AN: You guys have been the absolute best readers and reviewers any author could have possibly hoped for one this website. Your support and encouragement have single-handedly kept me writing and striving to reach new levels in my writing ability. For that you have more most sincere gratitude. I will quickly mention that if you enjoy ff7(cloti) check out the author i mentioned before. IF you enjoy the anime GSD check out 'Wheel of Destiny' and please review for both.

Finally i have a new ff8 story launched today.

Now then lets not keep you guys waiting any longer. Here it is, the last chapter to 'Better Late Than Never'

The commander's office always looks like the Garden is under a constant state of war. Paper's were strewn about carelessly while stacks of books lingered behind and threatened to fall down to the floor with a loud clamor. Squall's black leather chair allowed him to swivel around and receive the breathtaking view of his Garden behind him.

He always enjoyed it, the view. Often he found himself standing by the window and observing his students scurrying about as they hurried to reach their class in time or walking hand in hand with their current significant other.

Unfortunately now that was something Squall Leonhart could no longer do. Yes things have died down enough that he could spend some quality time with Rinoa without being constantly hounded but there was something else that he missed.

Squall pushed aside the comfortable chair he had grown accustomed to since the debut of this Garden and rolled up to his desk in his wheelchair. He looked on at a stack of growing papers with a frustrated glance as his workload would only increase everyday with the year now winding down to an end.

He didn't have the luxury to wallow in self-pity for what he had been reduced to in a moment of carelessness in what should have been a simple fight for him. There was no time for someone such as himself to feel like less of a man because he may never regain the use of his legs. The fact that he had been cut down before his prime and never given an opportunity to become everything he knew and wanted to be in life could not affect his dedication to his responsibilities.

He was Squall Leonhart after all, the man who wasn't supposed to care what other people thought. He was the strongest warrior and the strongest SeeD the world had ever and will ever know. No enemy, in the past or future would be able to withstand his murderous onslaught as he cleansed the planet of evil.

And yet now he needed help getting changed in the moment.

It was not that there wasn't hope he would regain everything he had lost. With Rinoa there was always hope. However whenever she wasn't around, neither was that faith. He wasn't so much paralyzed but rather his legs sustained massive injuries that current medicine could not guarantee to fix.

Squall pulled out the next file for graduation review and flipped it open. No it wasn't the file belonging to the person you were thinking. In fact neither would the next file or the one after that.

He was far too much in love with her to do that. This boyfriend would never rob his best friend in the world of her dignity, pride, and honor by showing even the slightest favoritism in her potential SeeD career. Her file, in fact all the Hs had been handed off to Trabia Garden. They had complete authority over who passed and moved on and who did not. First year students were graded on the performance numbers alone.

His cold steel-blue eyes focused on one particular paper out of a thousand that was smack dab in the middle of one of the large stacks. He could only help but wonder if he could remove just that paper and let nothing else fall away. Why? Just because.

The anxiety was quickly building to a level that he could no longer take, so drastic measures would have to be taken in order to preserve what remained of his sanity. Squall pulled out a blank sheet of paper and made a few quick strokes with a permanent marker. He pulled up to a trashcan and placed it on his desk with that same piece of paper attached to it.

This much would earn him a few hours. Upon returning to his desk he threw aside the clatter that was blanketed across the center and leaned foreword so he could rest his head down upon it. Unfortunately it seemed his alter ego had other plans in mind.

< You might as well get the paperwork over with. If you don't you won't be able to spend time with her. >

'Heal me or shut up' The young man could never understand why the all powerful Guardian Force refused to provide such a simple request.

< I cannot heal you until you learn to tap into that power. You failed to reach your full potential and you fail to reach into mine. > Griever had not meant to sound as harsh as he did but this little 'child' needed to confront the truth instead of hiding behind semantics.

'I am asking for your help, what more do you want?'

< To try on your own. To risk making mistakes. To stop denying these feelings you have. No matter what you tell yourself young one, you feel inadequate. Accept it, move on. >

'I am not inadequate. I can sti-'

< You don't have to like that fact but this is how it is. You can't do as much anymore, but there is hope. But if you don't accept it you will never grow past it. >

'You want me to admit that I am helpless now? That I need to depend on others for the most basic tasks? Is that what you want to hear?'

< I want to hear that YOU want to hear you say that. > The voice faded out into nothingness as he finished speaking. Squall's eyes fell to a close as sleep quickly claimed him as its next victim.

Thoroughly excited about her recent promotion to a second year student, One Rinoa Heartily ran straight out of the elevator and past the secretary to Squall's office. She had made him fire the previous one who just happened to be a curvaceous redhead. Rinoa didn't know he was a man that loved woman with long dark hair only at the time. Well to be more specific, now it was only her long dark hair.

The gruff man behind the secretary's desk grunted as she ran straight into Squall's office and slammed the door behind her. Her boyfriend must have been exhausted for him to have not been abruptly awakened at that.

She fell to a dead stop when she looked upon his desk and found a trashcan marked 'IN' sitting on it. She allowed a melodious giggle to quickly escape her while she brought a hand to her mouth to stifle any sound. Rin was surer now than she had ever been in the entire time they have spent together that she was indeed having an affect on his personality.

At least now his sense of humor was a bit more obvious.

However despite her muffled laughter, Squall did not waken. An eyebrow quickly arched as she recounted some of her past experiences with him. She certainly knew more than a few methods to wake him up. Some were more pleasant than the others.

So yes, it was Rinoa who woke up next to him every morning for the past year and helped him get ready for work. She had helped bathe him and change him and dotted over him like a loving wife would over a husband who felt nothing but shame.

No that was a lie. Squall was changing, becoming better. He had actually asked her for help. He wanted and yearned for her support. His confidence, though slowly was reappearing. In just the past week he had managed to take a few steps without the use of any support. The smile that danced across his face at the time was almost as wide and shining as the looks Squall reserved for Rinoa alone.

But what was the point to all this? Ah yes. Waking up next to Squall. No, waking up Squall.

With slow graceful steps she walked towards his desk and circled around so she could stand next to him. Memories of past methods of waking him up came to mind. Often she could startle him by placing one of his hands on some of her more sensitive body parts. Other times he would find himself shocked back to the conscious world when a torrent of water would fall down upon him.

Looking at him now, sleeping like a little baby who didn't have a care in the world, she didn't have the heart to provide him with a rude awakening. Something more gentle, more sensuous would be required.

She bent down slowly and brought her lip within centimeters to his ear before she spoke in a soft sexy yet slightly hushed voice. "Squall, Squall baby, its time to wake up."

Squall shifted around slightly beneath her but only readjusted his arm for a more comfortable rest. Rinoa continued with her attempt. This was a new method she was testing out on him and she hoped it would work. Frankly she got just as much out of it as he did.

"Come on Squall, won't you come and play with your favorite little Rinny?" she began to slowly play with one strand of his hair with her well manicured finger. His rustling continued but it was still obvious he was asleep. It was time to take things one step higher.

Her voice went from merely being sexy to undeniably lustful. She playfully licked his ear before continuing with her mischievous plot. "Squall, wake up. Your little Rinny is really horny right now."

Squall's head rapidly jerked upward and nearly knocked Rinoa down to her feet with the speed and ferocity with which he did so. Groggily he looked around and then put his forehead back down upon the table though he remained very much awake.

Rinoa knew that would work. She was very much well aware of his little fantasy including her in his office. There was no explaining the irrational wants and desire of men sometimes, but a guy wants what a guy wants.

"Are you awake now baby?" It was always confusing on deciding what pet name to give your lover. What made calling someone honey different from calling them dear? What about sweetheart? What made one person a 'darling' and another person a 'sugar'? Not only Squall, but she too wished there was a handbook for getting yourself involved into relationships.

"For a moment I though I was in heaven" Squall lifted his head just enough so he could rub his tired eyes. It didn't make sense. How could one get additional sleep and feel even more tired than before. At least he was sitting behind his desk or Rinoa would have seen that 'Little Squall' was alive and kicking.

"Aw baby, and why is that? Did you see an angel?" She said mockingly. It was a term of love and affection though a little bit too cliché for a beautiful black haired brown eyed woman with wings. Sorceress had been a term that had far too much negative stigma attached. Since no one knew Sorceress had wings, the plan was to eventually reveal Rinoa to be an Angel. Of course until then she would be his Angel with no one else to behold her.

"No, because for a second I thought there were two Rinnys." Rinoa blushed profusely at that comment. It drove her wild the way he appreciated not only her mind but her body as well. And that nickname he used for her always made her feel especially cute. Her slender white arms wrapped around themselves as she was becoming overwhelmed with her own adorableness.

Once certain parts of Squall had calmed down, Squall pushed the wheelchair back and motioned for Rinoa to take a seat upon his lap. It was moments like these that helped him recover from the monotony of work that was currently his life.

Rinoa complied with his wish and sat upon his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her head tilted slightly and rested against one of Squall's broad shoulders. This position allowed her a view of a picture of herself Squall kept on his desk, but that is not where attention went. She was hardly that self-centered. Underneath and engraved upon the frame was a phrase Squall wrote in himself.

'Do it For Her'

He hated being forced to become a paper pusher until he could regain full use of all his capacities. He missed going down to the training center and improving his skills. He even missed walking around the Garden and nodding towards the few staff members who recognized him for who he was. Rinoa knew exactly how he felt.

He did it anyways because Rinoa understood that his work and his life were important. He did it because Rinoa deserved to have the number one lifestyle in the world and every possible advantage. Frankly Squall did it because he was in love. There was no greater motivation in life.

"I passed. I will be a junior cadet next year."

"I know." Damn Trabia Garden with their experienced staff getting the reviews done faster.

Rinoa didn't dare move from that spot on his shoulder. She could smell that familiar cologne on him like this. "Squall did you..."

"I always knew you would pass. I never doubted it for a moment. You never had nor needed my help." He placed a simple kiss upon the top of her head and was devoutly rewarded with a purr.

God that made her irresistible.

They sat together like that thrilled to have each other's company and needing nothing more. However Rinoa did have other news in store for Squall. Something more important than her becoming a junior cadet next year. It was more important than the papers he would have to work through. It couldn't wait any longer.

Rinoa lifted herself off of Squall after a quick mental debate and moved away keeping her back to him. The commander immediately sensed her discomfort and felt the urge to help.

"Rinny? What's wrong?"

Unbeknownst to Squall, she bit her lip before responding. She quickly turned around on her feet and faced him with wide puppy dog eyes as her hands slowly moved down her side and rested upon her stomach. "Squall I'm..."

She didn't need to finish. The message was all to clear. Squall's eyes immediately doubled in size as shock came and left only to be replaced by unbridled joy. He moved his wheelchair to her and on his own, stood up to embrace the woman he loved so much.

"Rinny! I can't believe it. I'm so happy!" He was happy. Happy was a little strange on Squall. No matter, he would grow into even if she had to beat that emotion into him.

Rinoa had expected several different reactions but not this one. While she was hugged, many feelings ran through her mind. Well, mostly confusion. He was happy? Wait, he stood up on his own? He was hugging her like this? They hadn't been able to do that for months now and he was….

A light bulb went on in her head

"Squall, baby, I'm not pregnant. I was just going to say I'm a little hungry and ask if you wanted to join me in the cafeteria." What? To Rinoa her hunger is more important than all those other things mentioned before.

She could feel the hold he had around her release as he fell back onto his chair in utter disbelief.

"You mean you're not…" Was he disappointed or happy?

"Nope." At least now she knew he would make a good father. That brought another question to mind, what happened to his parents? Better not bring that up lest he start inquiring about her past.

"You were just…" Disappointed. He was thoroughly disappointed.

"Yep" Better stick with one word answers. It doesn't look like he could handle much more.

Squall could have done many things. He could have beaten himself over his misunderstanding. He could have cursed violently. Hell he could have even been upset at Rinoa. But to do anyone of those things would be to show he was indeed a weak person.

Instead he grinned at Rinoa and tilted his head towards the top drawer on his desk. "You'll like it. It's all I have at the moment."

The young lady sighed and shook her hair slightly, causing the loose strands to flow about even though there was no wind in the room. She approached the desk and opened the drawer and took out the treat that was left there especially for her.

She opened the velvet box and revealed the sparkling diamond ring it contained. The center stone was immaculate and had two smaller stones on each side to accompany it. It never took a girl long to figure out what this meant.

Her head snapped towards her lover and looked at him with disbelief. "Squall?"

"We are getting married. I am in love with you. You love me. I want your child. You want my child. I know your fantasies, you are my fantasy."

"huh, wha. How, HUH?" This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Where was the romantic setting sun, or the moonlight stroll? Wasn't there a law saying marriage proposals should always have fireworks while the male proclaims their everlasting love?

"Yeah I know. It's a little strange but frankly Rinny, I'm a little strange." Ok, so he understood that much. "I can't get down on one knee and ask you the traditional way, so I figure, screw tradition."

Rinoa marched right over to him and bonked him on the head with the full force of one of her fists. While he was distracted with pain she sat down upon his lap once again but enraptured his lips with her own as she shared the passion and the fire that was too great for Rinoa to contain within herself. "Yes you idiot. I will marry you."

"I know. That's why I didn't bother asking." He gave her that grin that drove her hormones wild before returning to her a kiss he had been holding back from until just the right moment. This moment.

Squall did give her what she wanted in a marriage proposal. A memorable event, a beautiful diamond ring, and a hot fiancé that truly and deeply cared, respected, and loved her. He did deserve a reward.

When their next kiss broke she brought her lips back to his ear before whispering. "You know, I'm still horny. Maybe its time one fantasy came true."

Dreams do come true. Hyne never lets one dream about something without providing them the opportunity to achieve it. The sole catch is that there is work involved.
Whatever it is that you conceive, that you believe, you will achieve.

Above these two lovers and masked by the bright blue sky, a shooting star quickly shot by. No one could see it because the sun was still up. There would be no record made upon it, and no wishes expressed because of it. These were special shooting stars. These signaled a dream achieved.

Here, now, for two fated children a wish that was placed upon a shooting star some time ago was finally realized.

< Humph. Better Late Than Never I suppose >

And with that i am done with this story. I would love to hear your comments quetions and reviews for this so please leave them. Wondering if there is a sequel? Well there is potential for that. I do not want to jump straight into that i get bored with the storyline. In the meantime, i have started a new ff8 fiction called 'Man's Inhumanity.'

It is also an AU and i hope you will provide it with the same quantity and quality of reviews that i have recieved here. Thank you all once again and i guess i will see you all in the next fiction. :-)