Waltzing in the Rain

Twin-Lance

Chapter Nine: Return of the Beast

Rather than accompanying the guys out for who knew what Irvine had planned, Jasper wrapped a towel around his waist and returned to Laguna's quarters in the residential wing. The apartment was oddly quiet. There was no television, no radio, no absent humming or singing. It was very apparent that Laguna hadn't come home yet—not that Jasper needed any of those things to tell him that. The fact that Laguna's bedroom door sat open and the tray of cookies on the coffee sat untouched, was all the evidence he needed to know Ellone's dear uncle hadn't returned home. Unable to turn down a tray of Ellone's oatmeal cookies, he grabbed one before making his way down the hall.

Quietly padding past the girls' guest room, he opened the door to Ellone's and slipped inside. He wasn't surprised to find her sitting in the window seat, reading in her gown. His eyes momentarily lingered on the pale skin of her legs that contrasted with the teal fabric that lay across her lap. He didn't say anything as he pulled open a drawer and grabbed a change of clothes.

"You spend almost as much time in that pool as you do with me," Ellone's soft voice pierced the silence. He grinned faintly as he closed his drawer.

"Then perhaps you should join me more often. You'll never convince me that you don't like the water."

Ellone offered a thin smile before closing her book. She set it aside and stood up. Closing the curtains, she walked over to him. He never turned to face her, and instead pretended to be preoccupied with organizing the items sitting on top of the dresser. "Maybe I really don't like the water," she told him as she traced a finger down the skin on his back.

A sly smile crossed his lips and he closed his eyes. "Never gonna convince me," he informed her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "Water is unhappiness." Resting her cheek below his left shoulder blade, she frowned. "I know that Matron didn't intend for it, but water has come to represent my imprisonment. An entire childhood trapped on that ship, never staying in one place for too long." She blew her bangs out of her eyes and stood silently, holding him.

Jasper remained quiet as he took that in. "Water is you," he whispered. Putting his fresh clothes down, he pulled her arms away from his waist and turned to face her. "Had it not been for that ship, you and I would not be. Edea wouldn't have kept so many of us to stay with you and she wouldn't have trained us. I know those years weren't desirable, but we came of it. And maybe it's just because my own childhood was so awful, but I wouldn't trade what we have now for anything. I refuse to associate water with imprisonment or unhappiness. Water was our liberation from the world. Water should represent freedom, possibility, and happiness. I was born in a one chocobo desert town with no future, abandoned at a train station, and yet because of that ship, I'm the strongest swimmer I've ever met, and there isn't an ocean that could keep me away from you …so long as you wanted me of course."

Ellone smiled as she took his hands in hers. "You can have such a way with words when you want to," she told him.

"I have my moments," he smiled.

She smiled and pulled a hand away to tuck her hair back. "Now maybe if you'd explain that to Uncle Laguna he'd understand us better."

"Maybe tomorrow," he offered.

Ellone nodded. "It's almost tomorrow," she pointed out.

Jasper glanced over at the clock. "Guess I should get changed and mess up the bed."

She snorted as she shook her head. "You boys and your games," she dismissed him as she let go of his hand and went back to her window seat. "Eventually he's going to catch onto what you're doing."

"I'll deal with that mess when the moment presents itself," he said as he came out and flopped down on the pillow and blanket she'd laid out for him on the couch.

"He is going to be upset," she warned him as she put away her book and pulled back the blankets on her bed.

He shrugged dismissively. "He'll cope," he offered. "He can't stay mad for forever and especially not at you." He adjusted the pillow behind his head a bit to make it look laid on and then sat up. "And especially not once you have that baby. I don't care how mad he is initially, the man is going to melt."

Ellone smiled. "I hope so," she admitted as she adjusted herself under the blankets.

Jasper grinned as he crawled into bed with her. "I don't think you have a thing to worry about," he assured her with kiss on the cheek. "So, how are my girls doing anyway?"

"So sure it's a girl?" she asked quietly.

He smiled. "A little girl with your pretty face and perfect skin? I can hope."

She smiled. "Or A little boy who took after his father would be quite handsome as well."

"If you say so. Still holding out hope for that little girl," he argued as he slid an arm around her and shut off the light.

Squall had followed Irvine and Zell to the parking garage against his better judgement and had spent the entire car ride lost in thought. Irvine had said a few things he'd wanted to comment about but the timing hadn't felt …right. He was certain the girls would celebrate this as some sort of social achievement for him, but the girls weren't here right now and he wasn't sure if bringing the subject up in front of them was a wise decision. Although as emotional as Zell was lately, bringing the subject up in front of him might not be a great idea either. He frowned. Why did relationships have to be so complicated?

Irvine parked their borrowed car at the curb and killed the engine. The electric blue accessory lighting switched off and a white overhead light came on, illuminating the interior of the vehicle. Squall winced a bit at the unexpected brightness. Whatever he was going to say to Irvine was interrupted by Zell's obnoxiously loud voice.

"Whoa whoa whoa man! You told the girls we wouldn't be going to a place like this. There's no way I can go in that place!" Zell protested as he leaned over the back of their seat. Irvine looked over his shoulder and gave him a look. "I'm serious! There are very …bad girls in there man. They strip for money."

"I think they prefer the term exotic dancers unless you want to pay them extra to do other things," Irvine couldn't help but tease. "C'mon man you just broke up. Live a little."

"Live a little? I followed both of you to hell and back during a war that still gives me nightmares. And I ditched a borderline crazy chick because she was a control freak willing to challenge my mother of all people. And you know what? I don't even want to be seen near this place. If someone sees us and my Ma finds out about this she's gonna—"

"Do you always do what your Ma tells you?" Irvine asked.

"Of course, she finds out about everything. But unlike you, I'm a good boy. And she's absolutely terrifying when she's angry and disappointed in me." Folding his arms across his chest, Zell slumped down in his seat.

"He's right," Squall agreed. "We're too high profile. We can't be caught at a place like this. And his mother is kind of …intimidating when she's angry."

Irvine sighed out loud, resting his palm against the top of the steering wheel and stretching his fingers before squeezing them tightly around it again. "Squall. As your best man it is my duty to take you out for a wild night before you get hitched. Seeing as you're getting hitched so freakishly soon, tonight is the only night I am going to have that opportunity. You're going in."

"Excuse me," Zell frowned as he leaned over the back of the seat. "But as his more responsible best man, it is my job to make certain he doesn't do anything he's going to regret or be haunted by before he gets married. And going in that place is a mistake." Squall smiled, relieved to have the backup.

"Ten minutes ago you were still against him getting married. You don't get to be best man now. That ship sailed about three of your lectures ago," Irvine argued.

"Yeah well I finally accepted that it was inevitable this was going to happen with the war and her powers and that freaky connection they have," Zell countered.

"Speaking of that bond," Squall frowned over at Irvine. "How do you think knowing I'm at a strip club is going to make Rinoa feel? You know she's going to find out. I may be able to block out some of my thoughts and emotions but I can't block it all. I'm still figuring out how this works."

"And what about Selphie?" Zell asked. "She's crazy about you."

"I'll say," Squall made a face as he looked back up at the flashing sign on the building. "Can't figure out why though…"

"Hey!" Irvine said defensively.

"It's true though," Zell stated. "You're going to take Squall to a strip club and see other girls when you've got a girl back at the Presidential Palace that would love nothing more than to put on a show for you but you won't let her." Both Squall and Irvine turned to stare at Zell. "It's true! Selphie talks to me."

"About that?" Squall made a face.

"About why her boyfriend isn't into her," Zell stated. "She's crazy about you man. She'd do anything for you."

"Yeah I know. That's the problem," Irvine frowned, pushing the ignition in. "These girls will dance around and look pretty. But Selphie, if it gets that far with her she'll want to do more."

"And?" Zell asked.

"And I respect her more than most other girls," he frowned as he fiddled with the car key. "I'm just not ready."

Squall stared straight ahead. They were not seriously going to start discussing their sex lives, or rather, lack thereof. He closed his eyes as he tried to tune them out. When that failed, he decided to implement the only thing he could think of given the current situation. He was going inside.

"You're ridiculous!" Zell teased Irvine, enjoying being able to pick on the cowboy for once. "You talk big and prance around acting like some ladies man but what it all comes down to is that you're really nothing more than an insecure—" he spun around when Squall's door closed. "Whoa wait, why did he just get out of the car?"

"Alright we're going in," Irvine said, relieved to be spared Zell's lecture as he turned off the car and quickly climbed out.

"Damnit guys!" Zell's voice was muffled by the closing door but still audible. He pushed his own door open and followed them. "Squall! What gives!? If you want to go do something there are plenty of bars and—"

"There are worse things than being in trouble with Rinoa and listening to you two whining about your personal lives is one of them," Squall stated. He stopped walking, catching sight of a figure in the shadows that he hadn't expected. "Shit," he scowled.

"What?" Irvine asked as he turned around. "…Oh. Damn."

"I just want you to know that I blame both of you for whatever happens to me tonight," Squall said under his breath as the figure walked up to him.

Zell fell into a defensive pose and positioned himself in front of Squall. "Don't worry man, as your groomsmen it's our job to make sure you make it to the wedding alive."

"So my informant was correct," Caraway stated flatly as he came to stand in front of Zell. Even though the older man's face was largely obscured by the hood of the robe he was wearing, Squall could tell it was him. His grey eyes were absolutely piercing as he glared daggers in their direction. "You know for a Garden Commander, a President's son and a recent victim of a tabloid frenzy, I would've thought you would've been smart enough to steer clear of a place like this. Not to mention the fact that you tried to lead me on to believe you were serious enough about my daughter to want to settle down with her. Congratulations, you've proven my point. They're called dog tags for a reason. Most military men just can't seem to control themselves. You don't seem to be any different."

Squall scowled. While this did look bad on him, he wasn't about to admit it, and it didn't matter because the General was wrong anyway. "You're wrong," he said, not really having a good argument or excuse without sounding like an idiot by recapping the conversation in the car. "How did you find us?"

"How did I find you," Fury corrected him. "I could really care less about them. To be honest I could care less about you. It's my daughter that I want back and I know wherever you are, she's always close by." He paused to glance over his shoulder at the building behind them. "Well, with the exception of tonight." His piercing glare focused back on Squall as he closed the distance between them. Zell shifted to the side, repositioning himself between them. "I may have run Rinoa off, but I've always wanted what was best for her even when she couldn't understand it. And if you think you're her best option you're sadly mistaken."

"Hey man why don't you just back up and ease off of him a little. You don't know what in the hell you're talking about. Rinoa's the only girl in the world that he's ever given the time of day. He didn't even want to come here." Fury grabbed Zell by the shirt and flung him out of the way.

"Hey!" Squall shoved Fury back, instinctively getting between him and Zell. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. It must've been a momentary bout of madness because now that he'd made his move he was drawing a blank on what to do or say next. He stood a bit awkwardly, watching Caraway to see his next move.

"Seriously he's telling the truth!" Irvine tried to interject and smooth things over. "It was my idea. My very stupid idea. I thought it'd be funny to try and drag those two here and neither one of them even wanted to go. I just wanted them to be able to say that they did one totally crazy thing in their lives while they were still bachelors. It was harmless," he continued.

If Fury was convinced he didn't show it. Instead he stared just past all three of them, his gaze still frosty as he slowly raised his hands. Squall watched him quizzically. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on; when out of the corner of his eye he caught the President's seal on the shoulder patch of an armed guard coming up behind Irvine. This was just great. Squall looked over to his left to see another pair of guards approaching.

"What's going on?" Irvine asked.

"We're being watched," Zell stated as he crossed his arms. "What the hell?!"

"Of course we are," Squall frowned as the wind blew a few strands of his hair into his face. "I'm the President's son."

"Are you alright Sir?" the nearest guard asked Squall.

"I'm fine," he replied in a flat tone. "How did you find us?" This was embarrassing.

"All of the Palace keys are tracked, as are all of the vehicles."

Zell looked back at the car they'd borrowed. "Yeah I guess I'm not really that surprised."

The guards moved to apprehend Caraway, still oblivious to his identity as they placed restraints on his wrists. Much to Squall's surprise, Fury didn't resist. "Don't worry, we'll take him into custody for you," the tallest of the three guards told him.

Squall sighed. "Don't," he frowned.

"He was threatening a member of the President's family we're obligated—"

"He is …practically a member of the President's family," Squall forced the words off his tongue. It felt strained coming out but he'd managed it. "He's Rinoa's father." All three of the guards turned to look at Caraway. The nearest one pulled down Fury's hood and then stepped back in surprise.

Fury just offered a perfectly political smile. "Well, you've got me boys. Thanks to you there's one less ruffian on the streets of Esthar City. Congratulations." His voice was calm and precise but Squall could tell Fury was enjoying taunting them. He'd never seen the older man look so pleased. It had to be a cover. A cover for what Squall wasn't entirely certain.

"We have to take him in. We were ordered to apprehend whoever was harassing them," the shortest and youngest looking of the guards said to the other two.

The first guard nodded in agreement. "…Let's take him straight to the President. I'm sure he and Kiros would love to talk to him about him sneaking past Estharian defenses to get into the city undetected."

Fury didn't betray his thoughts or emotions with his facial expressions, but Squall could tell by the look in his eye that he was getting exactly what he wanted. He was going to get close to Rinoa.

Author's Notes: First off, I'd like to thank those of you that are still reading. It's a little hard to believe at this point that this story was originally only supposed to be three chapters long. I mention this because, if everything goes according to plan, there will be only three more chapters before this story is complete. I have my reviewers to thank for how developed the plot became. I enjoy receiving comments and suggestions and have already implemented a few of them into this story.

Second, I want to apologize for any errors I might've missed in the editing process. I'm from the country and occasionally type like I talk. Sorry. I'm also a notorious comma abuser and have apparently morphed into a contraction hater. I'm currently without my Editor and Muse and am relying solely on my Beta Reader to help me catch things I overlook.

Third, I hope you enjoy. The next chapter will be fun. ;)