All characters belong to Alex Ahad et al.

Sort of a sequel, sort of an epilogue to Slow Recovery. Carol and Filia growing closer and such fluff. Rated T for now, but may become M for possible limes later. Will choose if I decide to cut content for being too cheesy.

This chapter is partly inspired by Stifle my heart by poisonparfait. I would post a link but either my tablet or the site is being awkward. Either way, it's on deviantart.

BGM: Forgotten Moments

Early October. One year after the Skullgirl.

It had been 4 months since Carol's return to school. She did draw a few winces whenever anyone walked by her; the scars had faded, but you could still make out the faint X shape in the middle of her face. She had quite a lot of work to catch up on, but she was one of the smarter students so it was felt she could manage it. Another help was that Carol was to all intents and purposes permanently excused PhysEd classes; the doctors had explained it away with early osteoporosis, and they wanted to make sure Carol's exercise regime was not adversely affecting her health. Carol was not a particularly sporty person, therefore it made little difference to her. So it was one lunchtime that she and Filia were sat at their favourite spot, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. Carol had brought a picnic with her for them to enjoy, as was her fancy.

"So beautiful..." Filia said dreamily

"Hmmm?"

"The view." Carol sighed. Ever since she'd been discharged, she'd felt...something for Filia that she'd never felt before. Butterflies in her belly. Hot flushes. Urges to do...indecent things. Carol had no idea why she felt different around Filia. Sure, they'd always been quite avid huggers, and each was the only person the other could truly call a friend. Maybe her mind was affected more by Brain Drain's forceful takeover than anyone realised. After all, he hadn't exactly been subtle, and she had gone a little crazy during those days. Or maybe it was all part of her own attempts to heal, and it wasn't too far removed from what they'd been before. Either way, thinking about it was not really worth the effort.

She came out of her musing in time to see Filia dozing off. Her face looked so serene, her lips...so kissable right now. Her bare midriff was begging to be touched. Her thighs...no, stop that. It was pretty frustrating trying to keep a lid on everything, especially since Filia always seemed to find a way to make Carol see up her skirt, much to her chargrin. You couldn't blame it on the uniform; Carol never had that problem. She'd definitely have to give Filia a few lessons in refinement.

"Carol?"

Filia's voice brought her back, and she could see she was stroking Filia's cheek. She yanked her hand away, "Oh god, I'm so sorry Filia."

Filia sat up, "Carol, what's wrong? You always seem to get all flustered and distracted around me these days. Have I...done something wrong?" Filia was still quite forgetful, so she regularly needed reassurance that she wasn't missing something.

Damn. Carol had been busted for sure. Surely Filia could see the little clues she gave away.

"Come on, tell me."

"I-I can't..."

"Why not?"

"JustbecozIsedso!"

"Caaarool" Filia singsonged

Carol sighed. She figured there was no way around it, so she'd best just get it over with. She took a deep breath, "FiliaIthinkIminlovewithyou."

"What?" Filia laughed, "Slow down Carol, you're not making any sense."

"Filia I think I'm in love with you." Carol said. Slow and deliberate. "There, I said it." Good thing too; her chest was starting to hurt. Obviously her heart was not taking the sudden stress very well.

Filia sat there, speechless. Carol sat there, uncertain. Filia was the first to recover; she leaned over, grab Carol by the waist, and pulled her on top of herself.

"Filia? You..."

Carol's speech was cut off by Filia locking her lips around Carol's. For a few moments, nothing else mattered. Then Carol felt tongue. She responded in kind.

After a minute, Carol broke away, lightheaded, "...wow"

Filia laughed, "Is that all you have to say?" Carol laughed back. "I love you too, Carol." She tenderly stroked a few loose strands of hair out of Carol's face.

"When? When have you..."

"I guess it was around the time you escaped the Egrets. When you disappeared again. It was...I was just so worried about you. But not the same as before. It really hurt." She gently guided Carol's hand over her heart. "I kind of knew that you meant something else to me. What about you?"

"I guess it was while I was cooped up in the infirmary. You were always there. Someone I knew I could trust absolutely. Even during the worst times, there was always you." Filia blushed.

Carol shuffled a little, so she was no longer on top of Filia. They faced each other and kissed once more. And both decided that a nap seemed like a really wonderful idea right now. Carol slept in the knowledge that a huge weight on her soul had been lifted.

As they prepared to head back, Filia tapped Carol, "Hmmm?"

"Here." Filia stuck a flower head in Carol's hair. "Pretty as a picture."

Carol picked one up and did the same for Filia.

When they returned, it was hand in hand. It drew a variety of glances from the other students; to think the Mafia princess was into another girl. There were rumours flying around about the Medici family going tits up. Of course, no one dared say anything to Filia.

BGM: Shenanigans and Goings-Ons

The two girls found it increasingly hard to concentrate as the day wrote on. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang for the end of the day.

While she still had a place of residence of her own, nowadays Filia spent most of her time at Carol's. Homework was more manageable, and it meant they always had each other for company on the way home, which even now was a little security blanket for Carol. As they passed through the old wrought iron gate however, someone else was waiting for them.

"I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you two."

"Sorry, Val." Valerie was attracting several glances of her own, mainly from the school jocks. What with her red minidress, sunglasses and her current pose, bent over the bonnet of her rather exotic convertible, Carol was sure she was doing it on purpose. Of course, if any of them tried, it would be more than their pride that would get a kicking. After all the rubbish she and Carol had put each other through, Parasoul had basically hired her as Carol's bodyguard. Or maybe babysitter.

"Come on, let's get out of here." The three buckled up with Val driving, Carol and Filia trying to get cozy in the back. Val noticed this and smirked before floor the accelerator. The car revved up and cannoned off into the distance.

"Geez! Where the heck did you learn to drive, Valerie!?"