ooo LL ooo

Luke entered the royal parlor, closely followed by Tear and Mieu. Three arched windows lined one wall of the room, offering a fine prospect of the forest behind the castle. A long white table with velvet-cushioned chairs dominated the room, but there was also a slightly less formal sitting area.

"While I was waiting for you and Anise to get back, Father came by," Luke explained as they headed inside. "He has to take care of some business here and meet with my uncle. He wanted us to wait here for him. We can all take his carriage home."

"What about Anise?" Tear wondered.

"I wasn't sure how long her meeting with Emperor Peony would last," the Duke's son shrugged. "Don't worry. I mentioned it to Father. He said he'd send someone to let her know. If we have to leave before she's finished, he'll send the carriage back for her."

The Melodist paused pensively beside one of the windows. "Even if their meeting doesn't last long, Anise may not come straight away. Emperor Peony wasn't the only one who wanted to speak with her before she left the castle."

"That's right," Mieu confirmed in a soft squeak, "Jade wanted to talk to Anise, too."

"Jade?" Luke echoed with surprise.

"Mieu." Tear glanced purposefully at the cheagle. "Would you mind leaving Luke and I alone for a little while?"

The little blue cheagle made a sad face. "Mieuuu…"

"It won't be for long," Luke promised with a smile, ruffling Mieu's fur. "And after we get back to the manor, I'll ask Father's cook to make a special cake just for you."

"Cake!" Mieu's sapphire eyes bulged with joy. He worked his little arms and legs fast, floating cheerfully out into the hall.

Luke closed the door behind the cheagle. "Alone at last," he teased, walking towards her.

Tear smiled softly. "He really is devoted to you."

"I know," the young swordsman said wistfully. "But I'm worried that he's getting too attached to me, and too used to living among humans." He came alongside his betrothed, standing with her and gazing through the glass over the forest. "The Cheagle Elder said he only had to stay with me for one turn of the seasons, and it's been almost three."

"You think Mieu would be happier among his own kind," she intuited. "But if that's true, why hasn't he gone back to them already?"

"Maybe he's worried about me. About us." Luke lowered his head, the angular red points of his hair hiding his eyes. "I'm not blind, Tear. I can tell you're unhappy."

"Luke…" she breathed.

When she didn't deny it, Luke knew he was right. His fingers clenched at his sides. "I don't want you to feel like you have to hide things from me. Whatever you need to say, just say it."

"Even if it hurts?" she questioned inaudibly.

"Even if it does, I want to know."

Her light brown hair swished between them as she turned away. "I don't know who you really are," she revealed in a whisper. "You haven't been the same since Lorelei sent you back to us. You're Luke, but you're not Luke. You're Asch, but you're not Asch. Inside, you're two very different people trying to be one person, and I'm afraid it's going to tear you in two. As it's already doing to me."

"Tear…" He glanced hastily back at her. Beneath the curtain of her hair, one white-gloved hand was visibly fisted against her chest, as though guarding her heart.

"I know it's not your fault!" Tear conceded. "But after waiting two years, hoping and praying you were still alive, I finally have you here with me. That's why it hurts so much when you pull away from me, or you go all quiet and I can't reach you. It feels like the man I love has disappeared again; or worse, that he's stopped loving me."

"Why haven't you said anything?" Luke murmured.

"Because it isn't right for me to feel this way!" she exclaimed, whirling around to face him. "You sacrificed your life for everyone you loved, as both Asch and Luke. It should be enough that you've come back! How can I be so selfish and still claim to love you?"

"You're not being selfish. I promised I would come back, but when I did, it wasn't the way you expected." Frustrated, Luke tightened his fists. "Dammit! Why can't I just be one person, even for you?"

"Luke." Tear clutched her spear. "I've never asked it of you, but… if we're to move past this, I need to know. What did Lorelei do to you?"

The red-haired man beside her opened his eyes, and a haunted fusion of Asch and Luke gazed back at her through those emerald-green orbs. Tear gasped. When he looked at her like that, she really couldn't tell who he was. He moved to the window, leaning on the casement and staring at his reflection in the glass.

"After everyone left Eldrant, I set Lorelei free," he replied quietly. "There was a glow around me, keeping me safe as the island began to crumble. I fell slowly, like you would in a dream. On the way down, Asch's body fell into my arms. I remember looking at him, thinking that if he had to die, it was only right that I should die with him. Then, Lorelei appeared. He said I had earned his utmost respect, but even then, I knew he wasn't talking just to me - he was talking to Asch too.

"That's when it happened. I felt Lorelei flowing into me. There was light all around. It was too bright to see what was happening, but I could feel Asch's body lifting out of my arms. Then I felt heat, burning me all over. It was Lorelei, fusing the two of us together - finger by finger, arm by arm, making us one person. Asch's memories and feelings started rushing into my head. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't. I couldn't even move." Luke's eyes closed. He sighed. "The next thing I knew, it was night, and I was waking up in the grass. I stood up and looked around. That's when I saw the ruins of Hod, and I knew it hadn't been a dream."

"Luke…" she whispered, covering her mouth in concern.

"Asch is as much a part of me as Luke is," he finished, turning to Tear with a solemn countenance. "I hear his thoughts in my head, but they're my thoughts. I feel his feelings in my heart, but they're my feelings. Inside me, it's starting to feel natural now, like we were always one person, not two people living separate lives.

"But I knew this would be hard for you, Tear. I knew it would hurt you to look at me and see Asch staring back at you. That's why every time I started to feel more like Asch than Luke, I stayed away from you. I didn't realize that was just hurting you more." He dropped his head to one side. "I'm sorry. This isn't fair to you, and… for that reason, I'll understand if you don't want to stay."

"Idiot! I don't want to leave you!" Tear cried.

The Duke's son looked up suddenly, surprised and touched by her devotion. "Y-you mean that?"

"I promised Luke I would wait for him, didn't I?" she reminded him, blue-green eyes shining. "And I'll keep that promise. As long as you want me, I'll be here. Always."

Luke sucked in a shaky breath. "Your Luke is still here, Tear. He may be different than you remember, but he still loves you. Please don't leave him alone."

Overwhelmed, Tear dropped her spear with a clatter and ran into his open arms. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, astonishing both Luke and herself with her forwardness. Luke tightened his grip around her, ardently returning her kiss.

The moment might have gone on indefinitely, had Mieu not chosen that second to scratch at the door. "Master? Can I come in now?"

Luke groaned, reluctantly letting go of Tear's kiss-swollen lower lip. "Go away, Thing!" he shouted, for a moment sounding almost exactly like the arrogant replica he'd once been.

Mieu gave a frightened little squeal. "Sorry, Master! Mieu will come back later!"

Tear peered up at her fiancée, stunned. "You haven't spoken to Mieu like that since…"

"Now do you believe it's really me?" he asked, arching his chin. She could see it now, in his eyes - both Asch and Luke, staring down at her, two men dissolving into one - one that was whole, and who loved her, without question.

"You didn't have to hurt Mieu's feelings to prove it to me," she scolded, although she couldn't help looking relieved.

"Still a cold-hearted woman," he joked, kissing her brow. "So, is everything all right between us now?"

"Yes." She nodded, smiling. "As long as I know you love me, that's enough."

"Don't worry. That's one thing about me that will never change." Luke gave her a soft kiss to seal that promise, then took in the sight of her appreciatively. "That's a pretty dress. I meant to tell you before, but we got distracted. What's the occasion?"

She blushed slightly. "Isn't this how noblewomen in Kimlasca dress?"

"It is," he shrugged, "but what's wrong with your uniform?"

"It's an Oracle Knight uniform," Tear explained. "Only Oracle Knights are supposed to wear them."

"But you're -" Luke's jaw dropped as he realized what she was saying.

"I'm free," Tear finished for him. "Free to be with you, as a citizen of Kimlasca."

"Tear." She'd never had any intentions of leaving him. Luke knew that now. His fingers brushed her hair back over her shoulders, and he smiled when she shivered at his touch. "Did I mention that you look really beautiful in green?"

"I'm glad you like it." Tear was glowing with joy. "Why don't we sit down for awhile? We may be waiting some time for your father, and for Anise."

He picked up her spear for her and propped it against the wall, then sat next to her on the crimson-cushioned sofa. "Oh! That reminds me. Weren't you saying that Jade wanted to talk to Anise about something?"

"Yes," Tear affirmed. "He's been trying to talk to her for a while now, but we've been interrupting."

"Right," Luke admitted, diffidently rubbing the back of his neck. "Whatever it is must be pretty serious, huh?"

"It must be, or he wouldn't be so persistent. He hasn't told me exactly what it is, but…"

"But?" Luke encouraged.

She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Has the Colonel's behavior seemed different to you the last few days?"

"Now that you mention it, Jade has been acting weird," the red-haired young man admitted, "or, at least, weirder than he usually does."

"I think I may know why." Tear pursed her lips. "After the wedding, I saw the Colonel standing off to himself, and I thought I should go talk to him. He noticed that I wasn't myself, and asked how the two of us were doing. I confided in him. I told him I was trying not to question my love for you now that you'd changed; that it wouldn't be right to, since that only happened because you were willing to give your life for your friends. That's when he told me something very strange. He said he understood my feelings, better than I knew."

"Jade said something that honest?" he gasped.

"I was surprised, too, but he seemed sincere."

"Then, Jade is in love with somebody? Somebody who changed because of…" Luke's jaw dropped. "Anise?!"

The pretty Melodist nodded. "I'll admit that I was shocked when I realized he wasn't merely offering me his sympathy. For the Colonel, that remark was very indiscreet."

"That's putting it mildly," he scoffed. "I wonder why he would say something like that to you."

"I wasn't sure at first," she confessed quietly. "Once I realized what he'd really meant, I started to question whether or not it was right, since Anise was still so young on the inside. But, then I thought about how the Colonel compared her to you. As a replica, you'd only been alive for seven years when I met you - a child's age, by any standards - yet I had feelings for you that couldn't be denied." Tear rested her head against Luke's shoulder. "I think he saw me as the one person who might understand his feelings."

"Poor Jade. I never thought he'd feel like that about anybody." Luke sighed, adjusting his arm so Tear could rest against him more comfortably. "I guess this changes everything, doesn't it? Now that she's not a little girl anymore, I mean."

"Yes. I'm sure this has been almost as hard for him as it has for Anise. Although…"

"What is it?" he asked gently, sensing Tear's concern.

"Anise has been going through more than she told us when she first arrived," she revealed, tilting her neck up so she could look at him. "She's resigned as Fon Master Guardian. It seems she has no intentions of ever returning to Daath."

"Why?" Luke asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"She wouldn't say any more, but it must have been something serious. Her parents are still there. Leaving them behind isn't a decision Anise would have made lightly." Tear frowned. "She probably doesn't want to frighten us by telling us how bad things really are in Daath."

His jaw clenched. "Uncle is really concerned about Daath. So is Father. For Natalia and Guy's wedding to have come and gone, and still no word…"

"That, and the selection of a new Fon Master," Tear reminded him, her expression darkening. "It's as though Daath is deliberately cutting all ties with Kimlasca."

"Not just Kimlasca," Luke replied. "It seems that Emperor Peony hasn't heard anything from them, either." His eyes flashed open. "Do you think that's why he wanted to talk to Anise?"

"It would make sense. She just left there, after all." She held Luke closer, suddenly needing to feel that he was near. "I'm afraid, Luke. I'm afraid that after all we went through before, it still isn't over. Tritheim was doing his best to make the Order of Lorelei a force for good in the world, but now that he's gone…"

"It's going to be all right, Tear." Luke kissed her brow. "You don't ever have to go back there. Neither does Anise."

"And what if a fight comes to us here?" Tear wondered.

"Then we'll all face it together, side by side," he said with confidence. "Don't worry. No matter what happens, we'll make it through. In the meantime, Guy will take care of Natalia, and Jade will take care of Anise." His finger darted in front of her lips before she could protest. "And I'll take care of you."

ooo LL ooo

Anise took a deep, slow breath and tried to steady herself. This wasn't going to be easy.

She'd left Peony practically bursting with confidence, but her tryst with the Colonel wasn't going nearly as smoothly as she'd hoped. To start with, he'd caught her off guard, showing up when she least expected him. Anise had quickly recovered and poured on the charm, but exerting her feminine wiles seemed to provoke his suspicion rather than his interest. His prolonged holding of her hand had been promising, but it had left her too distracted to flirt properly, and produced no visible effect on him. Worst of all, she had come dangerously close to admitting her feelings in the hall, when Jade insinuated that marriage to him would be a bad thing. He doesn't really believe that...does he? She couldn't help but wonder.

Now she was sitting next to him on his bed, trying to make the best of it and keep going. Come on, Future Mrs. Colonel, don't give up now! Just look him in the eye - try not to get distracted by how pretty he is - and ask him. Easy enough, right? Okay, here we go!

"So," she began, hiding her nervousness remarkably well, "why is it that you couldn't look at me before?"

Jade averted his gaze, as though he'd been both expecting and dreading that question. "I told you before that I blamed myself for not keeping a closer eye on you. However, that wasn't the only reason. Despite all my years of research regarding replicas, I was powerless to aid Florian when it mattered. When I looked at you, I saw my own failure staring back at me. I couldn't forgive myself for it."

"So you felt guilty," she summarized softly, squeezing Tokunaga against her chest.

His eyes found her again. "Yes," he affirmed quietly, "I suppose I did."

"But you shouldn't have. It was my decision, Colonel," she said earnestly, "my responsibility. If anything, you should have blamed me."

"Don't get the wrong idea, Anise," Jade was quick to rejoin. "I was very angry with you for taking such a rash action on your own. It wasn't easy for me to forgive you."

"But you did, didn't you?" she asked timidly.

"Yes. Nonetheless, I suggest that in the future, you refrain from doing anything so reckless. If anything like that happens again, don't expect me to be so understanding." He adjusted his glasses. "I believe it's my turn."

Anise nodded, disappointed. While it was good to know that the Colonel cared enough as a friend to feel remorseful over the fact that she'd almost died, she'd been hoping for another answer. "Go ahead."

Jade immediately asked the question she assumed he would. "Why did you leave Daath?"

"Lots of reasons," she said, feeling the need to look away from him while answering. His stare was simply too intense, and stirred too many feelings for her to think rationally. "But mostly because Florian wanted to lock me up, and a bunch of Oracle Knights were chasing me."

The Colonel's eyebrows arched slightly. "You had to escape?"

Glumly, Anise nodded. "I resigned as Florian's Fon Master Guardian, but he wasn't going to let me leave. He shouted for the guards, and I ran." She shuddered as images of her flight from the cathedral flooded her mind; images of armored knights charging after her, and Ion's face, staring at her with a coldness that her Ion never had… "Florian isn't the person I thought he was. He doesn't want to be Fon Master so he can help people. He just wants the attention that comes with it. He doesn't care what happens to the church. Or to me."

To her surprise, Jade didn't argue the point. "I know how much reforming the church meant to you; not only for Ion's sake, but for your own. I'm surprised you didn't stay and try to guide Florian into being a better Fon Master."

Forcefully, she shook her head. "He wouldn't have listened to me. Besides, to stay, I would have had to… I only ever thought of him as a brother, but he wanted... he thought we were like that."

"Weren't you?" the Colonel posed.

"No!" Anise cried indignantly. "Never."

"Oh. I see." For the first time, traces of astonishment tinged Jade's expression. "I suppose I assumed... since you were so close to Ion…"

"Ion and Florian aren't the same person. You of all people should know that," she chided.

"Indeed." The Colonel held her gaze firmly. "Be that as it may, you were exceptionally attached to Ion. It would have been only natural for you to feel similarly for Florian, albeit to a lesser degree. Consider Natalia. Even after she learned that Asch was the real Luke, her feelings for our Luke were still very strong. It was difficult for her to separate her emotions between them, and to see them as two separate men."

"But, after Akzeriuth... when Luke had gone so far…" Anise recalled softly.

At this, Jade relented. "I see your point. If Florian doesn't lead the church well, it could lead to disaster and perhaps even war, just as Akzeriuth did."

"I never thought about it, but I guess Florian is like Luke was back then," she mused. "He thought he knew everything, and he wouldn't listen to anybody. He was so wrapped up in wanting to feel important that he didn't care about the people around him." Remembering Florian's ill-timed attempt at romance, Anise stuck her tongue out and scowled. "At least Luke didn't try to kiss Natalia, though."

When she looked up again, the Colonel was making a strange face. His eyebrows were arched so high that they nearly disappeared into the light brown part of his hair. "Florian kissed you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, and I wish he hadn't," she relayed with a maudlin look. "It was too weird."

"Oh, then it wasn't like kissing Ion?" Jade inquired.

"I never -" she began, before the full effect of what he'd asked washed over her. "Wait a minute! Why are you asking?"

The Colonel shrugged. "I'm compiling a list of comparisons between replicas and originals. It would be a useful addition to my notes."

"Uuughh," Anise groaned, rolling her eyes. "I should have known."

"Statistically, originals are far more adept at kissing than replicas," he continued impassively, pressing his glasses into place with a finger. "Their lips are stronger, their reaction time is swifter, and they exhibit much greater stamina."

His shocking turn of conversation caught her off guard. "Emperor Peony let you bring back fomicry so you could research that? Please tell me you haven't been going around kissing replicas, Colonel, that would just be -" Suddenly, a much worse thought flitted through her head, making her almost nauseous. "Ew! Colonel! You haven't kissed Luke, have you?!"

"No, I'm afraid my tastes don't lie in that direction," he said flatly. "Besides, Tear wouldn't have taken that too kindly." He gave her a sidelong look. "What about you, Anise? Do you have any comparison with originals I can add to my notes? In the interests of science, of course."

Realizing that it was a joke, Anise grimaced. "Didn't you tell me before that it wasn't nice to pry, Colonel? Besides, a lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"You were the one who brought up kissing Florian," Jade replied easily.

Flustered, she found herself scrambling for an answer. "Well, yeah, but... Wait a minute, don't I get another question?"

The Colonel smiled indulgently. "Oh, dear! In my old age, it must have slipped my mind."

Old age, shmold age, Anise griped inwardly. The Colonel's not exactly making this easy for me! Still, I should give it one more shot. I at least have to try…

"Hmm. This must be serious," Jade speculated, seeing how hesitant Anise was to proceed.

"It is," Anise confirmed, "at least, it is to me. Colonel… when you left Daath, I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again. I didn't understand – I don't understand – how you could just walk away like that. And I need to know." She sucked in a shaky breath, summoning up all her courage. "Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

As if the words were magic, his teasing smirk disappeared. His eyes fixed her gaze - those strange, unknowable red eyes, staring back at her behind the wall of his glasses. As it had in the inn, the tension began to swell between them.

"Say something," she encouraged.

His eyes disappeared behind the glare of his spectacles. "What do you want me to say, Anise?"

"I want you to answer me. You promised you would, Colonel."

Jade sighed heavily, shaking his head. "You're still such a child," he murmured, as though that explained everything.

"What?" Anise's jaw dropped in incredulity. He had sidestepped her question entirely. "What is that supposed to mean?"

When he met her gaze again, it was with something resembling pity. "I would explain it to you, but I'm not sure you want to hear it."

"Ugh! Don't give me that!" she cried in frustration. "Do you think I'm stupid? That I don't know what you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked, as though he really didn't know.

Exasperated, Anise balled up her fists, not even noticing as Tokunaga slid off her lap. "Dodging the question, that's what! You're running away from me now, just like you ran away from me in Daath, and I'm sick of it! I'm sick of wondering why you left the way you did, and I'm sick of trying to figure out what you're feeling, and the only reason I haven't given up already is because I –" She stopped herself short, trembling inside. Her lip quivered with the tremendous effort of holding it back.

"Because you… what, Anise?" he asked inaudibly.

That gentle prod was all it took. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Fine! You want me to say it? I'll say it! I love you! There. Are you happy? Knowing you, you're going to make some kind of a joke out of it. 'Stupid little Anise has feelings for the Colonel, ha ha ha!' Well, what are you waiting for? Just do it and get it over with. Go ahead, laugh!"

The Colonel was quiet for a moment. He wasn't laughing. He wasn't even smiling. "Anise…"

"Oh, great. That's even worse. You feel sorry for me." She shook her head vehemently, her hair mercifully hiding her tear-soaked face from view. "I'm such an idiot. I don't know why I thought… just forget I said it." She stood up to leave, but the Colonel caught her wrist and pulled her back. "Let me go."

"I'll do no such thing." He stood and turned her around so she was facing him, but Anise still couldn't look at him – not even when he drew her consolingly into his arms. "My, my. You do have quite a flair for the dramatic, don't you?"

"Don't make fun of me!" Anise demanded, yanking on the lapels of his coat.

"I'm not," he promised. "However, if you could take out your anger on some part of my uniform that doesn't strangle me…"

A fresh wave of tears hit as she loosed her fingers from his lapels and wound them around his back. Anise buried her face into his coat, sobbing. One of Jade's elbows remained locked around her, but his other arm moved so that he could stroke her hair. As his hand swept down the back of her head, Anise inhaled shakily. "C-colonel?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to say anything about… what I said?"

Jade made a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. "I will, but not just now. Anything I said would run the risk of being anti-climactic. Besides, it's rather comfortable like this."

"Huh?" Bleary-eyed, Anise finally looked up at him.

The Colonel was glancing out the window, where the sun was setting over the white towers of King Ingobert's castle. "Looks like it's getting late. Tear and Luke will be looking for you soon, if they're not already."

"I know," she muttered. "You don't think they'll be mad, do you?"

"No, but they will be worried - and if you don't keep them happy, they might not let me come and see you tomorrow."

Her jaw dropped. "Y-you really want to?"

"Well, assuming you can dry your face between now and then, and that a nice, warm dinner and some sleep will improve your mood. I enjoy your company much more when you aren't crying - and my uniform takes less abuse." He smiled softly.

Anise shook her head in disbelief. Only the Colonel could say something like that at such a moment and get away with it. "All right, all right, I get it. I'm going."

"First, let me look at you. If you go out there looking like you did a minute ago, Tear will be after my head." Anise obligingly tilted her chin up, and he examined her face for any lingering evidence that she'd been crying. Jade brushed the clinging strands of hair back from her face and dabbed delicately at her tears with a long, blue-gloved finger. "All right, nearly done. Close your eyes for just a second. I missed a spot."

Obediently, she let her eyelids slip shut. This is too weird, she thought as his fingers drifted over her face. "Did you get it?"

"Almost." His voice sounded closer; a low whisper, tickling at her ear. "Good night, Anise." And then she felt something warm press softly against her cheekbone, just below her right eyelid.

Her eyes fluttered open in amazement as she realized what he had done. Jade's lips backed slowly away from her cheek. His face, however, was still unnervingly close. She could feel the heat of his breath as he lingered, waiting for some response.

Anise tried to speak, but all that came out was air. Fortunately, her hands still seemed to function. Her fingers caught hold of the Colonel's coat and gripped it tightly. She tried to meet his gaze, but she never made it to his eyes. His mouth was in her way, distracting her, luring her towards it, and she had fallen for the bait. Oh, Colonel, she thought, as the lips that had so gently brushed her cheek closed firmly over her own.

A tingling rush swept over her as Jade's fingers crept into her hair. He captured her lips chastely at first, slowly caressing them between the warm folds of his mouth as though they had all the time in the world. Anise whimpered. She unconsciously began to mimic his motions, arching her chin so she could catch hold and tug lightly at his lower lip.

At this, Jade drew back, though his satisfied smirk left little doubt that he'd enjoyed it. The Colonel traced a tender line around her jaw.

Anise blinked rapidly, trying to catch her breath, although Jade's continued closeness and the tickling sensation of his glove under her chin made that particularly difficult. She gulped hard, then looked up into his smile. "Um… I…"

"Why, Anise," he remarked slyly, "I never thought I'd see anything render you speechless."

"C-Colonel!" she said indignantly, finding her voice.

"Ah, but it didn't last," he pretended to sigh. "Nonetheless, I'm flattered."

"You are?" Anise wondered, feeling a little less miffed.

"Naturally. Although, you should remember," he teased, tapping his finger lightly on the end of her button nose, "flattery will get you nowhere with me. And now, you really should be running along. You know how grumpy Luke will be if you make him miss dinner."

"Do I have to?" she whined.

That seemed to amuse the Colonel. "Ha ha ha! Pleasurable as it was, Anise, I'm afraid that's quite enough for one evening."

"Booo," Anise muttered. "Well, what about tomorrow?"

"We'll see," he grinned, "but only if you go. Don't forget Tokunaga, now."

"Okay." She knelt and picked up the puppet, putting him back on her shoulders. "Good night, Colonel."

He opened the door for her, and when she looked at him one last time, his red eyes were all but glowing. "It most certainly is."

ooo LL ooo

A/N: Yes, they finally kissed! If that made you smile, leave me a review & let me know! Thanks! More to come in Chapter 11...