Author's Note: hehe... after I wrote that scene last chapter with Pierce, I felt like I had to go clean my brain out with a toothbrush because I had to get inside his head to write it. *shudders* I can't believe how much I hate one of my own characters. Anyways, I'm glad that everyone else seems to hate him, too. That makes me feel much better. And, now that I've finally finished my 7 page paper, and the final I have on Wednesday can't be studied for, that means I can devote this time to finishing this story. Aren't you guys happy?

So, this will probably be the last chapter and then I'll post an epilogue a couple days later with "thank you's" and acknowledgements.

Oh, and on another note, since Pierce has been so "well-received" as a bad guy, he may be gonna make it into my future writing endeavors. Just thought I would let y'all know so you can be on the lookout for him.

Note to pingpong867: As tempting as that offer is, I'm not going to take you up on it because good writing can't be forced and I don't want to force you to write anything. So, I'll let that offer slip by. However, if you want to offer me money, Squall, a car, etc, I'll be glad to take you up on it. ^_~

[Disclaimer: If you still need this after reading thus far, you really need some psychological help. Of course, I need the help as well considering that dream of owning Squall one day.]

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Chapter Ten

In the living room of the small house owned by Cloud and Aerith in the Third District, one Squall Leonheart searched under the coffee table and in the closet for his daughter. As soon as Yuffie had dropped them off there, Amaya had decided it would be fun to play 'hide-and-seek' with this man that they called her daddy. In the connecting dining room, the homeowners watched with amusement as Squall dropped to his knees to look into the small cabinet under the window, in hopes his daughter would be found there.

Aerith bit her lip to keep from laughing when she felt the child brush up against her legs under the table. "Fatherhood seems to agree with Leon, don't you think, Cloud?" she quietly asked her husband over the cup of steaming tea in her hands.

"Yeah, he's already fallen for Amaya. He's head over heels for her." He leaned over and looked down at the child sitting on his feet as she began to giggle. Putting a finger to his lips, the blonde motioned for her to be quiet, to which she immediately complied.

As Squall continued to search the living room, Aerith reached out and took Cloud's hand. "Cloud, let's have one," she whispered.

"Have one what?" the blonde questioned confusedly.

His wife looked at him with wonder at his cluelessness. "A baby, silly." Unfortunately for Aerith, she said this just as Cloud took a sip of his tea, which he immediately sprayed across the table, covering his wife with the liquid. Glaring at him as she wiped the slightly warm substance off her face, she said, "I didn't find it funny, Cloud."

"Oh, you were serious?" Bewilderment was written across the blonde's features. He knew that his wife loved children and loved Amaya like she was her own, but he never realized that she wanted some of her own.

"Of course I was serious. I really--" She was interrupted when she saw Amaya sneaking out from underneath the table and heading for Squall, who had kneeled down in front of the open closet. "Oh, watch," she whispered excitedly as she pointed to the scene unfolding before them.

While Squall rifled through the pile of clothes in the closet that he thought his young daughter had hidden herself in, said young daughter had managed to creep up behind him. However, a small giggle erupted from her throat, signaling her presence to Squall, who pretended to ignore it and wait to see what Amaya would do.

Just as the front door to the house opened, Amaya launched herself onto her father's back, wrapping her small arms around his neck. Squall laughed as he stood up, reaching around his back to support her and prevent her from falling. A glance at the figure who walked through the door quickly stifled his laughter as he saw her distraught expression. "Yuffie, what's wrong?" he asked concernedly.

Shaking her head and running a hand through her hair, she forced a smile on her face. "I'll tell you later." She gestured towards the child giggling and hanging onto his back. "So, what's going on?"

"Yuf, I think I have a monkey on my back." He slowly lowered himself back to the ground so Amaya could slide off.

"Not as big as the monkey on my back," Yuffie muttered under her breath, hoping no one had heard her. Sure, she was going to tell them what had transpired between her and Pierce, but not right now. Not in front of Amaya. Bending over, she helped her daughter off of Squall's back. "So, Amaya, what have you been doing? Have you been having fun?" she asked as she squatted down on the floor to be level with the child.

Amaya nodded her head vigorously. "We play hide-n-seek, Mommy. And I's a good hider." Yuffie hugged her daughter tightly and picked her up, carrying her over to wear Aerith was wiping the sprayed tea off the table.

"Aerith, I need you to watch Amaya for a few minutes while I talk to Squall in the back room, okay?" She handed the child across to her friend. "We won't be long," she added.

"Don't worry about it, Yufs. You know I love children," Aerith said as she put the wash cloth down and hugged the child, giving Cloud a knowing look.

"Thanks, Aerith." Yuffie walked back into the living room and grabbed Squall's hand, dragging him to the back of the house. When they reached the spare bedroom, Yuffie shut the door behind her and let a strangled sob escape her throat as she sat on the bed.

Kneeling in front of her, Squall held her hands. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Yuffie?" he inquired gently as he wiped a few of her tears away. "I can't help you if you don't tell me," he prodded at her continued silence.

Sighing, Yuffie raised her red-rimmed eyes to look at him. "It's Pierce. He's going to try and take Amaya away from me." Another sob erupted from her as she leaned forward and fell into Squall's arms.

"Yuffie, is that what you're upset about?" Squall rubbed her back soothingly, confused at the Italian's threat and his lover's fear. "He can't do anything, Yuf. He's not her father. Only a parent can do that," he murmured into her hair.

"Squall, he broke into the hospital records room or something. He has a copy of the birth certificate with his name as the father." She buried her head further into the crook of his neck at his sharp intake of breathe. "He said that unless I marry him, he's gonna try and get custody of her."

"That bastard!" Squall growled, tightening his grip on Yuffie as he pulled her up and sat her back on the bed. He felt another wave of tears from her wet his already damp shirt. "Yuffie, I won't let him get her. You know that." Gently kissing her hair, he desperately tried to think of anything that would prevent Pierce from getting Amaya.

"I don't know what to do, Squall. He has the birth certificate and he can afford the best lawyers in town. And..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about the other thing he had told her.

Realizing she was holding something back, Squall raised his eyebrows. "And what?"

"He said I'm an unfit mother," she said quietly, refusing to meet the penetrating blue gaze of Squall. "He saw us last night, and he's going to use it against me," she finished lamely.

"Yuffie, look at me," he commanded, lifting her head by the chin, forcing her indigo eyes to meet azure. "You are not an unfit mother. You have done more for Amaya than I thought one person could do for another. And I will not let that son of a bitch take her from you." Or take you from me, he finished in his head. Rising, he pulled her up with him and carefully wiped away the remaining tears on her face. "Come on. We have to tell Cloud and Aerith what's going on and see if they can help."

She nodded mutely and followed him out the door, desperately clinging to his hand. Amaya met them in the hallway and immediately noticed her mother's tear stained face. "Mommy, whas wrong?" she asked as she tugged on Yuffie's pants leg.

Yuffie bit the inside of her cheek, silently debating on whether to explain to the young girl what was going on around her, finally coming to the conclusion that Amaya did need to know a little bit so she would understand why Pierce wouldn't be coming around anymore. "Well, honey, you remember Mr. Pierce?" Amaya nodded, her expression becoming confused. "He wants to make people think that he's your daddy and we both know that's not true."

Amaya wrinkled her tiny eyebrows in thought. "I's gots a daddy alweady," she said as she ran over to Squall's legs and hugged them. "Dis my daddy." She looked up at Squall and released a big smile, revealing all her baby teeth in the process.

While Yuffie wiped away a few happy tears and smiled, Squall knelt down and picked the girl up. "And I'm glad to be your daddy, too," he told the child as he hugged her tightly while they walked into the dining room where Cloud and Aerith appeared to be in an argument.

"We've been married three years, Cloud. I think it's time we started a fam--" the flower girl stopped when she saw Yuffie and Squall standing in the doorway, watching them. "Oh, hi," she called as she blushed.

Yuffie decided to get right to the point. "Aerith, Cloud," she started, looking at the couple, "Pierce weaseled his way into the records office and forged a copy of Amaya's birth certificate with his name on it."

Blinking in shock a few times, Aerith's hand flew to her mouth to cover it while she let out a gasp. "Wha- How? Why? Huh?"

"I think what my wife wants to know is what is his motivation for doing this?" Cloud finally asked after sensing Aerith's speechlessness.

Bowing her head, the ninja explained the rest of the situation to them. "He threatened that if I don't marry him, he'll," she glanced at the child in Squall's arms, "T-A-K-E A-M-A-Y-A A-W-A-Y," she spelled out to prevent the child from becoming further distressed.

"But we're not going to let that happen," Squall added as he shifted his hold on his daughter, who was rapidly falling asleep.

"No, of course not," Aerith agreed as she found herself able to speak again. They all thought in silence for a moment, trying to think of something that would save them. Finally, Aerith let out a short laugh. "Yuffie, we have the original birth certificate," she said triumphantly.

Yuffie ran across the room and grabbed the flower girl's shoulders, shaking her. "Where is it, Aerith? Where did we put it?" she demanded, feeling a warm hand pulling her away.

"Calm down, Yuf," Cloud muttered as he pulled the ninja away from his wife. "Look, you and Aerith can look for it while Squall and I attend to... other matters." The blonde gave them a cryptic glance that was lost on them, yet recognized by Squall.

Yuffie clutched the pink-clad lady's hand and dragged her towards the back of the house. "Where did you put it, Aerith? I know that you have it somewhere because we both know that I would've lost it if I had kept it."

"Yuffie?" Squall called from the living room.

Releasing her friend, the ninja ran into back to him. "Hm?"

"Here, you keep Amaya. I don't think you want her going with Cloud and I." He passed the now sleeping child to her mother. "Don't worry. We'll be fine," he added at Yuffie's concerned look.

"Just don't do anything that I wouldn't do, okay?"

Squall raised his eyebrows and nodded before leaving the house with Cloud.

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Leaving the Maradei restaurant, Pierce strolled into around the Second District, knowing it would only be a matter of hours before Yuffie conceded to his threat. But, something nagging in the back of his mind told him that he hadn't looked at the matter from all possible angles. What if she found a way to get around his threat? Shaking his head, he muttered, "the bitch is too stupid to figure anything out. Besides," he continued, completely sure of himself, "there is no way out."

Lost in his thoughts, he never saw the two figures approaching him until they pulled him into one of the darkened alleys between the buildings. One of the figures grabbed his silk shirt and slammed him against the brick wall. "Do you have fun threatening people?" the man in front of Pierce demanded.

Squinting in the low light, Pierce thought he recognized the man as the one who had interrupted his wedding and broke his nose the day before. "Oh, the bastard has come to protect his whore," Pierce said as a smirk came across his face.

Squall slammed him against the wall again, making sure his head bounced on it. "This bastard is going to make you wish you had some protection when he gets through with you," he growled as his eyes narrowed.

Cloud stepped into the dim light, allowing Pierce to see him. "You know, Maradei, I never did like you, but I put up with you for Yuffie's sake, who I consider my sister. And, now that you're threatening her, I will defend her."

"You don't have the guts to hurt me, Strife. You know that my family owns this town," Pierce stated smugly. "All I have to do is snap my fingers and both of you will be thrown in jail and then no one will be able to protect the bitch."

"You can't snap your fingers if you're dead." Squall started to pick the man up, but stopped when he felt a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Squall, someone's coming," Cloud muttered as he pried his friend away from the Italian.

Glancing over his shoulder, Squall saw Yuffie walking through the district as though she were looking for someone. In her hands, he saw a piece of paper. Smiling, he called her over. "Yuf, come here."

Startled, she turned her head in his direction to see him waving her over, not noticing that Pierce was still cringing in the shadows. "I found it!" she exclaimed as she ran over. "It was in the back of Aerith's closet, but I found." She waved the paper around triumphantly, but stopped when she saw Pierce.

"Ah, Yuffie. So nice of you to join us," he muttered sarcastically. Squall grabbed his shirt again with the silent threat to throw him against the wall again.

"Pierce, you pompous asshole. You thought you were so smart, didn't you? Thought you had all the angles covered, didn't you?" Yuffie actually smiled while saying this, the thrill of finding Amaya's original birth certificate filling her with joy. "Well, guess what, you stupid prick? You forgot about this." She shoved the paper in his face.

Pierce simply rolled his eyes. "And, what, my dear, makes you think the judges will believe that's the original? You forget that I do own this town."

Cloud and Squall stood in silence, knowing this was something Yuffie had to do. Yuffie stood in front of Pierce, her eyes narrowed. "Because, you asshole, it has her footprints on it. I don't remember seeing any footprints on the copy you had."

Eyes widening at his stupidity, Pierce tried to think of something to say. "Not so cocky now, are we?" Squall taunted as he released his hold on the shirt.

Watching the three of them leave, Pierce felt something snap inside of him. "You'll regret this, Yuffie. He's just going to leave you like he did before. You're nothing more than his whore," he yelled at their retreating backs.

They stopped, Squall beginning to approach him, but restrained by Yuffie. "No, Squall. He's mine." Stepping up in front of Pierce, she glared at him. "You know, I don't know what I ever saw in you. And, you're wrong. I'm not going to regret anything." With that, she backed up a little bit, then suddenly leapt at him, effectively kicking him in the groin. Standing over him as he groaned in pain, she smiled before turning back to Cloud and Squall.

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"Hey, Squall," Yuffie called as she ran into the waterway where he was sitting in the cool darkness of the cavern. She stopped right in front of him, dropping to the ground and sitting indian style. "Guess what I just found out today?" she asked excitedly.

"What?"

She started to giggle. "Well, remember how I kicked Pierce in the groin last week?" He nodded, prompting her to continue. "Aerith found out at the infirmary that he's not going to be enjoying himself with the ladies anymore."

Squall joined in her laughter before standing up and pulling her up with him. "Let's go for a walk, Yuf," he whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Yuffie looked up at him curiously. "Okay, Squall." They left the waterway in silence through Merlin's house, which had been abandoned when the wizard had returned to his world after Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts. "So, is something on your mind?" the ninja asked, not being able to stand the silence anymore as they stood in the abandoned house.

"You might say that." He turned so that he was facing her and dropped onto one knee, causing Yuffie to gasp. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small black velvet box. He stared up at her, seeing the tears forming in her eyes as she covered her mouth. "Yuffie, will you marry me?" he asked as he opened the box, revealing a silver band with a single emerald.

Dropping down to the ground, she hugged him. "Of course I will," she murmured before kissing him.

"Good." Squall lifted the ring out of the box and gently took her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger. "I love you, Yuffie."

Yuffie held her hand out, admiring the ring. "I love you, too, Squall."

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Author's Note: Yeah, I know. It's a big sapfest. But, what can I say? I love the sap. Anyways, I'll have an epilogue up soon. I want to wait at least 24 hours before I post it so you guys have a chance to review. Speaking of which, now that you've read the chapter, maybe you should review.