Finally

This is the end of the story. In following chapters I focus on explaining how they got to this point. I hope you enjoy it.

Finally – by Silverstargirl.

Squall woke with a start; his heart pounding. He was curled on his side in the usual position wondering what the hell had woken him. He glanced at the digital readout on the clock. '4 am,' he thought, 'It's so damn early.' That's when he noticed it...that odd crawly feeling one gets when one is being stared at. "Who's there?" he asked in a menacing tone while unobtrusively reaching for the gun hidden under his pillow.

"No one special." came a low familiar voice filled with amusement.

Squall's tense muscles relaxed for a brief moment then stiffened when his bed began to sink as the intruder sat on the edge of the bed. Feeling long fingers begin stroke his hair he sat up...smacking the hand away. He was feeling oddly torn between the feelings of comfort, anger, and...joy. "Where have you been?" he queried in a soft but demanding tone. 'I missed you.'

"Around," came the uninformative reply. 'I missed you.'

“How've ya been, Squally boy?” Seifer asked after a long silence. “Looks that ya haven't been eating again. You lost weight. Did ya miss me that much?" 'You need me around to take care of you.'

"......Whatever." 'Yes...I don't know why but...without you...nothing...was right.' "I am fine." 'Please stay I need you here...with me' Squall suddenly couldn't bear it anymore....he had to know. "Seifer...why did you go with her...really?" he winced at the tone of his voice. Hyne, he sounded so pathetic. Seifer said nothing for the longest time and Squall began to worry. "Seifer?"

"Sorry, I just don't know how to start. Its difficult to explain." Seifer said with an odd note in his voice.

"Just tell me...I...I need to know." 'Why did you leave...me?'

"I wish I could say that I didn't have a choice, Squall. The cost of refusing her was far too high...but I did have a choice," Seifer said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Squall whispered.

"I wasn't the only one who had the ability to be a knight. Heh....I wasn't even the one she wanted....you were."

"What?"

"But I couldn't...wouldn't let her hurt you that way." Seifer said softly.

"Hurt me?"

"You know nothing about sorceresses...do ya? Well, I studied them extensively. I knew that being a knight carried certain...risks." He took a deep breath before continuing. "When you become a knight, you give the sorceress the keys to your mind. If you are lucky she is like Edea, who would never try to control you. But some...ones like Ultimecia...are dangerous to their knight. They want, hell need, complete control...body and soul. I could tell she was one of the bad ones. I tried to fight her as much as I could, but her will....it was too strong. In the end, I was glad that it was you that came after us. No one else had the ability to stop me while I was under her control."

"Why?"

"Because..." Seifer whispered. Squall finally turned and looked at the boy sitting next to him for the first time since he woke. The expression on Seifer's face stunned him. 'Seifer...why do you look so sad and...and scared?' he asked with his mind...willing Seifer to hear him...not daring to say it out loud...almost afraid to know the answer.

"Because you....you mean so much to me." 'I love you....always have...always will.'

"I mean so much?"

“I....I...” Seifer paused. "Why can't I just say it?” Seifer mused out loud.

"Say what?" Squall pleaded...suddenly desperate. He then jumped when Seifer suddenly laughed derisively. Seifer turned to look him directly in the eyes. Squall hadn't seen that particular look in those beautiful turquoise eyes for so long. That look that he had never really understood...the one that had always made his stomach flutter. 'Please Seifer...please just tell me...I want...no need to know.'

'Hell and damnation just say it, dumb ass,' Seifer growled at himself. "I love you...okay....I fucking love you."

Squall felt tears gather in his eyes as his heart filled with...something...joyful...was this happiness? "I ....” he hesitated for the briefest moment then said, “I love you too"

Seifer froze and his eyes widened with disbelief. "You...love me?"

Squall gazed into the eyes of his beloved and nodded. He licked his lips, suddenly nervous, then slowly leaned forward. When he was close enough to feel minty breath on his face he closed his eyes and kissed him...kissed his Seifer...soft and sweet.

Seifer was stunned and just sat there for a long moment thinking, 'Hyne, Squall is kissing me.' Then, 'What the hell are you doing, moron? Kiss him back!' He wrapped his arms around around the younger boy and pulled him into his lap wanting their bodies to be as close as possible. He silently asked to deepen the kiss by running his tongue lightly over the other's full bottom lip.

Squall gave a soft moan as he accepted the other boy's questing tongue. He shifted positions, straddling Seifer's legs, gasping when he felt large hands slide down his back, finally settling on his ass, squeezing gently, pulling him even closer. He started to run his hands all over Seifer's powerful chest and back, stroking hungrily. He then slid his fingers into soft golden locks, knowing he was unwilling to ever let go again. 'Mine....you are mine and you will stay.'

Several hours later.....

Seifer pulled back slightly and teasingly asked the smaller boy, "Does this mean I can come back to Garden?" Squall glared at him icily, stubbornly refusing to answer. Seifer shook his head, laughing at that familiar expression, then leaned down to steal another kiss. He was confident that he could keep his Squally happy. He knew without a doubt that he was the only one that could.

Meanwhile.....

Quistis was beyond worried. Squall hadn't arrived at his office yet and he was nearly two hours late. He was always prompt....hell, he was always ridiculously early. Something had to be wrong. She walked swiftly down the corridor to the Commander's quarters and paused to gather her nerves. She heard what sounded like soft laughter coming from inside the room and thought with shock, 'What?...is that...is that?...Hyne, if I didn't know better I would swear that sounds like Seifer's laugh?...Oh, don't be silly girl...'

She knocked sharply on the door and called out, raising her voice slightly, "Squall, are you in there? It's not at all like you to be late. Is everything alright?" The door opened and Squall looked at her, then gave her a blindingly sweet smile, which caused her to blink at him owlishly.

Squall knew she had been worried about him for a long time and said, "I'm fine, Quistis.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry...I should have called to say I wouldn't be in. I didn't mean to worry you, but I was a little distracted. Seifer came home late last night and I wanted to be with him.”

Quistis drew in a startled breath, then smiled, overcome with joy and relief. 'I am so glad,' she thought, then hastened to say, “There is absolutely nothing to apologize for. I understand. You are not to worry about anything at all today, Squall. I will handle everything. You stay here with Seifer.” 'Where you belong.'

Seifer had ambled over to the door while she spoke to Squall and said, “Hiya, Quisty, long time no see.”

“Good to see you too, Seifer,” she replied. 'More than you know. I missed you...we all did.' “Welcome home.”

“Its good to be back.” Seifer glanced over at his love and murmured, “Squall, I am hungry. Let's go get something to eat.“ Squall nodded and took his hand. “We will see you and the rest of the gang later, okay? I know we all have a great deal to talk about, but I think it can wait until later. Don't ya think?” Seifer said with a smile. 'Sorry, I'm feeling kinda possessive and don't wanna share. Call me selfish.'

Quistis nodded, smiling, then watched as they exited the room and headed down the corridor toward the cafeteria. Her smile widened and she couldn't hold back a giggle when Seifer suddenly pulled Squall snug against his side and slipped an arm around the younger boy's slim waist. Squall didn't pull away, simply accepting the gesture then reciprocating it. Quistis was unable to look away; her eyes locked on them until they were out of view. A part of her had been tempted to follow them, but she understood that they needed to be alone for awhile. She gave a happy sigh and headed down the corridor in the opposite direction, feeling light on her feet for the first time in what seemed like an eternity; a smile on her face that refused to fade. Seifer was home and she knew somehow that everything was going to be alright. 'Thank Hyne!' She thought. 'We are all together again and Squall can be happy....finally.'