Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and everything related belong to SquareSoft.
Author's note: I re-uploaded this chapter to fix a few spelling errors. *sheepish grin*
Chapter 9: Parenthood
Setting: Balamb Garden Infirmary
Four Months later
Zell paced the waiting room impatiently, his hands at his lower back. Quistis, Seifer, and Christine were all sitting down, chatting with Selphie and Irvine, who had just arrived from Trabia.
Selphie and Irvine had changed somewhat since they'd last been in Balamb. She'd grown her hair a little longer, but still curled the ends of it up. Irvine had grown a beard, claiming it helped him keep warm in cold Trabia. However, their personalities hadn't changed a bit; Selphie was incorrigibly cheerful, and Irvine was flirtatious but thoughtful. He had his arm around Selphie.
"What's takin' so long?" said Zell. "There's gotta be something wrong!"
"Hey, calm down, Zell," said Selphie. "Be happy! Everything's ok, you'll see!"
"Yeah, Zell," said Seifer. "You're making me seasick with all that pacing. Just relax and stop worrying."
Just then, the door to the infirmary's back section opened. Squall stepped out slowly, with a grim look on his face. Everyone stood up slowly, hoping everything was all right.
After keeping them hanging for a few seconds, Squall gave a big smile. "I'm a father."
Zell shot toward him like a flash, giving him a huge hug. Everyone else jumped out of their seats, and gave him their congratulations.
"Squall, ya big meanie! Making us worry like that!"
"How is she doing?"
"Did everything go ok?"
"Are you excited?"
"Can we see them?"
Squall backed off slightly and held his hands up defensively. "Calm down everyone. Rin and Alexa are all right; everything went fine. You can see them for a few minutes, but Rin's very tired and needs to get some rest, ok?"
"Yeah, sure! Just let us in!" said Zell.
"C'mon, let us see the new mommy!" said Selphie.
Squall led them into the rear chamber of the infirmary, which housed a surgery room, intensive care unit, and new maternity ward. Rinoa had the honor of being the first Garden student to make use of the third.
When they reached the maternity ward, they saw Rinoa, her face flushed, simultaneously smiling and crying. She held something in her arms against her chest, wrapped in a small infirmary blanket.
"Hey guys," she said, with only a little weariness, "Come on over and meet little Lexie."
Doctor Kadowaki looked questioningly at the large group of SeeDs swarming around Rinoa's bed, then smiled. "You can all say hi, but I need you all to leave in a few minutes. Rinoa's extremely tired and needs her rest."
No one except Squall acted like they heard her. They all were talking to Rinoa and trying to see the little baby she held, wrapped in the blanket. Squall nodded to her, indicating that he'd make sure they cleared out, and the doctor left to take care of some paperwork.
Rinoa opened the blanket, so everyone could see. She held an adorable little infant with raven black hair, like her mother. The child's face was pink from the exertion of birth. Her eyes were closed, but her fingers opened and closed, as if the child were trying them out for the first time.
"Awww, she's so cute!" said Selphie. "She looks just like you, Rinny!"
"Actually, I think that's Squall's nose," said Irvine.
"She's absolutely precious," said Quistis. "I'm so happy for you both."
"Me, too," said Seifer. "Won't be long before you have this little rugrat running around, keeping you busy."
"So, her name's Alexa?" said Zell. "I know I've heard that name before."
"That's because they told us five months ago," said Quistis.
"Oh, yeah!" said Zell, scratching the back of his head.
"It was my grandmother's name," said Rinoa. "But we're going to call her Lexie for short."
"Hey, that's a cute nickname!" said Zell.
"Would you like to hold her?" asked Rinoa.
"Huh? Me? Uh, I don't know. I mean, what if I hurt her?" Zell stammered.
"You won't," said Rinoa. "Just support her head, and don't let her go."
"Uh, okay, I'll try." Rinoa handed Alexa to Zell. He seemed a little unsure of himself at first, but soon realized how successful he was in holding the baby.
"Wow, she's just amazing," said Zell.
"Ooh, I wanna hold her, too!" Selphie squealed. Zell carefully handed the baby over to Selphie. She rocked Alexa gently in her arms, as Irvine looked at the baby over Selphie's shoulder. Alexa started to cry, and Selphie gave a pouty face, saying, "Awwww...you scared her, Irvy!"
"It's that beard of his," quipped Quistis.
"You can all have a turn, but I want her back eventully," said Rinoa, smiling widely. Squall, standing at her side, brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. She looked up at him, and held his hand tightly, the IV in her arm clicking against the bed rail.
I love you, she mouthed.
I love you too, he replied silently.
Selphie handed Alexa to Quistis, and Alexa's crying started to soften. Quistis seemed on the verge of tears when she realized she was holding a newborn baby. She'd never seen herself as a mother, but now that she was holding Rinoa and Squall's baby, she started hoping that she could be a mother one day. Maybe if Seifer and I get married, she thought, daydreaming.
She turned to Seifer. "Would you like to hold her?"
Seifer raised his eyebrows. "I-I don't know. I mean..."
"Go ahead, Seifer," said Squall. "She's a baby, not a tonberry."
"Ok," said Seifer, accepting the baby into his arms. He held her perfectly, with his hand holding her head, and supporting her body between his arm and his chest. To the surprise of everyone, he seemed a natural at holding a child. He rocked Alexa gently, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. A second later, Alexa stopped crying. That added to everyone's surprise.
He looked at Christine, who looked as if she desperately wanted a chance to hold the Alexa. He walked over to her and gave her the baby, almost reluctantly. Christine clutched Alexa close, cooing at her.
All eyes were on the baby. Rinoa looked at Irvine. "Irvy, you wanna hold her when Christine's done?"
"I'd love to, but I hurt my arm last week. I wouldn't want to chance dropping her." Irvine gave a half-smile.
Rinoa nodded. After another minute of everyone flocking around Christine and the baby, Squall said, "Okay, everyone, Rin and Lexie both need some rest now." He walked over to Christine, who gave Alexa to him. "You can come back later, after Doctor Kadowaki has run some tests, and they've had a chance to sleep."
Everyone moaned, but said their goodbyes and congratulations. Quistis and Selphie each gave Rinoa a hug and a kiss, and they all left the room. When everyone was gone, Squall started talking, "They're all our family, Lexie. You're gonna see a lot more of them. Welcome to Garden."
Rinoa watched Squall with Alexa, and felt a warmth in her heart like never before. He really will be a good father, she thought. We're going to be such a happy family.
"Can I hold her?" Rinoa asked. Squall gently placed Alexa into Rinoa's waiting arms.
"She does look a lot like you," said Squall. "Two perfect angels in my life. I couldn't have asked for anything greater."
Rinoa smiled at him. "Sorry for what I said to you when I was in labor. You know I didn't mean it, right?"
Squall nodded, smiling. "I'll try to pretend I've never heard some of those words before. You're a lot stronger than I am, to go through all that."
"It was a little tough," said Rinoa, "but looking at our daughter, our daughter, Squall, I just know that it was all worth it."
Just then, Doctor Kadowaki entered. "I'm sorry to have to intervene, but I need to run those tests now just to make sure everything is okay with you and the baby. Afterward, both of you should sleep, Rinoa. Squall, you can stay, if you want."
"I wouldn't dream of leaving their side," said Squall, beaming.
*Several hours later, Rinoa slept soundly in her bed in the infirmary. At her side, reading a book, was Squall, and on his other side was the hospital crib where Alexa slept.
Squall looked up from the novel and gazed at Rinoa. She's worked so hard. She is just absolutely amazing.
Squall...
He wasn't sure, but he thought he just heard her say his name. "What?"
Squall, take care of Lexie...
He'd heard the voice not with his ears, but in his head. He responded, Rin? Is that you?
I'll always love you Squall...
He was surprised by this sudden communication. He'd been able to sense Rinoa's feelings before, but never her actual thoughts. She must be dreaming...I wonder what about?
Just then, he looked up, and saw a very familiar face in the window on the door. Waving, he put down his book and quietly crept up to the door. Silently exiting the room, he greeted their new visitor.
"Hi, Matron."
Edea smiled at him. "Hello, Squall. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, but I figured all your friends would have mobbed you, and that you wouldn't have time for me."
"Matron, we always have time for you."
"Thank you, Squall. Cid said he planned on coming shortly, but I wanted to talk to you about a couple things in private."
"Sure. Doctor?"
Doctor Kadowaki looked up from her terminal. "You can use the room over there. It's about as private as things get here."
Squall and Edea entered the small sick room and closed the door. This room always gives me chills, thought Squall. I was here after Seifer scarred me. Rinoa lay here when she was in her coma. A lot of bad memories in this little room.
"What did you want to talk about?" asked Squall, with some foreknowledge of what she wanted to say.
"It's about Rinoa, her powers, and your daughter," said Edea.
Squall crossed his arms and looked down. I was afraid this would be coming.
"You know that it is rare for a Sorceress to be able to conceive and carry a child. She must be very powerful, and have a determined will."
Squall nodded. "Rinoa's very strong, a lot stronger than even she's given herself credit for."
"I've done my best to help you keep her powers a secret, even from my husband. But as Alexa grows, it will be more difficult to hide the signs of the power she had inherited from her mother." Edea sat on the bed and invited Squall to sit beside her.
"What signs?" asked Squall, sitting down.
"Well, she will become mentally and emotionally mature quite quickly, as compared to...typical children." Edea placed her hand on Squall's. "She will be extremely intelligent, and will probably be speaking quite clearly by her second year."
Squall looked away. "Well, everyone knows how smart Rinoa is, even if they don't know it's augmented by her powers. And for some reason, they think I'm intelligent too. That'll probably be enough to keep them from thinking anything's too strange with Lexie."
Edea sighed. "What I haven't told you is that it's an extremely rare occurrence, in history, for a Sorceress to give birth to a child. To be honest, I was surprised you were able to conceive."
Squall looked at her suddenly. "You've been helping us every step of the way since we beat Ultimecia. Why didn't you tell us that?"
"Because I saw how much you wanted a child after you were married, and I didn't want to dash your hopes."
Squall's mouth fell open. He was utterly speechless. Standing, he paced the room. He tried to ask some kind of question, but could only stutter as his brain processed this new information.
"I know this comes as a shock to you, but I felt you should know it," Edea placed her hand on Squall's shoulder, stopping his pacing. "Rinoa is more powerful than I ever was, possibly more so than any other Sorceress that has existed to date."
He turned to her and asked, finally, "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because your child is very special," she said in a soft, motherly tone. "She has inherited some of the power from Rinoa. Now there are two Sorceresses, one being your newborn daughter, and the other being your wife. You, being Rinoa's knight, needed to know this."
Edea looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Squall. I don't wish to alarm you, but I wanted you to be prepared."
"Prepared for what? Now I not only have to keep my wife safe from mobs of people that would want her dead, I now have to protect my daughter from the same thing?" He opened the door to the small room, stepped halfway out, and turned back around. Pointing a finger at the ex-Sorceress, he said, "My family will have a normal, happy life. I'm not going to let this damned Sorceress thing ruin our chance at happiness!"
He stormed back into the maternity ward, where Rinoa and Alexa still slept soundly. Edea watched him through the window, her eyes filled with sorrow for the pain she was causing her child. The young man she had raised almost from birth. Finally, a tear in her eye, she started to leave the infirmary.
As she left, she met Cid, who was on his way with a bouquet of flowers. "What's wrong, dear?" he asked, placing his hand on her arm.
Edea could not tell him what had happened. She forced a smile, and said, "I just can't believe the little boy from our orphanage is a father now."
Cid smiled, kissed Edea's cheek, and placed his arm around her waist. "They've all grown up so fast, haven't they?" They walked out of the infirmary together, planning to visit the new mother later.
Meanwhile, Squall sat down in his seat again. He took Rinoa's hand and held it tenderly. Rinoa sensed his touch, and rolled over onto her side, snuggling his hand under her cheek.
I love you Squall.
Squall smiled. He was starting to understand now why he was hearing her thoughts. If she were as powerful as Edea said, then telepathy should be no difficulty for her. Squall looked over at Alexa in her crib. He wheeled the crib closer to Rinoa's bed, and grasped his daughter's hand.
I love you both, my angels. No matter what, I promise we will have a happy, full life.
*Zell sat in Squall's office later that day, working his way through the stack of paper that had magically appeared on the desk since earlier that morning.
Jeez, Squall, he thought. No wonder you drink so much coffee now. I didn't think there was this much paperwork in the whole Garden network.
He came across one document, entitled Esthar Garden Project. His eyebrows arched, and he scanned the document intently. So they really are going to build one in Esthar! Cool!
He checked the next paper in the stack, entitled "Esthar Garden Mission Profile." On it was a list of names, only one of which he recognized. "Christine Everest." Aw man! he thought. They're sending her to Esthar! And she's leaving in...two days! That sucks!
He decided he should tell her himself, tonight, so they'd be able to enjoy each other's company one more time before she left. Hey, he told himself. It's just a regular mission, right? She'll come back eventually, won't she?
To avoid answering that question, he continued digging through the papers, signing and completing them where appropriate. After a few minutes of this, his phone rang.
He punched the speakerphone and said, "Yo, this is Zell."
"Hey, Zell, it's Selphie!"
"Hey, Selph! What's up?"
"I wanna throw Rinny and Lexie a homecoming when they get out of the infirmary, and I need your help!"
"Sure, whaddya need?"
"Well, I need you to let us into their apartment to decorate it..."
Oh, no, thought Zell. This is what happened when we let her in their apartment after their wedding.
"Selph, I..." he started.
"...and then we need lotsa teddy bears and balloons and cute little bunny rabbits!"
"Uh, you mean stuffed toy bunny rabbits, right?" Zell scratched his head.
"Oh, hey, yeah! That would work too! I also want you to get a biiig cake with writing on it!"
"What kind of writing?"
"Think of something, Zell! Come on!"
Zell groaned inwardly. "How are we gonna pay for all this?"
"I got a pay raise when I made Instructor, so I'll pay you back!"
Zell sighed. Money wasn't really an issue, since he earned a top salary, being an A Rank SeeD. He was actually trying to get her to tone it down a little, but realized he wouldn't win an argument with Selphie about any kind of party. He didn't even want to waste the energy trying. "Okay, I'll go to Balamb tonight after I'm off-duty."
"Woo-hoo! Thanks, Zell!" The line clicked.
Zell stood up, stretching his arms and legs. He stayed behind the desk and started shadow boxing. It's gonna be a long couple of days, he thought.
*Squall awoke with a start. His breath quick and shallow, he looked at the bed beside him, seeing it was empty. He stood from his chair and scanned around frantically for her.
My God, where is she?
He looked in the crib, and saw that Alexa was missing as well. "Rin? Lexie!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the dark, empty infirmary room. He ran to the door and tried to open it, but it stuck closed. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, he pulled with all his might, tearing the door from its hinges.
He was now standing in the main room of the infirmary, the lights bright, nearly blinding him. When his eyes adjusted, he saw everyone standing there. Quistis. Zell. Selphie. Irvine. Cid. Doctor Kadowaki. Xu. Nida. Everyone looked at him with sorrowful expressions, except for Cid. Cid's eyes burned with betrayal and fury at Squall.
Everyone pointed to the small room Squall hated, the one to his left. He turned, and saw Rinoa laying there, with Alexa in her arms. He rushed to them, trying to stir them from their slumber.
They're cold. They're dead!
He turned to everyone, who shook their heads at him.
"It had to be done," came a cold voice from behind him. He turned to see Edea, dressed in the full ceremonial garb she had worn while possessed by Ultimecia. She then walked toward him, walked through him, and joined the others.
They all stared at him for a second, and then turned away.
Squall wrapped his arms around his dead wife and daughter. "Rin! Rin, speak to me!"
Only silence emanated from the cold bodies.
"No!"
Squall awoke in a flash, jumping out of his chair. He instinctively grabbed for his gunblade, suddenly realizing he wasn't wearing it. He was still in the infirmary.
He looked down at the bed beside him, but it was empty. He frantically searched the crib, but it was also unoccupied.
"Rinoa!" he shouted.
"What?"
He spun around. There stood Rinoa, holding Alexa, at the window. She walked over to him, trying to soothe the infant that was now crying, startled by her father's sudden outburst.
Squall jumped over his chair and took Rinoa in an embrace, being careful not to sandwich the fragile Alexa between them.
"Squall, are you okay?" Rinoa asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I...I...yeah, I'm fine," stammered Squall, as he began to reorient himself to reality. It was a dream, thank God. I was afraid I'd lost them.
"Are you sure? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"Yeah," said Squall. "Bad dream, that's all." He stroked Alexa's head. The infant's cries died down as she felt her father's touch.
"Sorry if I scared you," said Rinoa. "I woke up and heard her crying. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. I fed Lexie and brought her over to the window to show her the beautiful scenery."
Squall, now satisfied that his family was alive and well, walked them over to the window. From there, they could see the town of Balamb, and the ocean beyond it. It was a soothing view.
"Can I hold her for a while?" Squall asked.
"Sure," said Rinoa. She placed Alexa in Squall's arms, and as she did so, she could see the infant's eyes open for the first time. What gorgeous little blue eyes, thought Rinoa.
Squall placed his free arm around Rinoa, who leaned into him. Gazing at his wife, and then down at his daughter, he took a silent vow.
I swear to you both that I will never leave your side.
*Three days later, Squall zipped up Rinoa's knapsack, checking the room to make sure they had everything they needed.
As he did that, Doctor Kadowaki spoke to them both. "I know that, at times, things may get a little overwhelming for you, but believe me, that's nothing new for first-time parents. If you need advice, or need to talk, for whatever reason, you can always call me. But I also want to give you this, which has a lot of good advice for new parents." She handed Rinoa a small book with a pink cover. Rinoa glanced through it, and placed it in the baby bag.
"Thanks, Doctor. For everything." Rinoa gave her a hug. "You're really a gift to Garden."
Kadowaki smiled and patted Rinoa on the back. "Just don't forget to call on me, day or night, if you need me." When Rinoa released the hug, Kadowaki left the room.
Squall gathered up a collection of papers, colored in crayon. "Where will we put these, you think?"
Rinoa looked through the pictures again. "It was so sweet of my students to make these for me," she said. She stopped at one picture, and smiled at the red drawing of two legged creature, smiling with its fangs showing. "This one's Ifrit," she said. "I think their feelings would be hurt if we didn't put them up on our wall at home, at least for a little while."
"Ok," said Squall. "We can dedicate a wall to stuff from your class. It'll look better than if we let Selphie decorate it." He gave a half-smile.
"Oh, Squall, be nice to her. She loves us both a lot." Rinoa slid the papers into a pocket of her knapsack. "Well, are we ready?" she asked.
"Looks like we have everything. You have your necklace?"
Rinoa lifted her necklace from her chest, showing Squall the platinum and Griever rings attached to it. "Would you mind carrying the bags? I want to carry Lexie home."
"No problem," said Squall, lifting the baby bag. This is heavier than it looks, he thought. Just what did they put in it?
Rinoa picked Alexa up from her crib. She was dressed in a pink flowery dress, matching bonnet, and white booties. "Ready to go home, sweetie?"
Alexa looked up at her with her innocent little eyes and smiled. Rinoa's smile widened when she saw the infant's toothless grin.
"Oh, speaking of the devil," said Squall, "I heard Selphie did some...decorating in the nursery. I think I'll be spending the rest of my paternity leave making it look semi-normal."
Rinoa laughed. "Maybe we could just leave it like Selphie did it. Lexie won't mind, will you?" She turned to Alexa and kissed her forehead.
"Well, I think we're ready," said Squall. "Let's go."
With the baby bag in his right hand and Rinoa's knapsack slung over his shoulder, Squall opened the door to the infirmary main room. There stood their friends and Headmaster Cid, waiting for them.
"Ready to go home, guys?" said Selphie.
"Yeah," said Rinoa. "It'll be nice to be back in my own bed again. No offense, Doctor."
Kadowaki smiled. "None taken."
"Hey, lemme help you with that," said Zell, grabbing the baby bag from Squall.
"Yeah," said Irvine, taking Rinoa's pack from his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm not the one who gave birth, here," joked Squall. They ignored him and started carrying the bags into the hallway.
"Well, shall we go?" asked Cid.
As they all walked together to the elevator, Squall said to Zell, "I heard about Christine's mission. If it makes you feel any better, she shouldn't be gone more than a few weeks, until after they've broken ground and gotten the monster shield up."
"Yeah, I know," said Zell. "Besides, I'm gonna take a trip out there to see her soon."
The rest of the way to the elevator, Selphie talked bout how everyone needed to go to Trabia sometime and visit them. "We've done so much with it, you wouldn't even recognize it! It's so totally awesome now, even more than it was! And it can fly too, just like the other Gardens!"
They rode the elevator up to the second floor, and headed toward Squall and Rinoa's apartment. They all went inside and followed Rinoa to the nursery.
She stopped once she got to the nursery, and couldn't keep from smiling. The room was filled with stuffed animals and pink and white balloons, and the walls were covered with teddy bear wallpaper.
"Wow!" said Rinoa. "I wonder who did this?"
She walked up to Selphie, then walked past her toward Cid. She gave the Headmaster a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for decorating, Headmaster."
Cid's eyebrows arched, and he rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks turning red. "Uh, I didn't..."
"Hey!" said Selphie. "We all helped, ya know!"
"I know, Sefie," Rinoa said, smiling widely. She gave Selphie a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, everyone. It's lovely, and I know Lexie loves it." She walked over to the crib and lay Alexa inside. Alexa, fascinated by the new environment she could barely see, was wiggling and squirming, trying to see more.
"This is your home, little girl," said Squall in a tender, fatherly voice, as he stroked Alexa's head.
"Well," said Irvine, stroking his beard. "Look at you, Squall. Mister Stoic going gaga over a baby!"
Squall scratched the back of his head, and said, "What..."
"...ever," finished Rinoa. She covered her mouth to try to hide her laughter. Everyone else, though, did nothing to contain their laughter.
"It's a conspiracy," said Squall, shaking his head.
Seifer went up to Squall and slapped him on the shoulder. "Nah, we're just proving that you're human."
"Oh, hey," said Zell. "Like, we almost forgot! C'mon!"
Rinoa picked Alexa back up into her arms, just in time for Zell to push everyone into the dining room. Part of the room was concealed behind what appeared to be a hastily hung blanket. When everyone was in position, he whipped away the blanket, revealing a large cake on their table. Written in icing on the top was:
"Squall, Rinoa, and Alexa, the Leonharts. Congradulations!"
Quistis took a close look at the cake. "Hey...they misspelled 'congratulations!'"
"What?" Zell looked at the cake. "Aw, man! I should have known better than to get the cake somewhere that Big Bad Rascal worked!"
"Oh, it doesn't matter, right guys?" said Selphie. "What matters is that we're all here today to be with Squall, Rinny, and Lexie!"
She received unanimous agreement from the group. Then, she started handing out filled wine glasses to everyone, saying, "I wanted to say a few words to you all." Rinoa passed on the wine, not wanting to take a chance on transferring the alcohol to Alexa during a feeding.
"I know that Irvy and I don't get to see you all much anymore, since we're living in Trabia now, but you guys will always be our family. It won't be long before Irvy and I are married, and have kids of our own..."
Irvine fidgeted a little when she said that. Selphie continued, "...and I just wanted to say that no matter how far away we all may end up, we're always gonna be a family. And it'll be so much fun watching our kids grow up together, just like we all did...oops, sorry Rinny..."
"It's ok," said Rinoa. "You know, even though I didn't grow up with you guys, and I've only known you for a few years, I have to say you're the best friends, and closest family, I could have ever hoped for. Ever since I met you all, I had a sense of purpose in my life like I never did before. When I ran the Forest Owls, yeah, we had a mission, but they kinda put me on a pedestal like a statue. You guys, though, took me in like I'd always been one of you, and made me feel so welcome."
Her eyes started to tear up as she smiled. Squall held her close and stroked her hair as she continued, "I just want to say that I love you all so much!"
"Aww," said Selphie and Zell, simultaneously. They both gave Rinoa a big hug, and were joined by Irvine, Quistis, Seifer, and Cid.
After a few minutes of these displays of friendship, Squall spoke up. "I, uh, I'm not too good at this kind of thing, but, uh, I want you all to know how much I appreciate you all, too. I used to act like a real jerk, I admit it. But you all stuck with me and gave me a kick in the rear when I needed it." He gave a sidelong glance to Seifer. "I just, uh, wanna say thanks."
"Aww," said Selphie and Zell again, giving Squall a hug. Quistis, Irvine and Cid joined in on the hug. Squall tried not to be uncomfortable with the close contact. After everyone let go, he looked at Seifer.
He looks a little uncomfortable, thought Squall. I wonder what...
Seifer walked over and hugged Squall. Nobody held in their surprised gasps, especially Squall. Seifer just said, "You're a good man, Squall. A real friend." He released the hug, looked at everyone else, and crossed his arms. "Hey, can't a guy give another guy a manly hug?"
Zell snickered. "'Manly hug...'"
Seifer sneered at him. "You wanna try me, kiddo?" Quistis covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Squall put his palm to his forehead. At least Seifer doesn't call him "Chicken-Wuss" anymore.
"Hey, enough you two!" scolded Selphie, stepping in between them. "This is Squall and Rinny's party, and you won't mess it up!"
"Hey, we're only messing around, right Zell?" said Seifer.
"Yeah, chill out, Selph," said Zell. "We don't fight like that anymore. Not since I kicked his..."
"Hey!" said Seifer. "There are children present!"
"Tch," said Zell. "Can't take a joke."
Selphie sighed. "Annnyway, I want to propose a toast. That we'll always remain a family."
"Cheers!" said Irvine.
"Cheers," said Quistis.
"Ditto!" said Zell.
"Salud," said Seifer.
"Amen," said Cid.
"Cheers," said Squall and Rinoa in unison.
A few minutes later, Rinoa and Squall had cut the cake, and Selphie and Irvine were serving it. As they did that, Squall went up to Cid and asked quietly, "Sir, where's Matron? I...I need to talk to her."
"She said she had some things to take care of," said Cid. "She was hoping she'd get here in time for..."
"I'm here," came Edea's voice, as their matron glided into the room.
"Hey, Matron!" said Selphie. "Glad you could make it!"
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," she answered. "No pun intended."
Her joke elicited a few uncomfortable laughs. As much as they loved their Matron, the memory of her being forced to fight against SeeD, and vice-versa, still blemished their minds.
"Matron," said Squall, walking over to her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course, Squall," she said. Squall led her into the living room and motioned for her to have a seat. She sat gracefully, as if floating in the air.
Squall sat opposite her and marveled for a second. Matron, the woman that had brought them all up almost from birth, now looked only a few years older than the rest of them. A side effect of being a Sorceress, thought Squall. I wonder how old she really is.
"Matron, I'm sorry for blowing up at you the other day. It was uncalled for."
Edea shook her head. "No apologies necessary, Squall. You are serving three important roles: husband, father, and knight. All are very stressful ones, but you are more than prepared to fill them. You only want the best for your family, just as I want the best for mine. All of you. That was why I sent those of you that hadn't already been adopted here to Garden, to spend the rest of your growing years. I knew what was coming, and needed to protect you all and Ellone. I may have told you before, but I'm very, very proud of how you have all turned out. You have all enriched my life."
Squall looked at her for a second. Then in a rush of emotion, he hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his embrace.
"We couldn't have asked for a better mother," said Squall.
At that moment, Quistis popped into the room. Seeing Squall and Edea embracing, she watched in amazement, surprised to see him showing his affection so tenderly to anyone other than Rinoa.
Squall let go of Edea, and, noticing Quistis staring at him, said, "What?"
"Uh, nothing," said Quistis. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, it's okay, Quisty, dear," said Edea, standing up. "We were just...talking. Shall we rejoin the party, Squall?"
Squall nodded and stood up. All three returned to the party in the dining room, where Irvine was trying to hand Rinoa a piece of cake.
"Have some cake, Rin. I'll hold her for a while." Squall held his arms out.
"Ok, sweetie," said Rinoa, handing Alexa to him.
As Squall held her, Alexa looked up at him, and he could have sworn he sensed a thought from the child. No...more of a feeling.
What is this place? It's so new. Will you protect me?
Squall looked into her little blue eyes and smiled.
I'll always protect you, he replied.