphie didn't see any graceful way she could say anything but,
"Yes Squall, I'll marry you." Something in the back of her mind began rejoicing. She had always liked Squall, but never thought that she had a chance.
"I'm obviously interrupting. I should go..." Rinoa's voice was strangled, tears laced into every word. She was staring at the two of them, eyes very wide and overly shiny. Rinoa spun away from them, sobs tearing themselves from her throat as she ran. Squall rose, intent on catching Rinoa, but Selphie stopped him.
"What are you going to do Squall? Tell her that what she heard wasn't true? Just leave her alone, you can't help her now." Selphie's voice was soft, attempting to comfort him. Squall said nothing, he merely stood looking after Rinoa, his heartbreak plain on his face. He pulled away from Selphie, sinking back to sit against the wall. Tears streaked down his face unnoticed as he stared blankly into space. Knowing that there wasn't anything that she could do to help him with this, Selphie left him to his grief.
"Squall, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" Selphie's voice was tinged with a mix of worry and fear.
"Sure Selph, whats up? You ok?" Squall smiled at Rinoa as he was pulled around the corner of the building by Selphie. He couldn't help but notice that she was unusually quiet. There was obvioulsy something major going on if it made Selphie, of all people, quiet.
"No, I'm not really ok Squall. Look, I know that we said that we wouldn't ever talk about what happened that night when you and Rinoa almost broke up last month, but I have to. See, what we did was bad enough, but...." Selphie looked down, biting her lip.
"Just get to the point Selphie. I was actually in the middle of something kind of important." Selphie noticed the edge of a velvet box peeking from Squall's pocket, and sighed.
"Look, never mind.....its not important. I gotta go!" Selphie turned to run, but Squall was faster. Seizing her arm in a viselike grip, he spun her around to face him.
"Tell me what the hell is going on Selphie! Its obviously not nothing from the way you are acting, so get to it already. I don't have all day."
"Fine! You might want to rethink being so physical though, its probably not good for the baby!" Selphie was yelling at the top of her voice. When Squall realized what Selphie had just said his jaw dropped in shock, and his grip on her arm loosened enough for her to pull away from him.
"You-you mean you're...." Squall sank to the ground, stunned.
"Yeah, I am. And yes, its yours. After all, I WAS a virgin that night." Selphie laughed bitterly, her hand resting on her belly. There were tears in her eyes, but she was fighting not to let them fall.
"You haven't, umm..." Squall's voice trailed off in uncertainty.
"Gone out and pity fucked any other guys? No, nobody but you." The tears trembled on the edges of her lower lashes like trapped crystals, forever hovering.
"Selphie.." Squall reached out and took her hand in his "I'm sorry. You know that I never meant to take advantage of you. Do you know what you are going to do?" He gestured with his free hand toward her belly, implication obvious.
"Well, its not like I have a whole lot of choices. I just can't give it away to be raised in an orphanage, and I can't very well keep it since SeeD won't allow unwed parents. So what do you think that I am going to do?" Tears spilled down Selphie's face unchecked. The thought of killing her baby broke her heart, but SeeD was all she had. With out SeeD she wouldn't have a place to live, or income, or anyway to support a child.
"Selphie, will you marry me?" Squall had lifted himself to one knee, ringbox held up to her. The look on his face was deadly serious. Selphie could see something dying in his eyes as he knelt in front of her, and felt her heart begin to break.
"Squall....you don't have to do this. I can take it, I can handle the consequences of what we did. I know how much you love Rinoa, I could never ask you to give her up." The brief flash of hope on Selphie's face died, replaced once more by grief. Squall smiled up at her, bitter sweet.
"Selphie, you didn't ask, I offered. Yes, I love Rinoa, but she isn't worth killing my baby. I know we aren't in love, but we can learn. If nothing else, we can get married long enough for you to have the baby, and then we can get divorced. I'll leave SeeD and take care of it if you want me to." Squall was still on one knee in front of her, and she could see the tears glittering in his eyes. She knew what it was costing him to leave Rinoa, knew that the ring he was still holding up to her had been intended for Rinoa. Selphie didn't see any graceful way she could say anything but,
"Yes Squall, I'll marry you." Something in the back of her mind began rejoicing. She had always liked Squall, but never thought that she had a chance.
"I'm obviously interrupting. I should go..." Rinoa's voice was strangled, tears laced into every word. She was staring at the two of them, eyes very wide and overly shiny. Rinoa spun away from them, sobs tearing themselves from her throat as she ran. Squall rose, intent on catching Rinoa, but Selphie stopped him.
"What are you going to do Squall? Tell her that what she heard wasn't true? Just leave her alone, you can't help her now." Selphie's voice was soft, attempting to comfort him. Squall said nothing, he merely stood looking after Rinoa, his heartbreak plain on his face. He pulled away from Selphie, sinking back to sit against the wall. Tears streaked down his face unnoticed as he stared blankly into space. Knowing that there wasn't anything that she could do to help him with this, Selphie left him to his grief.