Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII….

Author's Note: Well, tomorrow is, unfortunately, the first day back to school for me. Which means that updates will probably be taking place on the weekends again. I'll try to update every week, but to be honest, I very much doubt that that will happen. If I get the workload that I have received in past years, then I just don't think I will have the time to update every week. Basically, look for updates every two weeks from now on, and, as usual, I will e-mail you all when I do update. Thank you all so much for hanging with me. It will soon be a year since I started this fic. It really means a lot to me that so many of you are still around, reading and reviewing. THANK YOU!!!

To Love You More

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I feel forty kinds of sadness when you're gone

I feel the same thing always happens when you're gone

And I know you're just around the corner

But just around the corner is not enough

It's not enough…"

-"Forty Kinds of Sadness" Ryan Cabrera

SQUALL ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Why was it that things in his life always seemed to get more complicated? Nothing in his life was going the way he had planned. Of course, on the few occasions that he had allowed his mind to contemplate the future, he had always seen Rinoa by his side. If Rinoa did not want to be with him, then he had always seen that future shifting to one of loneliness. Things had not turned out that way, though. Of all people, he was sharing his life with Quistis. No, it was more like he was supposed to be sharing his life with her. He was trying, he really was, but Rinoa's image was constantly on his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Quistis, but if he was being honest with himself, then that was inevitable. He had tried to deny it, to convince himself otherwise, but he knew the truth. In his heart, he knew. He was still in love with Rinoa Heartilly.

What was he supposed to do? No matter what, someone was going to get hurt. There was also what Rinoa had said. According to her, she was dating Irvine. Squall didn't even know what to make of that. It just seemed so sudden. He needed to respect her wishes, though, didn't he? Rinoa had made a decision, one which did not include him. He had no control over the situation anymore. The only logical solution was to stand by his wife and forget all about Rinoa. That way, neither of the women would get hurt. Right? It was all for the best. He had put himself into the situation. If he hadn't married Quistis, he would be with Rinoa right now. If Rinoa hadn't come back, he would probably be leading a pretty normal life with Quistis. If Squall hadn't kissed Rinoa the night before, he might not want to do it again so badly. The problem was, there were too many "ifs." Looking at what could have been wasn't going to get him anywhere. The here and now, that was what was important. Rinoa had taught him that long ago. He had to honor her wishes. It was as simple as that.

"Squall!" a voice exclaimed. "Looks like you haven't changed a bit! You've still got your head in the clouds."

Squall raised his eyes to meet those of Selphie. "Selphie. So you weren't lying when you said that you were coming."

Selphie shook her head. "Nope! You should know that much by now."

"You're right, I should. Did you just get here?"

"No, I actually got in this morning. I've pretty much been talking to Rinoa ever since."

Squall nodded. "I'm, uh, glad you came. Rinoa could use a familiar face right now."

"My thoughts exactly." Selphie smiled. "That's part of the reason why I came to see you. I've been thinking…wouldn't it be great to have a welcome home party for Rinoa? It would give her a chance to just relax and catch up with everyone. I know that I have to clear it by you first, so what do you say?"

Squall shrugged. "I think it's a good idea."

Selphie stared at him in disbelief. "What? Are you serious?"

Squall nodded once more. "Yes, as long as it doesn't get out of hand."

"Oh, it won't, I swear! Thanks, Squall!" She flung her arms around him. "I'll make sure that everything is perfect. Gosh, I have so much to do! Hey, do you still have the Garden Festival Committee?"

"Yes."

"Do you think I could get them to help with everything?"

"Go right ahead. I'm not so sure this is a smart thing to do, but I'm going to leave you in charge. Just let me know when you plan to have the party."

Selphie nodded. "I will. Thanks again, Squall!" She happily skipped out of his office…and right into Irvine. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised. "I'm sorry."

Irvine lifted his eyes to hers, taking in her full appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," she began, a bit put off by his forwardness, "I heard about Rinoa."

He nodded. "I see. Well, I'll let you continue on your way, then."

"Irvine, wait. I could use your help, actually."

Irvine raised an eyebrow. "My help?"

"Yes. I'm going to have a big party for Rinoa. Do you think you could help organize everything? You don't have to if you don't want to. You were just always so good at that."

Irvine nodded. "Sure, I don't mind. That is, if you don't mind my hanging around."

Selphie looked at him in confusion. "Why would I mind? I wouldn't have asked, otherwise."

"You're the one who broke things off," he quietly reminded her. "I guess I just figured that you never wanted to see my face again."

"Oh, Irvine," Selphie said softly. "I'm sorry if that's what you thought. I would love to have your help. What happened between us was a long time ago. Why don't we just try to forget the past and move on? We could have a fresh start."

"If that's what you want, then fine."

"It's not just about what I want. I want you to be happy, too. I know we can't go back to the way we were before, but can we at least be friends? I've missed you, Irvine."

"I've missed you, too," he admitted. "Okay, I'm willing to give this friends thing a shot. We don't have anything to lose, right?"

Selphie smiled. "Nope. I think I'm going to get the rest of the gang in on this, too. Squall's busy being commander, but I'm sure Zell and Quistis could help. I'll round them up and meet you at the cafeteria in an hour."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"See ya!"

RINOA tapped her foot against her chair as she tried to concentrate on reading a book. It was no easy task, however. After strolling through the library in search of a good read, she had finally settled on a book entitled Mystique. It had looked interesting, but Mystique had turned out to be a romance novel, which she definitely wasn't in the mood for. Every interaction between the main characters, Ash and Diana, reminded her of the one person she wasn't supposed to be thinking of. Last night had been a big step for her, and in moving on. So she had lied to Squall about her feelings for him. It was a small price to pay for his happiness. Then, there was what she had said about Irvine. Where had that come from? Her and Irvine were most certainly not dating, and while he had feelings for her, she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Sure, he had been wonderful to her, but did she really feel anything more than friendship towards him?

"Damn!" she cursed as she slammed her book onto the desk. "This is impossible."

Reading just wasn't an option for her right then. It offered wandering thoughts, which she just didn't need right now. What she did need was something that would keep her mind occupied. Something that would take up her time. Something like a job. Irvine had told her about the secretary job, but she needed to talk to Squall about it. Squall definitely wasn't someone she wanted to talk to right then, but the sooner she started the job, the less time she had to think about her screwed up life. She stood up, telling herself that she would have to ask Squall about the job eventually. Wasn't now as good a time as any? Of course the situation would be awkward, but she would do her best to avoid any talk of what had transpired the previous night. She was seeing him solely for the purpose of inquiring about the job. That was it; nothing more.

Putting on what she hoped was a mask of confidence, Rinoa strode down the hall. As usual, she had to deal with the whispers and stares of many of the students, and, as usual, she ignored them. No formal announcement had been made about her return to Garden, causing Rinoa to wonder what Squall was waiting for. Wouldn't it be easier to just get everything out in the open? Perhaps that would cease the gossip until some other major event happened. Like Quistis getting pregnant. Where had that come from? She couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought of Quistis carrying Squall's baby. It was bound to happen eventually. Someone like Quistis was sure to make a wonderful mother, and Squall would be a great father, despite his protestations of the contrary. Any kids they had were sure to be beautiful, and intelligent, too, if they were anything like their parents. A little blonde girl with Squall's icy blue eyes.

"Stop it!" she practically shouted. Why was she doing this to herself? To her horror, she felt tears sting her eyes. She was so frustrated with herself. Why did she have to be so damn weak?

"Hey," Rinoa felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rinoa quickly spun around to see Irvine. "I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "It seems like my allergies are acting up today."

Irvine frowned, not quite believing her. "Are you sure? This doesn't have anything to do with me, does it?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Not in the least. I really am fine, Irvine. I just need to go talk to Squall about that secretary position."

The cowboy nodded. "Okay. Remember, though, if you need to talk, I'm here. My door is always open to you, Rinoa."

"I know. Thank you, Irvine."

"You're welcome," he said uncertainly as he watched her retreat down the hall. Would she ever be able to confide in him? He felt the urgent need to protect her, but would she ever let him in? There was no time to ponder those questions now. He was already overdue for Selphie's meeting in the cafeteria.

"HEY everyone!" Selphie greeted happily. The gang had settled around a table in the back of the cafeteria. It was a fairly secluded spot which offered a private place for discussion. Irvine and Quistis were seated across from her and Zell. Selphie had to admit that it felt a bit odd not to be seated next to Irvine.

"Selphie," Quistis said, quickly glancing at her watch. "I don't mean to be rude, but can we hurry this along? I agreed to sub for Ms. LeVarge's humanities class today."

Selphie nodded. "Don't worry, Quis. This won't take long." Selphie found that she had already begun to revert back to everyone's old nicknames. In a way, it was scary how everything had gone back to the past so quickly.

"So we all know about the party by now," Irvine put in. "And we've all agreed to help out, correct?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Alright, Selphie, what do you want us to do?"

"Well, I've pretty much worked out everything in my head. Each of you are going to have a specific task to carry out. Squall has given me the go ahead to enlist the help of the Garden Festival Committee, so I'll be talking to them after this. Anyway, let's start with you, Quistis. You are going to be in charge of the invitations. I'm counting on you to compile a list of everyone who you think should be at the party."

Quistis nodded. "No problem. Basically, that's everyone in Garden, plus Zone and Watts, Laguna, Kiros, Ward, and Ellone. What about General Caraway?"

"Hmmm…" Selphie thought about that for a moment. "I say we go for it. He is Rinoa's father, after all. We can't just exclude him. Oh, and don't forget about Headmaster Cid and Matron. I know you're really busy, Quistis. Are you sure you can handle everything between being an instructor and an assistant commander?"

"Yes. Actually, I'll probably have more free time. You see, I've decided to give up my current job of assistant commander and, instead, will help Dr. Kadowaki. I've found that I really have a passion for medicine, so Dr. Kadowaki plans to take me under her wing, so to speak."

"That's great, Quistis!" Selphie said sincerely. "You'll make a wonderful doctor. Do you know who will be taking over your position yet?"

Quistis shook her head. "I'm sure Squall will choose someone wonderful. I highly doubt he would hire outside of Garden, so who knows who it could be. Most likely someone we are familiar with."

Selphie nodded. "Sounds good. Okay, getting back to business, let's continue with you, Irvine. I'm putting you in charge of the music. It's up to you to hire the band, DJ, or whatever. Just keep in mind that you're trying to find music that Rinoa likes. That means no country."

Irvine smiled. "Aw, no country? Come on, Selphie. How can we have a party without any country music?"

"Is this your party?" she demanded. He shook his head. "Didn't think so. We're doing this for Rinoa, guys. She's been through a lot and this party is a way to show her that we all care. I really want it to be perfect."

"Okay, you win," Irvine said. "No country."

"Thank you." Selphie turned to Zell. "Okay, Zell. You are going to be in charge of the food. Hire caterers, have your mom help you, whatever you want to do. Just, please don't try to cook the food yourself."

"Hey!" Zell cried indignantly. "What's wrong with my cooking?"

Irvine snorted, and Quistis had to hide her face from fear of insulting Zell with her laughter. "Remember the time that you almost set fire to the cafeteria when you tried to 'roast' a hotdog?" Selphie asked. "You tried to build a fire in the middle of the kitchen!"

Zell smiled sheepishly. "Hey, how else are you supposed to roast a hotdog?"

Everyone just shook their heads. "No cooking, Zell."

"Okay, okay. Don't worry about a thing. As long as I'm in charge, this is going to be one kick ass party."

"Great! Oh, I forget to tell you guys one more thing. I want this party to be a surprise. That means we can't let Rinoa near the quad or the ballroom for a few days. We're going to need someone to distract Rinoa in the meantime. Any takers?"

"I'll do it," Irvine said quickly, slightly surprising everyone else. "I'll find a way to keep her away from the plans."

Selphie nodded. "Well, that about covers everything. I'll have the Garden Festival Committee work on the decorations. I'm planning to have this party in three days. I know that's short notice, but I know we can do it. I'm counting on you guys! Thanks again for helping me out. Oh, and by the way, do you all want to have dinner together tonight, you know, Squall and Rinoa, too. It would give us all a chance to catch up."

Quistis nodded. "Sounds good. I'll let Squall know. He'll probably make a fuss about it, but I'll drag him down here if I have to."

"Sounds good for me, too," Irvine chimed in. "I'll let Rinoa know if I see her."

"I'll be there, too," Zell said. "What time do you want to meet here?"

"How about seven?" Selphie asked. They all agreed and then broke up to go their separate ways. Woo-hoo! This is gonna be great!

"SQUALL?" Rinoa called from outside of his office door. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

After a few seconds, the door opened, and to Rinoa's surprise, Headmaster Cid walked out. "Rinoa!" he exclaimed. "Squall was just informing me of everything that has happened. It is wonderful to have you back!"

"Thank you," Rinoa said, and then surprised them both by enveloping him in a tight hug. "It's great to see you, Headmaster."

"Ah, ah, ah. Have you forgotten? Cid is just fine."

"Alright, Cid then. Um, is Squall in there? I just wanted to talk to him about a job opening."

"Oh, you mean to take over Quistis' job? I think it's a fine idea!"

Rinoa looked at him in shock. "Excuse me?"

"Headmaster," Squall said as he walked out of his office. "Please excuse us. If there is anything that you further need to discuss with me, then please do so later. I need to talk to Rinoa right now."

The Headmaster nodded. "Squall, my boy, you are turning into a fine commander. I see that I've always been right about you. Anyway, I will be in my office. Perhaps I should call Edea and tell her where I am. I sort of…snuck away."

Rinoa giggled at the Headmaster's confession, but Squall just shook his head. He gestured for her to follow him into his office. Once inside, he shut the door behind them and turned to her expectedly. "Do you really want to take over Quistis' job?"

Rinoa was even more startled by Squall asking her than when the Headmaster had. "I'm sorry," Rinoa said quietly, "But I'm not sure that I understand what you are talking about."

"Quistis has decided to practice medicine with Dr. Kadowaki. The job requires the utmost dedication, so she's giving up her current job."

"Oh," Rinoa said softly. "You must be very proud of her."

Squall nodded absently. "That was what I was referring to." He frowned. "What did you think I was talking about?"

Rinoa found herself blushing at just what she had been thinking. "N-nothing," she stammered. "I don't want to take over Quistis' job, though. Irvine told me that a secretary position was open, so I came to ask you about that."

"Oh," Squall said rather stupidly. He also felt embarrassed at what he figured Rinoa had been thinking. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, the secretary position is still open. It's basically what you used to do for the Headmaster. Filing, booking, and the like. You up for that?"

Rinoa nodded. "Sure, but don't you need to interview me or something? You can't just hand me the job."

Interview her? Hell, the only interview he would like to carry through was one that involved throwing her onto his desk and having his way with her. That was interview enough, wasn't it? "I'll be honest with you, Rinoa. I was thinking of having you assist Dr. Kadowaki."

Rinoa was surprised. "Me? Why?"

Squall shook his head. "To put some distance between us. After last night, you seemed to make it pretty clear that that's what you want. The fact is, Rinoa, that I don't need to interview you. I already know that you are the best person for the job. If you had told me that you wanted Quistis' job just now, hell, I would have given you that, too. I know you, Rinoa, and I know the way you work. So if you want the secretary job, it's yours."

Rinoa wasn't sure what to say to that. Of course she wanted the job, but she also wanted to earn it fair and square. Still, Squall had just made it pretty clear that, in his book, this was fair and square. "Okay," Rinoa said, a bit reluctantly. "I'll take the job. When would you like me to start?"

Squall shrugged. "If you can, tomorrow. If not, then tell me what's good for you."

You're good for me. Eek! Where the hell had that come from? Thank God she hadn't said that out loud. What was wrong with her today? "No, tomorrow is fine."

"Okay, good. Just come see me around eight and I'll get you all set up."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay, I'll see you then." She walked out of his office, feeling a bit uncertain about everything. She had wanted the job as a way to keep her mind off of Squall. Instead it seemed like she would be seeing even more of him.

"Hey," she heard Squall say behind her.

She turned around, thinking he was talking to her. Then, she spotted Quistis through the doorway of his office. Rinoa quickly darted behind a pillar in the hall so she wouldn't be spotted.

"Hey, baby," Quistis greeted her husband. "I just wanted to check and see if everything was okay with you, you know, since last night."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she heard Squall say.

"Okay, great. I have to go teach a class now, but I was thinking we could get together after that. I miss you, you know. I could cook you a late lunch, just the two of us."

"Yeah," Squall said. "That sounds great. I'll meet you at our apartment in an hour, okay?"

"Mhmm." Rinoa watched as Quistis wrapped her arms around Squall's neck and began to kiss him hungrily. That sight was more than she could take, and she quickly ran down the hall, in the opposite direction. Once again, she ran into Irvine.

"Irvine," she said, breathless from running. "I thought about what you said, and I agree. I want to go out with you. In fact, how does tonight sound?"