Ahhh, hell. There I go passing judgment when I don't deserve to be.
No matter what, Micala's made me proud. I always thought that I'd get a phone call one day telling me that she wouldn't be coming home. I dreaded that day, you know. But then, it is pretty hard to kill an Almasy. We're like cockroaches - we just don't die. She's a tough one anyway, and I always knew, if one day she were to meet her unfortunate end, it wouldn't be without a fight. I guess she got that from her mother.
Her mother . . . .
I miss Quis more than anyone can know. I don't really let it show these days, but sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I expect to find her asleep next to me . . . it hurts to remember that she's gone. I know what you're thinking. The badass has gone soft. Well, I haven't. No, maybe I have. A man has to be a little bit soft around the heart if he's to have a wife and a family, for if not, he doesn't deserve one. My wife and my children are my heart, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. They were a gift, and I consider myself damned lucky to have had the chance to experience a normal life, for my destiny could have been far different than what it was. And I owe that to Quis.
So, it's snowing here in Balamb. The last time it snowed here was the day I returned to the island for the first time since the Second Sorceress War. I remember how delighted Quistis was to see it, though she was embarrassed to admit it. I guess you could say, the snow reminds me of her, and I suppose I'm feeling especially lonely today, even with what's left of my family around me.
My family? Well, they're doing great. A month after Micala married the Leonhart kid, she delivered a set of twins that are as different as night and day. They're almost three now, and Hyne help me if they don't remind me of Micala and Julian when they were that age. Aida Raine is exactly like Micala personality wise, but she's got the Leonhart traits . . . dark hair, blue eyes. You know what I'm talking about. Laguna Benjamin looks a lot like Julian did and he reminds me of an old man in a toddler's body. They're something else, I tell you.
I consider Squall and his daughter, Maia my family now, too. I don't know how that happened, or why, but it doesn't matter. We're all we have now, so we have to stick together, right? Squall and I were always friendly before, but now you might say we're pretty tight. No, we're not lovers or anything like that. Get that thought out of your heads right now, cause I don't swing that way. I'm just trying to say that we can relate to one another now. Maia on the other hand, I can't figure that girl out. I guess, given that she experienced the worst of it, I can understand why she's the way she is. Anyway, she's the only one that stayed a SeeD. She's gone a lot, and I think Squall misses her but she wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe it's too hard for her to be at home, and I can understand that, too.
I've come to respect Gabriel, not just as my son in law, but also as a business partner. That kid's a hard worker, and he's got a strong head on his shoulders. I couldn't have chosen a better match for Micala if I'd tried. I'm actually kind of proud to call him my son in law.
But back to Squall . . . I figured, after Rinoa died, he'd waste away in his grief. I figured she was the only thing keeping him afloat, but I was wrong about that. That guy's stronger than I thought. Somehow, he manages to keep going. That's not to say that he doesn't miss her, because he does, but he's like me. He doesn't care to show how much he really hurts, and I'd bet somewhere underneath it all, he's still mourning her, and he probably will until the day he dies. And you know what? I don't blame him.
So, onto my daughter.
Micala, she's changed. Some of that fire she used to have kind of . . . burned out after the incident, as I've come to call it. She never talks about it, not since that night she spilled the whole thing to me, but I know she thinks about it a lot, even if she's put away anything that reminds her of it. She got a bunch of awards and stuff for saving the world and all that, but she just packed them up in a trunk and forgot about them.
In fact, the only thing she saved from that time hangs on the wall in my living room. It's a front page news clipping that reads: ALMASY SAVES THE WORLD, and it shows a photo of the two of us on the sailboat. It's an old picture. I guess she was about eighteen or so in the photo. She had it framed a year or so ago and gave it to me as a gift.
Anyway, what I was saying before is that she's different now. There used to be this underlying current of rage that ran through her, kind of like I used to have. It makes me think that after a while, that fire burns itself out a bit. It was the same with me, and I guess it was about this same age that I calmed down a bit. Not to say that she's mellow now, because she's not. She's still pretty aggressive when it comes to certain things, and she still has that sarcastic wit that I've always loved about her. I guess you could say that she's grown up, and I don't think it was motherhood that forced her to. I think it was the incident. She had to kill someone she really cared about, and that did something to her, though she'll never admit it. But I can tell. I'm a man who's been there, so trust me when I say I can tell.
She's an instructor now. I don't remember what she teaches, but I guess that's not important. She doesn't take the job as seriously as Quis did, but I hear she's pretty popular with the students. Squall relies on her a lot, and though he can't make her Lt. Commander like he wants to, she still ends up filling the role more often than not. That little weasel Nida is about as ill suited to be a leader as Chicken-wuss is.
So....where does that leave us? Oh, yeah. The ghosts. For a while there, I thought Micala was nuts. Every now and then, I'd catch her on the patio talking when there was no one there. She said they came to visit her. Aida, Quis, Rinoa, all of them. I didn't believe it at first, but then I started noticing the little things, like the way the air shimmered next to her as she sat there talking to herself. Or the singsongy voice that woke me from sleep occasionally, the voice that sounded so much like Aida I nearly tore the house apart looking for her the first time I heard it. Sometimes, I even find a shark tooth stuffed into my coat pocket, when the night before I know I took everything out of the pocket. I had no choice but to believe Micala when she said they were all around is.
Frankly, that gives me the creeps.
That's where Micala is now, on the patio talking to Hyne knows who, in the middle of a blizzard. She's wrapped up in a thick blanket and the wind is strong enough to blow her away. I want to call her in, but I know she won't come until she's through with her conversation. I guess it doesn't matter. The kids are asleep, as are Gabriel and Squall. There's no one in here to take care of right now anyhow.
Well, I guess I've said just about all there is to say. Life is pretty damned good right now, and I'm one lucky bastard to have lived a full, happy life with the people I care about around me. For some reason, Hyne spared me when I should have been sent to the electric chair, and I'm grateful that I've been able to watch my children grow into adulthood, to see my grandchildren . . . .Oh fuck off. There's nothing wrong with me being sentimental. Just because I'm a mean bastard doesn't mean I can't appreciate what I have, you know.
So, I guess that's it. Micala's story ended right where it started.
Care to hear mine?
WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!
You don't know how glad I am that this is finished. So, if you want to read more, the Prequel is up, and it's titled "Take A Look At Me Now" Go, read. Now.
So, for all of you readers, a great big thank you for reading, and for all your positive words (and critiques).
Blessed Be.....
Sara