Disclaimer: Sadly, I'm only in grade 10 so I am not yet of legal age to own anything as big as FF8.
Chapter Thirteen
'And yet my sad, pathetic life still goes on …' She thought bitterly, trying to blink back tears that were stinging her eyes. 'You'd think that maybe Hyne would have pity on me and just kill me but no … I'm still very much alive.'
She took in a deep breath, making sure to control her emotions. She knew there was no risk of being seen. The kids had returned but it was now well past midnight and they had been put to bed. But even by herself, alone in the safety of her bedroom she didn't trust herself to cry.
'He's probably gone some where else now … on another mission maybe.' She thought sadly, fixating at a wall in the darkness of her room, ' … Maybe he's with Quistis …' And suddenly her veins bubbled with new found jealousy and rage, 'Damn it, if he is I'm going to … I don't know what I'm going to do … but it'll be painful …'
She began to breath deeply as if it would help calm her anxious spirit. 'Forget it … it's not even worth it. It doesn't matter if I … like him … maybe a little … ok, maybe I love him. We're always fighting; it's … better if we're apart. For hell's sake, even my mom knew we had fought again when she brought back the kids.'
"Whew, smells like fresh blood on the still raging battlefield …" She smirked at her daughter proudly. "Is it what I think it is?"
"Mom, I appreciate what you've done but please get the hell out of my house." She had replied through gritted teeth.
"Well, if I call and the phone lines are disconnected again then I'll know everything turned out fine."
"Get out …" Rinoa had hissed back.
"But he's only been back for three days, that's a new record."
"I said get out!"
'God, I'm such a bitch …' She thought, 'What the hell is wrong with me … maybe I need anger management therapy.' Her frown became deeper and she said aloud, "Anger management my ass …"
"Mommy?" The tiny voice made startled Rinoa so she completely fell off the bed and yelped in pain, "Are you ok?" Riana reached for the switch and triumphantly, light spewed forth over the room.
Rinoa groaned in pain and got back up onto the bed, "Riana … what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep." The young girl replied simply and came to sit next to her mother on the bed. "Mommy, you haven't even changed into your pajamas … were you going to go to sleep with all your clothes on like that?"
"No … I was just thinking." Rinoa replied hastily.
The sweet, innocent girl cocked her head to one side, "About daddy?"
"Ye- NO! Why the hell would I be thinking about him?" Rinoa snapped back, "I mean … why would I be thinking about him …?" She corrected herself, omitting the 'hell'.
"You fought with him … huh?" Riana asked watching Angelo enter the room cautiously.
"Yes." Rinoa replied and then added, "What's he doing in my room?" She eyed Angelo with an arched eyebrow. 'If he makes a mess I swear he'll end up like Squall …' She thought, looking at the dog suspiciously.
"He follows me around …" She replied, "Why did you guys fight?"
"You know, you guys should have gotten a parakeet or maybe goldfish because if that dog craps in my room I swear I'm going to-"
"You're trying to change the subject." Riana said abruptly, "You usually do that when I'm trying to talk to you about something." Rinoa was ignorant of the fact that the pouting look on her daughter's face was identical to her own.
"I'm sorry, honey … but I really don't want to talk about this." Her voice sounded exhausted and drained of power, even to herself.
"But mommy … will he come back soon?" The little girl picked up the puppy and petted him in her lap, "I like having daddy around the house …"
"I don't know. Maybe he's gone on another mis-" She cut herself off abruptly, "Maybe he's gone to work again."
The little girl didn't seem to notice her mother's hesitance to discuss her father's work, "What does daddy do?"
"He … works for the government." Rinoa answered. 'It's not quite the truth but it's not quite a lie.' She reminded her guilty spirit.
Riana was silent for a moment, not really pondering about her father's work but rather about something else, "Mommy?" She asked quietly.
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?" Riana asked, scratching Angelo behind the ear, looking at her mother innocently. "And Alex? And grand-ma and grand-pa?"
Rinoa was silent for a moment as if to answer these questions was a painful task to her, "Yeah, I love you a lot. I love Alex too, very much. And grand-pa and grand-ma too."
The little girl smiled and pet the dog once more, "How about daddy? You love him a lot too?"
Rinoa froze slightly, not really knowing what to answer and then finally, "Yes … I love him very much and I think … I think that I always will no matter how much it's painful." She felt her eyes stinging again, 'Oh for fuck's sake, cut the water works!' She mentally cursed.
Riana's smile seemed to grow even bigger, "So you love everybody! You love me and Alessandro and grand-ma and grand-pa. But you love daddy most … right?"
"No … I … I love you all equally." Rinoa replied, 'That sounded lame … like something that just came out of Barney! What am I doing?'
"But daddy's special. Because you only have one of him. Alex and I are both your kids and you've got two parents. But you've only got one Squall Leonheart!" She said gleefully, "It's special … right?"
"Yeah …" She stroked her daughter's hair, "It might be special but that doesn't mean I love him more …"
"But … you forgive everyone, mommy. You forgave me for making a mess out of my room, once … remember? And you forgave Alex plenty of times for not doing his homework! And you forgave grand-ma for bugging you so much and grand-pa for being so mean to daddy sometimes … so you're going to forgive daddy for whatever he did … right?"
Rinoa felt her eyes overflowing so she put one hand to her face to catch the tears and her daughter went on, "I mean … maybe daddy did something really bad and that's why you got mad at him but even if he did … he's special … in your heart … right?"
"Hyne, I love you!" Rinoa suddenly blurted out, hugging her daughter tightly, "I love you so much. Alex too … daddy too …" Tears streaming from her eyes.
"I love you too, mommy …" Riana replied hugging back, feeling tears in her little eyes as well, "Please don't cry …"
***
At the time of Rinoa's tears, Arckroyde sat leisurely in his office on the top floor of the agency head quarters. Seifer had left for some coffee and was due to return in some few moments. Quistis sat rigidly in her armchair, waiting for some sort of activity.
"You know, he is due to come soon … do not fret so." Ackroyde said, he was fed up of her stony faced look. "We will each have what we want. You will have Squall, Seifer will have revenge and I … I will have security."
Quistis jumped slightly at Ackroyde's words, "Sir? What do you mean by security? Rinoa poses a threat to you?"
"Squall and Rinoa together pose a threat to me. Apart they are nothing." He snarled back,
"Did I never tell you the great legacy of Squall and Rinoa?" His words were
stung with sarcasm and scarred by hatred.
"No sir …" Quistis answered politely.
"Oh, they were brilliant agents. Together they were quite unstoppable. At the young age of 18 they had already completed over three hundred twenty one successful missions. All … successful … missions." He spat, "Too many missions … too many secrets engraved in their minds … and the one mission they were set out to fail … once again a success."
"What do you mean? The one mission … they were set out to fail?" Quistis suddenly became quite curious.
"Never mind! God, get me some tea! Now!" He barked.
***
Squall downed another shot of liquor and slammed his glass back on the bar counter top. "Another one." He ordered the bartender. The place was empty except for a few men playing pool and eyeing a beautiful redhead at a table by her lonesome.
"You planning on getting drunk?" The bartender asked Squall.
Still quite sober, he stared back, "Listen buddy, that's my business."
"A little lady let you down, son?" The bartender filled another shot glass, which Squall immediately drank.
"No." Squall snapped back, "Give me the strongest shit you have."
"You understand the Jim's Pub isn't responsible for any intoxication you may encounter and that Jim himself had nothing to do with this?"
"You're Jim right?" Squall asked suddenly, "Then give me my fucking drink!"
The redhead quietly made her way next to Squall and sat down next to him, "Hey there … handsome."
"Hi." Squall answered curtly and downed another shot glass that the bartender had given him.
"So what's your name?"
"My name's Fuck Off … and I bet yours is HIV." Squall answered annoyed, "Give me another, Jim …"
The redhead didn't seem so fazed, "My name is Ginger …"
"Run, run as fast as you can … watch out for her, she's a Gingerbread … man …" He muttered under his breath, downing yet another drink.
"Excuse me?" The woman raised her eyebrow.
"I didn't say anything." Squall replied snappishly and looked at the bartender, "Give me a beer. Maybe vodka … and lots of tequila …whatever you have I'll drink it as long as it's alcohol."
Ginger began stroking the inside of his thigh as he made his order and Squall was still sober enough to realize, 'What the fuck! No one has ever touched me there except Rinoa … and she's my wife! What the … get her off!' And suddenly, words took shape, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He got off the stool, making the men at the pool table whirl around to look.
"What's it look like I'm doing?" She asked licking her lips.
"Invading personal space!" He snapped back, grabbed his jacket and left the bar without his task being accomplished: getting absolutely wasted.
'Great, now what the fuck am I going to do?' He thought angrily behind the wheel of his car, 'She won't want me back home … great, one place left … the fucking agency. Just to piss her off … to goddamn let her run around in freaking rage like a rat! Make my own decisions? Fine … I choose the agency!'
It took a minute to realize what had crossed his mind, 'I promised her I'd quit the agency! I promised her … I'd be a good husband and father. I've promised her so many goddamn things … fine … last trip to the agency … to quit this fucking job.'
He fumbled for his keys and headed towards the agency.
Sabam: Hello again. I've started school once more so updates will take place on Fridays or Saturdays. You shall still receive notifications when the chapters will be posted so fret not. Please continue to review, your words mean so much to me.