Author's Note/Forward: This story is just going to be a collection of quick one shots (easier for me to write with my schedule) that take place after the end of the series. I'm kind of fond of imagining how Ziggy's character develops further into the future as he's left essentially with what he had before he died. This story is sort of the journey he goes through as he slowly heals from everything. Beyond that, how Juli, MOMO and him begin forming a family. There is a lot of cute and sweet things in this story, but I'll try to not let it become overly saccharine. :P

I. Initial Shock

He could barely stay focused on the tasks ahead of them, despite how hard he tried. His mind continued to wander to the events he'd witnessed not long ago. They were somewhere below the city by now. The last he remembered, they'd reboarded the E.S. and had continued on. Yet, his mind remained in the cathedral.

He thought of the irony, he could never seem to escape this place. Yet here they were moving forward and he still could not stop replaying the events that happened there so far in his past, and the last twenty-something minutes ago.

He'd let MOMO pilot the ship, and she'd been keeping up with the others. They'd encountered a few battles since then, mostly other craft that didn't pose much of a threat to begin with. She was doing a good job, and for that, he was thankful. It left him some time to further process his thoughts.

"Ziggy." MOMO spoke up, finally. It'd been awhile since he last said anything to her. She knew why, it was no secret. She turned back to look at him and noticed he was focused straight ahead with an entirely blank expression. She could tell something was wrong. Usually his brows were forrowed and there was tension at the corners of his lips. There was nothing, and she could tell when there was nothing in his expression, he was feeling nothing. "Are you doing okay back there?"

"...Ah." Her words brought him out of his almost trance-like state. "Y-yes. I'm fine."

She fell entirely silent, and then turned back to her controls. Her sensors were telling her his passageway would be ending soon, and they'd have to disembark. She was becoming more worried about him.

"Ziggy if there's anything you want to talk to me about, don't hesitate to-"

"I'm fine." He said, cutting her off. His words came out more sharply than he'd expected. He watched as she jerked and then sunk into her seat, head hanging low. He spoke again, using more care with his tone. "I'll be alright."

"O-Okay." She didn't seem to perk up at his reassurance, and she still felt somewhat caught off guard, even though she should have expected this.

He found himself hanging his head as well, and he let out a barely audible sigh. "I'm sorry, MOMO." He spoke up again, quietly. "Perhaps… when this is over, when I have a chance to sort out my thoughts, I'll tell you everything." He knew it wasn't a matter of when, but more of a matter of an if at this point. He had no idea what lied ahead of them, or if they would even succeed, much less survive at this point. Even so, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her, especially if survival wasn't an option. "I- I don't even know what it is I'm thinking or feeling, let alone how to articulate it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Ziggy." She turned around to him again, with a slight smile crossing her lips. "I understand. I know you've gone through a lot just now."

The cyborg nodded, and then looked down at his own controls, having finally pulled himself out of his trance. "How are you holding up?" He asked. She'd seen her own fair share of events in the last few days, not to mention the last few hours. He'd been there to support her physically, but he wasn't sure how well he'd helped as an emotional support, especially since they'd arrived on this forsaken planet.

"I'm doing okay, I guess." MOMO pressed a few buttons and then shifted the E.S. to the left. "I'm a little shaken up, but… I guess everyone is right now." She stared straight ahead and then momentarily closed her eyes, sighing herself. "I'm afraid of what's going to happen. I'm worried about Mommy. I'm worried about Shion and Jr., and I'm worried about you. But I'm trying not to let it get to me."

"I promise I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe." He didn't know what else to say, or how to say it. He knew he'd grown to care about her and her mother a great deal in the last year. It was foreign to him, after letting himself shut down mentally and emotionally for the last century. He'd never thought he'd see the day where other people would bring meaning and purpose back to his existence. "For what it's worth, I'm here to listen as well. If anything is too much to handle on your own, I'll do what I can to help."

"Thank you, Ziggy." MOMO's smile returned again and she looked back at him. She noticed his expression had changed from cold and distant to something more relaxed with the slightest trace of warmth. She knew that if he was capable of smiling, he probably would be right now. Content, she turned back to her controls. It was only a few more feet until it was time to disembark the craft.