Chapter 12:

"We really need to work on getting you out of here."

Gippal took a long look at his three closest friends standing before him in his cell; guilt swept over him for making them worry and stress out about his well being for the past month as well as the past few days. He was very happy to see them, but he did not want them getting involved with this. Gippal also knew there was very little he could do to stop them but he felt like he had to try.

"You guys are gonna haveta let me get out of this one myself." He warned, striding towards the front of his cell to take another look down the hallway to see if Slovak was coming. "You guys are risking a lot by seeing me. You should go."

"Slovak's not around." Baralai said, playing with one of his belled sleeves absentmindedly. "I overheard two al-bheds talking by my office, mentioning that he had other business to tend to. We have some time at least for now."

"Yeah..." Gippal said with a snort. "Rikku's his business." He rolled his one good eye and scowled.

The others seemed surprised by his remark, especially Paine whose eyes widened with Gippal's last sentence. "What do you mean by that?" She sat next to Nooj and buried her face in her hands while he put his arm around her. "I mean...we knew he was after something, but we weren't a hundred percent sure."

"I don't know what it is either." Gippal said, his voice uncertain as he ran a hand through his hair. "All I know is I have to cooperate here or else it's worse for her." he paused and approached Baralai. "Don't worry about me. Make sure she and Lelah are safe while I can't in here." there was a hint of regret in his tone. "If I didn't go out on that dig none of this would have happened."

"You can't erase the past, Gippal." Nooj said, standing up from the cot. "and even if you didn't go out on that dig something tells me he would have gotten you on the next one or the one after that. He seems to have issues that have only begun to rear their ugly heads."

Gippal knew he was right, and felt a little comforted by Nooj's words. "Thanks. Whatever Slovak decides for me...if I live the rest of my life in this cell or if I'm gonna be executed you have to know I wasn't responsible for Alek and Faj." He rested his arms on the bars of his cell and lowered his head, obviously still saddened by their deaths. "The only thing I can do now is bide my time."

"We knew that, but who did kill them?" Paine asked as Baralai went to reopen the door they had come out of.

"I can't tell you, but I can tell you it wasn't Slovak..." Gippal said, rising from his position to meet the three of them as they were readying to leave. "And I'm not going to tell you to try to find a way to get him to admit it in case he has a camera watching my every move and word I say."

"You can't stay here while he...I mean, someone else goes free! It's not fair." Paine said angrily. "You guys can appeal to the towns, can't you? You're supposed to be governors of Spira..."

Nooj looked to Paine, who seemed to be struggling inward with the things she had heard and tried to reason with her. "We are not allowed to interfere, remember? If we do it just makes us seem like we're choosing our friend, and while we know he's innocent there are still two men dead and all evidence points to him." He reached for her hand and caressed her fingers in his. "He has to stay here until we can figure something out topside, you understand?" Nooj released her hand and headed behind Baralai.

She nodded, knowing he was right, but knitted her brows in disapproval. "It doesn't mean I like it. Who knows how much time we have?"

Baralai put a hand to Gippal's shoulder and smiled. "I know, and that's why you have to stay alive till then, won't you?" He let go and entered the stairwell, beginning the ascent back to his office.

"Of course! I'm Gippal guys...I won't die. I'm too cool." He laughed uneasily, winking his eye.

Nooj saluted Gippal with two fingers and nodded his head, holding the door open after Baralai. "Don't do anything stupid, like get yourself killed." Gippal nodded back and watched Nooj as he limped into the darkness to catch up with Baralai.

That left Paine and Gippal behind together. Gippal grinned and opened his arms; he knew she would not have volunteered herself but could see she was hurting badly about having to leave him. Paine opened her own arms, embracing her friend, squeezing as tightly as she could. Almost too tightly in fact as Gippal began to gasp for air.

"Er, Dr. P...choking here..." He said between breaths, but it was mostly just jokingly and he didn't want her to leave with regrets. "Like I said before....please don't worry about me..." Gippal said, sounding more serious than he ever did around the former warrior. "Just keep Rikku safe."

"I will." She promised through tears, wiping them away with her gloved hand. "Oh, and tell anyone I was crying and I'll kick your ass." Paine warned, pulling away but not before kissing Gippal on the cheek. "Take care of yourself." and with that she left, closing the door behind her.

And he was alone once again, but he was thankful to have them on his side and thought maybe he would sleep a little easier that night, but like always, as soon as he rested his head on the cot's pillow his thoughts did their automatic u-turn right to Rikku, his daughter, and the possibility of Slovak being at his house at that very moment, killing any chances at a good nights' rest.