Chapter 58: Stay Home

I believe in self-assertion
Destiny or a slight diversion
Now it seems I've got my head on straight
I'm a freak, an apparition
Seems I've made the right decision
Try to turn back now, it might be too late
And it's off to the moon and back again
Same old day, same situation
The happiness is back as if to say
I wanna stay home today
Don't wanna go out
If anyone comes to play
Gonna get thrown out
I wanna stay home today
Don't want no company
No way
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Stay Home - Self

On Tuesdays' Music class, Tseng came in with an enormous grin on his face.

"Good news guys. Shera had her baby last night."

The class erupted into cheers and excited talk. Tseng's grin grew wider.

"It's a girl. 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and she's called Faith." Aeris and Yuffie grinned at each other.

"That is so adorable!"

"Well, let's go see her after class!" Aeris suggested.

"Good idea, Aeris. You can take her the card we're all going to sign." Tseng said, holding up a greetings card.

It was a sign of Aeris' lifestyle of late that when she bumped into a nurse in the corridor the woman eyed her and said,

"What have you done now, Miss Gainsborough?"

"What? No, I'm just visiting someone!" Aeris objected. The nurse eyed her suspiciously and moved on. Yuffie laughed.

"Gawd, Aeris, you're scaring the staff here!"

"Shut up. Come on." Aeris said, knocking on a door and opening it. Shera was sitting in bed, reading. She looked up with a smile.

"Hey girls, come on in."

"Brought you a card from the class." Yuffie said, handing it to her.

"Thank you, that's so thoughtful. Do you want to see her?"

"Yeah!" Aeris and Yuffie said in unison.

Shera pointed to a crib on the other side of the bed. The girls went around the bed and gazed down at the sleeping baby.

"She's so beautiful!" Yuffie gasped. Shera smiled.

"Thanks, Yuffie."

"Oh, she's so gorgeous… Can I take her home?" Aeris asked teasingly. Shera laughed.

"I think I'm going to hang onto her, actually."

"How long were you in labour for?"

"8 hours. Cid nearly had a heart attack; we were having dinner in a restaurant when my water broke. The manager of the restaurant thought we were having him on at first. I think Cid ended up punching him." Shera laughed.

Yuffie giggled and said,

"She's called Faith? That's so cute."

"It was my grandmother's name. Cid's grandmother was called Edith-May and Cid insisted that he didn't want to inflict that on a child."

"He's probably right." Aeris laughed. Shera smiled and said,

"How are you, Aeris? I heard all about your run in with Lucas Palmer on the news."

"I'm OK. Taking it easy for once. Planning ahead for the summer."

"Good. How's the concert coming along?"

"I wouldn't know, I'm not in charge of it this time! Ask Yuffie and Bernadette." Aeris grinned.

"It's going great. We're pretty much using the plan form last time and Aeris is going to write a song for the whole class to perform."

"Really?" Shera said, interested. Aeris put her hands up.

"I haven't even thought about it yet. I have no idea at the moment. I'm going to have to sit down and just think about it for a while until I figure something out."

Wednesday was the day of the trial. Vincent woke Aeris with a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich. She rolled over.

"I'm not going." She mumbled.

"You have to."

"I don't want to."

"I know. But if you don't he'll be released."

She sat up with a groan and glared at the cup of coffee.

"Stupid Palmer. Stupid trial."

"It's really just a formality. They have all the evidence; he won't be able to get free." Vincent assured her. She bit into the sandwich and sighed as she swallowed it.

"I know… I just…"

"I know." Vincent said, hugging her. She held him tightly.

They met the others outside the court house. Barret looked extremely uncomfortable in his suit. They also met James there, who was walking as if in intense pain. Which he probably was. Aeris asked,

"Is it bad?"

"Yeah. Painkillers, my arse. They only thing they've killed is my ability to walk in a straight line." He winced.

They were met by a courthouse official when they entered the building.

"The Palmer trial? Follow me please." He led them into a large room. Aeris had seen rooms like this on television but had never been in one before. Cloud grasped her hand.

"That's him." He muttered in her ear.

She followed his eye line to a man sat behind a table, with two lawyers. She didn't have a clear view but could see a short, fat man, with pasty skin. He turned to look at them as they entered and his eyes were like two glittering beetles in his puffy face. Aeris turned away feeling slightly nauseous. And then she gasped. Vincent seized her arm, steadying her.

Eric Gainsborough was sat on the other side of the courtroom. He was looking at her sorrowfully. His skin had turned yellow and purple from the bruises. Vincent pulled her slightly.

"Come on, let's sit down."

Infalna and Matthew Gast arrived a few minutes later, sliding into the seats behind Aeris. She turned to kiss them.

"Thanks for coming."

"No problem, sweetie." Infalna smiled. Matthew caught sight of Eric but turned away without commenting. Marlene came in a few moments later with the Turks and Mike in tow. They sat behind Infalna and Matthew, smiling reassuringly at the group in front of them.

A few minutes later the judge entered. He was a man of about fifty, dark haired and with a pair of glasses perched on his nose.

"Let's begin. We're here to discuss the case of Lucas Palmer who is being tried on the basis of attempted murder, kidnapping and grievous bodily harm against Aeris Gainsborough and her family, Eric Gainsborough, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace and his daughter, James Winters, Yuffie Kisaragi, Reeve Woodman and Vincent Valentine." He looked over the rim of his glasses at Palmer.

"An impressive list, Mr Palmer. How do you plead?"

"Innocent, your honour." He said in that smooth voice. Aeris felt a shiver go down her back.

The judge peered around.

"As this case extends back for some time I'd like to take it from the car accident involving Aeris Gainsborough and Vincent Valentine."

Aeris and her friends were being defended by a man called Joseph Carter. He was an old friend of Matthew's and very reliable, according to him. Mr Carter got to his feet.

"I'd like to call my first witness, Aeris Gainsborough."

Aeris rose, her legs trembling beneath her. She crossed to the box and sat down. After taking the customary oath Joseph Carter gave her a reassuring smile.

"Miss Gainsborough, could you please tell us what happened on the day of your car accident." Aeris collected her thoughts and said,

"Vincent and I were driving down the road from Fort Condor, towards the sea. There was a bang and I saw smoke coming from the bonnet of the car. Vincent swerved and we fell into a ditch. The car rolled over several times and then… I was knocked out. I can't remember after that."

"What injuries did you suffer as a result of that crash?"

"A broken arm." She held up the cast, "Torn tendons in my left leg. Broken toes and ribs and lung infections."

"You were in pain?"

"A lot of it. If Vincent hadn't managed to get me out of the car, I would have died. The car exploded just moments later." Aeris said.

"Has this caused problems for you in university and your home life?"

"Yes. I take music at Midgar University and I can't actually play any instruments. I've been living at Vincent's apartment recently but after I left the hospital I was forced to move back to my dormitory room so my roommate, Tifa Lockheart, could help me. Cloud moved in with Vincent to help him until I had the cast removed from my leg."

Mr Carter looked up at the judge.

"According to the police information on the cause of the accident, it would appear that an explosive device was attached to the motor of the car."

"Yes, I can see that from the police records." The judge stated. "Any further questions for the witness?"

"No, your honour."

"Does the defence wish to question the witness?"

"Yes, your honour." A lawyer got to his feet and moved towards the box where Aeris sat.

"Miss Gainsborough, could I enquire as to why you and Mr Valentine were in Fort Condor?"

"We were having a weekend away from the city. We'd had a stressful time and wanted to relax."

"Why stressful?"

"Well, I'd been in contact with my biological father, Eric Gainsborough and we'd had… problems. And then I'd been taking part in a documentary about the song I had recorded with the Turks."

"Where were you staying in Fort Condor?"

Aeris couldn't see what this had to do with anything but answered anyway.

"Vincent owns a cottage there; his parents left it to him."

"Could I question you about the relationship with your father, Eric Gainsborough?"

"I guess so." Aeris replied.

"When did you first contact him?" Aeris thought about it for a moment.

"Near the end of February."

"Was this in Midgar?"

"No, Wutai. We had a holiday, so I went with some friends and my Mom and Dad to Wutai."

"When you say Dad, you mean…?"

"Matthew Gast." Aeris said assuredly.

"I see. Did you know Eric Gainsborough was in Wutai?"

"Yes. Some it before Vincent had given me this telephone number, but I never called him. When I got to Wutai I wasn't even sure if I was going to try and contact him."

The lawyer looked at her for a moment, thinking. Then he said,

"What sort of problems did you have with Eric Gainsborough?"

"I… it was at my birthday, March 23rd. I had invited Eric to come to the party I was having. I had told my parents he was coming but… he and Dad had a fight."

"About what?"

Aeris hesitated. The lawyer said,

"I remind you that you are under oath." Aeris glanced up at Matthew who nodded reassuringly. She spoke slowly.

"They were… arguing about me and my mother."

"What was said?"

"Objection, your honour. This hardly seems to be relevant and it is distressing my client." Joseph Carter interrupted. The judge looked at Aeris and nodded.

"Objection noted. Please keep to the point."

The lawyer seemed put out but continued.

"Very well. Miss Gainsborough, you claim that my client contacted you last week. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was at Vincent's apartment and the phone rang. It was Tifa, telling me that Cloud had gone missing. My mobile phone rang so Vincent started to speak with Tifa."

"Can you tell me who has you mobile phone number?" The lawyer asked.

"Marlene Wallace, Mike Lucas-"

"Who?" The judge asked.

"Marlene is Barret Wallace's adoptive daughter. She introduced me to the Turks. And Mike Lucas is my agent. The only other people with my number are Sephiroth Ancient, the Turks, my friends and my Mom and Dad."

"Is it possible that any of those people could have given the number to someone else?"

"No. I asked Marlene and it's against the policy of Midgar Media Ltd to give out artist's numbers. And my friends and parents wouldn't do it." Aeris insisted.

The lawyer asked,

"So, your mobile phone rang…?"

"And the person on the other end asked if it was Aeris Gainsborough. I said yes and asked who it was. He said that I knew who it was and asked how Eric Gainsborough was doing. I asked if it was Palmer and he said it was and told me that he wanted money. I said I wasn't giving him anything and he said that he had Cloud."

"And then?"

"He said to tell Vincent to hang up on Tifa. He… he knew that Tifa was on the phone but I hadn't said anything. He gave me instructions on where to leave the money and then hung up."

"What did you do then?"

"Vincent and I went to Barret's Café and told Barret and Tifa what had happened. Palmer rang my phone again told me that we were being watched, and so were Yuffie and Reeve. After that Tifa and I went to the bank."

"Did you return to the café immediately?"

"No. Tifa took the money back to the café and I went to the hospital."

"Why?"

"… To see Eric Gainsborough. I knew that he had been in contact with Palmer and I thought he might know where he was. He didn't and I went back to the café." Aeris said.

The questioning continued like this for what seemed like hours. Eventually she was told she could go and sit back in her seat. Vincent took her hand.

"You did well."

"God, that's scary."

Vincent was summoned next. He told them what had happened honestly, showing them his extensive injuries. After that Eric Gainsborough was summoned. Aeris sat up to listen. He spoke about his dealings with Palmer and how he had contacted Aeris. Joseph Carter said,

"One last question, Mr Gainsborough. When Aeris saw you at the hospital, the day she went to he bank, was that the last time she saw you?"

Eric looked across at Aeris and then shook his head,

"No. I saw her last Wednesday at the hospital." Aeris' group of friends all glanced at her, include Vincent. They didn't know about this.

"What did you talk about?" Mr Carter asked. Eric stared at the edge of the box. "Mr Gainsborough?"

"She… she told me that Palmer had been arrested and that Cloud Strife was alright."

"Is that all?"

"No. She also told me that she wanted no further contact with me."

"Why is that?" Mr Carter asked. Eric didn't reply. Mr Carter turned and said,

"Aeris, could you come and clear things up for us?"

She stood and walked to the front.

"Why did you tell Mr Gainsborough?"

"I told him to stay away from me, my friend and my family."

"Why?"

"Because he is the reason that all of this happened. If it hadn't been for him, Vincent and I wouldn't have been attacked in the car, Cloud wouldn't have been kidnapped and injured and none of this would have happened. Told him that as soon as he was physically able I wanted him to leave Midgar."

"Did he say anything in reply to this?"

Aeris nodded and said coldly, looking at Eric.

"He asked me not to do this, because he was my father."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I already had a father and he wasn't him."

"Thank you, Miss Gainsborough. Please sit down."

Barret was summoned after Eric. His story was the same as Aeris and Vincent's apart from the fact that he told the judge about Palmer's threat against Marlene and Tifa. Yuffie and Tifa both spoke and then Reeve. The Judge looked at him in interest.

"I've heard a lot about you, Mr Woodman. I believe that you have quite a way with technology."

"Yes, your honour. Whilst we were in the café I sent a virus email to Palmer's computer system. This bought us a few minutes which we used to email Marlene Wallace. I also made a tracking device, which I planted on the bag of money that Aeris gave to Palmer."

"I see. Miss Wallace, would you join us please?"

Marlene sat in the box, looking calm. Joseph Carter said,

"When you received the warning email from Mr Woodman, what did you do?"

"I went straight to Mike Lucas, Aeris' agent. We both agreed that they wouldn't joke about something as serious as this so we got a member of our security to dress up casually and walk past the café to see if they were in there. As soon as he confirmed this we met with our head of security, Heidegger. He contacted the police and they started searching for Palmer. They found the frequency of Reeve's tracking bug and followed it straight to Palmer. I believe you know the rest."

They had been in court for over 5 hours before the evidence was all shown and all of the witnesses had been spoken to. The last witness was Palmer himself.

"Mr Palmer, did you have contact with Eric Gainsborough?"

"Yes, I did. He came to me for money, last year."

"And did you in any way threaten or physically harm him?"

"No, I did not. I am a businessman, not a thug." Palmer said calmly. Aeris squeezed Vincent's hand and he squeezed back.

"Have you ever contacted Miss Gainsborough?"

"No. I don't know who it was but someone has obviously used my identity to fool her and her friends."

"And you confirm this under oath?"

"I do."

Joseph Carter took his turn to question Palmer.

"Mr Palmer, while you claim that you had nothing to do with the kidnapping, we have full evidence that had possession of the money that Miss Gainsborough was relieved of and Mr Strife has already identified you as the man who injured him."

"Mr Carter, I believe that Mr Strife admitted to having being administered an amnesiac inducing drug. How does he know it was me?" Palmer pointed out. Cloud stiffened but Tifa shook her head. Mr Carter moved on.

"What about the fact that Eric Gainsborough identified you as taking the charm bracelet, evidential item B?"

"Eric Gainsborough suffered severe head trauma. He could have easily confused me with someone else." Palmer replied.

"And the police officers who arrested you at the building where you were found to have Miss Gainsborough's money?"

"Someone could have planted it there."

Someone made a noise of disbelief and the judge glared around the room.

"Silence, please. Mr Carter, continue." Joseph Carter was no fool. He decided to play the trump card.

"So you swear that you had no involvement with the injury of Miss Gainsborough, Mr Valentine, Mr Strife, Mr Gainsborough or Mr Winters?"

"Correct." Palmer said, with a satisfied smile. Joseph Carter crossed to his table and took a large brown envelope from the surface. He looked at the judge, Palmer and then turned to the jury.

"Your honour, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I would like to present one final piece of evidence."

"Go ahead, Mr Carter." The judge said, leaning forward in interest. Palmer paled considerably and the lawyer had tensed visibly.

Mr Carter reached into the envelope.

"I have here a police file confirming that Mr Palmer's DNA was found not only on Eric Gainsborough's clothing but also on Mr Strife's. I also have several photos taken from police files showing Mr Palmer in the area of Fort Condor the day that Aeris and Vincent were injured. I also have a written statement from a technology expert at Midgar Police Station who found several phone taps originating from the building where Mr Palmer was arrested. On top of that I have laboratory confirmation that an item of Mr Palmer's clothing was found traces of Cloud Strife's blood and a knife with James Winter's blood on it, abandoned behind the government building where Mr Palmer was found."

He handed the envelope to the judge who examined the contents before passing them to the jury. Palmer had turned a sickly grey colour. Matthew leaned forward.

"Told you Joseph was good."

The head juryman stood.

"We would like to take a recess in order to discuss a verdict."

"Court will restart in one hour's time." The judge said. The jury filed out and Palmer started to talk frantically with his lawyer. Joseph Carter joined Aeris.

"Well done, Aeris. I think we're going to win."

"Crafty, holding onto the solid proof like that until the end, Joseph." Matthew said, shaking his hand. Carter grinned.

"You know me, I love a big ending. Well done all of you." James sank into his seat, clutching his stomach. Aeris reached into her bag.

"Do you want a painkiller?"

"I wouldn't say no." James said. Aeris passed him a couple of pills and Infalna said,

"Joseph, would it be all right if James left? I think he needs to see a doctor. If his wound has gotten infected…"

"Of course, go ahead. Is there someone who can take you?" Joseph said. Rude said,

"I'll take him, as long as someone calls me with the verdict."

"OK. Thanks Rude."

They had a cup of coffee in the courtroom café. Joseph Carter explained what would happen.

"Once the verdict is announced, assuming he's found guilty, the judge will sentence him. He's looking at having at least a twenty year sentence, not to mention he'll probably be giving everyone here money for trauma, personal injuries and the like."

"What if they don't find him guilty?" Aeris asked. Joseph Carter sighed,

"He'll be allowed to leave. If that happens we can demand a retrial, but with the evidence we've displayed today his chances of being let off are very slim."

Aeris sat back in her chair. Infalna stroked her hair.

"Are you OK, sweetie?"

"Yeah… just a bit… I don't know."

"Don't worry Aeris. You did really well in there." Yuffie told her. Barret nodded.

"We all did. And as soon as this is over, I vote we have a party. We definitely deserve it; we've been through a hell of a lot."

"Man with a hole in his head seconds that." Cloud said, with a grin.

As they trekked back into the room an hour later Eric touched Aeris' arm.

"Can we talk?"

"No. I said everything that needed to be said at the hospital." She said quietly before going to her seat.

The judge came out and they all stood. A piece of paper was passed to him by the head juryman. The judge read it and then looked down at them all.

"Today I have witnessed a case unlike any I have ever seen before. Mr Palmer, I am disgusted at what I have seen here today and am appalled at what you have done to these people. This court finds you guilty of all charges and sentences you to twenty years in prison. Further demands, such as monetary sums to pay for the injuries and trauma suffered by the opposition will be taken up at a private meeting. Case dismissed."

Aeris fell back in her seat as her friends cheered and started to talk excitedly. Vincent looked at her.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah… I am." She smiled, hugging him tightly. "I really am."

(A/N: Yay! Palmer's gone! Joy! Now we have to start another plot cycle! Lol, I wonder how many we've gone through now. Never mind, please review and tell me what you think. Love ya loads, Katie.)