Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8.....Square does, yada yada. Thanks to those who read and reviewed chapter 1! Here's chapter 2!!!!

Chapter 2: Commander Zell

Zell looked out the window of Squalls office. He had never been more excited then he had been in last few hours. He still couldn't believe that for one whole week he would be the commander for the entire Garden. He sat down at Squall's desk putting his feet up.

"Ok, lets see...what to do...what to do..." Zell looked up as Quistis and Xu entered.

"You do know this isn't going to be some walk in the park don't you Zell?" said Xu. Zell shurgged.

"How hard can it be really? I mean if Squall has faith in me that I can do this, It's probably a cake walk."

"Zell...do you see that stack of papers your feet are on?"

"Yeah, that's the out pile"

"No...the near empty one is the out pile...that's some of today's paperwork," said Quistis, moving Zells feet off the stack as Xu put a couple of more pieces into the pile, "and we got more coming."

"Your kidding!"

"Afraid not Zell...and we also have to go over your schedule for the day. Now at eleven you and I have to meet the Headmaster for a briefing on the upcoming meeting with some new investors, then we have another meeting at two-thirty this time with the Headmaster and all the SeeD's about the upcoming SeeD exams, you'll also have to meet with Selphie sometime to go over plans for this years Garden Festival, tomorrow you have a meeting with President Loire of Esthar about the new Esthar Gardens, you also have to have a video meeting with the headmaster of Trabia Gardens about its reconstruction...ditto for Galbadia Garden" Xu stated. Zell laid back in the chair and went totally limp

"I gotta do all that? Oh well, shouldn't take all week."

"Um Zell...that's just the thing's Cid's classified as super-duper important" said Quistis with a small worried sounding laugh.

"...Super....Duper Important? Who in the hell says Super Duper!?"

"Cid, it's his favorite word."

At this moment, Selpie walked in, almost collapsing under the stack of papers she was carrying in. With some help from Xu and Quistis she laid the stack on the in pile stack.

"What the hell is all that?"

"Those just came in and need your approval....but anything on top of the red slip is all things I need for the Garden Festival," Selphie chirped. Zell smiled, grabbed the stack on top of the red slip, grabbed the "Apporved" stamp and without a second thought approved everyone of Selphie's request. Selphie grabbed the stack back, thanking Zell a million times before she finally left the office. Quistis and Xu just shook their heads.

"What?"

"Zell, you can't just approve something without looking it over."

"But why not Xu?" questioned Zell.

"Because it's reckless, you have no idea what she asked for, or how much it's going to cost."

"Ahh you worry to much, besides it's for the Garden Festival, and you know even though Selphie can be...well hyperactive all of the time, I doubt she would do anything illegal or expensive."

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Selphie giggled as she walked back to her dorms. She never thought in a million years she could have a Garden Festival like this...a month long spectacular starting this week with Irvines idea...one humongous kegger that would go down in Garden History! She couldn't wait to tell Irvine.

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Xu smacked Zell on the back of the head...he had almost fallen asleep for the third time during the meeting...of course Cid was ranting about how Rinoa almost ripped off his hair and that his beloved pickle jar had been switched from dill pickles to un pickled cucumbers, which was actually Xu herself. Finally after three hours Cid got down to business, which took less then half an hour. Zell staggered out of Cid's office, with Xu right behind him. He had thirty minutes left to get something to eat 'which means the hotdogs are probably all sold out...again...oh, well maybe I can get like some kind of sandwich. 'Wait a minute,' he thought 'I'm the commander...I get whatever I want to eat!' And with that thought, Zell rushed back to the Commanders office, grabbed the phone and begun to dial franticly.

"Hello, Balamb Garden Cafeteria"

"Uh...Hi, this is Commander Zell...I need ten hotdogs sent up to my office ASAP!"

"Sorry Commander, we're all out of Hotdogs today."

"Ooooh Man!...Ok, I'm the Commander right...can I like...reserve meals?"

"Well, I believe so..."

"Good! I reserve ten hotdogs everyday while I am in charge!"

"...."

"For the meantime...send me up a sandwich with a bottle of water!"

"Yes sir.."

"Thank ya"

Zell smiled. He would finally have all the hotdogs he could eat and without standing in line! He looked over at the stack of papers on the in side. He groaned and his eyes drifted over too the two stamps: approve and disapprove. He knew he shouldn't...but, after looking at the first paper, an order form for 50 jar's of dill pickles, he made up his mind...and with lightning fast speed, Zell cut threw half the stack on the pile in a fury of approve and disapprove.

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"Oh Squally, look at the view!" squeaked Rinoa as she looked out their hotel rooms window at water moving in and out of the shores of Dollet. Squall just started unpacking his things, with a million things running threw his mind 'God that fish on the Timber to Deling City train was nasty...I wonder if the Garden's ok, yeah Zell would take care of it...I wonder if Cid ever found out Xu switched his pickels...I hope Selphie's taking care of Angelo...Did Rinoa call me Squally?....Is that a waterbed?'

"Squall?"

"Hmm?"

"Come on, look at the view..."

"...why"

"Because it's beautiful..." Squall sighed and joined Rinoa out the window.

"It's just water on a beach"

"But the way the sun set is reflecting off the waves...its beautiful." Squall rolled his eyes 'Of all the stupid things...its just water...' he turned to looked at her and saw the reflection of the sun set reflecting on the water in her brown eyes 'oh...wow...I never seen anything like that before'

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"huh?"

"I said isn't it beautiful?" questioned Rinoa. She turned to see Squall starring out her. Without warning he grabbed her and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She giggled and looked up at him. He was smiling, something she had only seen him do once.

"No Rinoa...your beautiful."

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Zell climbed into bed. Sure he had about like a ton of paper work left, but he figured he could do it tomorrow, besides what could happen if he didn't finish it all in one night...little did he know...

Thats it for Chapter 2....RR!!!! Up Next, The Problems start!