My Son's Wedding
Chapter Two: Father of the Groom
By PasifikStar

Author's Note: The library girl will be named Shizuka here, as in "Drifted" because I like the name. :) It means 'quiet'. Anyway, I'm not too happy with this chapter...I hope they'll get better. Sorry, I'm so drained. -_- I wanted it to be funny, but it's not...it's just serious.

* All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters.


The Garden was marvelously decorated and the usually bland quad had been lined with fold out white chairs, neatly put into rows on either side of a white rug that stretched from the trellis decorated hall to the altar. There, an accredited priest stood in full white and gold garb underneath a gazebo where vines coiled upwards to the sky.

He stood there nervously. His white gloves were being wrinkled as his hands played with them. *What was there to be nervous about?* he asked himself for the billionth time as he stood there. *She'll say yes! What else can she say?*

Then the tell tale music started. She didn't want the typical 'Here Comes the Bride', but opted for the 'Canon in B' played by the Garden's string quartet. At once, everyone stood up and turned to the back, towards the hall.

There stood a tall, proud man dressed in the stiff formal uniform of a Galbadian General. And on his arm, contrasting his perfect rigidness, was Rinoa. The white gown flowed around her body as she took little steps towards him. The corners of his lips rose in a smile as his heart began to beat just like they did the first time he laid eyes on her.

A white veil shielded her face, but he could tell she was smiling uncontrollably beneath it. In her hands was a long bouquet of white roses. Squall nervously looked across the altar at Quistis, Selphie, Xu, and Fujin, Rinoa's designated wedding court. Selphie was the maid of honor and was sniffling joyfully. They wore different styled gorgeous baby blue gowns, each highlighting their figure well, yet not coming close to Rinoa's glorious beauty that day.

Squall looked over his shoulder to Zell, Irvine, Seifer, and Raijin, all dressed in black tuxedos with light blue dyed white roses on their breast pocket. Squall was dressed in white with a white one on his. He turned his blue eyes back to the woman who was now standing before him. The General handed him her hand, giving him one last look of warning before sitting down on the bride's side.

Squall held Rinoa's hand in his and slowly they turned to face the priest. He gave her a soft smile that would've melted the heart of any woman. Beneath her sheer white veil she flushed and squeezed his hand as they took a step closer to the priest.

The old man opened his mouth. "We are-"

"Squall!" a voice shouted suddenly. Gasps went through the guests as Rinoa and Squall slowly turned around. Humiliation filled Squall as he saw Laguna run through, wearing a tacky powder blue tuxedo, complete with ruffles. He was running down the aisle, moving the carefully placed carpet as he did so.

Squall felt himself twitching as he struggled not to scream at his old man. "Is that President Loire?" someone whispered amongst the crowd.

"Yes, he's Captain Leonhart's father."

"No!"

"How embarrassing!"

"The man is a walking klutz!"

The words echoed through the guests as Laguna ran to his seat at the front row. Ellone was waiting for him, but her eyes went wide. "Uncle, watch out!" she gasped.

It was two late. Laguna had tripped over one of the chairs and lunged forward. His arms flew up to grab something and the first thing he grabbed as he fell was the length of Rinoa's wedding gown.

"AH!" Rinoa screamed as she was knocked down. Squall grabbed her, but stumbled forward, knocking over the priest. The priest yelled and fell backwards, knocking over the gazebo, which sent the wedding court running around like mice.

Selphie fell against the wedding cake, Quistis and Fujin tumbled back against the piles of presents. The men had rushed to help the women up, but the damage had been done. Her wedding gazebo and priest knocked down, her brides maids fallen and stuck in cake, and her own wedding dress ripped off her very body, Rinoa stood up and glared at Squall. "This is all your fault!" she screamed.

She threw her bouquet at his face and Squall winced as it hit him. He watched as she ran crying to her father. "Rinoa!" he gasped out. "Rinoa, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!" he pleaded, horrified. But it was too late she was gone. He suddenly seemed alone, in a cold, dark room. And Rinoa's figure was no where to be seen.


"AH!" Squall's body stiffened as his eyes flew open. His body was covered in a cold sweat as he laid in bed, his eyes focused on the ceiling. His hands were clutching his blanket up to his chest for dear life. His breathing was shallow and he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

"Squall?" a quiet voice whispered next to him. He turned his head, remembering that Rinoa had been there. "Baby, what's wrong?" she asked in a sleepy voice. She was laying on her side and facing him with worried brown eyes.

"Nothing," he replied breathy. His arms immediately wrapped around her and he kissed her forehead softly. "Nothing's wrong..."

"Squall, you're shaking!" she gasped as she put her arms around him. She pulled herself closer to him and kissed his chin. "Are you sure you're all right? What's wrong?"

"Nothing...I'm fine," he insisted. "Just a bad dream."

"Oh no," Rinoa frowned. Her hand rose and ran through his sweaty hair, sweeping it out of his eyes. "Were the Shumis chasing you with butter knives again?" she asked sweetly.

Squall rolled his eyes as he detected the slight amusement in her voice. She was trying to lighten the mood, it seemed. *I never should've told her about that dream...* he thought to himself. "No, that's not it."

"Then what's wrong?" she asked.

"I dreamt that Laguna ruined our wedding." Squall said, his voice obviously bitter. Rinoa frowned and slowly stroked his biceps as she kissed him reassuringly.

"Squall, he's not going to ruin our wedding..." she assured him.

"You were so mad in my dream that you left me." he added in a weak voice. Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed and she cupped his face in her hands.

"Squall, I'm not going to leave you," she told him sternly. "No matter what happens. He could ruin our wedding. He could ruin a hundred weddings and I would still love you."

Squall still looked freaked out slightly and Rinoa pulled herself up a little bit. She put her arms around his head and rested his head against her breasts. Squall's arms wrapped around her slim waist as he listened to her heartbeat. It was so comforting. "I don't want to loose you..."

"I know," Rinoa said. She gently stroked Squall's head as she kissed it softly, over and over. "Laguna isn't going to ruin our wedding. I promise. I'll watch him carefully while he's helping me plan."

"Thank yo..." Squall's voice trailed off and his eyes flew open. His world suddenly came to a crashing halt. "What."

He felt Rinoa's body tense under his grasp as he tilted his head up and looked at her accusingly. "You... you said you wanted me to get help for the wedding and-"

"NOT HIM," Squall's voice was suddenly very serious. "It could be one of the girls, Irvine, even ZELL, but NOT HIM."

"He volunteered, Squall," Rinoa said. "And he was really enthusiastic about it. I couldn't tell him no."

"Then you should've called me! I would've told him no!" Squall said. He pulled away from her and sat up in bed. Rinoa frowned and sat up as well, the sheets falling to her waist.

"Squall, he called and asked. And he means well! What are you so afraid of!?"

"That...that..." Squall's mind raced to find an answer, but found that there was one that wouldn't be accepted. Plain and simple - he just didn't want his father there.

"Squall," Rinoa said. "He wants to do this for you," she assured him softly. "He wants to make it up never being there when you were little."

"By screwing up my wedding?" Squall asked sarcastically. Rinoa rolled her eyes.

"By trying to reconnect with his son, you big baby," Rinoa sighed. She looked over at the shelf on the wall and frowned. The red numbers flashed on the clock screen. "It's still five thirty, Squall. Go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep." he grumbled. He tossed the bed sheets over Rinoa and put his legs over the side of the bed.

Rinoa frowned. "Where are you going?" she asked, worried.

"For a walk," he mumbled. He grabbed his pants, which were lying around and stumbled in the dark as he put them on. He put his jacket over his white shirt and tugged it on tightly. "Later."

"Squall!" Rinoa gasped, worried about his sudden coldness towards her. The doors slid closed and the arm that had been reaching out for him fell to her side.

Outside, Squall shivered at the cold temperature in the hall way. His boots stomped along the dormitory for the senior faculty members. He felt some what betrayed by Rinoa. Although he knew he should've been used to it already. For one, Rinoa was always trying to get him to reconcile with his father. Or at least 'talk'. Why did women always insist on 'talking'?

He headed towards the back stairs and opened the door to the stair well. Just as he did, out tumbled a disshelved Selphie on top of a confused looking Irvine. Selphie was wearing Irvine's hat and she looked up, not sure what had just happened.

"It's five thirty," Squall stated simply as he stepped over the couple, which was scrambling up and dusting off their clothes. "Shouldn't you two be in a room?"

Irvine smirked lopsidedly. "Sorry, Squall. We didn't think anyone would use the stair well this late."

Squall merely raised an eyebrow before heading down the stairs. "Hey, where are you going this early!?" Selphie shouted after him.

"For a walk." he replied sternly. He walked down the stairs and opened the door to the first floor. Mentally, he made a note to warn the happy couple of the security cameras. He had Rinoa had been caught on them several times, which had resulted in a long lecture about the dangers of making out on the Garden roof from Cid.

He walked outside towards the quad and sat on one of the picnic benches. He put his feet on the bench as he sat on the table and looked out towards the town from the Garden. The cool wind blew through his hair and he zipped his jacket.

"Squall," a voice said nervously behind him. He turned and saw Rinoa walking towards him. She was still in her bunny patterned pajama pants and was wearing his navy SeeD sweatshirt. Her black flip flops made little sounds as she approached. Her face looked worried and slightly hesitant. "Squall, are you mad at me?"

He turned his head away and shook it slowly. "No..."

"I'm sorry, I should've told you," she said as she climbed upon the bench next to him. Squall watched as she brought her knees up to her chest and looked out in the direction he was facing. "But I just thought that it would be good for you to have something to do with your father."

"I don't HAVE to do anything with my fa...Laguna," Squall told her. "I'm perfectly fine as I am now."

Rinoa shook her head. "No, you're not," she said. She turned to look at him and frowned. "I just want you to be happy at our wedding, Squall. WITH your father there. If anything, let that be your wedding present to me. Just try...please."

Her brown eyes pleaded with him and Squall relented. He nodded slightly. "I'll do it for you."

"Thank you."

His arms wrapped around her smaller body and pulled her against him. She snuggled against his familiar leather jacket. Squall's head rested atop hers. "Do you really think that Laguna will do a good job?"

"I don't know," Rinoa said. "But I'm sure he'll be fine. He's the president of a country, after all," she smiled up at Squall as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. "He should be used to planning big things."


"Okay, everyone," Rinoa said as she stood in the library loft with her 'team'. Quistis sat next to Selphie and Xu on the couch while Fujin sat cross legged on the arm chair. Zell's girlfriend was pouring tea for everyone and on the couch next to Rinoa, across from Quistis and the others, was Laguna. He was sitting up straight, an overly cheerful smile on his face that seemed to mirror Selphie's when she was hyper. "Thanks to Dr. Kadowaki and my over protective fiancee, I'm afraid that I won't be able to have as much control over my wedding as I had hoped."

"Don't forget that we forced you into this, too," Quistis said. "You're not super woman."

"I know, I know," Rinoa nodded. "But at any rate, over the next few months before the wedding, I wanted to get everything organized. Thank you all for coming from your busy schedules today."

"Busy?" Fujin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Weekend."

"Well...yeah..." Rinoa looked around the room nervously. "Anyway, thanks. As we all know, I have several things I'm working on right now. The play, my books, and my wedding. I refuse to give up my writing, so I'm lessening my work on the other stuff. From now on, Selphie, my assistant director, will be doing most of the directorial work. I'll come once a week to see the progress."

"Hehehe..." Selphie smirked deviously. Quistis looked at her warily. She had gotten the lead in the play.

"Don't worry, Quistis, she's following all my pre-written notes," Rinoa said. "And Shizuka," she pointed to the library girl. "Will be doing the financial work. She'll be following my budget closely."

Shizuka nodded proudly. "Glad I could help."

"Quistis is taking on most of the sponsors and guest relations and will also be following my guidelines." Rinoa said. She turned to her side and pulled out several one inch binders filled with notes and dividers.

Xu's eyes went wide. "What are those!?" she gasped.

"Oh, the plans." Selphie said, having already dealt with Rinoa's seemingly uncharacteristic ability to create detailed plans. Rinoa began to hand them out. Each had the person's name on it with a light blue post-it.

Selphie opened her binder where the script had been divided and had copies of notes for every scene. Quistis opened her binder to find contacts, sponsor names, which included their families' names and personal information along to how they were contacted the first time. Shizuka opened out the budget and found laminated pieces of paper with immutable lists of costs and allowances.

Finally, Rinoa pulled out a large blue binder. "This is my wedding planning binder," Rinoa announced proudly. "Fujin, since you can drive, I would like to ask if you would be able to help me pick up things from town. I'll pay for gas of course."

"Affirmative." Fujin nodded.

"And Xu, I need you to help me research costs for flowers, invitations, the cake, and all that good stuff," Rinoa told her. She handed Xu a two page list of things she wanted to be looked up. "I've already found the numbers and addresses, I just need you to call them and set up times when I can see samples. What I want is written on it."

"Thanks..." Xu said. She looked down the list and whistled.

"Um..." Laguna piped quietly next to his future daughter in law. Everyone turned to look at him. "What can I do to help?"

"Ah! Dad," Rinoa said. She opened her binder. "You're going to be my personal wedding planner. Here you go," Rinoa put the opened binder on his lap. Quistis nearly choked on her tea. Xu patted her back and Fujin fumbled with the cracker she was nibbling on. "Everything you need to know is in this binder. Everything from the color scheme to the set up of the quad for the wedding procession."

Laguna nodded. "That's a lot..." he said. He looked over the divider tabs and read them out loud. "Colors, cake, invitations, music, caterers, rentals, brides maid dresses-"

"Wait a second," Quistis said as she removed her glasses. "You're putting Laguna in charge of our dresses?" She asked, as if Rinoa had lost her mind.

"He's assisting in organizing when we'll have fittings and stuff," Rinoa assured her, feeling the tension in the air rise. "Don't worry..."

"Don't worry, Rinoa!" Laguna said. "I'll read this thing front and back!"

"Great!" Rinoa said. "Hopefully, everything will go according to plan. I'd hate to turn bridezilla on you guys and cast Angel Wing." She joked. Everyone laughed, but it was more nervous than anything else.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job, Sir Laguna!" Selphie saluted him. "I look forward to working with you!"

"That's the spirit!" Rinoa cheered. "Now that the plans have been set. Let's go over the wedding details shall we? You all are my official wedding court. Um...except you, dad."

"What do I get to do?" Laguna asked.

Xu narrowed her eyes. *Hyne, I hope he wasn't hoping to be a brides maid...*

"You're the father of the groom," Rinoa said. "You...just kind of...um..." She looked at the others. "What WOULD he do?"

The other girls shrugged. "Umm...pay for the pre-wedding dinner?" Quistis suggested.

"Yes!" Laguna said, jumping at the chance to pay for something.

"No, no, no," Rinoa said, shaking her head. "Squall absolutely forbade any of our fathers to pay for anything." Laguna shrank back into his seat, obviously disappointed.

"Oh! I know!" Selphie said. "He can help plan Squall's bachelor party! Irvy's working on it right now."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. "Squall's having a bachelor party." she stated rather than asked. Selphie covered her mouth and Quistis ran her hand down her face.

"Uh...no?" Selphie offered. Rinoa shot up from her seat, a displeased look in her eyes.

"I'm going to have a talk to Irvine..." Rinoa smiled sweetly. "This meeting is dismissed! I'll see you all at dinner!"

She turned on her heel and headed towards the stairs. "Big trouble..." Fujin whistled aimlessly and Selphie smiled weakly.

"I guess I better find him before she does," Selphie sighed. "See everyone at dinner!" She called ran to the stairs and the other girls began to stand up.

"Um..." Laguna said nervously. "What can I do?" he said. The other girls all looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.

"Well..." Quistis said. "It's a weekend, sir...there isn't really anything TO do."

"Well, what are you girls doing?" Laguna asked innocently.

"Date with Seifer." Quistis reported.

"Dinner with Zell at his ma's house." Shizuka added.

"'Kill Bill'," Fujin said, referring to the movie she was going to watch. "With Raijin."

"Oh..." Laguna said. He paused for a moment and smiled. "Well, then I'll look for Squall!"


Squall was walking from his office when he turned the corner and saw a familiar long haired man walking towards him. His eyes went wide as he shot back around the corner and looked around nervously for a place to hide.

*Okay...breath...breath...I can't go back into my office...he'll find me for sure,* Squall thought as his blue eyes darted around. *The janitor's closet!*

Squall made a mad dash across the hall to the janitor's closet. He fumbled with his key card to unlock it. When it finally slid open, he dove inside and pasted himself against the corner by the door. The doors slid closed.

Laguna walked past the janitor's closet and frowned. *I could've sworn I saw Squall just a moment ago...I knew I should've called out for him,* he thought to himself. He looked forward and saw Squall's door. *Ah, maybe he's in there.*

The President of Esthar walked towards Squall's door. Squall's secretary was gone for the weekend. Laguna lifted his hand and knocked on the door. No one answered. Frowning, he tried to open it. It was locked.

Laguna tilted his head to the side, as if wondering why it was locked. Perhaps Squall wasn't in there? He took a step back and let out a yelp. He fell back wards, tripping over his foot. His arms flew out on either side of him. His hands caught something in the wall. It was a red and white lever. As he fell, he pulled it down.


*BEEP! BEEP!*

Rinoa looked up from where she had cornered Irvine in the quad. "What's that?" she said. All around the Garden, the warning lights were flashing. A loud, shrill beeping was echoing above the sounds of students yelling.

"Fire alarm!!" someone shouted. Rinoa looked around in awe as students darted around her, all heading for the nearest exit.

"Irvine, is that-"

"Yeah!" Irvine shouted. "Where's Selphie!?"

"Irvy! Rin!" Selphie's voice was barely heard over the commotion. Rinoa waved her hand to get the other brunette's attention.

"Selphie, is there a fire!?" Rinoa gasped.

"I don't know!" Selphie replied as she reached them. "It could be a drill! But I don't want to stick around and find out that it IS a fire!"

"It can't be a drill!" Irvine said as he looked around the quad, his eyes searching for any sign of smoke or flames within the area. "We would've been warned, right?"

"So it's REAL!?" Rinoa nearly shrieked.

"Let's get going!" Irvine shouted, not wanting to find out if it was or not. He grabbed Selphie's hand and Selphie grabbed Rinoa's and raced towards the exit along with a herd of students.

The entire Garden was practically shaking as the stampede emptied out into the surrounding fields. "Everyone, stay calm!" Quistis was heard shouting as he attempted to regain order. Despite her attempts, everyone was running every where trying to find their companions.

"Wait...what about Squall and Angelo!?" Rinoa gasped. They reached the field outside the garden where they had been instructed to go in case of a fire. Rinoa whirled around and was about to run back in when Irvine and Selphie held her back.

"Rinoa, they'll be fine!" Selphie said.

"Bark! Bark!" Rinoa's ears perked up at the familiar sound of the ONLY dog at the Garden.

"Angelo!!" she screamed out. The dog's barking could be heard above the crowd as Rinoa managed to pull her shoulders from Selphie and Irvine's grasp. "Here, girl! Come to mommy!"

Through a crowd of students, the dog shot out of the crowd. She was running towards the group and Selphie let out a sigh of relief. Rinoa's face flooded with joy. "See, if ANGELO could get out, then Squall could also." Irvine assured them.

"Has anyone seen Shizuka!?" Zell gasped as he ran past the trio as Rinoa knelt down and hugged her precious dog. "I can't find her anywhere!"

"I haven't seen her since I left our meeting..." Rinoa said. Zell looked absolutely panic stricken. His usually bright and lively eyes were darting around worriedly and he couldn't stand still.

Students and faculty were still running around them, all trying to find their friends and loved ones through the chaos. Small groups were forming as friends found friends and groups of friends found other groups of friends. "Quistis!" a familiar male voice shouted through the crowds.

The tall blond who was trying to direct students turned around and saw Seifer running towards her. The even taller blond had a worried expression his usually smug face as he caught her in his arms. "Seifer!" Quistis gasped as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She blushed furiously at his open sign of affection.

"Hyne, I was worried..." he breathed out with relief. He took a moment to relish the feeling of her in his arms. He buried his face in her long locks of golden hair before slowly releasing her. "What's going on? Do you know?"

Quistis shook her head. "I need to get all the students in order so we can make sure everyone is accounted for!" She gently pushed him away, but slipped her hand in his larger one, as if for reassurance.

"That's hard to do," Selphie said as she and Irvine began to help Quistis instruct students on where to stand. "Half the Garden went home for the weekend."

"Hyne..." Quistis said, running her hand down her face.

"Zell!" a voice shouted to their left. Zell immediately turned around, his face lighting up as he darted past them and cut through the crowd. They hadn't even seen the quiet library girl standing there until Zell rammed into her and hugged her tightly.

"Zell! Don't leave until we know what's going on!" Quistis shouted.

"Right!" Zell said, still clinging on to the pig tailed girl as she blushed.

Rinoa began to wander the crowds, her eyes searching for Squall with Angelo at her side. She began to make mental notes of the groupings. Cadets were with other cadets. Instructors were with instructors. SeeDs were helping everyone calm down. Fujin and Raijin were coming from the parking lot. Xu was running towards them. Nida was helping the other SeeDs.

Cid was trying was standing aside, waiting for the Balamb fire department and the Garden fire squad to show up. "It's probably not a fire!" Edea was telling the students. "But we're not sure! Stay in the designated evacuation areas!"

"You heard Matron!" Quistis was ordering. "Everyone stay within the designated areas!"

Rinoa began to run around the designated area. "Squall!" she shouted loud. "SQUALL!!" Her head turned from side to side, but she couldn't find the SeeD Captain anywhere. Her eyes squinted as she desperately called out his name. She couldn't see him or his fluff lined leather jacket any where.

"Have you seen Squall?" another voice was asking. She turned around and saw Laguna frantically asking some students. The students all shook their heads to tell him no and Laguna's face paled.

"Dad!" Rinoa shouted. The man turned around, looking confused and worried at the same time. He saw Rinoa and smiled slightly. "Dad, where's Squall!?"

Rinoa ran towards him and Laguna shook his head. "I don't know! I've asked all over and no one has seen him all day!" he said, his tone fearful. He hugged his future daughter in law tightly. "Have you seen him?"

"No!" Rinoa almost sobbed. She looked back at the suddenly foreboding looking building. "He can't still be in there!"


Through the thick door, Squall heard the fire alarm go off. His eyes narrowed. *We didn't schedule a fire alarm for this weekend...*

He went to the control panel on the door and pressed it. His eyes went wide. *This can't be happening!* The doors didn't open. He suddenly remembered that all rooms that stored chemicals would be automatically sealed off. Just in case there was an explosion or something. And despite the fact that the only chemicals in room where cleaning liquids, the doors were now completely shut off.

*Wait...there's an over ride code...what is it...?* Squall opened the control panel to look at the ten key pad within. "Five...five...eight...six...?" A red button flashed, meaning it wasn't the correct code. "Damn...five...five...eight...eight?" The red button flashed again and Squall swore.

Outside the alarms were sounding and he began to hear people rushing by the door. He stood up and pounded on the door. "HEY!" he shouted. *No use...reinforced doors in this floor...damn Cid for insisting on them!* He pounded some more, in vain, before finally stopping and just staring blankly at the door.

*This can't be happening...*


Rinoa was on the grass, in tears. "Where is he!?" she sobbed as Selphie sat down next to her and hugged her. Angelo was desperately trying to help her by nudging her head against Rinoa. Rinoa was hugging Angelo like she was a stuffed animal.

"Rinoa, it's okay! He's Squall! I'm sure he's fine." Selphie repeated as she hugged Rinoa.

Rinoa's line of vision was blurred by her tears as she sat there. Her body was shaking and Selphie and Irvine were trying to comfort her. The others were looking for Squall. Laguna was still wandering around, asking anyone and everyone if they had seen his son.

"Rinoa," Edea said as she rushed over. The young sorceress looked up at the dark haired woman. "Rinoa, we just spoke to the fire teams. It's a false alarm. Someone just pulled the alarm like it was a prank."

Rinoa's breathing was still shallow. "Are you SURE?" she sobbed out as she wiped her eyes. Edea nodded.

"He's all right. Even if he is still in the Garden, he's fine." Edea assured her.

Rinoa nodded. "Irvine, go tell the others that it's just a false alarm!" Selphie said. "I'll stay with Rin."

"Right." Irvine said as he stood up. He and Edea went to find SeeDs and tell them the situation.

"See, Rinoa? I told you it'll be all right," Selphie said weakly as Rinoa choked back another sob. "It's just a false alarm."

"But where is he?" Rinoa murmured tearfully. She looked around once more, although she knew she wouldn't see Squall anywhere. "We still have to find him."

"We can't go back inside until we're okayed to." Selphie told her.

"How long will that take?" Rinoa whimpered behind tears.

"Five minutes to thirty minutes," Selphie said. "It'll be all right."

Rinoa nodded. She looked down at Angelo. "Angelo, we go inside, go find daddy, okay?"

Angelo barked in response and Rinoa rubbed her head lovingly. Selphie sat down next to Rinoa, hoping that this even wouldn't cause the already stressed out bride to be more problems. She looked over at Rinoa. "Are you okay?"

Rinoa nodded. "I just want to find Squall..." She sniffled and looked back at the Garden. "Hyne, where IS he?"


Squall sat on the floor against the door. The fire alarm had died down several minutes ago. He didn't know how long he was in there. *This is all Laguna's fault,* he thought to himself. *If he wasn't coming to see me, I wouldn't have to hide in this damn closet.* Although deep down, he knew it could've been avoided had he choosen to accept seeing his father.

As he sat there, he heard faint scratching on the other side of the door. He sat up straight and narrowed his eyes. The scratching continued until he heard a faint bark right behind the door. "Angelo!?" he gasped.

Squall stood up and pounded on the door. "Is he in there!?" a familiar female voice shouted. The barking grew more and more excited. He heard more muffled voices.

"Hold on! I'll open it!" another female voice ordered. Squall waited, assuming that they were punching in the over ride code in the emergency control panel next to the door. Suddenly, there was a gush of air and the door opened.

Squall's blue eyes closed as he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the light that flooded the dark closet from the hall way. "Squall!"

The next thing he knew, Rinoa had run into his chest, her arms around his waist as she held him tightly. "Rinoa?" he asked. He blinked and put his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head before looking back at the others. "The hell happened?" he snapped.

"Someone pulled the fire alarm," Quistis said as Selphie stood next to her with a sigh of relief. "It was a prank or something."

Squall's eyes narrowed as he slowly pried his fiancee off of him so that they could leave the closet. "Do you know who?"

"The fire squad is tracing the alarm that was pulled," Irvine said. The cowboy looked at Squall strangely. "What were you doing in the closet?"

Seifer was about to say something smug when Quistis pinched his arm tightly. He winced and turned to her with a glare. She merely shook her head disapprovingly and he rolled his eyes. "It's a long story..." Squall mumbled.

"There he is!" a voice shouted further down the hall.

Squall looked up and saw Zell pointing from the corner. A second later, Laguna flew past Zell and raced towards his son. "SQUALL!!!"

"Oh Hyne..." Squall said in a weak voice.

"We were so worried about you!" Laguna said. He slid to a stop before he crashed into the group. He was about to hug Squall when Squall took a cautious step back. Laguna didn't give it a second thought, as he was too busy being relieved that his only son was alive.

"I'm fine," Squall said. *This is all your fault!* he added mentally.

"Your father went around asking everyone if they've seen you," Rinoa said as she held on to Squall's arm. "We were so afraid that you were trapped in a fire."

Squall was about to comment when Nida was running towards them. "Captain! There you are," he said. "The fire squad says that they traced the alarm. It's on this floor in this region. They're not sure which one, though."

Behind the group, Laguna's heart stopped. He paled visibly as the others talked amongst themselves. When he fell, he head suddenly heard the fire alarm go off. He didn't even realize what he had done as he ran out of there as fast as he could, thinking it was a real fire. Looking back on it, he realized that he had pulled the fire alarm down.

"The alarm should still be pulled down," Selphie said. "I bet we could still find it."

"Split up," Squall instructed them. "See if you can find the alarm." Zell, his girlfriend, Selphie, and Irvine went down the hall, Seifer and Quistis went down the other side.

Angelo barked and the remaining three looked down at her. "Where is it, Angelo?" Rinoa asked. The dog turned around and barked once more, as if telling them to follow her. Rinoa followed Angelo towards Squall's office. The brown haired captain's eyes narrowed as he followed behind them.

Laguna's eyes went wide and he frowned. *Squall's going to send me home,* he thought to himself. *He's going to yell at me and then refuse to have me at his wedding...* the man feared.

"What the hell is this!?" Squall's voice growled. Laguna closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would have to face the music.

"But who could've done this?" Rinoa was saying as she looked at he alarm. Squall reached over and reset it to it's correct level with his key card and a code. "It's a weekend, the Garden's population is half of what it usually is and this floor is for faculty and staff."

"Cadets didn't do this," Squall stated simply as he glared at the alarm. Laguna stood behind them, afraid to get any closer. *My father did...he must've. He was the only one coming to the area before I ran into the closet.*

Laguna swallowed hard. "I...I can expla-"

"Whatever," Squall said suddenly, cutting off Laguna. "Don't worry about it, Rin," he told the young woman next to him.

Rinoa looked up at him in surprise. "But-" she began. Squall shook his head.

He reached out and cupped her heart shaped face in his hands. "It was just a prank," he assured her. "Just forget about it," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Rinoa whimpered once more and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face in his shoulder and Squall looked past her. His cold eyes settled on the man he knew had pulled it down accusingly. Laguna looked down, ashamed, but confused. Why hadn't Squall chewed him out? Why hadn't he said 'It's Laguna's fault!', like he expected. Laguna looked up and felt Squall's cold glare. *But he's still angry...*

Instead, Squall gently pushed Rinoa away. "Are you all right?" he asked her. Rinoa nodded. "Come on," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and lead her out of the waiting area before his office. "This isn't good for your condition. Let's get back to your room and get some rest, all right?"

Rinoa nodded slightly as they passed Laguna. "Dad..." she said. "Can you tell the others we've gone up to the room?"

"Uh...yes, of course!" Laguna said, nodding energetically.

Squall looked at his father one last time. "Tell the others it was here, but NOTHING more. Understand?"

Laguna nodded and watched as they headed towards the stairs. The elevators still weren't working. Tiredly, Laguna fell down against one of the chairs and dug his cellular phone out of his pocket. He scrolled down his list of people and finally, he found Ellone's number and pressed dial.

After two rings, she answered. "Yes, Uncle?"

Laguna leaned forward and closed his eyes tiredly. "I think..." he breathed out hesitantly. "He hates me."


Squall stepped out of Rinoa's room. She was tucked in bed, Angelo at her feet, and sleeping quietly. He made sure she was breathing evenly before slipping out quietly. He looked up and saw Laguna leaning against the wall across from him. Upon seeing Squall, Laguna stood up straight.

"I'm sorry-"

"Save it," Squall said gruffly as he glared at his father. "You better pray that Rinoa isn't too stressed by this."

"I didn't mean to stress her out further," Laguna replied. "I came to help-"

"Well, you're not helping, so maybe you should go back," Squall snapped. Pain crossed Laguna's face and Squall let out a deep breath. "Forget it...I told Rinoa that you could help her. She specifically asked for you to do so," Squall's features softened slightly. "I just...she's everything to me," Squall told his father seriously. "I just want her to be happy."

Laguna ran his hand through his hair. "I know you how feel..." he said quietly. His eyes softened. "I just wanted Raine to be happy...I would've done anything to see her happy..."

A few moments of silence passed between the two men. *Is that why you left?* Squall thought bitterly. He surprised himself by feeling slightly curious as well. Instead of voicing his question, he turned around. "I'm going to get Rinoa some dinner."

Laguna nodded understandingly. Squall was walking away. "I want to see you happy, also," Laguna said suddenly. Squall paused in mid step then slowed to a stop. He was several yards away from his father, his back still turned to Laguna. The president looked down the hall at his son. "You will have the best wedding, Squall!" His son stood there for a moment more before continuing on his way. Laguna saw him give a subtle nod before he left.

Inside the dorm room, just past the door, Rinoa pushed herself slowly off from where she was leaning, her ear was pressed against the door. She smiled slightly and walked back to her bed.


"Hey, Dad," Rinoa said as she sat down in the cafeteria for breakfast. The president of Esthar was sitting in the corner table, the blue binder of wedding planning in front of him. His face was contorted with concentration as he read the chapter on 'cakes'. "Good morning. Did you eat breakfast yet?"

Laguna looked up, surprised. "Yes, yes! Good morning," he said with a warm smile. "I just finished this chapter on cakes, Rinoa. There is this GREAT bakery in Esthar where Ellone always gets our cakes. They do wedding cakes, too. Would you like to try it?"

"Can I get sample?" Rinoa asked cheerfully.

Squall was getting their breakfast and turned around with two trays to see Rinoa and his father sitting together. Laguna was making large hand motions and Rinoa nodded energetically. *Oh, Hyne...*

He walked over and Rinoa looked up at him. "He finished 'cakes'." Rinoa grinned.

Squall nodded and handed her a tray of food. "I see...good morning, Laguna."

"Good morning, Squall!" Laguna smiled cheerfully.

*Hyne, he's like a tooth paste commercial...always smiling...like Selphie, but less hyper and not as short.* Squall said. He sat across from Rinoa, who was sitting next to his father.

"Now that you're both here," Laguna said cheerfully as he closed the binder. "I want to tell you both that I promise to give you the best wedding possible. Even though you won't let me pay for it in any way, shape, or form, I will work as hard as I can to give you your perfect wedding."

"Aww...Dad," Rinoa said, her eyes softening. "Thank you!"

Squall merely nodded. Laguna smiled sadly. "I wasn't able to give Raine the wedding she wanted," Laguna added quietly. Squall paused with a fork in his hand. "I'm sure that she'd want to give you the perfect wedding, too."

As Rinoa hugged Laguna once more, Squall mulled over his words. *Then why didn't you come back?* Squall thought as he stabbed at his food. *Even though she was gone, why didn't you come back?*

Laguna looked at Squall once more and smiled. "Don't worry! I'll put my whole effort into it!"

Squall winced slightly. "That's what I'm afraid of..."