Elizabeth relaxed as she entered the science labs. The eerie glow of the empty Mako tanks settled around her and she listened to the quiet buzzing of one of the lights. Her lab assistant had called in sick today, and she had had to run every sample by herself with doctors and nurses anxiously awaiting the many results she had to process. She had nearly torn out her hair. And she hadn't had lunch, either.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth tore her eyes off of the blue-green light and looked towards the doorway. Professor Hollander was a slightly overweight man with a scraggly beard and dirty greying hair. His orange shirt was strained and he wore sandals on his feet. "Hello, father."

The man smiled briefly, "How was work today?" he went over to a desk and scribbled a few things down on his clipboard, muttering as he did so.

"All right, my assistant didn't show up today."

Hollander hummed in response, "That's too bad."

He was clearly distracted. Elizabeth entertained the idea of leaving him alone, but the door opened before she could think anymore.

Angeal Hewley came in. He looked first to Hollander then to her. Elizabeth thought he was going to say something, but her father spoke instead, "Angeal, my boy!" any trace of being busy was gone; Hollander clapped Angeal on the shoulder. "You're here for your appointment, I presume?"

"Yes, I'm not interrupting?" he looked at Elizabeth.

"No, no," Hollander waved it off, "Angeal, may I introduce my daughter, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth smiled and shook his hand, "Hello, again."

"You two have met before?" Hollander was now busying himself by collecting instruments and turning on the incubator.

"Not really. It was more of a…" she glanced to Angeal.

"We briefly saw one another, sir," he supplied.

"Good, good." He hadn't heard a work they said. "Angeal, if you'll step this way," Hollander led him into the exam room, leaving Elizabeth in the lab alone.

The light flickered and the buzzing became more insistent. Elizabeth walked over to the desk. The metal desk was covered in a messy array of papers, and files. A few pens poked out from between the files. She stacked a few together in a measly attempt to straighten up.

A young man threw open the door and Elizabeth jumped at the bang, "Where's Hollander?!" panic was written over every feature.

"In the exam room."

She saw only a flash of red hair before he disappeared. "Elizabeth!" her father bellowed when he came out, "Finish Angeal's exam, will you?" he threw a chart at her and gather up a few from his desk.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, but the professor was already gone.

Elizabeth sighed and went into the exam room. Angeal was sitting on a table with a poorly tied tourniquet around his bicep. "Well, I guess I'll be finishing your exam up." She skimmed over the chart and found the few things she needed to check.

"And I'll re-tie this," she undid the rubber band and re-made the special knot.

"I didn't know that Hollander had a daughter," his voice was deep and pleasant.

"Not many people do," she mused. Her eyes skimmed over his arm. The large muscle pulled the skin taught and she only imagine the power this man had.

It took a forcible effort to tear her eyes away when she went to get the syringe. She glanced at Angeal over her shoulder. He wasn't watching her, but observing the office with mild disdain. His black hair fell to his chin and complimented his Mako eyes. He was very well built and she almost blushed along those lines of thinking.

Angeal watched the young woman who stood next to him. "You'll feel a little pinch," she said and stabbed him with the needle. Angeal hardly felt anything at all, and instead watched her. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail upon coming in, but left her chin-length bangs free. Her eyes were blue he noticed.

"You don't look like your father," he said, hoping to start some sort of conversation.

She smiled, "No," with a flick of her wrist she undid the tourniquet. "I look like my mother, no one ever guessed I was Hollander's daughter." She tapped at the at the vial containing his blood.

"Did you spend a lot of time with your father?"

Elizabeth looked up. No one had ever asked about her childhood before, and the question caught her off guard. "A little," she pulled out the syringe, placed a cotton ball and a bandage over the wound and folded his arm up. "I spent time with him in the labs. I never saw him much at home."

A small silence ensued. Elizabeth labeled the vial with a broken pen. "I'm going to analyze this. Would you like to come?" she asked on a whim.

Angeal nodded, "Sure."

She smiled and led the way into Hollander's analysis lab. The familiar machines and smells eased her tension even though there was an unfamiliar man in the room with her. "Do you work with your father?" Angeal asked, looking at some of the machines.

Elizabeth laughed, "Oh, Gaia no. We couldn't work together. I helped him when I was a teenager, but we never got along then either. No, I work in the medical labs. In fact, I do this all day," she gestured to the machine she was working on.

Angeal chuckled. Elizabeth smiled at the sound. She had heard that the man was generally stoic, and she felt honored to see this side of him. A phone ring broke the now easy silence.

"Hello?" he didn't say anything for a few moments. "I'll be there soon." He closed the phone, "Do you still need me? I have a mission briefing."

Elizabeth pulled the test results from the printer, "Um, yes. This mission briefing, are you going to see your Director?"

"I am."

"Good." She skimmed the results, "He needs to sign this. May I come with you?"

"Of course," Angeal nodded.

Elizabeth walked back into the labs with Angeal behind her. He grabbed a huge sword from where it rested on the wall. "Is that yours?" the huge sword was intimidating. Elizabeth took an involuntary step back.

"Yes, a family heirloom of sorts, it portrays my family's honor. For that reason I never use it," she noticed a sad look glint in his eyes.

"Oh."

Elizabeth walked silently next to Angeal. He had shortened his long strides to match her own, and the act had made her smile. He had done a few things that had made her smile. He had let her go through every door first, and had walked beside her instead of a head of her. He was a gentleman. And she loved it.

The SOLDIERS they passed all saluted Angeal and he nodded to them. Elizabeth felt like an intruder on the floor. Every now and again they passed a training room and she could hear the metal of swords clashing. The fact that she was the only woman she had seen made her feel like more a circus freak on the male dominated floor. She had received a few leering eyes, but her guide quelled them with a heavy glare.

He opened another door for her and she stepped in. The large screen filled the glass and metal room with artificial light. Three men stood in the room, General Sephiroth, Captain Genesis Rhapsodos, and a man wearing a purple suit. "Who's this Angeal?" Genesis purred.

"Director this is Elizabeth-"

Elizabeth cut him off, "I have something for you to sign sir. Angeal's labs all came out perfect for his Mako level. He is fit for duty." she handed the paper to the man.

Lazard took the paper from her, "Thank you. I've never seen you before, are new to Hollander's staff?"

"No, I work in the hospital labs. I was simply helping Professor Hollander. He had other business to attend to."

Lazard nodded and brushed a piece of blonde hair from his eyes. "Thank you."

She nodded. She sent an apologetic glance to Angeal for cutting him off, and he nodded to her.

Every pair of eyes in the room watched her. It was bad enough to be the center of attention, but worse when the three most deadly people in the world watched you. She focused on her breathing and keeping an even gait to the door.

She practically ran to the elevator.

"Angeal," Genesis laughed. The briefing was over and it ended up only Sephiroth who went on the mission. "When I said you needed a girlfriend, I didn't mean for you to find one the very next day."

"Genesis, I just met her in the labs. She is not my girlfriend."

Genesis clicked his tongue, "'A Goddess descends from the sky,' my friend. She is worthy of being a goddess." He smirked suggestively.

Angeal stopped and turned abruptly to his friend, "Don't you dare talk about her like that. She is not another easy woman for you to pick up and then throw away."

Genesis laughed, "Take it easy, man. If you're that defensive you clearly like her."

Angeal had barely met the woman. He knew nothing about her. She was simply a quiet, elusive drop of rain.

"Genesis, I hardly know her."

Genesis smirked, "And we will have to fix that."

A/N: I've had this chapter written for months. I was planning to revise it, but that never happened. So here it is. I have two routes this story can take from this point, but I desperately need some more ideas. Yes, I'm begging.

Review please, for the sake of the Goddess.