Strength In Our Bonds (The Strength in Generations Accompanying Book)

Visiting The Twins

Although she'd become a mercenary at the age of eighteen, fought a sorceress, killed at least ten people, and managed to pull enough all-nighters to successfully complete a fashion design degree, Raine would undoubtedly say that the most painful, difficult, grueling job of all of her twenty-two years was giving birth to her twins. Thirty hours of labor, not to mention that her husband didn't make it to the hospital until the end of the first day, and her daughter had gotten stuck somehow- but in the end, she'd still smiled, holding her children; a healthy boy and girl, both with black hair and blue eyes.

"Is it over?" asked Squall in the delivery room, sounding as if he'd been traumatized.

"Yes, Dad." Raine smiled. "They're here."

"And? Are they healthy? What did you end up having?" Raine had kept the babies' sex a secret.

Raine replied, "They're nice and healthy. Our little boy was born first, then our girl, who apparently got confused on the way out. River Austin and Celeste Julia, the two newest members of our family." She smiled again.

"Such charming names," Rinoa said, looking emotional.

"I wanted to name her after Grandma, since I was already named after the other Grandma. But I'd gotten so attached to Celeste, so..."

"Still, I think my mother would be very happy to know you've honored her, even if you never got a chance to meet her." Rinoa stood and put a hand on Raine's shoulder. "Where did Kazel go?"

"He's at the nursery with our babies. Hasn't left their side," Raine said proudly.

"Why don't you go find him, then?" Rinoa suggested. "Your father and I will be along in a minute to see them."

Raine nodded, and went down the appropriate hallway.

"She was in there screaming for more than a day," Squall finally said.

"She got through it, though." Rinoa smiled.

"That's more than three times the time you were in there when you had her..." Squall continued, trancelike, as if Rinoa hadn't said anything.

She just laughed, and began to pull him by the arm. "Come on, Squall. Don't you want to go see our grandchildren?"

Squall froze. "Why did you use that word..."

"Because that's what they are." Rinoa giggled. "Now come on. I'm really excited to see them!"

In the nursery, Kazel was holding one of the babies while the other slept; the Academy hospital didn't use blue and pink blankets, so it was difficult to tell which was which.

"Which is which?" asked Squall.

"This is Celeste." Kazel held the baby he was holding out to him, but then hesitated. "No, wait. This might be River... uh..."

He turned his back to everyone, and peeked into his child's clothes.

"Nope! This is Celeste." He smiled, and handed her to Squall.

"They both look so much alike, Kazel," Rinoa said. "I knew they were going to be identical, but, sheesh. Are you and Raine going to have a hard time telling them apart?"

"Yes." Kazel nodded feverishly. "Raine and I bought them a whole bunch of non-gender-specific clothes, which helps none. How am I going to be a good father if I can't even tell my children apart?!"

"You can't tell them apart?" Raine entered the room, a confused look on her face. She walked over to the group and looked at both babies. She pointed to the sleeping one, "River," and to the one Squall was holding, "Celeste."