Author's note: I highly recommend you read the first story "Try,Try Again" before reading this, otherwise you might be very confused, but if you don't care about the hows and whys by all means go right ahead and read. "Try, Try Again" can be found here:

h t t p : / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / s / 6 1 1 3 9 6 9 / 1 / T r y _ T r y _ A g a i n (remove spaces)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to SquareEnix, we just brought them out to play.

Big thank you to our beta SephirothxAerith for Betaing and all of her contributions

000

It was amazing how at one moment two years could seem like a life time and then in another be only the blink of an eye. Entering the nursing program was one of those moments; it was such a whirlwind sometimes even Sephiroth could not parse out one day from the next.

With this, like most everything he tried, he excelled. With his photographic and sponge-like memory he absorbed the vast amounts of information required for success in a short period of time.

Many nights Tifa found Sephiroth asleep over the finished paperwork for 7th heaven and his nursing books, with which he tried to squeeze in some extra study time while he still had some wakefulness left in him.

The only thing he needed to be constantly reminded of was his bedside manner. These were not front-line soldiers he was caring for but sensitive civilians and children, and his calm in the face of crisis demeanor a lot of the time came off as cold and apathetic. To fix this and try to find a balance, he tried to pretend that patients were a wounded Marlene or Denzel or Genesis, and he would automatically soften. It didn't take too much, just a calm smile and a soft voice once in awhile. He used this trick until after a year it became second nature. This was just another one of his game faces he put on when the need called for it.

The ER in Edge where he did most of his training needed more talented workers like him for, with the city still being rebuilt, there were lots of injuries and sickness to contend with.

Sephiroth was surprised when he found himself enjoying work immensely. The adrenaline rush if hurrying to save someones' life was just as intense as it was to take one. Originally he had feared seeing blood and wounds would excite and strengthen the more blood lusty side of his personality. However, he found it did the opposite: it seemed to satiate it. Even though he was trying to save the life of the person bleeding and suffering, his other side couldn't tell the difference.

The crew he worked with were a motley bunch that reminded him a lot if the Soldiers he used to know. Raj their lead nurse and supervisor reminded him a lot of Angeal: a firm task master, but one who was fair and kind about it, and almost acted like father figure the others could look up to. There was Dominque, with a cool personality similar to his own. The others would joke that they should get married, even though Dominique already was so. She and Sephiroth quickly learned to synchronize their cold glares to shut everyone up.

Then there was Angeline, the youngest of the crew at 20, but already with 2 years experience under belt. She didn't look it with her bushy blond pigtails, but she could find a vein and draw blood from even the most dehydrated, obese drug addict. How she did it no one knew, but she got results. This and her sunny disposition remind Sephiroth a great deal of Zack.

There was Johnson, a big man who tended to keep to himself, and then there was Derek, resident nurse, conspiracy theorist and believer in extraterrestrials. No one really took him seriously, though, all the same Sephiroth steered clear of him as some of his accusations of Sephiroth being the real Sephiroth come back from the grave hit a little too well.

His name and appearance were easily explained. The story was he was born with the rare genetic disorder that caused his hair to grey at an early age, which, in a way, was true: though intentionally not a phenotype at random like a normal person, he had been born with silver hair because his genes had been altered.

As for his name, the cover was his parents were fans of the hero Sephiroth and because of his appearances named him for the great general. This was not an unlikely occurrence either. Even though the president forbade giving children their first name as Sephiroth because he had copyrighted the use of Sephiroth as a first name – there could only be one "Sephiroth" for ShinRa - it was permitted to be used as a middle name. This coincided with Sephiroth's story that he was recovering amnesiac who had been injured during Meteor fall and was in a coma for quite some time, so he couldn't remember his parents or anything but his middle name. All records of his identity had been lost or destroyed during the great fall of ShinRa. With all the weird happenings and goings on the last few years, no one questioned his story.

Now his last name also garnered some attention, but the kind that wasn't so bad. He was proud of the name he'd chosen: that of his new found family. Plus 'Sephiroth Strife' had a nice ring to it.

It was truly a fresh start.

The ER had practically hired him while was still in school. As soon as he got his certificate and license, the hiring process was just a formality. After another 6 months he had earned enough money to move out of Cloud and Tifa's home and be on his own. However, that being said, his apartment was within easy walking distance of Seventh Heaven and the hospital, so he was not too far away from his family if he needed them.

This particular Saturday found Sephiroth and Cloud loading up the last of his things in the truck. Barrett had visited both to see Marlene (who'd brought up some delicate questions as of late that they felt it was best Barrett answer) and lend a hand with the move.

Ever since saving Marlene's life, Sephiroth found himself instantly in the good graces of the big man and treated more like a close brother than a tolerated stranger. In a single moment it went from total cold shouldering to a friendly slap on the back and a "hi, how're ya' doin', how's school goin' ?"

It was strange... a little awkward at first to have Barrett checking up on his well being as well as Marlene's, but, like everything else, it eventually became part of his routine.

At this moment, Sephiroth was bringing down the last of his belongings when he overheard a conversation between Marlene and Barrett in the kitchen over a bowl of ice cream.

"-So after that, with your Mama and Daddy gone, ya were left ya to my care."

"I kinda had a feeling you weren't my real dad since we look so different." Marlene cheerfully informed her dad, not at all disturbed or shocked by Barrett's revelation.

"Smart little lady aren'tcha?" Marlene giggled and Sephiroth could just pick up on the sound of Barrett ruffling her hair, his voice gruff. "But I want you to know I love ya as much as any father, as much your other Daddy did. He was my best friend, and you've got a lot 'o him in you, little lady! The best of him."

"I know!" Marlene beamed at him and hugged him. "You're not my father, but you're still my papa!"

Naturally she got a squeeze back, "Now, how's about I tell you a few stories? Like this time your Daddy and I made this run to Rocket Town and well... there was this thing, a monster..."

"Yeah! Tell me! Tell me!"

Before Barrett began his story, Sephiroth let out a weary sigh and turned away to make for the outside where Cloud was waiting with the truck. How was it that even though they were not tied by blood, Barrett could care for Marlene better than his own parents had ever thought to? Barrett would never even think of subjecting Marlene to the stuff Hojo had subjected his own son to. If anything, Barrett would risk his life to protect Marlene from such things.

Seeing the father-daughter moment made his mind shift once again to something he had tried to keep on the back burner so he could concentrate on getting his own life on track. Was Hojo really his father? The only real information he had were notes from Gast and Hojo himself, no positive proof. Deep down he hoped that it was false. Then he would have the comfort of knowing that at least the sadistic man who made him feel like an ungodly lab rat instead of a human being was not his own father. However, he did not dare hope that was true; it would be too normal for him.

It seemed to Sephiroth that his whole life was upside down; his parents, those who should have loved him unconditionally, used him for their own ambitions and made him feel he could never love or be loved. And Cloud and Tifa who had every reason to loathe and hate him, took him in and showed him the closest thing to a family he had ever known.

Maybe now that he finally had a life all his own and something to live for, it was time to find out the truth one way or the other, and have it over with...

0000

Some hours later found Sephiroth in his new apartment alone, sitting on one of the boxes as he had not had time to get proper furniture yet, looking pensively at his cell phone in his hand. Cloud had offered to stay and help with the unpacking, but Sephiroth said he had a very particular way of doing things and Cloud's well intentioned help could end up with everything put in what Sephiroth deemed was the wrong place and end with the two quarreling.

Sephiroth already had the number he wished to call dialed in, but now his thumb hesitated over the call button. Truth could be a hard pill to swallow. Lies and tall tales could be pushed aside or forgotten, but once truth was learned, it could never be unlearned, and Sephiroth could no longer delude himself with the idea of having a different father if DNA evidence said Hojo was the one.

He shook his head and pressed the key. He wasn't going to be a lost child wishing for good anymore.

He let out a deep breath as the phone rang and the other side finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Reeve?" Sephiroth asked, keeping his voice as calm as possible.

"Sephiroth?" The inventor's voice had echo-quality to it and a slight tinny ring, so Sephiroth suspected he was tinkering with one of his 'toys', but the tone was welcoming, " To what do I owe this honor?"

"I am ready. I want to know for sure if my father is who I was led believe," Sephiroth said firmly.

A pregnant pause, before Reeve asked, "You're certain?"

Sephiroth let out a weary sigh. "Yes. There is no 'right time' for these things."

"Well said, my good man... alright, we'll see you in a few days, then? And let's have a quick chat before we do the test. See you soon!"

000

When the day came for the DNA scan, Sephiroth arrived at WRO headquarters with an entourage composed of his new found family: Cloud, Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene with Barrett in toe and surprisingly of all, Vincent Valentine. All come for "moral support" for Sephiroth.

Vincent had caught wind of the event via a phone call from Yuffie, who had heard via a slip of the lip from Tifa when Yuffie called to invite them for a trip to Wutai some time during the kids' summer vacation.

Yuffie felt Vincent had a right to know, what with having been past friends with Sephiroth's biological mother Lucrecia Crescent.

Reeve barely raised an eyebrow at the group Sephiroth arrived with when they all trouped into his 'area' (rather building) at the WRO headquarters, merely pressing a button the intercom to hail his Personal Assistant, "Lolly, dear! We'll need a lot more tea then I thought." Once he received an affirmative reply, he released the button and greeted them all. "You brought the crew I see, good... something like this, the support of friends and is always vital! "

"Yes, if the verdict is the one I dread, I may need comfort or at least several people to stop me if I snap again," Sephiroth said dryly.

Reeve indicated for everyone to take a seat, smiling as his PA entered with tea and snacks for everyone. "There is something I wish to reveal, but felt it was better saved for when you were ready to face this."

"I am ready to hear it. Now that I have my own life on course, my parentage cannot change that," Sephiroth told him.

Reeve nodded. "That's why, as curious as I was and as much as I wanted to, I didn't press the issue." He nodded pleasantly at his PA once she had poured the last tea cup, "Thank you Lolly, no interruptions, including our... benefactor."

"Yes sir! I'll make sure we give him a good run around."

"Thank you dear."

Once the PA had left and shut the door behind her, Reeve began again, "Now, as Sephiroth well knows, we ShinRa directors were a tight knit little nest of vultures. It's why I knew him to be of a higher caliber as he only associated with us in the context of required social events. This trait also led to constant rumor mill, our physical health tending to be the top of this list." At seeing the others expressions he added, "Weak in body, weak in mind."

Sephiroth pondered aloud, "And just where are you going with this..?"

"The one rumor generated around Hojo was that our expert geneticist and 'god-maker'... had untreated mumps as a child." Quickly he turned to the 'little ears' in the room, "Children, earmuffs please!" and only going on once he was certain they had obeyed, "Sephiroth, care to tell us what mumps can do when left untreated in males?"

Sephiroth flipped through his mental library from all the books on human pathology he had read both during his schooling, and the book Hojo insisted he read during his time in the labs. "If the patient lives, there can have side effects such as deafness, Meningoencephalitis, pancreatitis, cardiac scarring, chronic inflammation and permanent damage of the salivary glands and ... infertility?"

"Exactly." Reeve's annoying, 'all-wise-seen/hear/done-it-all' smile came out, "The ugly thing about our rumors... 99% were true and the other percent were solidly based in truth. This one falls into the former category. I took a peak at his medical record once. Which is why I was surprised when you mentioned Hojo being your... potential father."

"I only knew what I found in Hojo and Dr. Gast's manuscripts," Sephiroth stated.

"Gast was... a good man, but I think he took things at surface value too much. Under-estimated the power of greed," Reeve murmured.

"To a point," Sephiroth said a little icily, as much as he respected Gast he still felt a bit of a grudge against the great scientist, kind as he was, for abandoning him completely to Hojo's clutches without even so much as a good-bye. Why did people make him care only to leave him later? "His downfall. He trusted people too much, just like my mother."

"I just thought you'd like to know there's an excellent chance Hojo was just being.. Hojo, when he claimed you for his son."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Even with that, there is still a possibility. I need to know for sure. I need positive proof."

"Lucky for you, ShinRa's DNA database of all its employees survived everything. You, being part of SOLDIER, and Hojo, being part of the science department, both have entries."

"And?" Sephiroth demanded, some impatience edging into his voice.

"So we can compare the DNA maps and see if that Y-Chromosome you have originally belonged to him. I've just been waiting for your consent, my good man!"

"You have it."

With that Reeve accessed the database. The large monitor on the wall showed the the two profiles with a picture side by side. Then at the bottom of the screen appeared a scan bar that said "Scan Progress: 1%"

"This should take a couple of minutes," Reeve said with a smile, which was not reciprocated by his pensive guests, except for the children.

Sephiroth felt his fingers twitch, as if he was gripping the masamune...Part of him wished his bladed security blanket was here with him, but both he and the others agreed that if the verdict was unfavorable, it was best for him not to have his deadly weapon turned teddy bear on him.

The rest of the group stood or sat around, watching as the bar made it's slow creep towards 100%. Other than the occasional murmur, it was quiet. Even Vincent seemed more subdued then usual, if it was possible. But those familiar with his story knew he was thinking if it wasn't Hojo, then Lucrecia had betrayed both himself and Sephiroth twice, but if it was Hojo...

When the progress bar hit and lingered on 75%, Reeve attempted to break up the intensity a little, "So any good stories from the trauma center lately?"

That got him a very cold 'I am not amused' look from Sephiroth.

"Reeve..." Tifa groaned, having helped Sephiroth study often enough to not want details. Cloud just sighed and shook his head.

"My littl' girl don't need to hear those stores, ya loco inventor!" Barrett snapped his hands over Marlene's ears just in case some more colorful language slipped out.

Reeve had the decency to look embarrassed, absently rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I forgot the children were here. Though they don't look too traumatized." A glance proved the children were largely ignoring the adults: Marlene had gone over to the other side of the room to play with Cait Sith while Denzel watched on intently at Sephiroth's side, his blue gaze occasionally flicking between Sephiroth and the bar, which now hovered at 90%.

"What will you do if he is your father?" Cloud asked lowly to Sephiroth, his sympathy going out.

Sephiroth lowered his head slightly, his bangs covering his eyes, shielding the maudlin and slightly fearful expression, and answered honestly. "I don't know..."

"We could make a cardboard cutout of him so you can slice his head off," Tifa inserted with tiny smile.

"Maybe a hand while your at it..." Cloud suggested, barely able to suppress a shudder at the memory of those hands, needle poised and ready...

"And a carrot for other places that should be cut off too," Tifa threw in, only half-joking.

At that Sephiroth lifted up his head and gave her a small smile.

"Vicious Teef. Absolutely vicious," Cloud chuckled.

"And..?" She asked innocently, and felt warmth in her heart to see the two men give her a smile.

Through all of this Vincent remained silent, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Reeve, can't ya make this thing go any faster?" Barrett finally demanded.

"Not without risking the machine making a mistake, then it will come up with an 'undetermined' sign and we'll have to start over again."

"Technology..." Tifa groaned, earning herself a miffed look from Reeve.

"99%. We're in the home stretch kids!" Barett announced, causing everyone to gather around the console, not daring to blink for fear of missing it.

The scan bar hit 100% and froze for about 30 seconds. No one breathed, no one blinked. Then the bar disappeared as was replaced by the words that said "No Match."

Instantly the atmosphere relaxed, Sephiroth blew out a breath of relief and buried his face in his hands. "Thank the Goddess."

"Now the question is, who IS his dad?" Barrett said scratching his head.

Sephiroth lifted up his head, his face finally returning to its usual calm. "It doesn't matter. He could be a sidewalk gigolo for all I care, just as long he wasn't Hojo. It was hard to swallow the fact that both my mother and my father used me for their own dark purposes."

"You may want to rethink that..." Cloud cautioned, "Think about your mother and ask yourself who or what Hojo might have used for your father." Tifa whacked Cloud's shoulder, even though he was echoing her own thoughts.

Sephiroth shook his head. "Well, whatever creature it was, at least it didn't try to use me like Jenova did."

"You aren't even a little bit curious?" Tifa asked.

"Of course. But I'm tired of worrying about it. I have a new life now with people who actually do care about me. So I want to be free of my parentage." Sephiroth stood up, looking ready to leave and be done with the whole thing once and for all. "If my father should surface, so be it. But the search is only tying me to the past. I just want it to be over and done with so I can move on."

Vincent stood, feeling torn. Sephiroth seemed to be at peace with himself about his parentage now and pressing further might dredge more evils up and bring it back to the Silver haired SOLDIER all over again. But at the same time, when the screen showed there was no genetic match to Hojo, the ex-Turk knew Lucretia betrayed had him and Sephiroth a second time, but in which way? He shook his head, he just had to know, for both his sake, Sephiroth's and Lucrecia's.

"Reeve. Do a DNA comparison with Turk Vincent Valentine."

"Wha-What?" A startled Reeve blinked.

Vincent ignored the dumbfounded looks he was getting and repeated his request, "A DNA comparison between Sephiroth and Turk Vincent Valentine, aka Specimen V."

"Uh- of course," Reeve tapped a few keys to replace Hojo's profile with Vincent's, and the scan commenced.

"Vincent what are you getting at?" Tifa demanded.

"It may be nothing," Vincent deflected.

"Subject V..." Sephiroth said softly. "I remember reading in some of the records in the mansion. Hojo conducting another experiment of using Mako tainted with Chaos in a human body." He looked over curiously at Vincent. "You?"

"Several demons live within me, including Chaos. Also part of Hojo's experiments," Vincent wanted to avoid that discussion. Always.

The wheels in Sephiroth's brain cranked at full speed, at all the possibilities as to why Vincent would ask this. The first conclusion was the seemingly obvious one, but he was not ready to acknowledge it as a possibility. His brain was beginning to overload already. He decided to settle on a safer but still logical assumption. "So you want to find out if Hojo might have spliced our DNA as well during those experiments?"

"No. Hojo would never willingly or knowingly put my DNA anywhere near his perfect creation," Vincent liked to think most of that was jealously... not just pure ego-ism on Hojo's part.

Sephiroth tensed. "Then why...?"

Tifa was the first to finally let it enter it her brain, remembering right after they'd found Lucrecia in her cave and Vincent's reaction, before finally accepting it, "Vincent... you didn't?"

Silence.

"She was married!" Tifa shrieked

"To Hojo." Vincent cut across, as if that changed it.

"Still!"

"But you knew each other before she went with Hojo," Reeve recalled, unphased by the dirty looks Vincent gave him, "Now that I think about it, their marriage was kind of sudden."

"This... happened before all that." Before seeing a computer console had shattered EVERYTHING.

Sephiroth's eyes widened a fraction. "You knew my mother..? Personally…?"

"While I was assigned to the Jenova Project. I was to be her bodyguard."

Vincent glanced over and back at Sephiroth, as if seeing him for the first time. It was uncanny, now that he knew what to look for. The silver hair and the jade coloring and slit pupils of the eyes were Jenova's of course, but shape of the face, the nose, the lips those were his. And the shape of the eyes, the softness of the hair, those were Lucrecia's.

Something in the area of his heart twisted and clogged his throat, and he looked away. Just in time for the bar to reach 100%

Every-one's eyes shifted to see the verdict. A verdict deep down they already knew. The bar disappeared and was replaced by the word. "DNA Match."*

Instantly,every adult with a 25 foot radius of Vincent either grabbed one of the kids and bolted or just got out of his way, feeling the air around the man suddenly go cold and dense.

The only one to take a step closer was Sephiroth, stunned just like everyone else, but at the same time curious about his new found father. Someone who, just like him, had been made into an experiment... a monster. Someone who might understand. Vincent was still staring at the screen. Sephiroth took another step closer to his side so the other man could see him, but at the same time, not be in his face. Sephiroth swallowed hard and spoke the word he had never said in earnest before. It felt strange off his tongue, but not a bad taste, just different. "Father...?"

Vincent's mind suddenly became an almost complete blank, until, with one word, Sephiroth sent what seemed every emotion he'd repressed, every hurt he'd thought he'd forgiven, come crashing down on him like a level 5 hurricane. He felt a tremor run through him; Chaos was railing, pushing against the bars of his rapidly fraying mind along with the other demons, and Vincent could no longer stay. He had to get out. A yank of his cloak and a violent red burst... and he did just that.

Sephiroth quickly covered his eyes from the burst as did every one else. When things died down, he lowered his arm and looked darkly at the spot Vincent was once in. He tried to keep the disappointment from creeping into his heart. Vincent didn't want him for a son either. Why should he?

A shaken Marlene peaked out from behind Barrett, clinging tightly to a pant leg, even as he forgot himself and summed every-one's thoughts up in a single phrase: "Damn!"

"Seph, are you okay?" Tifa asked as Cloud helped a rather shell-shocked Denzel to his feet.

Sephiroth quickly collected himself and straightened up, but did not turn to look at them. Snapping into old habits, he put on the mask of the general to hide his frayed emotions, and he spoke calmly, "I am fine. As I said before, as long as it is not Hojo. I did not care who my father was before I knew it was Vincent, nor do I care anymore now. The past cannot be changed."

The others may have bought it, but Tifa knew Chocobo dung when she heard it. However, she also knew with Sephiroth it was best to give him some time and catch him in private, and so let it rest for now.

Sephiroth shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired. I wish to rest so I will be well for work tomorrow."

"You may wanna rethink that. You sound like you need a mental health day," Reeve responded, firm tone brooking no argument.

Sephiroth finally turned around to look at them. "I-I'm needed..." Or more he needed work to return him to some semblance of normalcy.

"In your line-o-work, If yer' brain ain't all the way there, it could be hazardous to yer patients ya know?" Barrett encouraged.

"Are you on-call?" Reeve asked.

"No, I made sure I was not for this meeting," Sephiroth said

"How many vacation days have you taken?" Reeve pressed.

"Three."

"How many sick days?"

"None."

"Take one, maybe two," Cloud suggested, "You need time to process this."

"Cloud's right, you know. Even your lightening quick mind may need time to absorb and process this. That's best done in a familiar, safe environment." Reeve was not going to let this one go.

"I've processed many complicated things before while still focused on the battlefield I-" Sephiroth began but was cut off.

"That's different. Before you had no other choice," Cloud laid it out for Sephiroth, as determined as Reeve that Sephiroth take care of himself, "Now you do. Take time for yourself, it helps a lot. Trust me on this. I've been there." He snatched out Sephiroth's phone and held it out to him, "Call them."

"The hospital will still be there," Tifa assured Sephiroth, "Make the call."

Sephiroth sighed, too mentally tired and a little frazzled to fight. He took the phone and called his supervisor. "Raj, um, you know I told you about finding who my parents are I- Yeah, it's had more of an impact than I had anticipated and- A few - 4? I don't think I need- Are you sure? Of course. Thank you Raj, I will. "

Sephiroth clicked the phone off and looked over at the others. "He gave me four days."

"Wonderful! Why don't you head home then?" Reeve encouraged, sensing Sephiroth needed a change of scenery. "Unless there was something else I could help you with?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No, I have had enough for today."

"You can stay with us, at least for tonight. You shouldn't be alone," Cloud jumped in.

"We'd all feel better if you did," Tifa threw in.

"I want to be by myself to sort this out." Sephiroth said.

"You can be by yourself, you just shouldn't be alone," Cloud insisted. "Sometimes silence is more distracting."

It wasn't logical, but it was true, Sephiroth admitted. He did find the ambient noise of familiar voices of his family and those from Angeal and Genesis talking from days past, comforting to him when he was troubled. It helped to ground him in reality. Plus, at this point, it was much easier to go along with things than to fight the four stubborn people standing before him. Not to mention, Marlene was hugging him and looking up at him with hopeful eyes. How could he put up any kind of resistance?

"All right, just for tonight."

00000

Chica's Chatter: I just have one thing to say about the Ultima Guide/cannon regarding Seph's paternity.

It lies.

Vega: We're probably going to disappoint all of the Vincent/Sephiroth fans. XD

Chica: True... -holds up 'Geniroth otp' sign- But I'm okay with that!

Vega: -Holds up the Geniroth sign too- There can only be one! (At least for this story)

Chica: Yes!

Seph: Speaking of which when the hell am I going to see him again?

Gen: Seriously all I have been getting is tantalizing flashbacks.

Seph: I'm getting tired of being tantalized...

Vega: Sorry boys, this one is about Vincent and Seph.

Chica: Seph, you have a daddy now!

Vince: … Don't call me 'Daddy'.

Chica: You, sir, are no fun.

Vince: … You've been speaking to Yuffie, haven't you?