A/N: Thanks to the three reviewers for the first chapter. I really appreciate it when readers take the time to leave their thoughts behind. Thank you! If there are any spelling errors in these chapters, I'm sorry. I try to beta, but sometimes I'm too tired and forget.

Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own the characters or the series. The only thing I own is little Chesna and the laptop I'm writing this on.

Warnings: Same as before. Particular to this chapter: Brief shower scene, possibly some language, angst, confusion, etc.

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Zell's alarm went off the next morning, waking both the men from their sleep. Raising his arm, Zell punched at the button, but couldn't seem to find it.

"I had the weirdest dream last night…" Seifer muttered, mostly to himself. Zell hit the button, nodding.

"Me too," he answered, his voice deep from sleep. Even though he'd hit the button, the alarm didn't stop. "Damn it," he said, punching at it again and accidentally knocking it off the stand. The noise didn't stop. "What the hell…" Zell leaned over the bed and picked up the clock. It read 5:23. Seven minutes before it was scheduled to go off.

"What's that noise?" Seifer rolled onto his side, glaring. Zell sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"It sounds like…" he paused. "Chesna…" He sighed. "It sounds like she's crying."

"So go get it."

"It? It happens to be a little girl. And yours, need I mention."

"I didn't want her," Seifer pointed out, his voice cold. Zell sighed again as the crying grew louder. He stood from the bed, pulling some clothes back on.

"I suggest you at least put something on," Zell muttered as he left the room. He made his way down the short hallway to Chesna's room and opened the door. "Chesna? Are you okay?"

"Mommy," she sniffed, hear loud wailing calmed as soon as she saw Zell. "I want Mommy…"

"Um… Mommy's not here," Zell said, sitting on her bed. She climbed into his lap with hear bear, holding it close to her.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Daddy's home."

"Wanna see," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. Standing up, he shifted her in his arms, careful not to drop her, and brought her back to his bedroom. Seifer was, thankfully, wearing shorts, but he'd drifted back to sleep. Chesna giggled when she saw him laying there, his knees tucked up near his chest.

"Daddy sleepy," she said. Zell put her on the bed next to Seifer, and climbed in on the other side. What was a few more minutes in bed? They still had to figure out what to do with her today while they were both at work.

Seifer grunted as he opened an eye, coming face to face with his cheerful daughter. He groaned and rolled over, trying to get away.

"What are we going to do about her today?" Zell asked. "We both have work."

"I don't know. I don't care. You worry about it." He rolled out of the bed, grabbing his clean clothes for the day. "Bring her to your mother's."

"We can't always rely on my mother!" Zell hissed. "Stay here, get some sleep," he said to Chesna, before following Seifer into the bathroom. The taller man turned the water on for the shower and began to undress again. "Seifer, listen to me!" he said, voice low. "We can't rely on my mother for this. She's your responsibility. Our responsibility now."

"If you're so willing to be her father, then you do it." Seifer said, stepping into the shower. Zell pulled the door open a bit, watching as his lover ran his fingers through his hair. He felt a tightness in his stomach at the sight, but ignored it.

"I'm willing to do this with you, not take over completely."

"You're the one that got us into this mess."

"No, Seifer. You're the one that did this. You slept with her mother, and now you have to take responsibility for your actions. You can't run away from this one."

Seifer froze. He turned to look at Zell, his eyes soft. "I'm not ready to be a father…"

"And you think I am? Look, Seifer, when I took you in, I did it because I care about you. I did it knowing things weren't going to be the easiest. I put up with you and your mood swings since you've been here. The least you can do is at least try to be her father." Zell watched as Seifer turned back to his shower, scrubbing his body. "Hey… are you listening to me?" He got no response. Angrily he reached out to punch him in the shoulder.

Before he made contact, Seifer spun, grabbed his arm, and hauled him into the shower with him, shutting the door.

"Seifer, I'm not-"

"Shut up," he growled, just as he had last night. Zell did, closing his eyes as hands slid under his shorts. He bit back a moan.

"Seifer… Chesna…"

"Shut up! I don't care." He pressed their bodies together, pinning Zell to the wall. The water ran down their bodies, making Zell's shorts heavy and hang low on his hips. If Zell was reading him right… Seifer was jealous. But of what? As if he was reading his mind, he answered. "Why are you paying so much attention to her? She just got here and you're already more concerned with her than me."

"… Are you kidding me? Seifer, after one day, how can you say that? You are being ridiculous," he said, pushing Seifer away. "If you're not going to pay any attention to her, someone has to! Stop acting like a child."

"She's not yours, Chicken-wuss, how can you do this? How can you be so… kind?"

"Because… because she needs me, just like you did a year ago." The two stared at each other for a few moments, letting the water roll off their skin. For a moment, Zell thought he got through to Seifer. Turning away, he stepped out of the shower, leaving Zell in it. "At least get my clothes for me," he muttered as Seifer dried off.

A few minutes later the three of them sat in the kitchen, Seifer seeming to make some sort of effort at being sociable, but cringing every time Chesna called him "Daddy."

Breakfast was quick and messy, with Chesna more playing with her cereal than eating it. A few times, Seifer snapped at her, telling her to stop playing and eat, and her eyes welled up with tears. After the second time, Zell pulled Chesna's chair closer, taking her hairbrush in his hand.

"Why don't I brush your hair," he said, running the small comb through her fine strands. Bear sat on the table next to her bowl. After a few strokes, she cried out, hands flying to her head.

"Ow! Hurts!" Zell stopped, patting her head.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. He started again, cringing when she cried out. Maybe he was doing too much at once. Ignoring Seifer's sniggering, he separated her hair in smaller sections, brushing each one separately. When it was combed and soft looking, Zell grabbed the two bands that were in her hair the other day, put them in his mouth, and attempted to make two pigtails. His resulting efforts were nowhere near as neat as they had been the previous day. Seifer laughed at the mess in her hair and Zell shot him a nasty look.

"Let's see you do better," he held out the brush. Seifer shook his head and finished off his coffee.

"Hell no, that's your job… Mommy."

"What did you say?" Zell hissed, standing. Chesna, sensing that something was wrong between her father and her friend, grabbed her bear and put it in her lap.

"Daddy and Zell look pretty," she said sweetly. The two stopped their arguing, looking down at her.

"When you talk about guys, you don't use pretty, Chesna. You say 'handsome.'" Zell corrected.

"Unless you're talking about Zell," Seifer muttered into his empty mug. Zell shot him another nasty look.

Seifer put the empty cup into the sink and headed upstairs to finish getting ready for work.

"Would you like to see Dee Dee again?" Zell asked, moving all the dirty dishes into the sink and rinsing them out, saving the heavier washing for later.

"Yeah!" Chesna cheered, tossing Bear into the air and missing. He landed on the ground with a soft plop and Zell stooped to pick him up again. Seifer emerged from upstairs, straightening his jacket as he came.

"I'm going ahead," he said, briefly forgetting himself as he grabbed Zell and pulled him close, giving him a kiss. Chesna stared at the two, eyes wide.

"Give me a minute to finish up and we'll go together," Zell said, rushing about.

"No, I'll see you later," Seifer didn't give Zell any chance to argue as he headed out the front door. Both Zell and Chesna watched as the door clicked shut, before looking back at each other.

"… Let's go brush out teeth," Zell said, pulling her from her chair. The two headed back upstairs to finish cleaning up. Grabbing the schoolbag she came with, Zell helped her put it on. Pulling on his favorite gloves, he fastened them, and the two left the house a few minutes after Seifer.

On a normal day, Zell could have caught up with him, but this morning he had a little girl in tow. First stop, his mother's house. Just up the street they stopped, greeting the one other person on the street, before entering his childhood home.

"Morning, Ma," Zell called, shutting the door behind them.

"Oh! Good morning Zell. Hello, Chesna."

"Hi, Dee Dee."

"Where are you off to this early?" She asked, obviously forgetting that he had work.

"The Garden, we have work this morning," he said, making sure to include Seifer.

"Ah, that's right. You only had two days off. Back to teaching," she smiled, hurrying to clean the dishes in the kitchen.

"That's why we're here. Would you be able to watch Chesna today? I'll look into getting her in school or someone to watch her on a more permanent basis, so it'd just be for today." Mrs. Dincht paused, frowning.

"Oh Zell, I'm sorry. I got a message from a friend in Dollet who is sick. I'm going to visit her for the day. If you really need me to, I can take her with me," she offered, always willing to go the extra mile for her son.

"No, it's okay. She can come with me today. We'll find something to do," he smiled. "Well, we better get going then. Seifer already went ahead."

"Well that's rude…"

"Well that's Seifer."

"Hmph. Well, you take care, all right?"

"Of course, Ma. Have fun on your visit," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She leaned down and kissed the top of Chesna's blonde head.

The two of them left her to her running around, starting their walk to Balamb Garden. The morning air was cool, but tolerable, promising a warm day once the sun was at its peak. Dew lingered on the grass once they were outside Balamb, the path cutting its way across the wide fields. Flowers grew close to the path, and Chesna wanted to pick them, but Zell stopped her.

"Listen to me Chesna. You can never go off this path, okay? If you stay on it, you'll be safe. But if you wander off it, you'll get hurt."

"How?" She asked, looking around for the source of the pain Zell promised.

"Monsters live in the field, and pop up to fight. Until you get older, you must always, always stay on the path."

"Okay," Chesna said, looking forlornly at the flowers.

"If Daddy was here, you'd be able to pick them," Zell muttered. After the warning, Chesna held tightly to his hand, staying close to his side.

It took awhile for Zell to walk to the Garden, and he ended up carrying Chesna most of the way once she started getting tired. Still, they reached it with adequate time before his classes for him to find someone to watch her for him.

The sight of the Garden amazed little Chesna, her eyes widening as she looked up at the tall structure.

"So big," she said, squeezing her bear.

"Lots of people come here to study," Zell said. "Maybe someday you'll come here, too."

"Zell come here?"

"Yes, I did. And now I work here," he offered.

"Daddy come here?"

"Yes, and he works here, too."

"Chesna get to see Daddy?"

"Um, maybe. If we can find him. It's very big, so we might not see him. We'll try, though."

"Okay."

The two of them entered the grounds, walking through the turn style entrance. The man at the counter waved to Zell and greeted him, not noticing the little girl walking at his side.

Students wandered the Garden, some heading towards their classes, others going to an early breakfast. Not quite sure where to bring her first, Zell headed towards the elevator that would bring him to Squall's office.

Ever since their previous headmaster Cid had retired, Squall reluctantly took over. He wasn't quite sure he wanted the job, but he was the best candidate for it. On the way he ran into Quistis.

"Morning Zell," She said, approaching the pair with a smile on her face. "Getting ready for class?"

"Actually, I have to see Squall first. You see…" Quistis looked down at his side and tilted her head.

"Hello," she said, unsure of what she was seeing.

"Hi…" Chesna said, moving closer to Zell's side and hiding behind his hand.

"Quistis, this is Chesna, Chesna this is a friend of mine."

"Zell is she-"

"Not my kid. And if another person asks me that, I'm going to scream. Why does everyone think that?"

"Well, look at her hair… and her eyes…" Quistis smiled. "Cousin?"

"No, she's-"

"Whoa! Zell! What's that? I didn't know you had a kid!" Selphie called as she bounced down the hallway.

"Now's your chance to scream," Quistis said, with a grin.

"She's not my kid," Zell said for the second time as Selphie and Irvine joined them.

"Cousin?" Irvine asked, tipping his hat to Chesna and flashing her a smile.

"She's what, five? Stop flirting," Selphie joked, punching him on the arm.

"She's three, and if people would stop interrupting, no, she's not my cousin. She's Seifer's daughter."

The hallway grew so quiet Zell could have sworn the air was sucked out.

"Seifer's…" Quistis started, unable to bring herself to say the second word.

"Whose daughter?" Rinoa and Squall chose to walk up that moment. Sighing, Zell turned to face them.

"This is Chesna. She is Seifer's daughter," he started. "She's from Timber and will be staying with us on a permanent basis." Announcement finished, he mouthed the words "her mother died," and the others nodded. Rinoa crouched down to Chesna's level, smiling.

"Hi, Chesna. That's a cute bear you have. What's its name?"

"Bear."

"That's a very nice name." Chesna smiled brightly.

"Hyne, Zell, what happened to her hair?" Selphie asked, seeing the back of her head. Zell's futile attempts at pigtails created a mess, with more hair spilling from the two bunches than were trapped in the bands.

"Hey, I tried my best," he frowned. Selphie joined Rinoa on the ground and the two tackled the girl's hair, using their fingers to comb out the long strands.

"We'll fix your hair, so don't move, okay?" Selphie asked, brightly.

"Okay," Chesna answered, holding completely still.

"Where's Seifer?" Quistis asked. Zell shrugged.

"Somewhere around here. His classroom? He left early. He's um… how should I say it? Not taking this well? She came yesterday. He's a bit upset by this whole thing."

"I can imagine. But still, to leave you with her?"

"It's okay, I don't mind. It's partially my fault she's with us," Zell said softly. Squall and Irvine moved closer to hear the story. "Someone from the orphanage came by early in the morning with her. Her mother died two weeks ago, and Seifer was listed as her father on the birth certificate. He's the only family she has, so naturally they wanted to bring her to her biological father. Considering it was that or…" He let it hang, knowing full well they understood. "He was all for saying no, but I convinced him to take her in. He's not too pleased with me," Zell laughed, breaking the tension.

"I'll have a talk with him," Squall decided. Zell shook his head.

"He'll come around."

"Still…"

"I have class soon, and she's not enrolled in any classes or daycare or whatever you send three-year-olds to. I'm not sure what to do with her. I'm taking my class to the training center today, for some hand to hand combat lessons."

"I can take her. I don't have anything to do today," Rinoa offered. "Would you like that, Chesna?"

Pigtails fixed, Chesna looked up at Zell, questioningly. "It's okay," he said.

"See Daddy later?"

"Like I said, we'll try." Zell replied, not making promises. Chesna nodded and let go of his hand, taking Rinoa's instead. "She has some toys and a change of clothes in her bag. Oh, and some snacks too. I wasn't sure what to bring," Zell admitted sheepishly.

"Aw, look at that. Just a day and Zell's already a great father," Selphie cooed, teasing.

"Or should we say mother?" Irvine teased. Zell's hand shot out without warning and he grabbed the front of the cowboy's shirt.

"Another crack like that," Zell hissed, letting the threat hang. Irvine grinned and pulled the brim of his hat down.

Rinoa led Chesna away to give her a tour of the Garden, and the rest of them headed to the classes they were teaching. Saying goodbye to Quistis outside his door, Zell entered the room. His students stood, greeting him as he came in and moved behind his desk. Motioning for them to sit, he glanced at the plans for the day. Today was a class of new cadets. They were here with him for basic combat skills that they needed before they began to choose the weapon they would rely on in the future.

Most students wanted to start with weapons right away, but it was mandatory for all cadets to learn hand-to-hand combat. It was always possible that they could be disarmed during a mission, as they were taught, and what would they do then? They would need to be confident in their skills in order to survive. After an hour of teaching and then going over safety, Zell led the students to the training center.

After another two hours of training in a low level area, and only two students gaining minor injuries that resulted in a trip to the infirmary, Zell dismissed them, thanking them for their hard work and actually paying attention.

It was nearly lunchtime when class was dismissed, so he headed to the cafeteria to see if Rinoa and Chesna were already there. He was pleased to find that he was one of the first to get there, and plenty of hot dogs remained. Grabbing as many as he could eat, and one for Chesna, he grabbed a seat in a corner of the room where most of the instructors ate.

A few minutes later, Rinoa walked in holding Chesna by the hand. Zell stood and called them over. Rinoa let go of the little hand in hers and watched her bound across the room. "Zell!" Chesna said, throwing her arms around him. He smiled and put her in the seat next to her, cutting up the food so she could chew it easier.

"Did you have fun with Rinoa?"

"Chesna saw Angel."

"Angel?" Zell questioned.

"Angelo." Rinoa smiled, sitting down. Zell offered her a hot dog and she held up a hand, shaking her head.

"How was she?"

"Perfect. Oh, Zell, you're so lucky. She's a very good girl." Watching as she pushed the pieces of processed meat across her plate, pretending to feed some to Bear, Rinoa leaned closer.

"It's amazing she's related to Seifer. Aside from her looks, you'd never know. She's completely opposite of him."

"DADDY!" Chesna shrieked without warning. Zell jerked his head towards the entrance of the cafeteria. Chesna stood on her chair, much to Zell and Rinoa's dismay, and waved her little arm back and forth frantically. Everyone in the room turned to look at them, and then turned to Seifer, who stood frozen in his place.

Without getting any food, or even so much as a second glance in their direction, Seifer turned on his heels and left. "Seifer…" Zell growled, standing.

"Zell," Rinoa warned, as he started after Seifer. He didn't seem to hear her as he took off running through the tables. A student jumped out of his way, narrowly avoiding a collision.

Seifer was walking calmly down the hall, hands in the pockets of his white trench coat. "Hey!" Zell yelled. Seifer stopped and turned, only to be slammed into the wall.

"Zell," Seifer warned, eyes narrowed. "Get off me."

"No. Listen to me. You've made no attempts to spend any time with Chesna. She wants to see you! She's just a little girl who wants her daddy!"

"I don't want everyone knowing I have a daughter," Seifer argued.

"Who cares! Stop being ridiculous." The two stared at each other, Seifer finally breaking eye contact. "Don't make me do this."

"Do what?"

Zell sighed. "If you don't go in there and visit with her for at least five minutes, I… we're not having sex. For a very… long time." Seifer raised an eyebrow, looking back at his spirited lover.

"And who would break first?"

"Certainly not me. Seifer, please. Just a few minutes…" Zell pleaded. Seifer sighed, watching a student as he made his way towards the cafeteria, trying to ignore his two instructors.

"Fine," Seifer gave in. "A few minutes, then I have to go."

"That's all I ask," Zell replied softly. He leaned up and gave Seifer a quick kiss.

From their corner, Rinoa watched as Zell led Seifer back in, a small, triumphant grin on his face. Rinoa smiled back, glancing down at Chesna who had gone back to "feeding" Bear pieces of hot dog.

"Should she really be eating that crap?" Seifer asked, frowning.

"It's nutritional! Besides, what kid doesn't love hot dogs?" Zell argued. Seifer snorted and made his way behind Chesna's chair, lifting her from it and sitting down.

"Hi, Chesna," he said as he settled her back into his lap. The smile on her face could have brightened the darkest cave.

"Daddy!" She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. Tentatively, eyes focused on Zell, he returned her hug, his eyes shutting as he held her. Zell flashed a grin at Rinoa, who stood to leave.

"I have to get back to Angelo. Drop her off at my room when you're done, and I'll watch her for the rest of the day." She said, resting her hand briefly on Zell's arm. He nodded.

Chesna turned back to the table, sitting in her father's lap, with Bear on hers. "Here, Daddy," she said, picking up a piece of her food with her small fingers, and twisted to force it into Seifer's mouth. He grimaced as he finally accepted it.

"Thank you," he played. "But you should eat it, so you'll grow bigger."

"Like Zell?"

"No, you want to be bigger than Zell," Seifer said, flashing a grin at the smaller man.

"H-hey!"

Rinoa watched from the doorway of the cafeteria as Zell stood, pointing a finger at Seifer, who just laughed at him. She smiled.

"What's so funny?" Selphie asked, coming up behind her.

"It certainly isn't your typical family…" she started, nodding to their friends in the corner. "But I think it'll work."