Once a week after that, Squall would try to contact Rinoa. Usually he showed up at the Heartilly house where Julia would ward him off. Sometimes though his own daughter would come out and have a talk with him. She'd tell him about school, Ellone, Rinoa, how much they both missed him and her fear of their divorce. "You have to get better," Julie said. "I don't want you to get a divorce. I know mommy still loves you. She always cries at night when she thinks I'm asleep. I had a bad dream once that you left and I never saw you again. Mommy was sad in the dream too. I woke up crying from that dream." Squall hugged her, he couldn't resist. She looked so sad.

"I'm trying. I'm really trying," he told her. "But it's going to take sometime." Then he unexpectedly showed up at Rinoa's work. While she hid in the backroom, Selphie kept repeating to Squall that Rinoa didn't want to see him. Still he stayed insisting she be brought out to see him. Finally he just pushed past her to where Rinoa hid. She looked up in surprise. Squall swore he saw a sense of happiness in her eyes. "Rinoa, hear me out," he pleaded. She gave a slight nod, more toward Selphie than Squall. Her friend took the hint and exited so they could be alone. "I just want to tell you that I'm working on it." Silence followed for a brief moment. Her pale pink lips parted to release the words circling inside her head. Squall interrupted her before a sound could come out of her mouth, "I know you think I'm just trying to beg you to come back but I'm not."

"Well, that's good. I wont come back until you quit drinking. Completely," she said.

"I know. I just wanted to tell you so you know that I love you and miss you." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. It was soft and comforting, something Rinoa had missed. She returned his gentleness with a kiss on the lips.

"I miss you too. But I mean what I said. We can't come back until you've beaten this thing." As if on cue, Selphie opened the door. Squall knew he needed to leave. The two watched him go. Once he disappeared, they resumed working.

Over the weekend, Julie begged her mother to allow her to spend the night at Ellone's. "Please, her mom said it was okay," Julie told her. Rinoa thought it over a minute before saying, "sure." She decided to pay a little visit to Raine. She wanted to fill her in on what was going on. Better to hear it first hand rather than through someone else. After Julie threw her clothes in an old plastic grocery bag, Rinoa took her to Raine's house. They were given a warm welcome at the door and invited inside. Julie giggled as she raced Ellone to her room. Raine recited the typical lines that come after every greeting involving someone coming in ("Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"). Rinoa politely refused the second offer.

"You've got more furniture," Rinoa commented.

"Yeah," Raine called from the small kitchen. "We finally got the money for it. Good thing I got a job, otherwise I'd probably be broke." She returned to the living room with a cup of black coffee in her hand. Coffee was something Rinoa herself never cared for, coffee and alcohol. "Are you sure you don't want something?"

"No, I'm fine. But thank you."

"I heard there's been some problems lately. What happened- if you don't mind telling me of course."

"I planned on telling you actually." From there she laid it all out in the open. As she did, she tried not to get too emotional. Raine listened intently and sipped at her coffee mug every couple of minutes. With her free hand she held her chin up. Her legs gave her arm the support it needed to be upright. Rinoa twisted a Kleenex around in her hands while the words spilled from her mouth. Even after it had broken in two she still kept fidgeting with it. Then the story ended leaving her feeling drained and exposed. Raine resumed an upright position with her back firmly against the chair. Her fingers stroked the logo on the cup out of habit as she quickly thought all this over in her mind. Finally she put the mug down on the wooden coffee table in front of her, making a low clunk.

"Sounds like Laguna all over again."

"I know."

"So you left? Good. That's probably for the best. Anytime you want, you can bring Julie over here. I can keep her away from him if you ever find yourself in trouble. Remember that." Rinoa nodded. She looked down at the worn tissue in her hands. "Would you like me to throw that away for you? I have to go in the kitchen anyway." She handed over the pieces and stared down at her hands until Raine returned with a full cup. "Rinoa, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Squall about all this. I wont say anything to get you in trouble, but…" For a moment she was silent as if scared to put what was hidden in her mind into words. Once she sat down, she continued, "Well… I've been thinking about this since Laguna died. I don't want Squall to die because of alcohol. I want him to live happily with his wife an daughter until his body naturally gives out." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips in an effort to comfort them both. It disappeared before she said more. "You know I miss my husband. I still have nightmares about how it happened, how they found him… and sometimes I think it may have been my fault. That I caused it somehow."

"No, no," Rinoa said. "You shouldn't think that."

"It sounds irrational, doesn't it? But when you think about it… If I had been there, I could have stopped him from doing something stupid and getting himself killed. I could have saved him if I had been there."

"He could've killed you though- he could've killed Ellone. Don't you think you'd have felt much worse if he'd killed Ellone? Or if he'd killed you then she would be all alone with him. You should be sad that he died but don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong." Tears welled up in Raine's eyes. She took Rinoa's hands in her own.

"You understand what I'm feeling. I know you do. I did and still do. But since Laguna's death those feelings have intensified. Everyday I blame myself. 'If I had stayed… if I had stopped him… if I had been a better person…' I want so badly to discuss all this with Squall because I wish I could scare him out of this habit. I don't want to lose my son and I don't want you and your daughter to live with the same feelings of guilt we have. So… if it's all right with you, I'd like to try to talk to him. And I'm asking you simply because I want to assure you that I'm with you on this. I'm not going to support him in this habit."

"I know. Thank you, Raine. I appreciate it." Before leaving Rinoa hugged her daughter and told her she'd be back to get her the next day. From there she went to Selphie's house.

At work, Squall knew he was in for a long day. With no family left to come home to he found that time had decided to run slower just to torment him. Around the afternoon Caraway called him into his office. "Shut the door and have a seat," Caraway instructed. The office had bookshelves lining the walls to the right and left of the door. His desk was centered in the middle on the green carpet. The window behind Caraway had the shades pulled down over it. A picture of his wife and teenaged Rinoa rested next to a smaller picture of Julie. Caraway motioned to the chair opposite him. "Have a seat. I just need a moment to finish signing these forms." While he finished up his task, Squall's heart raced in his chest. Sitting didn't provide any comfort. What was going to happen to him? Finally Caraway placed the pen in its holder on the edge of the desk. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No thank you, sir," Squall politely declined.

"Are you sure? It might help you relax."

"I'll be fine." Rinoa's father poured himself a glass of water and stood by the window, inspecting the shades.

"I suppose you're sitting there pondering what I could have called you in here for. Or maybe you already know."

'She's told her father,' Squall thought, 'and now I'm never going to get the chance to fix it'. "I do have some idea, sir. But I'm not sure what you have to say to me."

Caraway set the clear glass on the desk as he said, "Well, first thing, let's drop the formalities. This isn't a business-related issue. Second, my daughter doesn't really want me to get involved so I wont- however… I feel I have the right to put in my own thoughts." He sat down in his chair and folded his hands on the desk. "You're not going to lose your job. You may have broken my daughter's heart but I can't rightfully fire you for that. I'm not the type of man who lets his emotions get in the way of reasoning. Of course, if you physically hurt my daughter, I have good reason to do all that's in my power to see you suffer the consequences. Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir, you are." Then before he could be given a reminder about formalities, Squall said, "Sorry."

"If it calls for it, I'm willing to pay for a divorce. And if that's what my daughter decides to do, I'm hoping you wont make it difficult for her." Squall slightly shook his head. Caraway sipped some water then put the cup down to continue. "Now, you're dismissed. You can go back to work. But remember what I said. If you ever physically hurt my daughter…"

"I understand." Squall greeted excitedly. "I have some good news to tell you." She kicked the door shut behind Rinoa and had her sit down on the couch. "Look." Fingers spread, Selphie showed the diamond on her ring finger. "Irvine proposed to me."

"Really? That's wonderful, Selphie!" Rinoa said before hugging her friend. "I'm so happy for you. So do you have a date yet?"

"No. We just started making plans. My mom is going to help us. Oh I can't wait!"

"Yes very exciting…" The enthusiasm in Rinoa's voice had suddenly become false. She was thinking of Squall and feeling sad.

"Oh Rinoa, I'm sorry."

"No, no. You don't have a reason to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I should be apologizing for bringing you down on a happy occasion. I just… had a thought about…" Before she could say the name, Selphie placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. How long would it take Squall to get his act together? Would Rinoa be able to survive a divorce if it came to that? After a moment of silence, Rinoa suggested they go visit Edea. "I just wanted to see if she could give me any advice…"

"That's fine. Let's get going then." They got in Rinoa's car and traveled the short distances to Edea's house. She was happy to see them.

"Come in, come in. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you could help me figure something out," Rinoa said. The guests were invited to sit in her beautiful dining room. "Well, I assume you know about Squall's drinking problem and I wondered if you knew any way to help him."

"That depends on what kind of method you want to use. Getting into some kind of inpatient therapy for alcoholics may be a good idea. But I have a feeling that's not what you're asking for."

"How about a spell?" Selphie asked. "Can you do a spell to make him quit drinking?"

"As far as I know, no. But I could be wrong. It might be better if he worked on this problem though. For all we know a spell like that could just replace one bad habit with another."

"I suppose…" Selphie asked Edea if she could have a Tarot reading done. During that time, Rinoa spaced out. Her mind kept replaying all the good times she'd had with squall (some of which made her blush, though the others were too busy to notice). These thoughts made her want to go crawling back to him. She was weak. She knew that. Whenever she saw him she wanted to hug him and tell him how much she loved him.

"This card," Edea was saying, "represents your possible future. It says you'll have great emotional satisfaction, which means you'll be very happy in your future." In one swift motion she had all the cards back in one deck.

"I didn't tell you the great news, Edea. I'm getting married," Selphie said with a smile.

"Oh, to whom? That boy with the ponytail? I'm sorry. I can't remember his name."

"That's okay. You've only met him a couple of times so I don't expect you to remember. Yes that's him though. His name is Irvine. I'm so happy… I don't even know how to describe it!"

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm guessing, Rinoa, things aren't going so well for you, are they?" Rinoa only shrugged. "You didn't tell me what exactly has happened to you. I'm guessing you don't want to talk about so I wont push you." She leaned forward, gently placing her hand over Rinoa's. "I can't help you with a spell- as far as I know, I can't. The best thing you can do is help him work through it."

It was after seven when Squall arrived home. He didn't have to work as late as he'd thought. The light on the answering machine was blinking. A red line in the number window indicated there was one message. As he pressed the button to play it his heart filled with hope the message would be from Rinoa. Instead, Raine's voice came out saying, "Hi Squall, it's your mother. I'm sure you're at work. If you don't get work done too late, I was hoping you could drop by. Otherwise if you could tomorrow, I'd appreciate it. Talk to you soon, bye." Feeling too tired to give a ring back Squall went up to bed. He was tired enough to ignore his growling stomach. 'In the morning,' he told himself, 'In the morning I'll go see her.' Physically he was exhausted but his wind kept him awake with questions. How long would it take to rid him of this habit? Would Rinoa ever come back to him or would they end up getting a divorce? Both were questions he had no clues as to what the answers were. The empty space next to him didn't make him feel any better.

Five hours after falling asleep, Squall woke up at the sound of the alarm clock. The numbers read 6:40. He got up and went through his morning routine of getting ready for the day. He ate breakfast then flipped though all the channels on TV. Nothing caught his interest. Maybe he just didn't feel like watching TV. Eventually he settled on a channel for the local news and blankly kept his eyes on it until noon. By then Rinoa had taken both Julie and Ellone home with her. Raine had asked Rinoa to take Ellone so she could speak with Squall alone. He arrived a little after twelve. "How are you doing this morning?" she asked as she hugged him. He didn't give an answer. "Well, come up. Let's talk."

In her living room, they had a seat. Squall leaned forward with his arms crossed and his elbows leaning on his knees. His eyes were focused on the floor. "Obviously you're not well," Raine said. "You miss Rinoa and Julie?"

"Of course," he said without hesitation.

"You can beat this. It just takes time. I hope you're doing all the right things." No response. She set her own cup down on the table. "I'm not trying to lecture you. I want to help you. I want you to be able to live until you die naturally- not because of alcohol like your father."

"I'm not going to die. How many times-"

"You don't know that! Do you think people who get in accidents know what's going to happen? Most people don't think tragedies like that would ever happen to them. You hear survivors say it all the time: 'I never thought it'd happen to me'. You need to start thinking that it could happen to you."

"How is that going to change anything?"

"It might get you scared, help you quit. You have to think- No; you have to know you're capable of killing yourself, Rinoa, and Julie. When you're drunk, you're capable of anything you wouldn't normally do."

"Tell me how this isn't lecturing…"

"Oh will you forget about that! That's not the issue here! I want you to quit drinking. Do you hear me? I don't want you to die the way your father did! It's devastating to your family and unfair to you. Devastating to your family because they have to carry the guilt with them for the rest of their lives. It's unfair to you because you're cheated out of your life by an addiction- by you. You can take care of this but you have to take responsibility."

"I am."

"No you're not. Not the right way at least. Otherwise you'd do more to quit."

"I think I should go," he said. He stood to go but Raine grabbed his arm before he could reach the door.

"Squall, I want you to think about what I said," she told him. She still had a hold of his arm and since it was obvious he was eager to leave, she loosened her grip. Squall walked back to his car. For a while he just sat in his car thinking, thinking about Rinoa. The urge to see her was overwhelming. To cure that feeling he drove to where Rinoa was living. 'Go knock on the door and ask for her. Go knock on the door and ask for her. Go knock on the door and ask for her,' he kept saying to himself but his body wouldn't move. 'She doesn't want to see you, idiot. You know that.' From the window of the second floor, Julie looked down at the familiar car.

"That's your dad, huh?" Ellone asked.

Julie said, "Yeah. I wonder what he's doing here…"

A floor below the two young girls, Rinoa was called to the window. "Rinoa, isn't that Squall sitting out there?" her mother said.

"Yeah," she whispered. She'd been helping her mother with dishes while the girls played upstairs. Without hinting what she was thinking, Rinoa put the towel in her hand down before going outside. It didn't register right away in Squall's head who was walking toward his car. He lowered the passenger window. Rinoa leaned against the car with her head partially in the car. "Squall, what are you doing here?" The shaky tone in her voice made him feel worse.

"I-" His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I wanted to see you," he said quietly. The passenger door opened causing a noise to alert the driver. Rinoa sat down next to him and silenced the noise by shutting the door. For a moment they just looked at each other. Neither of them spoke or made a sound. Squall didn't know what she was thinking but she looked sad. "Rinoa, I-" She threw her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. He could feel her begin to cry. "Rinoa. I'm sorry." While she quietly cried, he stroked her hair. A few minutes passed before she was calm again.

She sat back and as she wiped at her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just-"

"No, no. It's okay. I should be apologizing, Rinoa. Not you. I'm the one who made you feel bad."

"You don't know how much I miss you."

"It's lonely at home without you and Julie. How is Julie doing now, by the way? Is she okay?

"She misses her father. You know… I've been thinking about coming back home. You seem to be doing better."

"I haven't had a drink in a couple weeks." What he didn't tell her was that he hadn't felt much since she left. Since he hadn't felt anything, he didn't need the alcohol to dismiss bad feelings.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that."

"Rinoa, could- … could we spend the day together? I know that's a lot to ask but I want to be with you…"

"Okay. I'll go with you," she said. "But I can't spend the night with you. Just the day."

"I know, I know. I only want to spend a little time with you."

"Well, let's go then."

"Do you need to tell your mom where you're going?"

"No. It'll be fine. Just go."

Upstairs, Julie and Ellone were trying to figure out what was going on. When the car drove away the two girls became confused. "Hey," Ellone said, "where are they going?"

"I don't know," Julie said even though the question wasn't really directed at her. "I hope mom's okay. I wish we could follow them."

"How would we do that? I'm not old enough to drive yet and I don't even have my license. Plus we don't know where they're going."

"I just wish we could. I wonder what's going on though."

"Maybe your grandma knows. Should we ask her?"

"Okay. Worth a try." They went downstairs into the kitchen where Julia was cleaning the last plate in the sink. "Do you know where my mom went?"

"Well," Julia said as she put the plate down, "I thought she went outside to-" She looked out the window and saw the car was gone. "Oh. I don't know where she went. I'm sure she'll be back soon though. You girls go play. Everything will be fine." The two ran back upstairs to Rinoa's room.

A little after eight that night, when the stars were starting to come out, Squall dropped Rinoa off at her parents' house. They kissed before saying goodbye. Then she disappeared out of his sight into the house. He drove back home. Raine had already picked up Ellone three hours ago. Julie was watching TV with Julia. They both heard her come in but decided not to overwhelm her with questions. She went upstairs to take a shower and then lay in bed. She'd had a good time with Squall. First, they went out to eat. He'd made sure to take her to a place where they wouldn't be bothered by anyone they knew. Up to the time they got their food, they'd talked uncomfortably as if they were just getting to know each other for the first time. Then Rinoa became giggly and they began to laugh and joke around like old times. At home (their home), the two goofed off; playfully teased each other until Rinoa decided she'd better get back to her parents' house. She savored these memories in her sleep.

In late October, Rinoa started her day off by bringing Julie to school, after which she came to work. "Rinoa, hey," Selphie greeted. "I have something for you." She took out a card from her bag and handed it to her friend. The front looked as though it was lightly sponge-painted a sky blue color. In the center of the card in midnight blue cursive the words 'You're invited' were written. "We finally worked out a date and I want you and Quistis to be my bride's maids. We can go pick out dresses together when everyone has free time… So what do you say?"

"What do you mean, what do I say?" Rinoa asked. "Of course I'll be one of your bride's maids." She hugged Selphie and smiled. That same day Squall, Zell, Quistis, Fujin, and Rajin many others received Selphie's wedding invitation in the mail.