Author: Edesina
Beta: -
Rating: T

Pairing: Fate/Signum/Alicia
Genre: Romance and drama, AU – Alicia is alive
Summary:What to do on the best day?

Disclaimer: Nanoha isn't mine. The evil Santa didn't give me it but today I don't mind ^^
Warnings: Polyamory (NOT THREESOME!) and incest (technically not), language

A/N: Polyamory has interested me a while. I hope you like this. No Nanoha, although I originally planned to use her but Alicia has a side I like. I'm not sure if I continue this. I have about same amount text written for this but then I decided to cut this here...

Both Sides of Glass

Few mornings just are perfect. This one was better than perfect, Fate thought as she saw how lovely the morning was. Birds sang, flowers bloomed and the sky was clear. A gentle breeze greeted her when she opened the back door to the garden. The whole morning was just like mornings in very sappy romance novels she sometimes read.

The blonde grinned and walked barefoot on still refreshingly cool grass. She couldn't surpass the giggles. Today she was twenty-one, an adult in all ways. She had been recognized as a TSAB officer a long ago and she had been respected after she had proven herself but Fate knew that others thought that she was just a kid. Kids didn't get in the nightclubs where other workers liked to hang out after a shift.

"But not anymore," the blonde grinned. She was an adult now, not maybe more mature than yesterday, but still an adult.

"Talking to yourself this early, little Fate?" Fate's smile didn't falter, not today. Nothing could make her frown on her birthday, not even an annoying big-sister.

"Well, who else I can trust, Al?" Fate asked turning to face her identical sister, Alicia who stuck her tongue out. Alicia didn't like that Fate called her Al or suggested that she'd be a good boy.

"Me, of course. We're the same after all," the other blonde joked.

"Wait, so I'm talking to myself now? Oh, joy, call the paramedics, I see myself," Fate rolled her eyes and tried to look serious. She almost managed until Alicia burst out laughing.

"Well, lovely, if you're like that, I don't tell you what princess charming said today," Alicia teased and turned to walk in.

"Wait!" Fate pleaded looking almost desperate.

"I tell you… if you kiss me," Alicia grinned. Fate rolled her eyes and looked quickly at the kitchen window. If Lindy saw them… Their step-mother had dropped by last evening and announced that she'd stay over. Of course Fate and Alicia had to have amazing party.

"She's gone already," Alicia reassured her, grinning even more viciously and Fate sighed. It wasn't that she had something against kissing Alicia, she had gotten over that sort of problems after their weird relationship had started.

"You sure? She'd probably freak out," Fate was unsure for a reason. Although they lived in a big city, such things as same-sex relationships were scandalous. No one -not even Fate's closest friends- knew of this weird love-thing they had. Unlike others, theirs didn't have a name. It was labeled as disgusting, unnatural or sinful, yet no one had given it a name.

"Fate, you worry too much. Now, kiss me… or…" Alicia's eyes wandered on Fate's body which caused the younger sister to blush. Still, after almost three years, she blushed when Al hinted that she wanted her.

"What if I want that 'or'?" Fate shot back confidently. She was absolutely sure that she wanted the 'or'-choice.

"Then your princess will be disappointed."

"Aww… you're no fun, onee-sama," Fate pouted playfully and Alicia kissed her lips quickly, much to Fate's dismay. She had - half-heartedly- wanted Signum to be first today. Alicia probably knew this as they were the same to scary extent. They had fallen in love with same woman, and in the school they got always the same grades because no matter what the other did, in the end they studied the same amount of time.

"Come on, crybaby. She'll come to pick us soon."

"What has she planned for today, anyway?"

Alicia grinned all way to her ears. "Skipping the Uni for me and for you, work."

-x-

Alicia let Fate walk next to Signum when they arrived in park. She didn't mind, or actually she did but she had learnt to endure it. Seeing Fate and Signum like this, like lovers they were, pained her because she was afraid. Fate could steal Signum away from her. It might be quite easy because Fate and Signum even worked in the same place. Alicia hadn't got really anything common with the pink-haired woman.

She was a student, a future psychiatrist. She had always wanted to become one although her teachers, Lindy and even Fate were cautious about it. What was she, after all? A daughter of a woman who had gone nuts and she was... well, fucking her own clone. Because that's what Fate was, no matter how everyone tried to pretend.

The irony of the whole situation was that Alicia had chosen her carrier for Fate's sake. Signum was part of her life thanks to Fate and well, she didn't have an insane mother thanks to Fate. The copy of her was affecting her life a lot but she accepted it. What else she could do? She had hated, despised, her clone even when they started their weird love-triangle with Signum.

To be honest, Alicia had grown feelings towards her little sister too, although it had seemed impossible. Fate actually still was a pain in her neck. When Fate got in trouble in work, or had an important meeting with persons she couldn't stand, they just switched places. Alicia was a little stronger mage than Fate, and with her skills - illusions and copying - she had learnt some of her little sister's techniques. Fate didn't know that Alicia hadn't had any problems with learning basics of the lightning magic. She was the big sister, after all, so she had to protect her little Fate.

Alicia just walked slightly behind her companions, thinking. If she became a mage like Fate, they would be equals but... Her desire to become a psychiatrist was originally because she wanted to save Fate, who was really fragile. Their mother had beaten Fate, called her worthless and… then died in front of her eyes. Poor Fate, who had thought that Precia would become a nice person again if she collected those Seeds, had visited many doctors, psychiatrists, meedios and shamans in order to find one answer: why was she worthless?

Lindy or that Nanoha hadn't seen how tortured Fate was. When Alicia had been found after the Book of Darkness incident alive, Fate's psyche had been severely damaged and no one noticed it, save Signum, but even the pinkette hadn't really known how deep the wounds were. Sometimes Al wondered if Nanoha had noticed but due to lack of wisdom that come with the age, hadn't known what she was seeing.

Alicia had hated her other self at the first sight but then she had seen the scars. It was actually easy to see trough yourself but getting Fate to open up was a different story. The lightning mage had pushed her away over and over again, until Alicia had had enough.

"Listen, you fucking moron, I'm your sister although I hate the fact so get that damn stick out of your ass and let me help!" Fate had stared at her a minute before breaking into giggles.

"Sister, year, right! You're not my sister so keep your nose out of my business!" Alicia had sighed. The first time they actually exchanged words was doomed to be a quarrel. Not a very promising start, one would think. When Nanoha had come to the room to look for Fate, she had seen the two Testarossas killing each other- or at least Fate was serious. Alicia had been trained by Precia so she mastered illusions which made avoiding Fate's attack easy.

"Need some handicap, little sister?" Alicia provoked and dodged a flash of light easily. Fate was fast, true, but anger made her careless. Her left side was open all the time, and a kick could end the match- However Fate would hate her more afterwards…

"Screw you!" Fate shouted and tried to hit her but Alicia grabbed her hand, grinning.

"As you wish," the elder Testarossa whispered leaning closer.

"Alicia, are you okay?" Signum asked looking slightly worried, the Wolkenritter was one to worry.

"Yeah, just reminiscing."

"Quarrels of our first year living together probably. You're getting old, big sister," Fate joked.

"How sweet of you, little TSAB slave girl." Fate's eyes widened. That was a nickname she hadn't heard for years.

"Are you coming, little TSAB slave girl?" Alicia asked over her shoulder. She opened a door to her new school and waited.

"I'm not a slave!"

"Of course not. You you're obviously doing voluntary work... They don't pay you, do they?" Fate opened her mouth but closed it soon. How could she answer to that? Alicia knew how to insult her and not get in trouble.

Fate had never been more serious when she spit out venomously: "I hate you, you cold-blooded inhuman bastard."

"Oh, I knew you were into slaves," Fate hinted. Al laughed and winked to Fate.

"Depends on who is my slave."

"Pervert," Fate muttered and stared the ground so she could hide the rosy colour which had appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh, and I'd like to express my condolences. You're adult now," Alicia said happily. Probably anyone else would have said "happy birthday" but Fate had never been born. Insulting her on such way would just be horrible.

"Oh, thank you," Fate grinned. "That made my day."

-.-.-

Not really but part of it anyway.

-x-