It took a few days to get everyone's schedule together, but they all had managed to make some time for a small photoshoot. Rinoa had even found an abandoned orphanage that overlooked the beach. It had a dilapidated walkway that curved down the hill that led to a small tide pool. She had driven to it the day before and scouted the area to determine exactly where she wanted to shoot.

They all met up at the studio. Rinoa parked her ice blue Nissan Cube and smiled at Zell who greeted her by opening the car door.

"Nice car," he said. "It's cute."

"Thanks! I love my car." Rinoa closed the door behind her and locked it. "Are we the first ones here?"

Zell nodded and gestured for her to join him in the studio. "Yeah, Quistis just texted me and said she was around the corner. So she should be here any minute." He scooped up the red gym bag he'd had leaning against the door and slung it over his shoulder. "I know you said to bring some clothes but I wasn't sure what everyone else was wearing." He unlocked the studio and led her inside. He set the gym bag onto the couch and unzipped it. "I brought a few things."

"Well I want you guys to be comfortable."

Squall walked through the door and lifted his chin in acknowledgement to the two. Rinoa felt her lips part just a breath when she took in the sight of him. The sleeveless dark gray shirt he wore clung to him deliciously and the silver trim along the collar looked like thorny branches. Around his neck was a thick chain that Rinoa had seen before, but it was always hidden beneath his shirts. Now it was exposed and she could see the pendant that rested against his chest—the silhouette of a roaring lion. His black leather pants were fitted but loose enough to allow breathable and comfortable movement. The studded motorcycle boots and his drummer's gloves completed the look.

Oh…me likey, Rinoa thought.

"I kinda figured you'd wear that," Zell was saying.

Squall only gave him a smirk and headed towards his kit. He sat upon his throne and picked up his sticks, twirling them effortlessly between his fingers. "Yeah, I know," he said.

"Do you wear it often?" Rinoa asked, raising her camera and snapping a few shots of Squall coiling the drumsticks in the air. She turned to Zell and helped him go through the clothes that he had brought.

"It's one of my favorite shirts," Squall answered.

Zell nodded and picked up a shirt. "He's got like five others that look just like it," he told Rinoa. "All different colors and sleeve lengths."

Rinoa chuckled. She couldn't blame Squall, it looked alluring on him. If she found a shirt that looked that great on her she would most definitely have bought it in all the colors that it came in. In fact, she actually had a few cardigans that were the exact same style but in different colors. "Well, you look great," she said to Squall. Then she turned back to Zell. "Now let's see if we can find something for you…because you are not wearing that," she said, referring to the green basketball shorts and plain white undershirt he wore.

"Knock, knock," came a voice from the doorway. Quistis stepped inside with a small pink backpack strapped over her shoulders. "Ugh, I was stuck at that red light on Central Parkway forever." Immediately she zeroed in on Zell. "Not sure what to wear?" she asked.

He nodded. "I brought a few things but I just don't know what kind of look we're going for…"

Quistis came over and glanced at the clothes Rinoa had spread out on the table. "Are we bringing our instruments?"

"Well, I thought about that," Rinoa began. "But how is Squall going to bring his?"

Squall lifted his gaze and slowly shook his head, his eyes darkening at the thought. There was no way he was willing to break down his kit, pack it up into Irvine's Pathfinder, set it all up at the shoot location, and then break it all down again. "Not happening."

Rinoa shot him a look. "Yes, dear, I know, which is why I didn't plan on bringing instruments. I think that this shoot will be just you guys and then we'll have another shoot with your instruments before the show on Saturday—if we have time, of course, since it's only three days away."

"Zell, wear this." Quistis held up a tight black V-neck shirt and a red leather jacket. After rummaging through the gym bag for a moment longer, she pulled out Zell's faded and ripped black slacks. "And these."

"Oh, those weren't supposed to be in there," Zell sighed. "I meant to grab a different pair."

Quistis shrugged. "I think it'll look great anyway," she promised. "I'm gonna go change." She disappeared into the bathroom just as Selphie and Irvine arrived.

"Looking good, Squall!" Selphie beamed.

He nodded at her and rhythmically tapped the ends of his drumsticks along the cymbal. "Irvine, you forgot your shirt."

Irvine simply grinned and casually ran his palms over the smooth leather surface of the vest that encased his bare torso. His long hair was down—Selphie had insisted—and the coppery waves hung loosely over his shoulders. "I let the little lady dress me," he said, his eyebrows arching teasingly.

"What can I say? I like him baring a little skin." Selphie scraped her nails over his sternum and sent a wink to Rinoa.

"So I take it you picked out his jeans too?" Rinoa asked, pointing at the jeans that hung low on Irvine's hips, exposing his sharp pelvic bones. "Please tell me you're wearing underwear," she said, instantly grimacing when he responded with a wicked smirk.

Selphie giggled and turned to face Quistis who stepped out the restroom. "Heeeeeeeey!" she called, shaking her hips in a little dance.

Rinoa stared in awe at Quistis' outfit. The blonde emerged from the other room in shiny black shorts that stopped right at the tops of her thighs. Her legs were encased in opaque black tights that reached to mid-thigh, held in place by studded, pink leather garters with a metal heart in the middle. Her top was simple, a flowy white long sleeved blouse that hung off the curves of her slender shoulders. She wore tall pink converse sneakers that zipped up her calves. As she walked she fussed with the messy bun that sat atop her head. "How do I look?" she asked.

"All I'm going to say is if I swung that way…" Rinoa clicked her tongue and arched her brows suggestively, earning a roar of laughter from Quistis.

Selphie turned to Rinoa with her mouth open in a mock gasp. "You mean you don't?" she cried, her bottom lip quivering as she theatrically pouted. "But…"

"Oh, shut up!" Rinoa playfully kicked out a foot into Selphie's ass. "Zell you almost ready?"

Zell was finishing up tying his boots. "Coming!"

Rinoa squealed as she looked at the people around her. "You guys look amazing I am so excited!" She pulled out her phone and switched to the front facing camera. "Get over here bitches!"

Quistis and Selphie crouched down onto their knees in front of Rinoa while Irvine and Zell stood behind her, bending at the knees so that their faces fit on the phone's screen. Squall stood behind her and placed a hand on Zell's shoulder to keep himself balanced.

Rinoa stood on tip-toe and extended her arm as far as it would go. To be safe, she just started clicking away even though they were all on the verge of laughter. She lost her balance for a moment, and Squall's hand slapped onto her hip, his fingers digging into her jean shorts to keep her in place. For a moment his fingertips brushed over her bare thigh. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"You're fine," she whispered back with giggle. "Say cheese!" She snapped a few more and then they all separated. "Alright, we ready to go?"

"I think we'll be able to just take two cars," noted Irvine. "The location's not too far, and since it's only Wednesday the traffic shouldn't be too bad."

"You can ride with us!" Selphie said to Rinoa and Quistis, motioning towards Irvine's Nissan Pathfinder. "There's plenty of room."

"No smoking though," Irvine warned, pointing directly to Quistis.

"You can ride with me," Squall offered.

Quistis chuckled. "My smoking buddy!"

"No!" Rinoa cried, immediately throwing her arms around Quistis' waist. "I want to take some candid shots of this beauty in the car. Right now she's mine, you can't have her!"

The blonde laughed and snaked her arms around Rinoa's waist. "I think I'm falling in love with this girl!" she said, already pulling Rinoa outside the studio. "Squall bring some waters from the fridge before you lock up!"

"Alright, we ready?" Irvine asked.

"Yeah, just let me get a few things from my car." She unlocked the back and pulled out two umbrella reflectors. Selphie came up behind her to take one of the reflectors and carefully brought it to Irvine's SUV.

With Zell in Squall's car and all the ladies in Irvine's, they were on their way.

While in the backseat, Rinoa quickly updated her photography page.

Rinoa Heartilly

Just now.

About to have a photography session with the most talented band I've met! I hope you're ready for ALofficial Galbadia!

She posted the photo she had just taken, turning the screen towards Quistis so she could see. The two giggled as they looked at the faces. "What the hell kind of face is Zell making?" Quistis laughed.

"Selphie looks really excited," Rinoa said, grinning at the giant eyes that Selphie was making.

"Shit, do I look terrible in it? You didn't tag me did you?" Selphie's phone beeped. "Bitch! You did!"


"How'd you find this place?" Zell asked.

Squall came up from behind Rinoa and took hold of the remaining umbrella reflector. He followed Rinoa's direction of where she had wanted him to put it and he dutifully placed it.

"Honestly, I just found out about it from Hidden Galbadia's web page. They always post about the non-famous spots of Galbadia that deserve a little extra love." Rinoa adjusted the first reflector and stepped backwards as she visualized where it would be aiming. "They posted this about a month ago, before I moved back, and even then I knew it would be an amazing photoshoot location."

"It's beautiful," Quistis murmured, her eyes scanning over the old and chipped stone wall that had caved into itself, unwittingly creating a sturdy mountain of stone bricks. She carefully stepped onto a brick and balanced herself with her arms straight out at her sides.

Rinoa glanced up and hurried for her camera. She snapped away, capturing a few shots of Quistis teetering along the broken stones. "Yeah," Rinoa agreed. "Apparently it had been an orphanage once upon a time." She looked over to where Quistis stood atop the rubble. "Ok…" She sucked on her bottom lip and approached Squall. "Go crouch on the floor right in front of where Quistis is standing. Irvine….stand over here." She walked over to some of the fallen stones behind where she had Irvine post himself. "Selphie can you help me?" The two girls bent down and pulled a large slab of broken concrete so that it was slanted and faced where Rinoa was going to be shooting from. "Zell come stand on this," she said, stepping on the slab herself to make sure that it was sturdy.

She stepped backward and clicked away with each step, capturing the four glancing around or staring right at her as they awaited direction. "Ok, now just stare straight at me," she ordered. "Irvine, put your hands in your front pockets and turn your chin slightly to your left…ok, now tilt it and look upwards." Her finger continued to click away as her eyes touched onto each face. Her lips began to curve into a smile as Zell slowly started moving, his jaws opening up into a silent scream as he held up his fists as if he were about to attack. "Love it!"

That was the thing some people didn't quite understand about modeling and photography. It wasn't enough to just stand there and look pretty. You had to play the part. You had to move and make faces and get into character and feed the camera.

Quistis placed a hand on her hip and lifted her chin, the nails of her other hand gently stroking her throat as she parted her lips and sent a smoldering glare towards the camera. Rinoa zoomed the camera to each face and walked in an arc as she snapped away. She blinked when she focused it onto Squall. "Hang on," she said. "Let me fix your hair." She walked up to him and crouched in front of him.

Liquidly he moved so that was sitting down, his elbow sinking behind him to rest upon the stones. "The crouch was hurting," he said.

"That's fine," Rinoa told him. "I got enough shots of you crouched so you changing positions isn't the end of the world." She leaned in and fussed with the brown strands that hung over his eyes. Curiosity got the best of her and Rinoa lightly ran a finger over the raised scar that crossed the bridge of his nose. "This is an interesting scar," she murmured as she stood to her feet. "How'd you get this?"

His fingers reached up and traced over the skin, his furrowing brows causing the scar to crinkle a bit. He blinked for a moment, thinking, as if he had just remembered that the scar was there. "Fight," he said.

Rinoa paused, her face literally screaming Uh…what? She clicked her tongue and continued aiming her camera and shooting.

An hour or so later Rinoa had moved them outside the orphanage. The sun had started to go down but the sky was still very much blue. Rinoa stationed the band in front of the orphanage's entrance. The large wooden entryway was overgrown with ivy and one of the doors was dangling from its broken hinge.

She had captured a few serious shots before Zell decided to monkey around and tried climbing on the door. It resulted in the door crumbling into itself and Zell jumping high into the air like a surprised cat. Rinoa caught all of it, from Zell's first leap onto the door to the Oh shit look on his face when he felt the door start to shake to the impressive leap he administered. She also caught Quistis' fingers flying to her lips as she released a startled shriek and Irvine's surprised grimace. The only change in Squall's expression was that his eyebrows lifted, his fingers raised to light his cigarette, and the minuscule turn of his head.

After the slight fiasco Rinoa captured all the laughter on film. Zell's shoulders elevated up to his ears as he mischievously snickered, his eyes wide and bright as he looked right at the camera. "Oops!"

Quistis was laughing so hard that she had to throw her arms around Squall's shoulders to keep herself steady. "Zell you fucking idiot!" she cried.

Squall shifted his cigarette so that it dangled out of the corner of his lips. In a quick movement he had his arms around Quistis' torso and started to lift her off the ground. Irvine hurried over and grabbed hold of her ankles. They ignored her squeals and curses and held her high into the air. Zell crouched in the space beneath her squirming supine body and held up his hands in horns. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeahh!" he shouted.

The chemistry that sparked between the four was contagious. There was such a brotherhood and sense of family encircled in all of them. Rinoa and Selphie laughed as they watched the bandmates bicker and shout with each other—actually, Quistis was doing most of the shouting while the boys simply laughed at her and ignored her requests.

"Put me down, you assholes!" she demanded.

Zell stood to his feet and placed the back of his head against Quistis' stomach. With his arms reaching beneath her he balanced her on his shoulders. Irvine and Squall stepped away so that the two blondes formed a T. Zell made a face at the camera and quickly spun around.

Quistis shrieked but kept perfectly still, knowing full well that if she kicked out her legs the possibility of Zell losing his equilibrium and then dropping her would be much higher. "Put me down!" she screamed, screwing her eyes tightly.


As the sun began to lower into the horizon Rinoa hurried them down the chipped stone walkway that spiraled down the hillside. Squall greedily chugged down a water bottle as he stomped down the path. His eyes traveled down to Rinoa's back as she walked in front of him. Her shirt was a loose black sweater that dangled off of her shoulders, exposing the angel wings inked into her flesh. He really did like that tattoo. The detail within it was so painstakingly precise.

"Ok, so I want you guys to line up right in front of the water," Rinoa was saying. "I want to capture some silhouette shots of you guys. Squall, give me your water bottle." The four lined up in front of the softly rolling water, giving Rinoa their backs.

Rinoa adjusted her settings and took a few test shots as she calculated the natural light. She continued glancing upward as she worked her camera. Even though all she could see were black figures in front of a blood red and orange sky, she could tell who was who. Zell was playing air guitar and laughing while Quistis was stretching her long arms into the air. Squall was standing with his arms crossed and Irvine was leaning an elbow on Squall's shoulder.

Selphie sat down in the cool sand and watched Rinoa work. "They really are a family, aren't they?" she mused.

The wistfulness in Selphie's voice made Rinoa smile and sigh softly. "Yeah," she agreed. That was the thing she had noticed about the metal/hard rock scene, everyone thought they were all scary and demonic but in reality they were a bunch of goobers. There was such a comradery within the metal scene, it was admirable. "Selphie! Quick, let's make a bonfire out of those dried twigs over there!"

The two raced against the dwindling sunlight and quickly scooped up the dead twigs and crunchy leaves. "Squall, your lighter!" Selphie demanded, skillfully catching the small object when it was tossed to her. She quickly lit one of the leaves on fire and set it down onto the twigs, repeating the action until a small fire rose before them.

Rinoa motioned for the band to stand by the fire, ordered them to look into the flames as she snapped away. "Looking great you guys!" she said as she lowered the camera. For a brief moment she flipped through the images she had just taken and gave a very pleased squeal. "I think we're good!"

Irvine released a shattering scream and leapt over the fire. Rinoa threw her head back and laughed, her camera raised as she captured his actions. Irvine stood in front of Selphie and smiled down at her. "Having fun, babe?" he asked.

She responded with a chuckle and raised her arms to place her hands in his. "Yes! You guys looked amazing, I can't wait to see the shots." Her fingers lightly tugged at his open vest. "And uh…you looked so hot," she whispered against his cheek.

His eyebrows shot up and he planted a kiss to her forehead. "Oh really now?"

Zell and Squall started to kick sand onto the fire to put it out. Quistis let out a yawn as she watched them. "That was fun," she said. Once the fire was extinguished, they all started their trek back up the hill.

"Oh man…" Rinoa said, stretching her arms high overhead as she walked up the trail. "I am starving." With one hand on her camera she struggled to step over the broken and rocky formation that had once been a path. Squall immediately wrapped a grip around her bicep and placed a supporting hand on the small of her back.

"Watch your step," he told her.

She carefully maneuvered her way up the path and shot Squall and thankful smile. "Is anyone else hungry?" she asked the others as they followed behind her and Squall. "A burger sounds amazing right now."

"I'm pretty beat," groaned Zell. "My clients earlier today were determined to wipe me out."

Quistis couldn't even attempt to suppress her yawn. "Same," she agreed. "Even though I was able to sleep most of the day I am exhausted. I think I worked eight days straight without even realizing it."

Selphie was whispering something into Irvine's ear, her fingers curling into the fabric of the leather vest while the arm she had around his waist tugged him closer as they slowly walked. His arm that dangled over her shoulder suddenly tightened its hold on her. A grin washed over his face and he lifted his head towards Rinoa. "Uh…we're gonna call it an early night," he said.

At the slight breathiness of Irvine's voice, Squall turned to look at the couple behind him. He caught the heated stares that vibrated between Selphie and Irvine, took note of the way that Selphie ran her tongue over teeth as she gazed at the cowboy beside her. Blatant, he thought.

Rinoa glanced over her shoulder and then immediately shot a look to Squall. "So…" she whispered, her dark eyes wide. "Could you possible give me a ride to my car? Something tells me they want to be alone."

Quistis and Zell flanked them. "Yeah…me too?" Quistis begged, slinging an arm over Rinoa's shoulder. "I swear if those two start going at it while I'm in the car I may kill them." As if on cue, the tell-tale noise of wet lip smacking sounded off behind them. Quistis' shoulders dropped and a defeated sigh whooshed out of her.

"Yeah…" Squall answered, fishing the keys from his pocket. "Your umbrella lights should be able to fit in the back."

"Catch you later, fuckers," Zell called without turning towards the couple behind them. He wasn't entirely sure if they had heard him but he didn't exactly care either.


Squall pulled up to the studio about an hour later and helped Rinoa pack the umbrella reflectors into the back of her Cube. Zell and Quistis had hurried off and left them alone in the parking lot. Squall pulled out a cigarette and lit it, he was about to see Rinoa off when he was interrupted by the loud growling of her stomach.

Sheepishly she covered her belly with her hands and gave him an awkward smile. "I'm still hungry," she said quietly. Rinoa pursed her lips and glanced over to her car as she tried to remember exactly what food she had in her apartment.

Oh, yeah, Squall thought. "You still want that burger?" he asked.

Rinoa immediately perked up. "Please? It's in the Deling Shopping Center right off of Garden." She looked at her phone and grinned happily. "And it's just after eight so they'll still be open."

Squall nodded towards his Jeep. "Alright, get in, a burger sounds pretty damn good actually."

Rinoa clapped her hands and slid into the passenger seat. "Oh my god," she grinned. "These burgers are so good. I have no idea what they season their meat with but it is delicious. Like seriously, I'm about to drool right now I am so damn excited."


Rinoa's shoulders drooped when Squall pulled up to the burger place…or, at least, what was left of it. "What?" she whined. "Why did they put a coffee shop here? There's one right across the street!"

Squall found himself looking at the most heartbroken face he had ever seen…and over food, no less. He tried not to laugh, he didn't want her thinking he was making fun of her, but the look on her face was unbelievably adorable.

"Goddammit," she pouted, her stomach rumbling in accord with her frustration. "Sorry to make you drive all this way," she said to Squall. "I had no idea it had closed down." What a waste, she thought to herself. She was really looking forward to that burger…and to spending some time with Squall, but she wasn't about to admit that.

"Well…" Squall started, his voice dropping low as he began to assess the situation. He tapped his fingers along the steering wheel as he glanced around. "We could go to my apartment." It wasn't far, only about a ten minute drive from the shopping center.

Rinoa's nerves tingled at the suggestion. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and kept her eyes glued to the dashboard in front of her. "You've got a burger joint at your apartment?" she asked.

"No, but I've got a grill and plenty of food. I went grocery shopping yesterday after work."

Rinoa turned to face him with those large brown eyes of hers. "You mean you'll feed me?" she pouted, her bottom lip quivering.

Squall let out a soft chuckle and playfully shoved her back into her seat. "Yes, yes I'll feed you," he promised, shifting the Jeep into reverse.


Squall unlocked the door to his studio apartment and let Rinoa walk in. Immediately they were greeted by a long and dark narrow hallway. He brushed past her and flipped on the light. "Bathroom's down there," he said, pointing to the right. "In case you need it."

"Ok." Rinoa didn't need it at the moment, but it was nice that he pointed it out to her for future reference. She unlaced her combat boots and settled them beside the front door.

"Kitchen's this way." Squall led Rinoa down the hallway that led to the rest of the apartment. It wasn't much but it was everything he needed. Since it was a studio apartment, it was a completely open layout. His kitchen was a strip of cabinets along the wall with a stove, sink, an attached microwave, a fridge, and a small island with two steel barstools. His living room was a plain black sofa in front of a cracked glass coffee table and an impressive entertainment center and flat screen tv. His meticulously made king sized bed was tucked in the far right corner of the apartment. "You can put your purse on the couch."

Rinoa watched as Squall made his way onto the patio and turned the light on. He uncovered the small kettle grill and filled it with charcoal. "There's beer in the fridge," he told her.

"Got it." Rinoa pulled open the fridge door and pulled out two bottles. "It's a nice place," she said. "I've always liked studio apartments, they're so homey."

Squall lit a fire and covered the grill. "Yeah, I like it here." He re-entered the apartment and wiped his hands onto his pants. "Thanks." He sipped at the beer Rinoa handed him and brushed past her to head towards his closet that was beside the bathroom door. "I'm gonna change."


When Squall came back Rinoa was rummaging through his refrigerator. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Seeing what kind of vegetables you have," she answered. "Lettuce, peppers…you know." She pulled open the bottom drawer and lifted up a plastic bag that held two large green peppers. While she found some other ingredients (cheese, lettuce, ketchup), she settled them onto the center island behind her.

Squall reached into the fridge and grabbed some hamburger patties he'd had on the second shelf. "Did you want one patty or two?" he asked.

"Oh, just one will be enough for me." Rinoa glanced up and took note of the slim white t-shirt and the baggy black and red plaid sweat pants he had changed into. There was something so enthralling about a man when he wore well-fitting pajamas. She turned her attention back to the green pepper in front of her and began to slice it into thin strips. The half she didn't use she wrapped back into the plastic bag and made a mental note to ask if Squall had any Tupperware to place the pepper into.

While Squall busied himself with the meat, Rinoa finished preparing all the toppings. When she had an assortment ready for them, she grabbed her beer and went to join Squall on the patio. "How's it going?" she asked, closing the slider behind her.

He simply nodded and lit a cigarette. "They're almost done," he said through the smoke.

It wasn't long before they were sitting at the bar. They toasted their beer bottles and Squall waited for Rinoa's reaction as she bit into her burger. When her eyes closed and she instantly started smiling, her fingers reaching up to cover her full mouth, he grinned and went to his own burger.

"Amazing," she said from behind her fingers. She swallowed her bite and raised her bottle to him. "You sir, are fabulous with the grill."

"Thanks," he said.

While they ate Rinoa started glancing around. "It's a nice studio," she commented. "It's roomy too. Some studio apartments I looked at back in Timber were maybe half the size."

Squall nodded as he looked along the walls. They weren't covered with much…a few LP's he had gotten from concerts over the years, a few movie posters, and a broken pair of drumsticks framed in a shadowbox (his sister had insisted he hold onto his first pair, no matter how old they were). "It is a lot bigger than the barracks," he said. "Maybe that's why I prefer studio apartments—I'm used to the layout."

"Barracks?" Rinoa turned back to face him and continued eating.

"I was SEED."

Rinoa's eyes widened. "The military school?"

"Yep."

"Oh wow." She never pegged Squall to be part of a military faction…perhaps that was where he had gotten that scar from? "You went to Balamb Garden?" When Squall nodded she felt herself almost at a loss for words. Balamb Garden was one of the most exclusive and prestigious military schools, primarily because of the SEED faction. "Wow," she repeated. "How long have you been out?"

"I joined when I was seventeen and served the required four years but I continued on as a hand-to-hand combat trainer." He stood to his feet and picked up Rinoa's empty plate. "Want another beer?" he asked.

"Please." She adjusted her shoulders and crossed her legs as she watched Squall walk towards the sink and dump the dishes. "So…what made you join the Special Enlisted Elite Division?"

Squall paused with his hand on the fridge. Slowly he reached in and grabbed a bottle. With his eyes scanning over the casual body language that Rinoa displayed, he popped off the bottle cap with the edge of his lighter. "Not many people know what SEED stands for," he noted.

"My dad's the General of Galbadia's Army base," she explained. "He's gone to Balamb Garden a few times for recruitment and conferences."

"Ah." He handed her the beer bottle and reached for one of his own.

"So why'd you join?"

"Money, mostly," he answered. "The education system was top notch, so that was a plus." He took a long swig of the bottle and set it down on the island as he sat back down in his seat. "I was raised by my sister—she's a lot older than me—and even though I was working throughout high school to help with bills we were just barely scraping by. SEED offered a great opportunity career wise…" He shrugged. "And a great life insurance policy to take care of my sister, you know, just in case."

Rinoa made a face of revulsion. She knew that all too well. Her father had made it very clear to her that if something ever happened to him she would be well taken care of—financially—for the rest of her life. "Are you still with Garden?"

He lifted his shoulders and grunted. "Technically I retired when I was twenty-four but sometimes I get asked to go in during their recruitment conventions." He finished off his beer and toyed with the bottle's long neck. After a small pause he turned his head to face Rinoa. His brows furrowed when he saw that she was grinning, almost on the verge of a giggling fit, really. "What?"

Rinoa smiled fully and playfully nudged his calf with her foot. "Nothing, just imagining you in your SEED uniform," she beamed. Her fingers coyly brushed over her lips. "I bet you looked really handsome in it." Rinoa chuckled at the shy smile he gave her and she stood to her feet. "No, I'm serious!" she said, adjusting the hem of her shorts. "You were probably the best looking guy there."

"Well, I can't argue with that…" His smirk dimmed when she reached over him to collect the beer bottles. "What are you doing?" He followed her movements around the island to come behind her at the sink.

"Just helping you clean up," she told him, pouring the rest of the foam down the drain.

"You don't need to do that," he said, placing a hand over hers as she reached for the faucet. "I'll clean up in the morning."

Rinoa smiled and turned towards him. "No, no," she disputed. "I am not a messy houseguest, I will help you clean up since I did help make the mess in the first place." As if to add evidence to her argument, she pointed towards the knives and cutting board she soiled from cutting up the peppers. "Consider it my thanks for dinner."

Absently Squall's fingers reached up and gently brushed some of that raven black hair away from her face. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I was hungry too." He wasn't about to tell her that she could 'thank him some other way' or some nonsense like that. Sure, perhaps a few years before he might have, back when he was younger and didn't know much about the opposite gender. But those were lines that you gave to girls, Rinoa was a woman, and she deserved to be treated as such.

He watched her press her lips together as she shyly looked downward to where his other hand had cautiously placed itself at the curve of her waist, watched as a slight pink flush rose to the apples of her cheeks. He had felt the electricity between them sizzle and pop…but he didn't want to misunderstand.

Rinoa lifted her head so that her eyes locked straight into his. Her tiny pink tongue darted out for just a moment, parting her lips into a soft, wry smile.

Squall leaned in. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck and brought her forward so that her body was close to his. His lips pressed against her mouth, her lips so soft and lush that his fingers instantly tightened within her hair. The action earned a muffled squeal from her and she snaked her hands up his chest, her nails raking over the material of his shirt.

Gingerly he opened his mouth, his tongue prodding the seam of her lips as he moved them both so that they were leaning against the center island. When she opened her mouth to grant him entrance he caught her bottom lip between his teeth.

Rinoa gasped and snaked her hands up higher, her fingers threading into his hair. Squall moved so slowly against her, his movements calm and liquid yet they left blooms of heat spreading across her skin wherever he had touched. When his tongue met hers he had to conceal the tremor that raced down his spine.

A loud, piercing howl came from off to the side. Squall paused, his brows furrowing as he slowly opened his eyes when Rinoa pulled her lips away. He blinked. The hell is that…?

Rinoa's eyes were large and in a state of near terror. "Oh shit," she whispered. "My phone."