To Selphiefan: no worries -. I figured anyone was busy doing other things. I've been busy too. I just hope those that started reading this story will continue whenever they have the time -. Read and review, please -.

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Fujin drove them to the town in which Squall used to live. He was surprised that Fujin was trying to hold a little conversation with Rinoa. In his presence, at least, Fujin never associated with strangers unless forced to. "Is your father going to be there?" Fujin asked him, meeting his eyes in the small mirror.

Squall said, "Yeah, I assume so."

"Are you prepared for that?" He didn't respond to this right away because he wasn't really sure. The gentle squeeze of Rinoa's hand and her warm, enlightening smile made him feel as though he could take on the world.

"Yes," he said, "I can handle it."

"Good because if he's still the way he was when you left, then he might need someone to give him a good beating. I'm sure you can take care of that but I'd be more than happy to get in a few hits if you need help."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As they came into Squall's hometown, he and Rinoa looked out the window. It had changed a little but not a whole lot. A few more gas stations had moved in. the brick building he had gone to school in was being reconstructed. None of them had any ideas as to why. Other than that, the town seemed to have remained the same during the years he had been gone. "Do you remember which house it is?" Fujin asked.

"Yeah. I'll recognize it when I see it so keep going."

"This place is smaller than where we live. I didn't think that was possible."

Rinoa said, "My dad told me that there are places with a population under a hundred."

"Wow. I can't imagine living somewhere that small. I'm not going to either. I'm a big city girl. I like places where not many people know you."

"I like small towns. That's why we moved when I was a baby. I think my dad feels out of place though."

"You guys live in that giganto house. That's probably why. If I were your dad, I'd be rubbing it in all the faces of the bastards I went to high school with. But that's just me." Rinoa giggled. "Shit heads," Fujin spat. "I can't wait to knock those idiots off their high horse."

Squall said, "I know I can think of a few people I'd like to do that to. Stop! Right there." The car jerked to a stop by a little white house. From the window, Squall could see that the paint was chipping off. "Come on, Rinoa. Let's go." They walked up the cracked sidewalk to Squall's family's home. Raine was waiting for them so they didn't need to knock.

"Squall," Raine said as she embraced her son, "we've missed you so much. This must be Rinoa. Welcome, dear. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Rinoa said. Squall smiled at her shy disposition. One of the many reasons he loved her.

"Come on in. Your father's inside." They all crammed into the entrance while Raine shut the door. She motioned toward the doorway as she said, "Go in and have a seat." Squall could tell that Rinoa was nervous. He wasn't sure why she'd be nervous; there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. She was perfect. He touched her shoulder and smiled at her when she looked back at him. She became calmer after he took hold of her hand. In the living room they found Laguna sitting in a recliner chair across from the couch. Squall couldn't help noticing how much older his father looked. His eyes looked sullen, his face showed tiredness, and wrinkles had begun to surface. The two sat on the couch, their fingers still interlocked to keep the sense of comfort running between them. Raine stood behind Laguna's chair. "So, honey, how have you been?"

Squall cleared his throat, "These last few years have been pretty good." Rinoa returned his smile, but it quickly faded at the sound of Laguna's scoff. "Got a problem?"

"Nope," Laguna said. "What'd you do? Get her knocked up and now you're trying to make the best of it?" Raine bit her lip but did nothing. It was easy to tell that she was afraid to speak up.

"No. We've been dating for over a year now. She makes me happier than you ever did or will. So shut up."

"It won't last long..."

"Oh how the fuck would you know? You've had an alcohol problem almost all your life." Laguna sipped from a glass that he held over the arm of the chair in his left hand.

"It's hereditary too," he mumbled.

Raine touched her husband's head as she said, "Laguna. Don't. Well, Rinoa, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself."

"I'm not really sure what to say," Rinoa answered nervously.

"Well, who are your parents?"

"Um, my dad's name is Caraway and my mom's name is Julia."

"Caraway?" Laguna said. "You got a good catch, Squall. That's probably the richest family within miles of here." Rinoa bit down on her bottom lip. The hurt look on her face made Squall want to beat his father.

Squall spoke between clenched teeth, "That doesn't matter."

"Might to some people."

"Well not to me."

Raine tried to change the subject by saying to Rinoa, "I think I went to school with your mother. She was such a sweet person. You look a lot like her."

"People tell me that all the time," she said. Rinoa mentally noted how much Squall looked like his father. She didn't want to say anything because Laguna might start talking and Squall would probably get mad at her for pointing it out. Laguna got out of his chair and took Squall with him into the other room. Rinoa glanced around the room at the pictures on the wall. A few photos, she could tell, were of little Squall. But there was a girl's baby pictures hanging up as well. She didn't realize Squall had a sister. "Who is that?" she decided to ask.

"Well, that's our daughter Ellone. She's only four. I was going to talk to Squall about that..."

Squall followed his father to the kitchen where they stopped so Laguna could dig around in the fridge. "So, are you going to marry this girl?" Laguna asked while his back was turned.

Squall said, "Planned on it. She's wonderful. I don't care about her parent's money. I don't appreciate you saying that to her."

"When are you planning on marrying her?"

"Sometime soon... Why?"

"Rushing it, aren't you? Is there a reason for this?" Squall just sighed. Laguna said, "That's what I thought. You're in the exact same situation I was in. Exact same. Here, relax a little." Squall was handed a glass with the same stuff Laguna had in his own. Squall could only guess what it was.

"I don't want it," Squall said, handing it back.

"One drink isn't going to turn you into me. Okay? So don't give me that shit. Plus you can't legally buy any of it anyway." After letting out a sigh, Squall took a sip. Immediately he handed the glass back to Laguna. Laguna could only laugh, "Just keep it. There's nothing wrong with having one."

"How is mom doing?"

"Fine. She's done with her antidepressants if that what you mean."

"And what about you?"

"I have my days... Not something you can just drop, you know."

Rinoa was left out in the living room with Raine. Neither knew exactly what to say to the other, but they kept a small conversation going. Rinoa was looking at one of Ellone's pictures when Squall came in. "Who is that?" he asked his mother.

"Well," Raine said, glancing at Rinoa then back at Squall, "I got pregnant again while you were away... We thought it'd be nice to have another child."

"You gave up on me?"

"No, no. We never quit hoping you'd come home some day."

"And I suppose 'we' means you."

"No, it doesn't."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"The social worker hasn't contacted us in a long time. It's been years since we last talked to her."

"Did you even try to get a hold of her?"

"Of course we did but she never returned our calls. We do care about you, Squall. I thought you'd like to have a little brother or sister."

"Well where is she?"

"She's not here. She's at the babysitter's house. The social worker told us not to have her here when you came. I don't know why. She didn't say."

Laguna said, "He can meet her another time. If we're invited that is..."

"Invited to what?" Rinoa asked.

"Yeah," Squall said, "you'll be invited."

"To what?"

"That's good," Laguna said. "I'll get to see one of your happiest moments before everything goes to hell."

"Ah fuck you," Squall said automatically. "There is no way in hell I'm turning out like you."

"We'll see. So far you're doing a good job of being like me."

"Damn it, do you always have to pick a fight with me?"

"I'm not picking a fight with you. I just don't want you to be surprised when it all starts to go wrong."

"Most parents try to encourage their kids rather than bring them down."

"You mean they fill their kid's heads with lies. Not much encouragement when they find out that they can't amount to jack shit."

"Just 'cause you may have had a shitty life doesn't mean everyone else did. It was your choice to drink all the time after mom got pregnant! It was your choice to drag everyone down with you! If you didn't decide to drink then I wouldn't have been put in those foster homes and mom wouldn't have been depressed. But I suppose that doesn't matter to you, does it?"

"Well, Squall, you seem to know everything. So what's the point in me even giving an answer, huh? Don't complain to me when you two end in divorce next year."

"Fuck you," Squall spat. He grabbed Rinoa's hand and pulled her out the door. Fujin was waiting for them so they quickly got in. Squall hid his face in his hands. Rinoa touched his shaking shoulder but said nothing. Fujin asked no questions as she took off down the road. She decided to let the two stay at her house for a while before going home to delay the inevitable bombardment of questions. She left them alone in her living room to talk.

"Squall," Rinoa said, "are you okay?"

"I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him." Rinoa put Squall's head on her shoulder and rubbed her hand down his back. She knew there was nothing that she could be said to comfort him so she just hugged him. Squall said, "Well, one thing's for sure, he definitely isn't coming."

"Coming where? To what?"

"T our wedding. Once I get a ring, I'll ask you properly but..." She threw her arms around his neck, not knowing what to say. Though she knew Squall loved her, she was stunned by what he'd just told her. She began to wonder if her father had made Squall do this. When she asked, Squall said, "No, he didn't force me to or anything. We just might have to do it sooner than I'd hoped is all. Your dad said he'd pay for it too."

"He did? That was nice of him. Well, let's not go too expensive, I don't want to break him."

"No offense but I don't think that's possible. I get what you're saying though. I'm sure your dad wants you to be happy as much as I do." Rinoa and her mother did all the planning, asking for Squall's opinion before deciding on something. Squall and Zell tagged along with Fujin and Rajin the next time they went shopping. Rinoa's father had given Squall more than enough money to buy a ring; he just needed to find the perfect one. He needed a woman's opinion and he got one from Fujin. She was able to find a nice one without spending all the money he was given. That was perfect because he didn't want to spend all that money, not that he wanted Rinoa to have a cheap ring but spending all of that cash would make him feel like a jerk.

They invited all their friends and family. Even Laguna showed up, dressed decently for the occasion. And though Squall was still somewhat angry with his father, he was happy to see him nonetheless. Squall and Quistis were, of course, Rinoa's bride's maids while Zell and Irvine were Squall's best men. Squall had met Irvine only a few days prior but there were several reasons he was up there alongside Zell now. Rajin had said no to Squall's offer of being in Irvine's place. Now despite the way it sounded, Rajin meant no disrespect toward Squall. He wasn't sure if he'd feel all that comfortable standing up there in front of everyone. Squall took no offense to this. He knew both Fujin and Rajin were not very social people and would feel out of place being thrown at the front of something this big. The two did promise to come to the wedding. They kept their promise and sat where they would not be easily noticed. Squall knew that Rinoa was going to have two bride's maids. He also knew that it would look odd to only have one person on his side while his wife-to-be had two. It was around this time that Selphie introduced her boyfriend Irvine Kinneas. Not only did he give a good first impression but also Squall thought it would be perfect to have this man stand opposite of Selphie since he could think of no other. Irvine was honored to do so.

Although he knew there was nothing to worry about, Squall became increasingly nervous with each second that passed. Then he saw Rinoa walking toward him and all his fear seemed to vanish. As the priest began to speak, Fujin whispered, "It's weird watching someone younger than you get married. I almost want to run up there and stop the whole thing."

"They don't have much of a choice, you know," Rajin said.

"I know they don't. But they're so young. It's almost scary. How are they going to make a living? What if that baby doesn't make it? Or what if it does and they can't support it?"

"You ask too many questions, you know. I don't think her father will let them go broke, you know." Fujin only nodded, keeping quiet the rest of the time. Edea sat next to her husband with a blank expression on her face. She had mixed feelings about this as well. Selphie had been discussing this with Edea for some time. She asked Edea what she would do if she were in Rinoa's situation. Edea was unable to give an answer or even a guess. Since she had no personal experience with a problem of this sort, she could not respond. The touch of her husband's hand brought her out of her thoughts. She gave a gentle squeeze back and brought her gaze to the scene at the end of the aisle.

Laguna's arm wrapped around Raine's shoulder and pulled her close. He knew that tears had begun to trickle when he saw her dab at her face with a Kleenex from the corner of his eye. Truth be told, she wasn't quite sure if she was crying out of happiness or for the fact that her son was going to have to become an adult a little too soon. She thought Rinoa was such a sweet girl, the right woman for Squall but they hadn't even finished high school. It seemed they had started down the same path that Laguna and she trudged. She just hoped they would branch off to the green grass instead of sticking to the dirt road.

During the reception, Julia was delighted to play the piano for her daughter when asked. Rinoa begged Squall to dance with her until he finally agreed. Once the song was over, Fujin ran up to Squall. "I want you to meet someone," she said as she dragged him to Rajin and a familiar looking man. The man slicked his hair back with a black-gloved hand. His gray jacket nearly touched the ground. "Squall, this is my friend-"

"Seifer?" Squall said in shock.

"That's right," he said. "Didn't realize this was your wedding. Shit, man. It couldn't wait?"

Fujin hit his shoulder as she said, "Be nice. So you two know each other?"

"We were in the same foster home for a while. How you been doing?"

"Alright. You?" Squall said.

"Been good. Mind if I join the party?"

"Not at all." When Seifer was out of earshot, Squall said, "I didn't know you were friends with him."

"I didn't know you knew each other," Fujin responded.

"How long have you known him?"

"A few years. Rajin introduced me but I don't know how they met."

"As long as he doesn't cause any problems..."

"Don't worry, I'll keep him out of trouble."

Raine carried a child in her arms to Squall. Rinoa recognized the child from the pictures she'd seen. "This is Ellone," Raine said. The shy little girl buried her face in her mother's shoulder. "Oh it's okay. This is your big brother Squall." She tilted her head up a little so she could get a look at him. He gently patted her head, not knowing what else to do or say. Rinoa touched the girl's hand. "She's a little tired."

Rinoa said, "She's so cute."

Raine smiled, "Well, I'm going to have a little talk with your mom."

"I'll come with you." Everyone talked and laughed with each other until people slowly started going back to their homes. Squall hugged Raine and said goodbye to Laguna.

"Visit us once in a while," Raine said. Squall told her that he would. Once everyone had gone, Rinoa's father told them to get in the car. They stopped by their house to pick up the new couple's things before taking off again.

"Welcome to your new house," Caraway said when they stopped. Inside the two-story house, they found new furniture. Rinoa couldn't quit thanking her parents. "We'll talk soon about a job for you, Squall."

Squall said, "Thank you, sir." When her parents left, Rinoa threw her arms around Squall's neck. Months later, she would go into labor earlier than expected. They were scared that the baby wasn't going to make it but somehow she did. Rinoa named her newborn daughter Julie. It wasn't until then that the real trouble began.