Author's Notes: Oh my god. I discovered a VERY angry typo in Reyning Down! I claimed Ward and Jason were 18, just like Reyn, and that they were only a month younger. If you remember The Curse of the Mercale, Reyn's surrogate mother was Selphie. Thus she couldn't have had her own twins a month later. Thus, I would like to say I am bumping their ages up a year to 19. Here are the current ages of the key players mentioned in this fic…. Squall: 65, Seifer: 66, Nida: Dead at 64, Reyn: 39, Corin: 40, Drew: 41, Fiera: 38, Ishuna: 38, Ward: 40, Jason: 40, Suijin: 39, Rella: 39, Rhiale: Dead at age 35, and the temporarily important Lance is now 43.
I think this is a correct listing of the ages. Will have to comb through the other fics to make sure though. Oy. But other than that, there is a lot left to be learned in this story. In fact, my title for this chapter is a joke about how much I tell you in one freaking chapter, and this is only part one! There is some… you know… later in the chapter, so by chapter 1 I have already earned that lovely M for Mature. I have to say, love the new ratings I can't tell you anything hun. Just read.

Chapter 1: Exposition Ahoy! Part I

"Dad! I'm home! I brought a guest too!" Kalari's cheerful voice came from the main hall of my suite.

"Kalari?" Reyn questioned me. He knew well that Fiera rarely allowed visitations. Yes, the divorce was THAT rough. Some of us compare her to Rinoa in her fickleness.

"In here Kalari!" I called out, though the words, as hers were, were only for the benefit of Reyn and whoever her guest was.

Before I knew it there was a thump of bags on the floor and one teenaged girl in my arms. Kalari looked very little like her mother, and for that I was glad. I cheerfully ruffled the teen's hair and hugged her tightly. When I heard Reyn's voice practically choke up in my mind, I released my daughter and turned to him. Yet before I could say something to him someone cleared their throat. Instinctively I reached out with my mind, trying to figure out what male my daughter had brought home and why she was interested in him. I didn't do it to pry, honest! All I was met with was silence though, and a vision of Kalari glaring at me, probably sent by her to tell me she didn't approved of me misusing my telepathy.

Still, the attempt at the mental probe had told me all I needed to know about who it was. "Good afternoon Mister President. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit Mister Leonheart? Do you have business with me, or are you just as fond of popping in unannounced as your brother?"

"Headmaster Suijin Reis of Galbidia as well as Headmaster Lance Kinneas of Trabia and Commander Leon Almasy of Esthar informed me that no one could contact the President of Esthar," Drew began, "And when your secretary said you couldn't make time for me, I put two and two together. Miss Kalari found me arguing with my guards outside and brought me in." I would have known that all if he were not better than even Squall at putting those mental walls up.

"He's lying!" Kalari said in a sing-song voice, "He was just standing outside; staring like this was the first Garden he had ever seen! And he practically lives in Galbidia Garden!"

Reyn and I chuckled at the comment. We knew Drew had not been inside a Garden since before the Ultimecia War. They made him uncomfortable, and understandably so. You see, five years after the war a scientist had figured out how to avoid the side effects of Guardian Forces. So, to encourage students to avoid too much time with the GFs and to give them more freedom…

"He never visits us either Corin, so don't feel bad," the GF Valen said from where he was lounging on the couch in my office.

… To allow their freedom we encouraged the Guardians to walk the halls (in most cases) of the Gardens. It was as much to protect students from memory loss as to protect their existence, ensure their happiness and protect innocents, not that GFs would hurt them. This allowed the Guardians to show more personality and take their more humanlike appearance if they desired.

"I am here for Reyn, Dad, not to have ideal chit-chat," Drew said, the Galbidian President had changed greatly since our teenaged years, nearly as much as I had. Now Drew left his hair plain brown, wore dark blue contacts to hide his stormy eyes, and dressed in expensive suits. Drew was the serious and commanding leader Squall was, but with a far stronger bond to family. The man had gotten to serious for even my tastes.

Valen rolled his eyes and, with a flash of light, became Seifer. Because of their non-linear existence, GFs held three-forms and were damn near ageless and immortal. The blonde man sat up and glared at Drew. "You're a bigger tight ass than Squall and Corin put together, which is saying something!"

"Just because he won't let you 'haunt' the Garden doesn't mean he's a tight ass," Kalari said in annoyance.

Squall appeared beside Seifer, "I've yelled at him for that Kalari."

My daughter ran over to Squall and gave him a big hug. The girl had always had always been fond of her 'Uncle Squall'. Allowing myself to smile, I looked over Kalari since I hadn't seen her for over a year. Kalari's crimson hair reached her waist now and her telepathic and telekinetic powers obviously grown greatly since then. The oddest thing about her, though, was not her psychic powers which I had passed onto her, not the bond with phoenix and thus a legacy to carry on, but her eyes. Only sorceresses had golden eyes, and Kalari's were almost that color, on just this side of that feline gold so that they looked like warm honey.

Reyn had, but this point, stood. Out of everyone he alone had barely changed. Suijin and Jason had grown serious, Rella took after her father, the Kinneases were all either drastically serious of extremely carefree. Yet Reyn was the same person as always, but what could I expect of the Dragon Pup? Blonde hair still hung in emerald eyes, and much like his parents, Reyn dressed very casually despite the fact he was the President of the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Some even compared him to Laguna Loire. It wasn't until recently that he'd stopped daily gunblade training, and then he'd only done it to spend more time with his dying wife.

"You're not here for me Drew… You're here for Corin's knowledge, just like me," Reyn said softly.

"Oh, then it's time?" Kalari asked from 'Uncle' Squall's lap, her position making Seifer visibly jealous.

Drew said nothing, doing a near flawless impersonation of a wall.

"Kalari, take the Presidents to the guest rooms we keep prepared. Gentlemen, I would like to see you this evening. We'll have plenty of time then."

The teen nodded and stood, "Come on Darus and Valen… When we take them we can go visit the GFs!"

Seifer smirked, "Yeah, we can see Siren first…" he was prevented from further comment by Squall elbowing him in the stomach.

Once the dignitaries, my daughter and the GFs were gone I moved to my bedroom sadly and stripped off my clothes. My hands moved over the various tattoos on my body, mostly archaic images of phoenixes, until I heard the song of the real Phoenix. The Guardian pressed its head against the largest image itself on my body. Less than a year after the end of the Two Wars (as they are now called) I had an image nearly identical to the one on my coat tattooed onto my back and legs. It had taken far longer than that to figure out my obsession with the fiery bird, by then I had most of my body covered in its image, though Fiera wasn't fond of the markings. With a sigh I turned and stroked the head of the mythical bird. In its current state, Phoenix was slightly larger than a large eagle. Often he would perch on my shoulder, pressing his head against my temple, a quiet way to comfort, inform, or just help my through something. Other time he would stay by my side only for my presence. One should not be long separated from their mind nor soul.

Phoenix let out a low note of despair, echoing the notes of my heart. He knew it would soon be time to leave here and was disappointed. I swear that bird was so pampered now. At first he trusted no one, just like me, and now he rode on people's heads, drank their sodas and shared their meals. Sure, Phoenix wasn't as outgoing as Carbuncle and Tonberry or even Valen and Siren, but he was up there.

I shivered for a moment as I sensed a wizened GF pass into my room. There was a gruff chuckle behind me before a hand rested on my shoulder. The cold hand of the man then brushed against my cheek before running down my sides to my bare hips. Phoenix quickly disappeared, knowing what was going on. Lips pressed against my neck and I moaned lightly in response.

"He's here…" the dragon guardian whispered in my ear.

"So you should be with him, not me," I said as the human form of Tiamat pulled me into his arms.

"He made a mistake," the blonde and horned guardian said, "He loves you my dear."

"That isn't your choice to make," I groaned as his hands wandered further down my body.

"I know this Corin. He is yet to awaken into me, and you are yet to become my fiery angel in his entirety. But that doesn't make this wrong..."

"It is not you that I desire."

"The desires of two eternal lovers are never wrong, even if in an unfamiliar form."

Of course, I didn't stop the dragon god, more of encouraged him. When I lay spent on the bed, drowning in emotions, residual passion and memories of so many pasts spent with him, I thought only of my Reyn. Tiamat gladly licked his hand clean and pulled me up for a kiss, one I accepted. As soon as he pulled away I whimpered in regret of it. Yet he ran his tanned hands through my hair and calmed me down enough to converse.

"You best awaken them soon. Forsaken waits for you and we four grow weak. If it is not done soon we will die and IT will awaken," the dragon warned.

"I know Tiamat. Now go visit your body and mind you cranky spirit," I hissed, greatly disliking how he had used me. Still, he was never wrong, just like Griever.

Hyne, it is going to be a LONG night.