"Thanks again for picking me up," Rinoa said to Caraway as he rounded the trunk of his sleek black Maserati Ghibli. "Selphie was going to but she had to work."
"Not a problem," he responded, placing Rinoa's bag into the trunk.
Rinoa eyed the suitcases that accompanied her bags. "Going somewhere?"
Caraway nodded and firmly closed the trunk. "After I drop you off I'll be heading up North for a training retreat."
"Oooh…fun." Rinoa made a face.
"Won't be too bad. I'm just relieved to get out of the office finally."
Rinoa stifled a chuckle and climbed into the passenger seat. Ever since his head injury, Caraway was confined to desk duty and was strictly ordered not to be involved in any strenuous physical activity. Rumor had it that he tried to venture out into a shooting range for assault rifle training but Martine strictly shut him down, saying that he did not want to face the wrath of Caraway's daughter should he get injured again. Even though Caraway was hardly out on the field nowadays as General, he still took great pride in being able to be a part of the backbreaking training regimes that his cadets had to endure.
"Did you get the a-ok from your doctor to do any training exercises on the retreat?" Rinoa asked, sliding the seat belt across her body.
Caraway grunted and settled in behind the wheel. "Yes, daughter, I did. I am to refrain from any hand to hand combat or anything that may result in a head injury."
Rinoa made a sympathetic whine within her throat. "Aw, so no boxing match this year then?"
"Not this year I'm afraid," Caraway sighed. "This will be the only year that I won't receive the trophy."
Rinoa rolled her eyes and smiled. Caraway's office was perfectly and neatly lined with boxing trophies. He was known as 'The Undefeated Fury' by his fellow comrades, a legendary figure told to the new recruits. Rinoa remembered watching her father's fancy footwork as he danced around the punching bag that he kept in the garage and how her mother had commented that when she first watched him in the ring, she knew he could not deny ever taking her out dancing again. "You can too dance, Mr. Caraway," Julia had said. "If you can dance your feet around your opponent to avoid jabs then you can take your wife out for a waltz. No excuses."
"How was your trip to Esthar?"
Brought back to the present, Rinoa grinned at him. "It was great! I'm so excited to upload all the shots I took. It was a remarkable experience." Practically orgasmic, she thought to herself. "Can't wait to do it again."
"Would you like to grab an early dinner before I drop you off?"
Rinoa nodded. "Yes, that sounds divine."
He took her to a steakhouse a few miles out of Deling. When he pulled up to the lot Rinoa couldn't help but smile. She should have known that this was the steakhouse Caraway was thinking of. It was his favorite. This steakhouse was known for its pure talent in grilling its steak, ribs, and burgers. Rather than having the grill hidden away in the back, the wood fired grills sat proudly in the main dining area, filling the entire structure with the savory scent of smoked meat.
Rinoa could feel her mouth watering before she even set foot through the door.
The hostess smiled brightly at them, tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. She was pretty, had a sharp nose and perfect white teeth as well as large brown eyes that contrasted beautifully with her fair complexion. "Fury!" she said in a sweet, chirpy voice. "So nice for you to visit again! Would you like the usual spot?"
He chuckled. "Anywhere is perfect Anne, thanks."
Rinoa arched a brow. So, he still came that often did he? She stifled a laugh as she watched the hostess grow a slight flush to her cheeks as she conversed with Caraway. Clearly someone had a crush. And even though Rinoa had to admit that her father was still very much a good looking man, she would never say it aloud nor would she find it ok to find that someone around her age fancied her father. Not to mention, he even knew her firstname by heart since Rinoa noticed that Anne was not wearing a nametag.
Anne seated them and handed Rinoa a menu. "I trust you'll get your usual?" she aimed at Caraway.
He grinned. "You know what I like Anne."
Rinoa nearly dropped her menu to the table at that. Her wide-eyed glare pointed at Caraway was completely missed, as he was waving Anne off with a low chuckle. When he was facing Rinoa his face shifted into a frown. "What?"
Rinoa just shrugged. "Nothing. Come here often?"
Caraway scoffed and leaned back against his seat. "Pretty often," he said. "We normally come around a few times a month—Martine, Dobe, and I."
Rinoa only narrowed her eyes at him and made a noise deep within her throat. "Uh huh," she muttered.
At the poisonous look that she was giving him, Caraway let out a large and vibrating laugh. "What's wrong kiddo?" His eyes sparked with mischief. "Already you don't like your prospective step-mother?"
This time Rinoa dropped the menu to the table with a smack, her jaw clenching and her eyes practically shooting daggers at her father. Even though she knew that he was most likely joking, the thought of her father remarrying was always worming within the back of her mind. She just hoped that it would be with someone closer to his age.
"That's not funny," she grunted.
Caraway's mouth widened to a full smile, creases forming around his eyes as he tried to hold in his laughter. "It's a little bit funny."
"Hey, Caraway?"
He glanced up from cutting his steak. "Yes?"
Rinoa stabbed her mashed potatoes for a moment before continuing. "How extensive is your ability to find someone who has served in the military?"
Caraway paused. "Quite extensive." He lifted an eyebrow as he watched her slowly play with her food. "Why do you ask?"
"Would you be able to find out the names of a military squad that brushed through Winhill or was stationed near Winhill say…about twenty-six years ago?"
He nodded carefully but his eyes started to narrow at the nature of his daughter's questions. "Since it has been quite a number of years it could take me a while but, yes, I'm confident I'd be able to produce the names and identities. Again, why do you ask?"
Rinoa sighed and set her fork onto the plate. "Well…Squall's father was in the military, we don't know what branch…or his name. All we know is that he came through Winhill twenty-six years ago, when he met Squall's mother."
"Is Squall trying to find his father?"
"Eh…maybe not right at this moment but he has said that one day he would like to know who he is. I don't know, I just kinda want to be able to give him a head start." Rinoa could feel the sides of her face start to warm, suddenly uncomfortable beneath Caraway's scrutinizing gaze that was feeling more like a beacon of suspicion.
Caraway lowered his knife and fork, sighing quietly as he tried to form his words. "Rinoa, sweetheart, I may not know the entirety of your relationship with Squall but are you sure you want to meddle with something so personal in his life?"
Rinoa pressed her lips together, feeling the blush start to creep up her cheeks. "I know…I'm sure he'd probably say no but…" She chewed her bottom lip for a moment and stammered. "Well, maybe don't look for him, but if he knew that it was possible to find him…" She stopped talking and groaned, the gravity of her words suddenly hitting her. "You think it's a bad idea, huh?"
"Not bad," Caraway assured. "It is very sweet of you. However…I personally think that this is something that Squall should decide on his own. Again, I don't really know Squall, I've only met him once—sober, anyway—so I'm not sure how he would feel about certain parts of his life being dug up. Sometimes people like to leave their past exactly where it was. My advice—if you want it—is to find out if Squall wants to learn about his past before you try to dig it up."
Rinoa nodded. "Ok," she whispered. "But you feel that it can be done if…he...you know, wants it to be done?"
"I believe so, yes." Caraway returned to carving into his steak. "If Squall wants to find his father I am more than willing to help." He stabbed his fork into the meat. "You just let me know."
Back at her apartment, Rinoa dropped her duffle bag in front of her closet, more than ready to postpone the task of unpacking and instead flop onto the bed. The jet lag was starting to hit her and so she crawled over the mattress, laying on her stomach with her arms dangling over the edge. With a sigh she thought about when Squall took her to the airport. He had pulled the van up to the curb for departing flights and looked over at her with that slight and heart-melting smirk. She had been staring at those tender lips of his, vaguely swollen thanks to their hot and ferocious kisses.
"I know you said you're not one for public affection," Rinoa had said, running her finger down the top of his hand. "But…I really would like a goodbye kiss right now."
Squall chuckled and cupped her chin between his fingers, tilting her chin upwards so he could capture her lips. "I'll see you in a few days," he had murmured against her skin. "You will be my first stop."
Rinoa rolled onto her back and let out a very satisfied moan. She wriggled out of her t-shirt, mentally preparing herself to take a shower, and looked down at her breasts. Above her left breast and to the right of the beauty mark stamped there was a fresh hickey that he had left upon her earlier that morning. She softly chuckled to herself, thinking back to how after he had marked her flesh she decided that she had to mark his…which resulted in a tiny bite mark just above his pierced right nipple.
Her reminiscing was interrupted by a shrill tone announcing an incoming message. She shoved her hand into her bag and fumbled around for her phone.
Q.T.: Squall is sleeping. He was supposed to be the first driving shift. What did you doooooo to him?!
Rinoa chuckled and could only imagine the face Quistis would show to her if they were alone.
R.H: Nothing he didn't want ;P
She giggled and then broke into a fit of laughter when Quistis responded with a photo message of her face, her mouth dropped open and her eyes so wide that the bright blue irises were completely surrounded by white.
Q.T: FINALLY! ALJFCWELKJDKS GAHHH MY HEARRRRRTTTTT IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME
"Oh honey, if only you knew," Rinoa murmured to herself.
Irvine pulled the van into the gas station and shifted the hunkering vehicle into park. He turned and tapped Zell's shoulder. "Go pay, I'll wash the windows." He signaled to Squall, who was muttering softly and rubbing the sleep out his eyes with the heel of his palm. "You're up, Leonhart."
"Yup," was Squall's response.
"Smoke break first!" Quistis demanded, reaching over Squall's hips and unlatching the door. "Go, go, go!" she hissed, all but kicking Squall out of the van with her the heels of her boots.
"Holy shit—I'm going!" Squall emerged from the van and hardly had time to stretch his arms before Quistis grabbed him by his belt and tugged him along with her to head a safe distance away from the flammable gas pump.
"Fuckin' shit," Squall grumbled, his voice muffled from the cigarette between his lips. "Were you feening that badly woman?" He reached over and flicked his lighter for Quistis.
Quistis inhaled a long drag and slowly blew out a stream of smoke between her lips, her blue eyes boring straight into Squall's. When the smoke escaped her lungs she smiled fully, exposing those perfect teeth behind her full pink mouth. "So…" she drawled, her brow lifting. "Have you decided to make it official?"
"Make what official?"
Quistis chuckled. "I finally got it out of Rinoa."
Squall exhaled a soft laugh. "No comment."
"Oh, sweetie, don't think that we didn't already know," Quistis purred, dancing her fingers over Squall's chin.
Squall only shrugged. "Not like we were trying to hide it."
"I know," Quistis said, blowing smoke through her lips. "And we also know that you intend to keep your relationships private, which is why we weren't bugging you too much about it. Although, I will say, Zell has been wondering quite loudly when you two would make an announcement."
"Announcement? Quistis, we're not getting married."
"Hey, with the way you are this is as big as something like that. What I really want to say is…I'm glad you've told her your feelings." Quistis glanced over her shoulder and saw Irvine whistling for them to come back. "A girl likes to hear it. Don't fuck it up, or we'll all kill you."
Squall laughed and flicked his cigarette out into the dirt. He slung an arm around Quistis's shoulders and herded her back towards the van. "No you won't," he said simply. "You'll never find another drummer to replace me."
"Touche," Quistis said with a grin, tossing her cigarette behind her.
Sunday night.
S.T: You busy?
R.H: Just editing photos at the studio but I'm heading home soon to finish up there. Watts and Zone are out photographing a wedding and it's so boring here alone. What's up?
S.T: I wanna hang out.
R.H: Say no more. Meet you at my place in like an hour?
S.T: Indeed!
When Rinoa pulled into her parking space she saw that Selphie had already parked her bright yellow bug in the vistor's lot. She saw that the brunette was leaning against her trunk, her eyes lowered to look at the screen of her phone.
"Hey my love," Rinoa called as she exited the Cube.
Selphie lifted her head and sent her a smile. "Hey! Get your sexy ass over here and tell me all about your trip!"
Rinoa threw her head back and laughed. "Upstairs, now," she shot back, gesturing with her hand to shoo Selphie up the stairs. "I can't say that there's much to tell!"
Selphie pursed her lips and followed Rinoa up. "Why do I not believe you?"
With a throaty chuckle Rinoa opened up her apartment and immediately went straight for the fridge. "Because you're paranoid," Rinoa called over her shoulder. "Want a beer?" she asked, pulling open the door and thrusting the top half of her body into the cool blast of air. "I knew it was a good idea to stock up on a six pack before I left," she said lowly, reaching for a cold bottle. "I am so smart, go me!" she sang.
"Uh, no thanks, I'm good," Selphie told her, flopping herself onto Rinoa's couch. "How was the show?"
"Amazing," Rinoa said, popping off the cap with her key ring. "It was a great tour, all the bands are so extremely talented it's almost sickening." She took a long swig and sat down on the couch, throwing her legs over Selphie's thighs.
Selphie giggled and patted Rinoa's shins. "How was shooting Djin Theory? Got any pretty shots you can show me?"
"I do! They're all on my USB drive right now but I'll show you the shots I got when I upload them onto my computer here." She jerked her head towards her computer room and then suddenly made a face. "Although…can I tell you a secret? It might make me sound so petty."
Selphie cocked her head and gave Rinoa a look. "Oh please. How could you possibly be petty?"
"I don't think I can do another shoot for Djin Theory. At least not for a while," she added quickly.
That caught Selphie's interest. "Oh no! What happened? Did Hans go a little too far with his 'flirtation skills' with you? I heard it can get annoying but I'm sure Squall and Quistis can knock him down a few pegs if you don't do it yourself."
"No…nothing like that." Rinoa grimaced, really annoyed with herself for still feeling this way. "See…Fujin kinda um…kissed Squall."
Selphie's brows rose and her mouth formed a quiet little 'o.' "Oh…" she gasped. "In front of you?"
"No…it was a little while ago and apparently Hans and Quistis were walking by and Hans took a picture of it. I saw the picture."
"Oh fuck."
"Yeah." Rinoa sighed and sipped her beer.
"What'd Squall say about it?"
"That there was nothing going on between them. That she kissed him not knowing that he was kinda involved with someone else."
Selphie perked up. "He told her that?"
Rinoa tried not to squeal. "Yeah," she grinned.
"Eeee! How exciting for you! But…now you don't think you can work for her anymore?"
The smile on Rinoa's lips melted into a pout that looked as if she had smelled something foul. "Like I said, petty."
"Not petty," Selphie laughed, rubbing Rinoa's shins. "As long as you don't edit Fujin's pictures so she looks terrible I think you'll be fine. You know you'll be professional about it. But right now you just need a break from Djin Theory?"
"Possibly." Rinoa shook her hand in front of her as if she were shooing away her insecurity. "Anyways! Did you get to see any of the show? I think a few videos were uploaded onto their websites."
Selphie nodded. "I saw a video of Djin Theory's last song on the radio's website. It was really cute to include all the members of the other bands. Seeing them all on stage made me really proud."
Rinoa nodded and watched Selphie's face with caution. "Have you talked to Irvine lately?" Rinoa asked quietly.
"A little," Selphie murmured, her face softening at the mention of him. "I texted him this morning telling him that I watched the video and congratulated him on a wonderful tour and that I was so proud of him."
"And what did he say?"
Selphie exhaled a breath and reached into her purse for her phone. "This," she said, handing over the contraption for Rinoa to read.
I.K: Thanks babe. But I'd rather you congratulate me in person. Please. I need to see you.
Rinoa thinned her lips and looked back over to Selphie. "You didn't say anything back," she said softly, noting that there was no conversation bubble beneath Irvine's.
"I didn't know what to say to him." Selphie dropped the phone back into her purse and tried to sink further into the couch. "But…I know that I do—at least I think I do—need to see him in person."
"I really think you do," Rinoa urged.
Selphie nervously chewed her bottom lip. "I just…I need to figure something out first."
Rinoa lifted her legs and moved them so she was sitting closer to Selphie. "Like what?" she asked, setting the bottle onto the coffee table. "Anything I can help with? You know you can talk to me about anything, even if you don't want a response and you just want to like…throw your words out into the universe."
"I don't know what to do."
Rinoa frowned at the sudden hitch in Selphie's voice. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that Selphie's eyes were turning glassy with tears. Yes, she knew that Selphie was naturally upset about these turn of events with Irvine, but the way her voice warbled and the constant figeting with her fingers shot alarm throughout Rinoa's nerves. "Selphie…" Rinoa whispered. "What's wrong?"
Selphie quickly shook her head and sucked in a shuddering gasp.
"Selphie, honey, seriously what's wrong? You're freaking me out here."
Selphie bit down into her bottom lip and looked up at Rinoa with her large green eyes on the verge of spilling tears. "I'm…I'm late."
Rinoa paused. "By how many days?" she whispered. Suddenly her mind went into a silent frenzy as she thought back to her previous encounters with Selphie. Sure, maybe the signs were there…but they were far from neon signs of warning.
"Almost two weeks." Selphie pulled out her phone and produced the app she used to track her menstruation. "My cycles are normally around thirty-one days and I tend to start on anywhere between day thirty or thirty-four the latest. I'm on day forty-seven! I'm freaking the fuck out right now."
Rinoa gently held Selphie by the shoulders and stroked her skin, unsure of whether she was trying to calm Selphie down or herself. "Ok, ok…but that's not too bad. I mean, you have been under quite a bit of stress lately…and you know what? My period skipped out on me for a whole month one time—for no reason at all!"
"True," Selphie nodded, her chest rising as she sucked in a shaking breath. "Very true. It's just…I've never been this late before! I've been a few days off before or maybe a week but that was almost a whole year ago. I was supposed to start right before my birthday but I didn't even think about it. I don't look at my period tracker every day like I used to since Irvine's been gone. I thought maybe I ovulated late or something but…Oh shit…Rinoa! What if…what if—"
"No what if! We don't know for sure yet. Have you taken a test?"
"I…no. I haven't. I've been too scared to."
"Do you feel like you're…that you are?" Rinoa asked, unable to say the word.
Selphie stammered and lifted her shoulders. "I don't know! I've never been…so like, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. All I know is that I am just…losing it right now."
Rinoa turned around and scooped up her purse. "Outside. Now. Let's go."
"Fuck—right now?"
"Now."
"Ok!" she cried, gripping onto the banister as Rinoa ushered her down the apartment stairs and towards the light blue Cube. "Oh god…" Selphie groaned as she started to buckle herself into the car. "They're going to arrive day after tomorrow! I can't…what if…Rinoa! What the fuck am I going to do?"
Rinoa jammed her keys into the ignition and hurried out of the complex parking lot. "Let's have you take a test first before we get into that, ok? I'm here, you're not alone. Just…just breathe."
"Did we really have to buy all of these?" Selphie gasped, looking at the full shopping bag resting on her lap. "I mean do I really need to take…" She leaned forward and counted the boxes. "Fuck—five? We bought five pregnancy tests?" With her jaw practically on the ground, she whirled around to face Rinoa. "Rinoa! Five? Why did we buy all these?!"
Rinoa kept her eyes on the road but reached over and gave Selphie a pinch. "We have to be sure!"
"But five?"
"Hey, at a dollar a pop you can afford to buy five to make sure!"
Selphie looked back down at the bag filled with the tests. "You sure I couldn't have bought just one of those fancy ones?"
"Sweetie, these dollar store ones are exactly the same. You only want those super expensive fancy ones if you want to test right before your missed period. Since yours is like two weeks late…you can settle for the cheap ass ones. Plus! Five of these little cheap ones will still cost less than one of those fancy digital ones."
Selphie groaned.
"It's either that or I drive your ass to the doctor's and you can pee in a cup there! Or they take your blood, I'm not entirely sure."
Selphie groaned even louder. "Ugh! I hate getting blood drawn." She hastily rubbed at the bend of her elbow.
"Yeah, yeah, drink your water!" Rinoa demanded, pointing at the water bottle that remained in shopping bag.
"I wanted a soda," Selphie whined, gingerly running her fingers over the cap.
"Woman, I swear to god I will pop you in the jaw so fast…" Rinoa snarled. She parked her car and snapped her fingers towards the front door. "Go, go!"
Selphie looped her arm through the handles of the shopping bag and grabbed the water before hopping out of the car. "I'm going I'm going!" As she hurried towards the apartment stairs she broke open the cap of the water bottle and quickly chugged.
Inside, it took about twenty minutes before Selphie felt that she needed to pee. "Ok…ok. How do I do this?"
Rinoa ripped open the first package and tossed the sealed test to Selphie. "Ok…I know that there's one that you have to directly pee on but this one…" She scanned over the directions for a moment. "Hang on, let me get a plastic cup." She ran towards the kitchen and came back with a red Solo cup. "Ok. Pee in this."
Selphie took hold of the cup and went into the bathroom. After a moment she called for Rinoa. "Alright! So…in this little seal thingy there's a little dropper."
Rinoa nodded and placed the instructions into the trash. "Yeah, so suck up the pee and drop it into this little well here on the stick," she said, hovering her nail over the specific area. "It says it only needs about two to three drops."
Selphie did as Rinoa ordered and immediately looked away. "Oh my god…" she moaned, her voice cracking. "I…I can't watch." She sucked in a shaking breath and went to sit on the rim of the bathtub. "Ohmygod…Rinoa? What am I going to do?"
"Hey, first of all, you're going to breathe and calm down," Rinoa said gently, lowering into a crouch before Selphie and stroking her arms. "Ok? We're going to figure it out."
Selphie nodded and sniffled. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah. Could you um…could you look at it for me? Tell me what it says?" Her bottom lip trembled and she quickly caught it between her teeth. "I just…I don't think I have the stomach to look."
"Sure, of course." Rinoa stood to her feet and slowly picked up the test. Suddenly she was very aware of the blood pumping through her skull, could feel her mouth running dry. The air around her grew thick and heavy and she could hear her heart thunder within her breast. Her palms felt sweaty and clammy, causing her to almost drop the plastic stick when she saw the results. "Well," she breathed. "We didn't need those five tests."
Selphie lifted her head.
"It's um…" Rinoa swallowed. "It's um…it's positive."
Selphie only blinked, her brows knitting together and her lips parting in an expression that Rinoa could not immediately read.
"Selphie," she whispered. "You're pregnant."
Selphie didn't say anything. Instead she kept her eyes on Rinoa for a brief pause before the tears started to fall.
Rinoa softly placed the test onto the counter and dropped to her knees in front of Selphie, opening up her arms for her. A broken, heart-shattering wail erupted from Selphie's lips and she flung herself into Rinoa chest, folding into her like a little paper doll.
Rinoa just held her, wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly as if it would make Selphie feel even remotely better. No words passed between them after that, and Rinoa gently stroked Selphie's back as they sat on the bathroom floor, waiting calmly for the tears to stop.
