Hey, everyone. This is my 4th story that I put up on here, and I'm pretty happy with it. This is not Fayt/Maria in love, this is them having a conversation on the night that Fayt's father died. They are the only ones really in the story, except I mentioned Mirage once. So...

Disclaimer: Fayt, Maria, Mirage, and Fayt's father, Dr. Robert Leingod, are not mine. They belong to the people who wrote SO3 and the person who wrote the anime/manga series.

Discussions in the Night

Maria was annoyed. Fayt was still sitting there by his father's bedside though he had died hours ago. She never got that chance when her parents died. It didn't seem fair that he did. Maybe she was just jealous. It was four in the morning. Wasn't he ever going to sleep?

Fayt knew she was in the room, but he didn't budge. He didn't want to talk to her. She had been nothing but insensitive since she met his father. He supposed he really couldn't blame her though. His father had performed genetic experiments on her. If it wasn't his father, he would probably be pissed too. Then again, it was her mother too. That must be hard on her.

"Maria, what is it? Did we arrive at Moonbase yet?" He looked at her. His eyes were sore. He bet they looked awful to her. She would probably get mad any second now about how he cared so much.

"Do you even want to go? You have never looked so miserable. I understand what it is like to lose a parent, but I can't let your grief cloud your judgment. If you can't get it together, we are going to have to leave you here. You need to get some sleep. So please go back to your room and rest."

"Can we talk first?" Asked Fayt, a little weary that she was going to scream at him again. He was starting to get a headache.

Maria was surprised. She thought for a second. What did he want to talk about with her, and why? There were plenty others on this ship that were more apt to listen. Why her?

"Sure."

"Do you really understand what I am going through? I realize that we have a similar experience, our parents dying in a war that we had nothing to do with. Everything for you is about revenge, right? That's why you joined Quark and all that. Well, my revenge is already had, so we really can't relate that way. How is it that you think you understand?

"Well, we both lost our parents at a young age. We both reacted badly to it. Trust me, I get it. But I have also had my own judgment clouded by grief, and if Mirage had not been there, it would have been deadly. I don't want to risk you making the same mistake I did. So I feel that it is fair to warn you. If I see even the slightest indication that you can't handle it, we are not going to land at Moonbase. Understood?"

"Sure."

Fayt wanted to stop her. He needed to ask her an important question. Something that had been nagging him all night.

"One more thing—do you really hate my father so much now that he is dead? Don't you feel a small amount of regret that you were uncivil to him the entire 5 minutes that you knew him? What must he have thought of you, Maria? If you could do it over, and be nice, say you forgave him, would you do it? If you knew that he was going to die? Would that have changed anything?"

"Well, my anger has more or less diminished, and I think if I knew the reason for the experiment I might forgive him. I do regret being uncivil, since that was the only time he ever saw me, but I'm sure he knew why I was being so harsh. He knew who I was the minute I said my name. He knew why I was angry. He probably thought it was pretty justified. But, if I could do it over, if I knew he was going to die, I would. I would let him die with a little peace. I would let him die surrounded by grace, forgiveness, and hope. I think everyone deserves that."

Her eyes teared up, as did his. This was very emotional with the pain of his loss so close. It had only been a few hours. Maybe his father heard their conversation. He hoped that they would find the reason for the experiments when they reached Moonbase. He knew that would give them the answers they needed.

"Thanks. That was all I wanted to know. I think I can sleep now. I just needed to know that it was possible for you to forgive him. I want to think that he died at peace."

"I think he must have. Sleep well."

"Night."

Fayt woke in the morning when they arrived at Moonbase, no longer bothered by nagging questions and discussions in the night.

Well, another story done. Honestly, I hardly even remember writing this one. I wrote it after someone close to me died, when I felt that I would understand what Fayt was going through. I just wrote it to try and deal with my loss. It was hard for me because she didn't die at peace, and I thought everyone should have peace before they died. No regrets, and surrounded by those that love them.