Chapter Four: Worst Case Scenario

July 8th – Tuesday 10:05 a.m.

He grunted in aggravation as someone continuously knocked on the door. Apparently it was showering down fireballs outside, the end of the world was here – it damn better be. When upstairs in his normal office, insane people like this were forced to go through Xu; she had the ability to handle just about every situation known to SeeD, which usually left him in peace.

However, Xu was nowhere to be found and neither was any semblance of peace.

The commander ran a hand through is hair, gritting back a few colorful adjectives that were rather unprofessional, as he made his way to the door. This in-room suspension was growing more maddening by the day. By next week, he would be using his gunblade to skew students and faculty randomly as if they were SeeD shish kabobs.

He opened the door while trying to remain somewhat hospitable to the visitor. Unfortunately for him, he never saw the blitz attack coming. So much for lightening quick reflexes from years of training, because apparently, someone had even far greater velocity than him.

It was a haze of brunette and yellow, a force more persistent (and annoying) than the fiercest typhoon. 'It' jumped on him as if a lioness pouncing on a gazelle, sadly at this moment, he was the defenseless gazelle in the open savannah. So much for being a lion…

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thaaank yooouuu!"

Selphie, of course, had to draw out that last one to for effect. It was annoying, but what about repeating the same words five times in a row wasn't? Squall was not used to having his friends fly into his arms. He was just learning to understand Rinoa's obstinate need for ambushing him. Selphie, however, was an entirely different animal. It equaled, to put it mildly, having a leech attach itself to your body - a really energetic, cheerful, and slightly disturbing, leech.

Unfortunately, unlike Rinoa, she didn't seem to detach as quickly. It was extremely uncomfortable, given his nature, but he tried not to react outwardly. In fact, he wondered where the hell he put his salt shaker.

"Can you please detach?" he asked prying her arms away with more force than was probably necessary. Again, he didn't do well with people in close proximity and she had broken, no shattered, all boundaries of personal space.

"Sorry," she apologized in a highly cheerful way that only Selphie could.

She released herself from the death grip and then promptly started her unique habit of bouncing in place. He had seen her excited before, but this went way beyond anything he had witnessed. He quickly wondered if all those rumors he heard about her addiction to those sticks with colored sugar in them was true, or if that was just one of those myths that had been perpetuated in the forums on the Garden Square.

"Squall, I'm just so excited that you agreed to go to Dollet with us! I didn't have time to get down here until now. It'll be so fun! There's so much I want to do."

The logical side of his mind was screaming for him to ask the simple question, "Like what?" Yet, he didn't. In any other situation, he would have collected as much tactical data as possible, gathered useful intel, and assess various probabilities. However, this was that one time in his life that he actually thought the less he knew, the better the possible outcome. So, in this instance, he just said what didn't come natural. "You're welcome."

"Do you know how much I thought you would say no? I mean Irvine and I had a bet and if I lost I had to…never mind you really don't want to hear it, do you?" Selphie laughed to herself, apparently she must have thought something was rather comical, he was however, not amused.

She continued brightly gleaming, "Anyway, I was thinking about the trip all night. I couldn't stop thinking about all the fun we're going to have. I wanted to come down here and thank you in person!"

She smiled sincerely, to which, he in return offered the gesture in kind. It wasn't large, and was somewhat forced, but the smile wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be.

"Well, I better head back upstairs. I'm supposed to be giving the new recruits a demonstration in controlled explosions. Because it's never too early to teach them blowing up things is really, really awesomely cool. Though…maybe I should kinda scale back that aspect, huh?"

"That would be wise," he replied wondering who the hell gave the clearance for this to happen…again. Did Garden learn nothing from her last 'controlled blast?'

Before she turned to walk away, Selphie mused out loud, "You know, I swear I think I've knocked on more doors this week than ever, you should totally give me a master key."

He stared at her in disbelief, and honestly, a little fear.

"It was a joke, Squall," she explained with a wink. "You'll learn…eventually. I still hold out hope."

As a final thought she added, "You know, you really, really need to get some pictures, or plants, or maybe even furniture?"

Squall resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Apparently, Rinoa and Selphie also had the need to decorate his apartment in common. He just grunted a non-response and quickly closed the door to his sanity, and his apartment.

July 9th – Wednesday 3:17 p.m.

This was the final straw.

He was going to talk to – no, make demands to - Cid this afternoon. Either he was going to actually be truly suspended, move back to his office, or get an assistant for the remainder of this probation. He could just leave his apartment door open, but that wasn't happening anytime in this lifetime, and probably, a little into the next. Did nobody around this entire complex think to use the telephone? In fact, he now owned one with five lines on his makeshift desk. He damn well sure knew how to use it, but apparently the general masses couldn't even handle the simplistic task of dialing.

Again the commander grumbled as he had to save his document, get out from behind the card table, walk down the small hallway, and open his stupid door. Not a huge ritual in itself, but one that had grown ever more annoying since Monday. This time when he opened the door he was greeted by a smirking Irvine – thankfully the cowboy had restrained himself from jumping into the commander's arms. Somebody would have gotten seriously hurt. Really, seriously, hurt.

"Hey, sorry to bother you. Just needed to get with you for a moment, got a minute or two?"

"No," he mentally screamed, yet unfortunately, his body had not received the message as he stepped out of the way.

"Great!"

Irvine made his way in looking around the apartment. He had only been to the commander's new place once before. Squall was rather private about his affairs, and his friends allowed him his own space. Save for the occasional Selphie intrusion, or you know, the naked-girlfriend-in-the-bathtub scenarios. Which unfortunately, the former seemed to be far more likely in the near future, rather than the latter.

"Wow, you've done wonders with this place since I last saw it."

"That seems to be the general consensus," he replied flatly.

"Anyway, back on topic," Irvine grinned. However, it was more of a nervous smile than his usual confident smirk. "I needed to get with you about the reservations for this weekend."

The cowboy adjusted his hat, not that it needed it. That was a trait specific to nervousness. Although he and Squall were raised together at the orphanage, he always felt awkward around his friend to a certain degree. This only seemed to amplify when nobody else was there to serve as a distraction. They were two extreme personalities, with two distinct life styles and attitudes.

Now it became Squall's turn to feel uncomfortable. Even hearing Irvine mention the 'reservations' conjured up a sense of unease in the young commander - an emotion that he had often tried to suppress.

However, ever since Rinoa's slip up at the beach, Squall had thought about this topic. Probably a little more than would be considered normal… His mind said one thing, his heart said quite another. He had not talked it over with Rinoa, which was something he knew he should have done. Yet within that same thought, he knew it was something he couldn't do, not by conscious choice, but something inherently deeper. How some things could come so easily for some, but were so difficult for others, mainly him, remained a mystery.

"Squall, do you guys need one room or two?"

And there it was, just as simplistic as that. The knight tried not act as if the question fazed him and outwardly he was succeeding, inwardly it felt as if his respiration system would implode. Luckily while he remembered how to breathe, Irvine remembered to keep talking.

"We had it reserved for two, one for myself and Selph and the other for friend. I called the hotel to see if there was another room available. They can do it. I just need to know how many you guys need."

Squall quickly also surmised that Irvine and Selphie were sharing a room. He had assumed they would, but hearing and thinking were two different things. A part of him admired his friend, not for the fact that he was sharing a room with his girlfriend, just the way he handled it so diplomatically.

"Two," answered the commander, though not with his usual assertiveness. "Just put them in my name. I'll cover both."

Oh yes, brilliant, Squall thought, somehow if you pay for the second room it makes a difference. It didn't matter and he knew it. It wasn't anybody's business how many rooms he and Rinoa had, and honestly, he knew Irvine and Selphie didn't care either way. The mental hang up was the one he was having was with himself.

"No problem. I'll call them right back. Also wanted to let you know that the train is leaving at two on Friday. Sorry so early. It's the only way we can get to Dollet at a somewhat decent hour."

"Yeah," Squall replied still distracted in his thoughts. "It's fine."

If this was any indication, this weekend was going to be a rather unprecedented event all around.

July 10th – Thursday 9:58 a.m.

He slammed his laptop closed with force. This was the third time in as many days. He stood from his chair, nearly knocking it over in the process. He angrily walked the hallway slamming his fist on the kitchen counter as he stormed by. Reaching the doorknob, he pulled it open forcefully. The person on the other side eyes widened in shock.

"I'm sorry," she stammered apologetically. "I should have called. It's obviously a bad time." Rinoa shifted her weight nervously between her feet. "I'll come back later…or something…"

He didn't reply verbally. Reaching out, he grabbed her bicep a little more forcefully than he had intended. He sometimes forgot how adrenaline could affect him. He even saw her wince in either shock or pain. He hoped it was shock.

"Rinoa," he dropped his hand feeling ashamed. Being locked in this place for nearly a week straight was starting to fray heavily on his nerves. "Please." He didn't need to say anything more. That was what so great about her, she understood without him ever having to say more than a few simple words. Smiling, she held out a folder. Rinoa knew his abruptness was not directed toward her, rather toward the situation.

"Cid just wanted me to bring these contracts down for your signature."

However, she was puzzled when he made no attempt to grab the file or offer any other immediate exchange.

"Squall?"

"Please just stay here and work for me today. Whatever Cid's paying you, I'll double it."

She knew enough of him to know that although it was said in a joking manner, there was some truth to his plea. "Okay," she laughed. "I don't think it works that way, but it's a very generous offer."

"I'm going stir crazy in here. I never realized how much shit Xu has to put up with."

"You mean working for you or working with you?"

"Very clever… it's just that the interruptions never end."

She giggled. "Welcome to my life, just add making coffee, figuring out how to change the stupid toner in the copier, and paging instructors who are always too busy to even acknowledge your feudal existence. That is the glorious thing that is my job…"

"I need to get out of here. I need to go take some of this frustration out, before I end up killing someone. This is hell."

He hadn't meant to, but she felt overwhelming guilt. His punishment was her fault. As much as he tried to deny it before, she knew he would not 'suspended' if it wasn't for her. Her entire demeanor changed as she lowered the folder to her side and bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he replied not understanding. When she didn't look up, he realized what he had inadvertently done, or rather said. "Rinoa, no don't." He reached for her hand, but before they made contact the phone rang in the background. She instinctively pulled away, placing the folder in his hand instead.

"You're busy and I need to get back…just sign these when you get a chance and return them to the headmaster. I gotta go."

She turned abruptly to walk away. He said her name under his breath, but not too surprisingly, she had not heard. He despised this, everything about it. He shut the door, making sure not to slam it, although that was his first instinct. He tossed the folder angrily onto the same counter. He had done it in aggravation only a minute before and now he did likewise. Now it was for an entirely different reason.

July 11th – Friday 1:15 p.m.

He had been the first one standing at the gates. Squall would have liked to say his reasons were because he was extremely punctual, he was overly responsible, or he was the definition of the perfect SeeD, but those excuses would be pretty damn far from the truth. Yesterday Rinoa had walked away from him upset, and like the patented fool he was, he didn't try to make amends. He would like to think that he was getting over this point in his life, where he felt that if he made too big of mistake that she would leave. He had given her plenty of reasons to do so in the past, but she hadn't. There was always this nagging voice in his subconscious that refused to believe anybody would want to stay with him.

Last night he had found it difficult to concentrate on work, although he did just that. Between signing disciplinary forms (ironic onto itself) and reading over contracts, he probably glanced at the phone a good few dozen times. He either willed her to call, or willed himself to pick up the line, but neither of those scenarios occurred. The commander had even gone as far as to wonder if she would cancel this weekend, upset at his behavior. She didn't.

Now he was the one to be standing at the gates, standard SeeD issued duffle bag hanging over shoulder, waiting for the others to show up. What a difference a few days made. The irony again couldn't escape him.

He glanced down to his watch and then tried to casually look at the door. Apparently appearing nonchalant was more difficult than he imagined. After a few more minutes of acting as if he wasn't looking toward the door, he saw the outlines of three familiar figures. He made out one rather towering over the other two petite forms. For a minute, he flashed back to a similar scenario at Galbadia Garden just over a year ago...

To the commander, that entire leg of their journey never set right. From the moment they disembarked at the East Academy train station, it seemed to be one impossible anomaly after another. Of course, that particular incident cumulated with the introduction of the sharpshooter to the group, and things seemed to roll downhill quickly from there. It was also that encounter at Galbadia Garden that Squall experienced a completely foreign emotion. Though at the time, he couldn't identify the sensation. It was (albeit very slight) jealousy. There was something about watching Irvine wrap his arms around both Selphie and (especially) Rinoa that stirred a once dormant emotion. He wouldn't admit it then, he wouldn't admit now if asked, but it was there.

After that fleeting sensation, he quickly rearranged the groupings, not going by Irvine's rather ludicrous suggestion. Squall forcefully clung onto the notion that Rinoa was his client and still under his protection. She was. That wasn't a lie. On paper, or to any superior, it would be a logical explanation. But somehow, there was a desire to protect her that may have gone beyond the norm. He denied it then, but somehow seeing a mirror of the past made the realization come to light.

Seeing the sharpshooter walking with his arms around the girls brought back that once dormant feeling. Squall knew it was just the cowboy's way. Inevitably, somehow, his mind tied this situation back to that first day in Galbadia. He pushed the fleeting notion out of his thoughts and tried to return to his nonchalant waiting, which grew increasingly difficult.

In a casual attempt, he turned just enough to tell that Rinoa and Selphie were laughing openly. Irvine appeared to be grinning in triumph. Apparently they found humor in something. After another second, Rinoa seemed outwardly disgusted by the cowboy and forcefully removed his arm. She then started to walk faster than her comrades, putting several paces between them.

"Squall, ready for some fun?!" Selphie called rather loudly garnering the attention of a few passersby. The commander managed to give a forced smile, or at least he thought it was. It may have looked more like a lopsided sneer to onlookers. He prayed for the best.

As they approached, he noticed that Irvine's arm was still wrapped protectively around Selphie. It was so natural for the cowboy; contact was a gesture so seemingly basic to Irvine. Rinoa had made it to him first, still mocking anger toward the man behind her. However when she reached Squall, her expression immediately softened. It was then when he noticed that she was dressed in jeans and a very familiar t-shirt.

He recalled vividly seeing her in that exact garment on a poignant evening in Trabia. It was navy blue with a small embroidered badger, the mascot of his gunblade oil. The very same shirt she expertly seemed to have pilfered from him without his knowledge...so much for those astute SeeD skills of observation. She smiled warmly at him as they made eye contact.

"Nice shirt," he remarked offhandedly.

"Thanks," she laughed. "It's one of my favorites."

Her expression and actions seemed in stark contrast to how she left yesterday. It appeared that she had not thought as much about the incident as he had. Squall wondered if he had read the situation entirely wrong, though he doubted that he had. It was Rinoa after all; she seemed to bounce back from many situations unscathed.

She continued grinning as she walked passed him, grabbing his arm. Without missing a beat, the two walked in stride slightly ahead of the other couple. Reiterating Selphie's question, only with personal intimacy and warmth, she whispered, "So, are you ready for some fun?"

"I guess," he replied honestly.

This was all new territory to him. Sure, he and Rinoa had gone to Winhill together a few months prior. There was something about that trip… Maybe it was because there was a purpose to it. He needed to face his past and, he again, sought some unspoken comfort in taking her. Selfish, maybe, but he really had relied on her strength that trip.

This, however, was another kettle of Balamb fish. This was them as a couple, going to do something with their friends - as a couple. Yet he wanted to do this for him, for her, but mainly, for them.

July 11th – Friday 1:55 p.m.

The twenty-two minute drive to Balamb was relatively uneventful, beside from idle chit-chat from the majority of the group. Only three were involved directly in conversation, the other one would answer with monosyllabic answers if asked directly. And only if asked directly. Squall still wasn't very versed in the art of conversation, nor did he actually have any intentions on doing so. He wasn't rude by any means and nobody ever thought of pressing the issue. He would just rather sit back and listen, and think, and wander, basically anything but get involved directly in the current debate.

For most of the trip, the majority of the conversation was solely between the two girls, with Irvine interjecting an occasional protest. It seemed that not even five minutes after getting into the vehicle, Selphie had to broach the now taboo subject of Garden's new chef. It was done intentionally, of course, just to irritate Irvine. It seemed to be an ongoing game to the couple: who could goad each other the most. Still, even with the topic of Carl, there was much laughing and giggling, plus the occasional (and not so attractive) 'snort' by Irvine.

When they arrived at the station, the four made their way to the counter. To everybody's surprise, Squall stepped forward and wordlessly paid for all the train tickets. The other three silently exchanged looks. Nobody was more pleased with this act of benevolence than his girlfriend. When questioned before boarding, Squall just shrugged his shoulders and basically stated that he wasn't the type of person to buy birthday gifts, plus he wanted to help defray the costs.

Selphie was extremely touched by his actions; even to a point where she was rendered speechless, or thought it better not to speak, and just to let the gesture stand. So she acknowledged it with a sincere "thank you" without her special, unique version of fanfare.

The conductor finally announced their train was boarding, and as predicted, Selphie had mysteriously found her way to the front of the line. Being that they were SeeDs with their own private car, they used a secondary entrance that wasn't accessible to the general public. This never deterred Selphie's determination to be the first passenger aboard the train; she just had the benefit of having an unadulterated path to her goal.

Rinoa and Squall decided to wait for the crowd to clear before they made their way forward. Well, 'crowd' as defined by Balamb train station standards, maybe fifteen passengers. Finally the group reunited in the waiting area of the private car. Selphie stood next to the control panel enthusiastically awaiting the 'magical swipe' of the card. However before Squall had the chance, Rinoa wanted to mention something that she had previously forgotten. Apparently in the car, there was little time between discussions of work, Carl, and the boisterous groans of Irvine.

"Oh, um guys, I forgot to tell you…before we left Garden, I got a hold of Zone and Watts. They asked if we'd be interested in meeting for dinner before we head on up to Dollet. I know this is your weekend Selph, so I don't want to intrude if you have plans."

"No, sounds really awesome the more, the merrier!" Selphie jumped excitedly. "Ohh, ohh, can we go to that place we went to before Rin, you know, that spaghetti place? I loved it!"

"Sounds good to me. As long as she's happy, I'm happy." Irvine pointed his thumb towards his girlfriend.

Rinoa turned to Squall, who seemed to have a slightly more apprehensive look on his face. While he knew the two guys were friends with Rinoa, they always made him felt slightly uneasy. Well more uneasy than normal when it came to social situations. Still, he wanted his girlfriend to be happy; he and Irvine were both alike in that manner.

"It's fine." He didn't elaborate, but he did say it as sincerely as possible, which made her smile.

"Great, I'll give them a call when we get settled."

"Speaking of which," began Selphie impatiently, "Squall Leonhart will you please open the door! How many times do we have to go through this – apparently, not enough?"

He pressed his lips in the beginning of a smile, took out his keycard, and swiped it through the control panel. Selphie quickly entered as the door slid open, leaving the other three behind. Both Irvine and Rinoa proceeded to follow her, but Squall made no attempt to move forward. He sighed inwardly and leaned against a nearby wall. He knew he needed to get this over with, to have this discussion before tonight. He should have done it a few days ago, but something always held him back.

"If it's all right, Rinoa, I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

Rinoa was surprised and slightly worried. It was rare for her knight to come out so directly. Of course, Irvine couldn't let this opportunity pass by and turned around with a smirk. He was going to have fun this trip, and it was immensely enjoyable to get Rinoa flustered. That was one huge difference between Selphie and Rinoa, his own girlfriend would call him out very openly, and usually very embarrassingly. Rinoa, on the other hand, usually tried diplomacy but when that failed (and he would make sure it would) she would resort to some feeble verbal combat, or as in the case of the D-District Prison, comical physical violence.

"Oh sure, talk, I know what that means," drawled Irvine, putting way too much emphasis on a particular word.

"Yes, Irvine it means he wants to talk. Unlike you, not everything is a double-entendre for something else."

"Oh Rinoa, there is so much of the world I could teach you, or at least teach you about men. You may think you know what he means, he may even think he knows what he means, but I can guarantee you that he means something else, even if he doesn't know what he means."

"Irvine, nobody knows what you mean!" Rinoa groaned in frustration, trying to push him toward the still open doorway. "Are you having fun irritating me? Just get in there and go 'talk' to Selphie or something."

"Ah, ha…see now who is using the entendres? I taught you well," he pointed out rather matter-of-factly.

"Leave, Kinneas, and for once, keep your mind out of the gutter. We're all not you."

"But wouldn't the world be much more entertaining if you were?"

"Grrrrr," Rinoa growled forcefully pulling the door shut. Irvine looked at her through the glass, tipping his hat to her with a wry smile and wink. She squinted her eyes and pivoted on her heels abruptly, holding back anything else she would like to have stated to her friend.

"Can you believe him, Squall? What nerve! And we have to put up with him for a weekend?"

Still standing against the wall, the commander motioned toward the door. "You know, you let him do that to you."

"What?"

"If you didn't react, there would be no fun in the teasing."

She exhaled realizing she always did have a way of overreacting to nothing. "I know… it's just so annoying sometimes. I mean he makes everything into – wait, wait a minute did you just say there was fun in the teasing?"

"I had fun watching," he answered indifferently.

"What, wait? Did you hear what he said?"

Squall shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but it was just for the reaction. Remember you did tell me to have fun. It's not my fault what I find fun, is it?"

"You scare me," she laughed. "However, I don't think this was the reason you wanted to talk to me, is it?"

He shook his head all kidding aside. It was then that the train slowly started to inch from the station. She lost her footing momentarily as the car hitched backwards, before settling into a more subtle rhythm. Squall moved forward quickly reaching for her arm to steady her. She was really never in any danger of falling. She just needed to get a better stance. Still, with this new development they were a lot closer than they had been previously. He quickly realized this and retracted his hand looking away abruptly.

"Squall?" she questioned suddenly worried about the unexpected change.

There was always this unwritten line he was afraid of crossing, and although this certainly wasn't it, it somehow pertained to that. He knew he needed to be more forthright with things, as hiding behind his own doubts was doing neither of them any good.

He turned back to face her and looked her in the eyes. "I reserved two rooms."

"Uh, okay…" she replied confused by his confession. His stare continued as he didn't elaborate his point. It took a second, but his confession finally dawned on her. Damn it, Irvine would have figured this one out right away! She almost wanted to laugh at her own naivety, but knew that could be disastrous given the situation.

"Squall," she said sincerely, "That's perfectly fine." She paused searching his face for acceptance. "Was this bothering you?"

"Yes," he answered honestly. "I didn't know how you'd react…or what you'd expect."

She sighed, "The only thing I expect is for you to be you."

"It's just that-" he began, but she could tell by his posture he really didn't want to go further, yet in the same regard, he felt he had to. She needed him to know that wasn't true, he didn't have to explain.

"Squall, you know we're not everybody else. We both know that. There are no rules to this, or guidelines to follow. It's just whatever happens, happens… we'll know then. It doesn't matter how many rooms we have. It just matters that you're there."

He smiled in the knowledge that she wasn't upset. He could tell by her actions, her words, and somehow inside, he just knew.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Subconsciously he glanced around the area. Even though it was the last train car, and they were virtually unattended, he felt the unexplained need to verify the fact. He made a mental checklist of the probability of staff and other outside intrusions. When he mentally confirmed everything was clear, he reached forward and pulled her into an embrace. She smiled up at him as at first they bumped into each other rather uncomfortably. It was apparent that neither of them had managed this on a moving train before. Eventually, they somehow found a way to maneuver their footing between the rocking motions.

"Squall, have you ever kissed anybody on a train?"

Her questioned surprised him, yet somehow also intrigued him. "Um, no." Then of course he had to open his mouth and ask a blatantly stupid question. "You?"

"No," she laughed, although it wasn't funny, it was something about the manner it was said.

He was relieved by the answer, although he tried to convince himself it wouldn't have mattered either way. Still, with this new realization he felt more relaxed and even found the presence of mind to joke, "Should I go get Irvine and tell him you want to talk."

She playfully slapped him on the arm. "That isn't even funny."

"No, it's really not," he agreed.

Then he paused longer than he probably should have. He had found himself once again going through the mental checklist, making sure that nobody would walk in and see them. Yet, somewhere during his 'check,' he suddenly stopped caring, at least in that moment, and did what his heart wanted to do – and kissed her.