Sephiroth found that his fear of hospitals was bearable when focused on another, when he knew he wasn't going to be poked or prodded and tried to convince himself that the medical staff were there to help not to maim.

Why did this have to happen on a Friday night? He angrily wondered, sat in the crowded waiting room. So far a woman had been wheeled in, high with a stiletto lodged in her temple, a man had spewed something nasty everywhere and another had crouched on the floor to defecate because he was convinced he was camping with 'Big Bird'. Despite all this, it was Sephiroth the patients and staff stared at bewilderedly, perhaps it was because they recognised him and were surprised to see him barefoot in grey joggers and a black tank top… maybe they were staring at the emaciated child howling on his lap, writhing as if she was possessed as he struggled to keep hold of her while she arched her back and slid off his lap. Every time a nurse or a doctor approached; another drunk entered and in the chaos Sephiroth was sure Alice must have appeared as if she was having nothing more than a tantrum as she kicked her legs and pushed herself away from him.

"Stay still!" He demanded, pulling her back onto his lap as she wailed.

Everything seemed to occur in slow motion, his brain not fast enough to register with his senses as Alice's eyes rolled and her arches quickened into trembling convulsions.

"This way Sir!" A doctor ushered him behind a dark blue curtain, though he didn't recall moving, the sterile scent permeating his senses while concern and familial terror endorsed his brain; accompanied with vicious memories as the Doctor and her team bombarded him with every question he was unsure of, worrying him further and unintentionally reminding him of years he'd rather forget.

Terrified to look at the medical officials, expecting their faces to morph into that of Hojo's and his henchmen, Sephiroth stared at his child, convulsing on a hospital bed, her sides padded with pillows and her neck supported as her head slammed back and forth. This, he considered less frightening than the medical staff… and that scared him.

"Has she had seizures before?"

"I don't know."

"Does she have epilepsy?"

"I don't know."

"How old is she?"

"Two."

"Why is she so underweight?"

"I've just received custody of her."

"How did she get these bruises? Is she allergic to anything? When did these symptoms first appear? Has she ever seen a doctor? Does the child's mother know she's here? Singing might calm her down; does she have a favourite song? How long have her feet been like this?"

"I'm… unsure, more than three days?" It sounded terrible to his own ears, that he knew nothing other than her name, birthday and parentage.

The world rushed passed but Sephiroth seemed to be in his own little time bubble; a protection from the familial environment.

Doctors rushed through, tests were carried out, results returned and Sephiroth returned to himself an hour later, having been abandoned in a private room as Alice was carted into surgery… and he was unsure why.

He sat, wringing his hands trying to understand what could have happened that required her to have surgery, perhaps broken bones from the convulsions? An old experiment of Hojo's gone wrong? Or maybe a muscle deteriorating virus of some sort? Could it be that there was nothing wrong with her at all and Hojo had wormed his personal plans into the Doctor's mind?

He jumped to his feet at the thought and immediately struggled to calm his imagination. The Doctor had called the surgeon to him and hastily explained what was about to happen, he'd nodded but not understood what was said, the words were just noise and his mind echoed with Hojo's laughter. His chest grew tight, his eyes from stern to fearful and he hurried into the hall, finding a payphone and some gil atop it he called Angeal, frowning at his trembling fingers punching the numbers, a number he was forced to redial three times because his hands shook so terribly. He didn't even allow Angeal to verbally answer the call as he began, knowing he must have sounded mad.

"Angeal I'm at the hospital, I don't understand why, something's happened and I'm not sure what Hojo— the Doct— Surgeon said, the reason they gave when they took Alice—"

"Someone's taken Alice?"

"Yes, no, I'm not sure."

A ghostly hand laid itself on his back. 'Seph', breathe,' Posie's memory gently told him, 'everything will be alright, ask for his help, you know he'll come.'

Sephiroth hung his head and laid his shuddering fist on the wall. "Help me… please…"

"I'm coming." Angeal hung up but Sephiroth didn't, standing with the phone to his ear until Angeal found him.

"You need sugar." He said, noting his friend's jittery movements.

His mouth was dry, as were his eyes. He allowed Angeal to guide him back into the waiting room he'd hurried from and noticed the drinks machine for the first time as Angeal punched in the code for the blackest, sweetest coffee. "What's happened?" Sephiroth took the paper cup, not caring that it burnt his hands.

"I don't know…" He shook his head. "I was dreaming and then Alice screamed so we came here. Her eyes rolled, she seized and..." He sighed. "They asked me so many questions; I didn't know how answer them…"

"You said something about a Surgeon, she's in surgery?" Sephiroth nodded. "Why?"

"I couldn't understand what was being said. It was like listening to a crowd through water."

"Didn't you have to sign something? Anything!"

"Yes but I don't know what it was and she was already half-way down the hall."

"Sephiroth…" Angeal grumbled, shaming Sephiroth further. He took a deep breath and laid his hand on his shoulder, a notion that there was no ill-feeling between them. "Deep breaths and drink." He left the room and grabbed a passing junior doctor, startling him. "Do you know who's medically supervising Alice Gainsborough? She's in surgery but her father's unsure why, I think he's in shock."

"I'll find out."

"Thanks." Angeal returned to the waiting room and retook his seat besides Sephiroth.

"…I'm not… suited for this." Sephiroth said after a long tense silence.

"I hear no one is."

"I've led men into battle with fewer issues than this…" He worriedly looked at Angeal, his eyes panicked. "I'll get that child killed."

The door opened and they stood as the doctor walked in. "Hello Mr Gainsborough; I was told you have some questions?"

Angeal nodded. "Do you know why Alice is in surgery?" Her brows lifted. "Her father here's not making much sense."

"We found several deep lacerations on Alice's feet, festered with abscesses and infections! One of the abscesses has burst and is probably causing her fever which may be causing her fitting. Of course the starvation and other wounds aren't aiding her health."

"And the surgery's to remove the abscesses?" Angeal confirmed.

She looked from Angeal to Sephiroth then back to Angeal, shocked at their ignorance. "The surgery is to try and save her feet from amputation!" Their faces paled. "It all depends on whether the abscesses infected the nerves and whether the lacerations affected her circulation. Now I really must go." She opened the door. "I'll keep you informed."

Surprisingly, Sephiroth was the first to speak. "I should have listened to Posie and brought her strait here."

"Posie?"

Sephiroth bit his tongue.

"She still appears to you?"

"This isn't about Posie!"

Angeal frowned. "This isn't about you feeling guilty either! This is the time to focus on your child and consider each probable outcome. When she's wheeled out of that room what are you going to do? When she's able to return home, in-tact or not, what are you going to do then?"

Sephiroth frowned at his feet, unsure what to think.

"Battle tactics aren't only for the field Sephiroth!"

"…I don't think life is a fight I can win."

"The fight isn't about winning or losing but to survive."

Surviving wasn't one of Sephiroth's strong points; that he knew as he stood by the window, watching Midgar's black sky and the lights upon the roads. "Survival, huh?"

He and Posie had refused a direct order, and for such insubordination there must be punishment. Burning children alive had not been enough, especially as the order, to choose which prisoner to maim, was repeatedly ignored the following day.

"Do you know what insubordination means?" The General crouched before them both, they were broken and bruised, teary with fear. Posie chewed her knuckles while Sephiroth scuffed his shoes and nursed his arm. He frowned. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT INSUBORDINATION MEANS?" They leapt as he hollered and shook their heads.

"N-no." Sephiroth hiccupped.

"Mm-mm." Posie shook her head.

"It means you're being disobedient to authority, and in Shinra that means I can punish you any way I want. Do you understand?"

"Yes." They replied.

"Will you submit?"

Slowly, they looked to each other, no words needed to be spoken. Posie began first, Sephiroth followed, as they untied the traps over their shoulders and removed their stomach guards with the Shinra logo printed upon them and laid them at the furious Generals feet.

As his face contorted into fury they held each other's hands.

"If you survive, you'll never disobey again." He growled, spitting his words between his teeth, his wide eyes bulbous with anger.

"Never disobey again…" Sephiroth repeated.

He and Angeal stood until the early morning, at the grey winter sky until the shadow of the sun finished rising, its dim rays outlining Midgar's polluted world and the steam rising from the ground. Their attention only thwarted when the surgeon, Dr. Clemens, arrived. "The surgery was a success." He announced, turning to face Sephiroth who breathed a sigh of relief. "But one more hour, Mr. Gainsborough, just one more hour, and we would have had to amputate the fronts of her feet."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Before I can explain her situation to you I must know how this happened to her. The hospital has strict rules; we can't ignore injuries like these without an investigation."

Sephiroth fell onto the sofa and leant back; exhausted with a relief he was surprised to experience. "I assume Child Services will be making an appearance?" He rubbed his brow.

"They're in the hospital now. I thought you'd like to tell me the story first." He sat down. "Because if you're unable to care for her… if this happened because—"

"He's not a neglectful parent." Angeal interrupted. "This wasn't done by him."

Sephiroth sighed. "I gained custody of her only three days ago; she was sickly when her previous… carer… handed her to me." He sighed. "We've reason to believe her mother was… mentally ill." It hurt to speak it aloud "And these injuries result from her dangerous decisions."

"And where is her mother?"

"She was murdered in the Slums two weeks ago."

He nodded. "I can vouch that all these injuries are older than that. You'll have to relate this to Child Services then we'll discuss what happens next."

Child Services entered the room as soon as Dr Samuels left, they were thorough, demanding deep explanations while he was so exhausted, but both he and Angeal admired their demand for detail as much as they admired their technique. They promised him a home visit and a hasty report, considering his position in the Shinra Company, but hinted that they didn't deem him a threat. The Doctor returned when they left and began discussing the treatment Sephiroth was anxious to hear.

"She's stable, assuming her circulation doesn't fail she'll need no further surgery, of course, she'll need to gain weight so she can heal." Dr. Samuels said. "We'll keep her on a nasal tube for now then we'll see how she manages a liquid diet."

"I'd rather take her home." Angeal scowled when Sephiroth spoke.

"Not possible, I'm afraid." He paused. "Mr Gainsborough, do you fully understand the extent of your daughter's injuries? It's deeper than bruising and cuts. She hasn't the strength to heal herself and if those abscesses re-form we will have to take immediate action, there can be no journey to the hospital from home, however short. There just won't be time for it. If all goes well, in time, Alice will need extensive physiotherapy to regain control of her legs and rebuild muscle." He took a breath. "You're the new father of a two-year-old, that's not an easy task, so view this as a time of healing and a chance to get your home in order."

Sephiroth finally nodded. "When can she leave?"

"That depends on how fast she heals." The beeper attached to his hip buzzed and he looked down at its screen. "She's awake. Do you want to see her?"

Sephiroth didn't hesitate.

Alice was laid in bed, chewing on her trembling fist. Stood behind the window offering him a view of the room, Sephiroth stared. He understood her fear of waking and awaiting the start of torture. 'You see, she's more like you than you think.'

Sephiroth turned to glare at Posie, stood next to him. "I'm in enough trouble as it is without being deemed insane, leave!" And when he blinked she was gone, all that remained in his mind was the memory of her hurt face; he scoffed and bravely entered the room.

Alice pulled the cover over her head as though it were a fortress, making Sephiroth smile a little as he sat down. Alice was in a highly secure hospital with armed officers, security cameras and help instantly available at the push of a button, but she believed a wafer thin blanket would save her when pulled over her face.

"Good morning." He greeted, smiling when she dropped the blanket and looked genuinely surprised to see him. He frowned at her hollow dark eyes and ghastly skin. "Are you tired? Then sleep. Angeal's gone to get your rabbit, he'll be back soon." Alice said nothing, her eyes drooped shut and she slept, her hand clutching his fingers.

Sephiroth sighed, leant back in the chair and gently smiled. Each beep of the heart monitor eased him further into sleep, it was the beating heart of his daughter and he'd never heard a nicer sound.