A/n: still don't own FF8, still don't own the 4400…and technically, I don't even have FF8 anymore and haven't played in a long time, so the characters are probably way off . (which is my fault, because I often remember them acting the way I think they should and not always how they are…)

ANYWAYS! Hope you're enjoying this

….I hate this chapter --;

Chapter Three: Return

"Don't they think 3 weeks is a little early to let them go?" Xu blinked.

"Who cares!" Selphie grinned, standing with Xu, Irvine, Rinoa, and Zell, holding a sign that said '01998'. Squall's number. "We get to—here they come! Squall! Squall!"

Most of probably had to do with Selphie's ecstatic high-pitched screaming, but Squall found them quickly none-the-less. He ran over, naturally going to Rinoa first.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, hugging her. She pulled back slightly, shaking her head. He paused, confused, looking to his friends for guidance. Was she mad? He didn't want to leave, no, he would have given anything to have not lost these last 6 years! Apparently, everyone knew something he didn't, judging by the way everyone's eyes were avoiding him. He stopped on Zell, who looked the most out of place. Although his shifty eyes matched the eyes of everyone else in his group of friends, the child he was carrying didn't.

It was a blonde Rinoa. He could hardly believe it. He turned to Rinoa, lost for words and hoping now only for an explanation.

"Rin'…is he…is…"

He couldn't even get the words out, and that only escalated his anger. He closed his eyes, holding it back. Now wasn't the time to get mad.

"I thought you were dead, Squall," Rinoa said quietly.

"Well," he forced a smile, feeling sick. "Um, congratulations."

Unable to force anything else out, he turned and walked off, having never in his life felt more betrayed by the ones he trusted the most.

"Hey, Lisette…you comin'?"

Seifer looked to Lisette, confused. Very few people were left in quarantine. Those who had nowhere to go had teamed up and decided to aid each other in attempting to get a fresh start.

"…no."

"You know what? I know just the place for a girl like you. You wanna come to a garden with me?"

"With pretty flowers?" Lisette looked up hopefully, and Seifer knew the choice had just made was in all ways right. It might have been the only right choice he'd made in his life, he realized with a start, then shook that thought off. Maybe this, helping this girl who had no one to help her, would be his redemption.

"Well, something like that…"

"Okay. I'll go."

Former President Laguna Loire of Esthar, 76, stood alone outside the D-District Prison, holding the number 31954. His heart was racing, and he couldn't deny the stinging of tears in his eyes. Were they serious? After 50 long years, did he really have the chance to make it up to her?

"Raine?" he called, the word sounding strange after so many years. "Raine?"

He looked around the area. So many people were here. Families reuniting with their loved ones. Parents reuniting with children the same age as them. People returning to their lives, or, in Laguna's case, finding their lives.

What on earth would he say? How could he apologize? And what would she think? He wasn't the young kid he once was. Heck, he was old enough now to be her grandfather, maybe even her great-grandfather.

There she was, still as young and beautiful as she'd been when he'd last seen her. He held his breath, unable to believe it.

And yet, here he was, snow-white hair and with hands that shook so bad he couldn't even hold a coffee cup anymore. He stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty, overcome by regret at the lost years, desperate to know if she saw him…desperate to be young again.

"L-Laguna?" she gasped, then ran towards him. He held out his arms, but she stopped before him.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to say.

Redemption. All those years, and that was what he'd wanted to say so bad.

"It's okay," she said, hugging him gently. He wrapped his arms around her as well, and both wept for lost destiny.

Rinny, in the meantime, was having a harder time. She frantically searched for anyone holding her number, anyone…

"I'm just too damn old!" she yelled, not sure anyone even heard her over the roar of happily-reunited families.

"…never dreamed I'd hear that from someone who looks younger than me."

She looked up at Squall, frustrated.

"Well, how old are you?" she frowned.

"19. Should be 25."

"Well, gee, how about that," she sighed. "17, should be…ah…um…96…no, 93. 93."

"17, is that all?" he asked, looking slightly surprised.

"Do I look that old?" she snapped.

"You just said you had a daughter, so I figured—"

"—times were different," she cut him off, not sure if that was true or not. She didn't care. He'd never know if times really were different back then from now, she hoped.

"Don't get offended or anything," he shrugged. "It's your choice, and times probably were different. Doesn't matter if they were or not, though. What you do is your own decision."

She stopped, shocked. People in this time were definitely more open-minded. Her decision to keep Julia despite her age hadn't been so well accepted in her day…

"Wow. Thanks, Squall."

He shrugged again, and now she felt obliged to keep up the conversation, in a much happier mood than she had been about .05354 seconds ago.

"Sooo…" she asked conversationally, "Did you find my granddaughter/your fiancée yet?"

"Your granddaughter, my friend's wife," he corrected her, no emotion in her voice although she knew it must be killing him.

"Ouch," she winced. "I'm sorry about that."

"She's…happy," he smiled sadly. "I'll accept it, as long as she's happy."

"You're a good kid," Rinny smiled. "Shame you weren't around in my day!" she laughed. "C'mon, laugh! It's good for the soul!"

"…you really are bipolar," he said weakly, and laughed a little as she chased after him with a glare of death on her face.

a/n: eek, did that scare you all off? I almost destroyed this story with this chapter. Everything up until halfway through this chapter was written a year ago. I just restarted a few weeks ago, finally deciding that no matter how much trouble I was having, I had to get through it. Now I feel re-inspired, though, so I hope you stick with this.