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The Longest Road.


"It's like this. We will always meet the most important people in our lives again. It doesn't matter if we part or argue or even die. If they are that important we will find them against all odds. They make us transcend barriers. They make us love them and they love us in return. They ask nothing more than that. So..., I'll always meet you again... even if it takes eternity, I'll see you some day."
Passage from a novel in progress by N J Wilcox.



Chapter Six; Meeting again.




"Hiro, Jessie. Report your location." Squall spoke clearly into the microphone.

"Sir, we're currently following a party of men north west of Deling city." Jessie Rowe called to him. All thirteen SeeDs sat in silence listening.

"Have you seen any sign of the kidnapped child?"

"Unless Seifer's suddenly developed a liking for Rusks and SMA milk, and he's decided to wear nappies, I think we can say there's a baby where he's going." Hiro piped up.

"We haven't seen the child yet sir." Jessie confirmed.

"Hiro....." Squall warned.

"Sorry sir." He apologised.

Squall actually grinned. "Keep the sarcastic comments until you're off the mission SeeD. Even if the thought of Seifer in a diaper is completely hilarious."

The whole of the war room was giggling by now.

"All you need is the baby bonnet and the dummy and....." Zell couldn't finish for laughing.

Selphie squealed in delight. "We'll have to knock up a picture of that with the computer."

Quistis smiled. "It would make a lovely wanted poster wouldn't it?"

Zell and Selphie fell silent and looked at each other then her. "You wouldn't..... Would you?" The asked in unison.

The three burst into laughter, again the tears rolling down their cheeks.

Squall did his best to ignore them and spoke to Hiro. "Understood?"

"Yes sir."


There were a few moments of silence. "Commander, it seems that we have found their base. It looks like one of the old munitions dumps.... Can you note down our co-ordinates?"

"Done!" Selphie called between giggles.

"Come back then you two." Squall said. "We have plans to make." He terminated the call link and turned to Selphie who was plugging her computer into a socket on the wall of the room in the spaceship built for handling tasks such as these. "Information?"

"Hold on Squall, gimme a minute to power up my laptop." She began to type furiously........ And a sudden grin brightened her concentration. "Yay! We're in!!!" She paused as her eyes scanned the page she had accessed. "Those co-ordinates are the location of a testing facility. They used to be the equivalent of Dr Odine according to this. Right up until the end of the sorceress wars too. Anyway it's been kept up, used for keeping prisoners of war...... There's been a recent shipment of stuff there...."

"Let me take a look." Quistis offered. She glanced down the list. "Shit..... A lot of these are performance enhancing drugs and such. There's also a heroin substitute and enough food to keep them going for years."

Squall clenched his fists so hard that the knuckles beneath the leather turned white. "Selphie, I want you and Zell see what you can pull off the files about this place. Blue prints would be simply great. Quistis, you, Irvine and myself are going to talk to General Caraway and Sorceress Rinoa. I suggest the rest of you either train or sleep because by tomorrow night, I want that child back in his mother's arms. Any questions or arguements?"

None were forthcoming.

"Good."

As Squall and Quistis trailed Irvine out of the room, Zell gave his lover a quick flash of that devil-may-care grin and a wink to reassure him.

"Squall may I ask you a question?" He nodded. "Why are you so concerned about this child?"

"For God's sake Quisty, it's just a little baby. If....." he almost said 'if his father' but managed to stop himself. "If people like you and me can't protect him, then who can....? Who will? We're that kid's only hope right now."

"Who is his mother?" She put her head to one side.

"I'm not sure. Come on, Irvine's going to be there hours before us if we don't get moving." Squall ran to catch him up.

"You liar Squall Leonhart."






When they reached Rinoa's encampment, they were greeted by none other than the sorceress herself. Her eyes were rimmed red through crying and she looked as if she hadn't slept for days. Squall turned to Irvine and Quistis. "You two go and talk to Caraway. I'll handle Rinoa, okay you guys?"

"What news?" She whispered as he approached her.

"We know who took Ayden, Rinoa. We believe we know where he is being kept."

Then why aren't you getting him back for me Squall?" She shouted, not caring who heard.

"If we don't do it right and get in there without them noticing then they may kill him before we even get near. Do you think I want to wait like this????" He cried out. "You haven't even asked who it was that took him Rinoa."

"By the look in your eyes, all that rage and hatred, I'd guess it was Seifer."

Squall half smiled. "Good guess."

Rinoa's lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears once again. Squall stepped forward and held her in his strong embrace like he once had nigh on a year before. She cried into his shoulder and asked nothing else. "Please Squall. Save Ayden. I love him more than the earth, the heavens and eternity combined. I'd give the lives of the whole planet just to save him."

"I would too."

"Do you really love him that much?"

"I would give my life for my son. I want him to have the childhood I didn't."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What about Zell's life? Would you give that?"

Squall's eyes narrowed with anger and he spoke with venom in his voice. Zell's life is not mine to give Rinoa. And my love for Zell is deeper and more eternal than anything I ever had with you." She flinched. "Would it be too much to ask to have a picture of my son?" She reached into her handbag and presented him with one. Quistis and Irvine re-emerged shaking their heads saying that General Caraway had little or nothing to tell them.

Squall turned to walk away, holding the picture close to his chest for a moment, unwilling to let go then he slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket.. Rinoa lifted her hand in a futile gesture, trying to reach Squall. She murmured a few words that he couldn't hear as he walked away. "Squall, I still love you.... As much as Ayden."

They began the long walk back. "I hope Zell and Selphie have had more luck than we have." Irvine observed.




They had. Zell had managed to find a floor-plan and Selphie had found the blue prints to an old air shaft leading to the building. The five of them began planning but one of them nodded off in the middle of the proceedings. As Selphie moved to wake him up, Zell warned her off. "Leave him sunshine. He hasn't slept since this whole thing started thirty-six hours ago." Then he gathered Squall up into his arms. "We should all grab some shut eye." And he took the sleeping lion back to their specified quarters.

Placing him gently on the double bunk, Zell pulled Squall's boots off, followed by the leather jeans and then the jacket. The pocket seemed to hold something. He pulled the item out and saw a picture of a baby. "Sweet." He whispered as he realised it must be Squall's child. "I never thought he'd be the sort of guy to carry a picture like that."

He reached into the pocket once again. This time he drew out a lock of hair bound by a ribbon.

A lock of blonde hair.

Zell Dincht's hair.

Zell leant across Squall's chest and placed a kiss on Squall's sleeping lips. "It means more to me than words ever could baby."

And lying with his arm protectively across Squall's chest, Zell fell asleep.



Authors notes.

A short chapter written between exams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got the idea while writing about boring Ecology for a-level biology (I couldn't remember what the definition of a niche was) and I couldn't resist putting this chapter in. Thanks for your input. I've got 2 ideas for how this is going to end so I may need your help in about 2 weeks time okay guys n gals? Happy writing.............................

The Darksquall

nicola.wilcox@talk21.com