Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who're still reading and reviewing. This chapter took a bit longer than I'd expected, but there were a few scenes I wanted to make sure I did right. I would say I hope you enjoy this chapter….but I'm not entirely sure it's appropriate. Now that it's done, I feel kind of guilty.

Cody Smith – I'm glad you like Fujin and Zell together. I like them together as well. They balance each other out.

JadeAlmasy – Yeah, Seifer isn't in the best of moods considering. Lol And things have gotten a lot better now that I've sort of got a good routine going.

Rune – Thanks for the review. I too thought you had to pay for an account back when I first stumbled across the site. Lol

AgentRonin316 – Thank you so much for your review and your congratulations. It's good to have you back.

Twin Flames

The early morning sunlight filtered through the kitchen window and illuminated the room with a warm yellow glow. Humming quietly to herself, Rachel did a light hearted little jig as she picked the spatula up off ofthe table and used it to flip some eggs. She stole a quick glance at her watch and grabbed her oven mitt.

"Are you boys sure you don't want anything to eat?" she asked as she pulled out a plate of biscuits. The gentleman in the corner shook his head politely. "How about you in there?" she called out to the younger man in the living room.

"I don't think the boss will let me Mrs. Wilcott," he smiled as he sauntered into the kitchen. Rachel grinned; standing around 6'2"Patrick was thin as a twig with an unruly poof of red curls atop his head.

"Well Mr. Reynolds," Rachel replied with a smile. "Right now I'm the boss. Sit down you're going to eat something." She gave the older man a look. "Come on Carl. You know you want something too."

The man sighed in resignation. "I'll have a sausage and biscuit." Rachel smiled triumphantly.

The front door swung open abruptly causing both Pat and Carl to rush the living room with their guns poised. Mirenne and Raab exchanged glances.

"Hey guys," Raab held up his hands. "It's just me. Don't shoot."

"Breakfastis ready," Rachel called out from the kitchen. "Carl, Patrick, secure the door, check the windows, carry out your patrol and whatever else you deem necessary for this house to be secure enough to sit down for five minutes and eat breakfast." Carl looked annoyed at her teasing.

Raab picked up Mirenne's bags. "Better get used to eating often. Since my Pa passed, it's been her self-appointed purpose to feed anyone and everyone within a three block radius of this house." Rachel came into the room and handed Carl a small plate. Raab stared at the sausage and biscuit. "I see she's already conquered you two."

Carl grinned modestly in acknowledgement.

"Raab, Mirenne, breakfast is on the table. Patrick, sit down and eat something. You look like you're starving," Rachel ordered as she waved her spatula at him.

"Mom's hired some guards to look after us and the property. She's a little rattled by everything that's transpired," Raab said as he carried Mirenne's bags upstairs.

"She's not the only one," Mirenne said solemnly.

Raab paused. "Does Zell know you're scared?"

"Not scared, concerned," Mirenne corrected him.

"Whatever," Raab said dismissively. " Does he know?"

"I didn't see any reason to tell him."

"Aunt Mirenne. He worries about you."

She rolled her eyes. "And the doctor says I have an anxiety problem. Why in the world would Zell possibly worry about me?"

"There are lots of reasons…like, for starters, you live alone in Balamb. Because you have no immediate family nearby. Because with him gone you don't' have anyone else to care for."

"Psh," Mirenne dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She climbed the remaining steps to the guest room. "Hogwash."

"Because your cholesterol is high. Because the spring break parties are getting wilder every year. Because he doesn't trust your mail man. Because his psycho biological father is on the streets-"

Mirenne put her hand to his lips. "You could go on all day couldn't you?"

Raab nodded proudly. Mirenne grabbed her bags from him and dropped them inside the bedroom doorway.

"Let's go eat."

"Sounds like a plan."

Squall stared at the colorful projection dancing on the ceiling. Next to him in the crib, Tempest had finally drifted off to sleep after only two hours of fighting it. Tiptoeing around their bed, Rinoa switched the crib light off and tucked their son in. Squall watched her silently as he pondered the events of the day. They had nothing. Aside from Dak, who was quite possibly the happiest prisoner they'd ever housed, there was no one else with any information as to what Audley was up to. Despite their best efforts, it was beginning to look like his father's spies would be the only sources of information they'd get.

"You keep frowning that sharply and your face is bound to get stuck like that," Rinoa whispered in his ear – startling him from his thoughts. She giggled quietly and placed a cool palm onto his chest. His body shivered at the contact. She grinned wryly at him and licked her lips. "The baby's asleep," she whispered as she pulled herself up to straddle him and covered his mouth. "No complaints. You've had that angry serious look on your face for the past week. It's time you loosened up."

He grinned "Rin-"

"Ah," she covered his mouth again. "It's not up for debate. I'm going to help you relieve some of this stress, if only for tonight."

Squall cast a glance at the alarm clock and then ran his hands along her thighs and up under the bottom of her short night shirt. She closed her eyes and sighed as she ran her hands up his chest – lowering her body against his in the process. He groaned as her mouth found his and they began to melt into one another.

How he loved her taste. His tongue danced with hers as he carefully unfastened the dainty little buttons along the front of her gown. She'd retained most of the weight she'd gained during her pregnancy and yet she was still so small and fragile in comparison to him. He was their provider and protector. Just the thought alone gave him some primal sense of pride and accomplishment but at the same time, made him question whether his line of work was putting them in any danger.

She sat up, her gown sliding soundlessly off her shoulders. Whatever thoughts he may have had were banished from his mind when he realized she hadn't been wearing anything underneath. "Honey," she said as she traced a finger along his chest and down to his waist. "I think I want another baby."

"Really?" he asked huskily as his hands went from caressing her sides to cupping her breasts.

She nodded as she began untying the string on his pajama pants.

"I think I'm wearing too much clothing."

"Uh huh," she half agreed and half groaned as he rolled her onto her back and divested himself of his garments. Their mouths met again as his right hand ran down her side to her hip. She arched her back under him, weakening his resolve and bringing him down on top of her. He groaned at the action as she wrapped her legs behind his and ran her hands through his hair.

Down two levels in the SeeD dormitory wing, Seifer stared at his alarm clock longingly. It was quickly approaching one and he'd spent the better part of half an hour trying to figure out exactly how Fujin and Zell had managed to weasel their way into his room. Seated in his desk chair, he leaned it back as he watched Chicken-Wuss fitfully sleep in his bed. It was his bed! How did Zell even get in his room much less in his bed? His gaze fell to Fujin, her head resting on Zell's chest as she slept soundly. On her left hand, a dainty ruby taunted him.

Seifer sighed in defeat. His best girl was seriously going to marry Dincht…and in doing so, was going to grant him membership into their exclusive little posse.

"You're going to have to quit teasing him ya know" Raijin spoke Seifer's thoughts before he'd even had a chance to think them.

Seifer cast him an uneasy look. "Get out of my head man. I'm in mourning here."

Raijin snorted and laughed. "I bet you are man."

"You have no idea," Seifer grumbled as he gingerly raised his broken leg up onto a pile of old school books and fighting magazines.

"So, how exactly did they even get the bed man? I mean, you're the one that's injured. It would've been nice of them to have let you lay down ya know?"

Seifer nodded with a grimace. "It still hurts like a bitch. Kadowaki said tomorrow afternoon I'd be able to take the brace off and walk on it unsupported. Some kind of experimental potion they have out. It centers on bone damage and repair. SeeD's way of getting us back on the field sooner after we've been blown up." Fujin stirred but didn't wake up.

"She's scared man," Raijin whispered.

"I know," Seifer mumbled as he flicked a pencil across his desk and watched it roll off the edge. "Which is why I didn't say anything. The fact that Zell not only came with her but fell asleep first has me a little…concerned as well."

"Really?"

"It's Dincht man. We aren't exactly the best of friends. For him to be hereshows thathe's worried. He's not just the kind of guy to swallow his pride for something insignificant."

"Ah. A safety in numbers kind of thing huh?"

"That or he figured I got stuck with a shitty dorm room with no window for anyone to break into."

Raijin chuckled. "Ya shoulda passed your field exam with a higher score man. The higher your rank, the nicer your digs."

"Hah!" Seifer laughed. "I passed. That was a higher score compared to my three other failed attempts." Raijin smiled as he remembered the bewildered look on Seifer's face when he was told he'd made SeeD.

The moonlight dimly illuminated the corner night stand and dresser across the room. Sitting proudly on top of them were picture frames upon picture frames of a sandy haired little boy on the beach. The frames were staggered and overlapped and looked to have been arranged in order of age. Quickly gathering the picture frames and stuffing them into a back pack, the shadow quietly made his way down the hallway.

He took a moment to analyze everything in the room around him and then went immediately for the framed certifications on the wall. The numerous trophies and award ribbons on the shelf above the desk were next. Breaking out a flashlight, the man dropped to his hands and knees and dug around under the bed. A bit to his surprise, all he found were a few fighting magazines and a pair of sneakers.

There just had to be more. Returning to the desk, he went through the drawers and found a camera and a journal. The room was clean; perhaps a little too clean for a teenage boy. Frustrated, the shadow noticed the rifle on the wall and pulled it down absently. He ran his fingers along its aged barrel and down to its trigger. The gun told him nothing about his target. Wistfully tossing the rifle on the bed, the rifle fired and the shadow dropped to the floor and covered his head with the only hand he had left.

Pushing himself up with his left hand, he stared at the damage done to the wall beside him and then at the light that came on in the house next door. Grabbing his loot, the shadow awkwardly pulled his backpack over his right elbow and onto his shoulder. It was time to light the place up and leave.

Darkness had long since set on Dollet and a dense fog had rolled in a short time after. Half asleep, Patrick quietly walked out to the car he and Carl had parked on the street and opened the door lazily. Thumbing through a book of albums, he pulled two music discs out and shut the car door behind him. Even though he'd napped earlier in the afternoon, he still couldn't seem to wake up all the way. At least he wasn't alone; Carl seemed to be having the same problem. With any luck, maybe a little music and some strong coffee would help them.

Trotting up the front walk, Patrick paused at a rustle in the bushes. Easing his firearm from its holster, he slowly stepped to the side and backed towards the front of the house. A pair of strong arms wrapped around his head and neck, muffling his shouts for help. He managed to fire off a shot before his head was abruptly snapped to the side. The struggle between the two men came to a quick end as Patrick fell to his knees and then onto his chest in the flowerbed by the front walk.

Carl was halfway across the living room when his world seemed to fall into slow motion. He'd heard the gunshot outside, but for the life of him, was unable to make it to the door. Just then, a blonde figure stepped inside and raised his right hand up in front of him. Carl raised his gun, but the other man's actions seemed twice as fast as his. Helplessly, he stared at the open palm of the man not ten feet in front of him as a faint neon glow began pulsing out and around the man's arm and converged in his palm. What happened next Carl couldn't say. He was on the floor; dizzy, disoriented and in the worst pain in his life. He couldn't see, whether it be from the pain or whatever spell the intruder cast on him, he wasn't sure. Regardless, there was no way Carl could think straight much less coordinate any part of his body well enough to do anything to sound any kind of alarm to warn the people upstairs.

With a thoughtful gaze, Gunther Audley stepped across Carl's convulsing body and admired the carved rafters above his head. Looking around casually, he spotted a pair of picture albums on an end table. Picking them up, he flipped through them both and stopped when he came across childhood pictures of Zell.

"Carl?" Mirenne called out as she turned on the hall light upstairs. Gunther ducked out of view and knelt down beside the staircase. "Carl?" Mirenne asked as she came down the steps. She was a few steps from the bottom before she was able to make out Carl's writhing form. "Carl are you alright?" her voice came out panicked and strangled as she realized what was going on. Quickly turning and hurrying up the stairs, her flight was cut short when she was dragged back down by the back of her gown and hair. With a scream, she was flung across the living room and into thefireplace mantle opposite the staircase. Her body fell to the floor with a thud.

Upstairs, Raab quickly rolled out of bed, pulled his boots on and readied his shotgun. Sneaking across the hall, he woke his mother up and then motioned for her to be quiet. A panicked look crossed Rachel's face as she grabbed the phone from her night stand only to realize that the line had been cut. Pausing only a moment to make sure he had some magic junctioned, Raab crept into the main hall and peered down the stairs.

Audley noticed the diminutive portion of a shadow thatRaab's form cast down from the top of the staircase. Acting as if he hadn't noticed anything, he casually pulled an accelerant from a pants pocket and began spreading it across all the furnishings in the living room. Whoever else was up there would have to come down to get to him.

Stepping back, Audley grabbed a few letters from the pile of mail by the door. "This place is about to burn," he spoke flatly. "Dincht is down here."

There was a long pause as Audley lit the handful of envelopes in his hand. "Why're you doing this?" Was Raab's only response.

"I didn't come here to talk," Audley said as he picked one of the photo albums up and tossed it out in the front yard. "If you want to save her, you better act now. Don't worry, I won't shoot you while you come down the stairs. I'll be long gone by the time you work up the nerve to come down." Opening his hand, he let the burning envelopes fall to the floor in front of him and watched as a thin trail of flames spread out like a spider web along the wood floor and furniture. Raab rushed down the stairs and leapt off the bottom step and onto the floor a few feet beyond.

Audley pulled out a pistol and fired off a few shots when Raab got close to Mirenne. Crying out as a shot pierced his right thigh; Raab stumbled backwards and fell gracelessly into the dining room behind him. He swatted out the flames that had taken to his pants legs and raised his shotgun. Leaning against his left shoulder, he rolled around and fired off a shot in Audley's direction. He was rewarded with three rapid shots in return. Ducking back, he took a deep breath and gathered his bearings. Readying his shotgun, he started to lean forward but hesitated as a putrid, greenish-purple colored mist materialized in the open doorway and then dissipated. Magic. Zell and Galbadia Garden had been right – Audley was fighting with a Guardian Force.

Summoning what little experience he'd gained at Galbadia Garden about guardian forces and their associated abilities, Raab concentrated and then rolled around and thrust out his hand to unleash a Sleep spell on Audley. The older man stumbled a bit and shook his head to rid himself of the drowsy sensation. Seizing his opportunity, Raab reached out again but this time focused his attention on locating and tempting Quezacotl to allow him to draw him. Much to Raab's surprise, the guardian force eagerly jumped to him and left Audley stunned and on the floor, clutching his head in disorientation.

With Audley still sidelined, Raab tried to reach out and grab Mirenne's wrist. His fingers barely fell short and he recoiled as the now raging flames seared the flesh on the underside of his arm and his side. Pushing himself back against the open door, Audley watched Raab's efforts with a twisted amusement. Raising his pistol, he fired off a few shots to suppress Raab's efforts. Much to Audley's surprise, Raab fired back and then jumped from his position in the doorway to the coffee table in front of the scorched couch. Falling back, Audley fired off another shot at Raab, and then a few into Mirenne's limp body.

As one of the bullets tore into his right ankle, Raab fell and hit the table with a crack as the old table buckled under his weight. Raab tumbled into the flames beside his aunt, his shotgun clattering as it slid up against the entertainment cabinet. Screaming in pain, Raab stumbled around in the sea of flames. Grabbing Mirenne under his arms, he fought to drag her towards the dining room. Another gunshot ripped through his shoulder and another into his side. Falling back onto his knees, he rolled onto the warmed tile in the dining room entranceway. On his hands and knees, Raab pulled Mirenne in behind him and then quickly pulled the pocket doors behind them closed.

Frantically ridding himself of his burning clothing, Raab began patting out the flames on his aunt. Under his palms her body was motionless. Painfully crawling over to the sink in the next room, he pulled a few dish towels from a base cabinet and then raised up high enough on his knees to run cool water over them in the sink. He slung the towels over his shoulder and hissed as the wet material stung his injuries. Crawling back to Mirenne's side, he rolled her onto her back and dabbed at her face with one of the wet towels. Two more shots splintered the wood of the pocket doors but Raab paid them no mind as he placed the other towels over some of her burns, in an attempt to cool her skin. He sat on the floor holding Mirenne until the flames started to flare up from the bottom of the massive wood doors they'd hid behind. With some difficulty, Raab tried to pull her further away from the door – only succeeding in rubbing off some of his damaged skin in the process. He clutched his newly opened injury on his forearm and draped one of the damp towels over it. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling as he fought the urge to succumb to his exhaustion and the smoke.

Rinoa groaned as she rolled over and slapped the alarm clock. Snuggling down into her pillow, she giggled as Squall rolled over and wrapped his arm around her. "Morning," she yawned as she pulled the comforter over their heads.

"Morning," he replied as he began kissing her. Turning over in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Squall pushed the comforter off his head – causing his hair to stand up in an odd number of directions. Rinoa quietly laughed as she tried to brush the hair back down.

"It's so full of static," she chuckled.

"We need a humidifier or something," Squall said as he leaned down to kiss her again. His nose brushed hers and a small static charge shocked them. Rinoa squeaked in surprise as she pushed him back. "Come back!" he laughed as she hopped out of bed and dragged their comforter with them. Squall raised an eyebrow as he watched her wrap up in it before she skipped off to the bathroom. "You definitely weren't Ms. Modesty last night," he said as he followed her and leaned against the doorframe. She shrugged innocently and started to say something Squall was sure would lead to them sharing the shower, but the phone in the other room interrupted her.

"It's like five in the morning," Rinoa's eyes held a dread Squall was all too familiar with. "What is so important that they call you at five in the morning?"

"Calm down. I'll go see," he reassured her as he hurried into the living room and picked up the phone. "Commander Loire here." There was a long silence that lured Rinoa from the bathroom. "What?...You're sure?" He licked his lips uncomfortably as he listened. "Have you sent anyone to look for him?...No. I'll handle this. Post extra guards at the entrances and lookouts. I want to keep Garden on a discreet alert. Just in case."

"Squall?" Rinoa asked uneasily.

"I have to find Zell. His mother's home in Balamb was burglarized and set on fire….and his aunt's home in Dollet was burned to the ground." Rinoa's jaw dropped. Squall took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. "His Ma and Aunt Rachel are both dead," Squall struggled with the last sentence. "How do I tell him?"