Warning: This chapter contains extreme mushiness, and is my first attempt at such a thing.

You have been warned.

Chapter 10: Finally!

Darkness.

Freezing.

Crushing.

Suffocating.

I can feel it. It's all around me. A force so monstrous and cold, it can penetrate my very soul.

It wants in.

It demands to be let in.

But it can't.

Not anymore.

I curl up tighter, savoring the warmth. A tiny bubble of light in an ocean of darkness. I can see the darkness swarm around me, looking for a weakness. Looking for some way to get me. It bashes against the light, trying to break through. I can feel it screech out at me, a sound that has tormented me for years.

A sound I can no longer hear.

Thanks to the light, I can hear something that I have wished I could have for three years:

Silence.

This light... since it appeared, I have felt things I haven't felt for what seems like a lifetime: warmth; joy; safety...

Safety.

I feel safe.

The light makes me feel safe.

She makes me feel safe.

Consciousness comes slowly. It's this moment, the brief period between dream and reality, that I treasure. When I can feel both the warmth of the light...

...and the warmth of her body.

I try to hold on to that dual feeling as long as I can, but eventually I feel the light fade. Reluctantly, I crack open one of my eyes, only to be met with a curtain of deep, navy hair and the dark skin of her neck. I feel a bit of pride in myself for not flinching upon waking up this time. It seems that I'm starting to get used to waking beside her.

At that thought, I feel two things. One is a warm sensation in my heart. The other is a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach, one of fear.

Fear that this won't last for much longer.

I've been trying to ignore it. To forget reality. To enjoy my time with Piper as long as I can. But... I'm Master Cyclonis. From a young age, my mind was trained to be a weapon; to take a situation, and find any weaknesses, any flaws. And the entire time that I watched Piper work to repair that Switchblade, there was one glaring issue that I just could not banish from my mind. Once we get off of Amazonia...

...what do we do next?

Isn't it obvious? My thoughts ask me. Go back to Cyclonia, find out what shape your army's in. If Piper gives any resistance, knock her out and take her there by force.

That's what I should do. That's the most logical course of action.

But... if I do that... Piper would hate me. I'd lose her, if you could even consider what I have now as having her.

I can't lose her. I love her too much.

Surprised to hear me admit it? You have no idea how long it took me to be able to admit that to myself. I spent months trying to rationalize my feelings, trying to convince myself that I was imagining it, or that it was a trick. Maybe Piper had used a Hypnosis crystal or something of the like to give me these thoughts. Or maybe the stress of being queen was getting to me. Or maybe...

Or maybe I was just scared.

Could I be blamed for that? I'm Master Cyclonis. How would it look if it became known that the Queen of Cyclonia had fallen for a Storm Hawk? And not just any Storm Hawk; a female Storm Hawk.

That second point alone would cause me to lose followers. Though such... unconventional relationships did exist, they were very rare and were strongly looked down upon, at least in Cyclonia. I have no doubt that the older citizens, the ones how most strongly remember my Father and Grandmother's rule, would leave the Terra.

That sent another pain in my chest. Father... Grandmother... what would they have thought my feelings?

I push those thoughts as far out of my mind as I can, feeling my eyes start to water. I pull myself closer to Piper. She gives a small sigh in her sleep, much to my surprise and joy.

Well, I think, Cyclonia's out, at least for the time being. What's that leave?

Two words came to mind.

Storm Hawks.

I grimaced. Not right now. That's a whole line of thought that will just depress me. Think of something else. Think of anything. Think of... think of...

An image came to mind. An image involving a lake.

And Piper.

In an instant, my face felt like it was on fire, groaned silently. Why won't that memory just leave me alone? I close my eyes and she's there, standing in the water, her wet navy hair hanging off her shoulders. She looks so... angelic. And then my eyes drift lower...

This time, I'm so mortified I can't hold in the groan. I flinch as the soft sound echoes off the cave walls, breaking the silence. Piper groans and shifts, but thankfully does not wake from her surprisingly deep sleep.

Why had I looked at her like that? Was I really that enthralled with her, that I couldn't even control myself when given that opportunity?

However, though my blush remained, this brought another thought to the front of my mind. Something that had bugged me ever since I had seen her... like that. When I saw her... chest... I could have sworn that there was something on her skin , dead center. Like a birthmark, or... or a tattoo, or... or... what was that?

I pulled back from Piper a bit, just enough so I could see her face. For the first time I noticed the sunlight shining through the mouth of the cave. Piper had her back to it, causing the light give her fitting description of a sleeping angel.

Suddenly, I found two amber orbs staring at me, a sleepy smile on the face of their owner.

"Good morning."

It took all my will not to flinch back in shock. How long has she been awake?

"How...?" I start to ask.

Piper gave me a cheeky smile. "About ten minutes." Her smile fades, however, a thoughtful look on her face. "So... everything you showed me yesterday...that was all true?"

A feeling of dread started to worm its way through me. "Yes. All of it."

"The part about your family?"

I nod slowly. "Yes..."

Piper mimicked my movement. Then she smiled softly. "Even the part about cloaking Radarr?"

Part of my dread dissipated, replaced with relief. I felt a small smile of my own start to form. A brief chuckle even escaped me. "Yes, even that."

Piper laughed with me. Then an awkward expression overtook her. "So..."

"So." I answered back.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When they opened, I saw a mixture of conflicting emotions. "You truly do have... those kind of feelings for me."

I felt my heart start to hammer, my eyes lowering. "Yes... yes I do, Piper."

Ask her! A part of my mind ordered. The same part I had felt last year. The same part I felt whenever Piper came to mind. It's now or never. Just get it over with and you can move on from there!

I mentally steadied myself, scared of what the answer to my next question might be. I forced myself to look Piper in the eye. She still had a whirlwind of emotion in her eyes, but now I could see concern in them too. I took a deep breath.

"So... what do you think of that?"

Piper gave a minute cringe. Apparently she'd been dreading for me to ask this. I couldn't blame her, but at the same time I felt a small stab in my chest, of what I'm not sure. "I... I don't know. I don't know what to think. I mean... I've always thought of you as this cold, far off force, an enemy we'd have to face one day. But... now..."

I struggled to keep my face passive. Her words cut deep, but they weren't untrue. "But...?"

Piper's gaze broke for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. When she looked back, her face had softened a bit. "But... there's more to you then that. You truly care for your Terra. You know the importance of family." I noticed a small tint form in her cheeks. "You... feel."

The pain that had been in my chest was now replaced with a warmth at every word she said. If was was thinking a bit more clearly, I would have been mortified by the hold she seem to have on me. Still, she hadn't exactly answered my question. "But what do you think... about my feelings for you." It took all my will not to stutter.

Instantly the small bit of pink she had turned to full red, with an embarrassed look to match. "Well, um, I... you see, uh... " She stopped her flustering by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly, and then locked eyes with me. "You want me to be honest?"

I had to swallow the lump in my throat before nodding.

Piper returned it with a slight nod of her own. Then, reluctance evident in her voice, she spoke. "I... don't know how to feel. I mean... let's forget for a moment that we're on opposite sides of a war. That detail goes without saying." I nod again. I may love this girl, but that didn't mean I had forgotten our situation. Although...

Her voice cut of my thoughts. "Honestly... my biggest concern is that... well..." I had to bite back a laugh at the look of awkwardness and embarrassment as the object of my affections struggled to speak. "...well... it's just... we are... both... girls..."

I blinked. Oh. So that's whats troubling her. I couldn't help but to smile softly. "Is that all?"

Piper leaned a bit further back, her face incredulous. "Is that... what do you mean 'is that all?' This isn't normal! Two girls aren't suppose to... " She trailed off, her face getting redder by the word.

A small laugh escaped my lips. "First off, 'normal' is a relative term." Deciding to be bold, I moved my hand from it's resting place on her side, sliding it up her back. Piper gave a small start at the feeling. "And second, there's nothing wrong with two girls being in... " I bit my tongue as the word 'love' tried to make itself heard. "... a relationship." I said instead.

Now Piper blinked. "There's not?" She said hesitantly. In her amber eyes, I saw a mix of surprise, curiosity, and... was that... relief?

I nodded, my hand still sneaking its way up her back. "No, there's not. I don't know about the rest of the Atmos, but on Cyclonia there are several same-sex couples I know about."

Piper's eyes widened a bit. Then a worried look crossed her face, which soon turned to suspicion. "How do you know about them?"

My hand, which had reached to just between her shoulder blades, froze. Should I tell her? It might scare her off. But... (sigh) I can't lie to her.

All the same, my gaze lowered from her eyes to her dark neck. "Sometimes, the families of such a couple did not agree with such a relationship. They'd then seek council with me, asking me to enforce a law against such 'atrocities,' as they put it." Steeling myself, I looked back into her captivating amber orbs, the emotions in them unreadable. "I always refused to do so."

Now there was an emotion I recognized: confusion. "Why?"

Now it was my turn to blush. I once again broke my gaze from hers. "Because... if I did so..." I whispered, surprised by the softness of my own voice. "... I'd be a hypocrite."

Piper stayed silent. We lay there for a few minutes, silent, our arms still hanging loosely around each other. By now the sun had risen above the lip of the cave entrance, leaving us in shadow.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. Looking back to her face, I saw that she was staring off towards the back of the cave, deep in thought. In a soft voice, I spoke. "Piper? Please say something. What are you thinking?"

She was silent for a moment longer. Then she looked me in the eyes. In those calming amber eyes, I saw two things: apprehension, and... fear?

Despite that, her voice was just as calm and collected as ever. "It's just... I've never considered feeling... that way towards another girl. I don't even know if I can be attracted to another girl."

As she spoke, a thought crossed my mind. A stupid thought. An insane thought. A thought that, if acted upon just to have it backfire, would pretty much guaranty that Piper would never return my feelings.

However, if it worked...

Slowly, praying that she won't notice, I start to snake my hand further up her frame.

"Y'know..." I whisper, keeping my voice as quiet as possible. "There's an easy way to find out if you can have those feelings for a woman."

Piper leaned in a bit closer, trying to hear my voice clearly. "Really? How?"

I had to fight to keep the smirk off my face. There it was; that almost childlike innocence that had somehow survived despite all the hardships she'd been through. So trusting. I almost felt bad for tricking her like this.

Almost.

I steeled my nerves. This was literally all or nothing. What happens next could end over a year of dreams and fantasies.

Or... make them a reality.

"By doing... this."

I quickly leaned forward. Surprised, Piper tried to recoil, only to find my hand keeping her head from moving. Before she could react, I closed my eyes, and lunged.

Bliss. That's the only way to describe it. In that moment, everything just melted away. There was no war. There was no Cyclonia. There was no Atmos. There was just me. Just me and the feeling of her lips against mine.

In truth, it was nothing special. Just contact. I didn't go any farther then just pressing my lips to hers. But that was all I needed. If nothing else came of this, if Piper rejected me, I'd at least have this moment. This memory.

The moment our lips met, I could feel Piper stiffen in shock. I didn't dare open my eyes, afraid of what the look in hers would be.

I held the kiss for just a few seconds. Then, reluctantly, I pulled away. Then, I opened my eyes.

For the most part, Piper's expression was blank. However, in her eyes, I could see the gears turning, her thoughts shifting. Though I knew it had been a long shot, it still hurt not to see the happiness or acceptance I'd been hoping for.

I closed my eyes, releasing a sigh. Better try to salvage what I can.

"Piper, I-"

A sudden pressure on my lips silenced me. My heart skipped a beat and my eyes flew open, disbelieving.

She's kissing me.

She's kissing me!

Eagerly I returned the kiss, closing my eyes while doing so. If the last one was bliss, this was complete euphoria. Not only finally being able to make known the feelings that I've pent up for far too long, but having those feelings be returned as well was the greatest experience of my life.

A quick pain went through my head, similar to the ones I've been having lately, but it was gone just as soon as it had happened. If I had a better state of mind, I would have wondered about it.

But at the moment, I could really care less.

I don't know how long the kiss lasted. Seconds? Minutes? Days? I have a feeling that, if it were possible, we would have let it go forever.

Unfortunately, our lungs thought otherwise.

We broke away, both gasping for breath. I opened my eyes at the same moment she did, our faces flushed. As I tried to get my breathing (and my heartbeat) back to normal, I took in the girl before me. A small smile played on her lips, which sent my heart soaring once more.

"That... was..." She gasped between ragged breaths.

"Yeah..." I confirmed, grinning like a fool. Once I could breath rather then gasp, I looked deeply into her eyes, a new hope battling the uncertainty spreading through me. "So... does this mean...?"

Piper's smile faltered, but only slightly. She lowered her gaze as she spoke. "I don't know if I'm completely comfortable with this..." I felt my heart start to sink. "But..." Her eyes once again met mine, and my heart seemed to rise in my chest. "...if this is how it feels to be with someone... with you..." Her smile grew softer, comforting. "...then... I think I'd be willing... to give it a chance. To give... us... a chance."

I blinked. That small pain came and went once again as my eyes started to water. Piper's seemed surprised, but then pulled me into a warm embrace. I clung tightly to her as lines of water slid down my face tears, not of sadness, but, for the first time, of joy. I'd been accepted.

Piper had accepted me.

"Stupid piece of scrap metal!"

I struggled to hold in my laughter as Piper gave the Switchblade a hard kick, causing it to wobble on it's wheels. This was the fifth time Piper had lost her cool in the past three hours. After Piper had... well, asked if we could start a relationship, (my heart did a small back flip at the thought) we'd finally gotten out of the cave and Piper once again tried to make the rusted bike function. Needless to say, it wasn't going well.

I got up from the tree I'd been resting under and made my way over to her. I wished I could be of more help to her, but mechanics had never been my cup of tea. Piper had asked me if Ravess had given me any memories of any tricks you needed to make the Switchblade work, but unfortunately, most of the memories I had gained from my most- one of my most trusted generals, were mostly from battles. Mostly failed missions that the Storm Hawks had screwed up. In truth, that was one of the high points of my day, (not that anyone knew so) listening to my generals give their reports and hearing of how Piper had a hand in their downfall. A bit counterproductive, all things considered, but it still brought a smile to my face when I was alone.

Piper was currently hunched over the bike's engines, a thick green... liquid?... coating her fingers. I patted her back in sympathy. "Having trouble?"

She barked out a humorless laugh. "To say the least!"

I nodded, peering into the bike's chassis. I might as well have been looking into the human brain. "What's still left to fix?"

Piper wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm. "Well, I straightened out the wing, so that's done. I've fixed the engine as best I can without new parts. It might not fire on all cylinders, but it'll get us off the ground. The only problem now is cleaning out all this...gunk."

She wasn't kidding. Over half of the engine was covered in a thick green paste, getting in between gears and coating wires. I scrunched up my nose at the mess. "Um... what exactly... is that?"

Piper looked at me, and stifled a laugh at the look on my face. "I think that there were some plants growing in the engine itself. When I tried to turn on, they kind of got... mulched."

"Oh."

Piper sighed. "I wish I had a cooking crystal right now."

At that, I raised an eyebrow. "How would a cooking crystal help?"

In an instant, I saw a change in Piper's demeanor. Her eyes grew sharper, and a sense of pride entered her voice. "Cooking crystals give off a small enough heat source that we could dry out the mulch without damaging the engine. It would be ten times easier to clean out and I could do it in a fraction of the time."

I was... surprised, to say the least. It took a moment to realize that Piper had taken on the attitude of a teacher, and rightly so, as I'd never even considered using cooking crystals for such an application. However, that gave me an idea.

"Piper," I started. "Would any kind of heat source do?"

Piper gave me an inquisitive look, but answered non the less. "Yes, but it would have to a relatively light heat, somewhere around two-hundred degrees. (F°)"

I nodded, a sly smile forming. I griped my staff tightly. "Stand back"

I felt the energy flow from my body into my staff. Before she could respond, I let lose a small storm of lightning, causing her to stumble back in surprise.

The lightning only lasted about two seconds. As I cut the power, I felt the drain I always do when I use my lightning. I quickly shock it off and looked into the engine.

I turned to Piper with a smug grin. "That work?"

Piper came over and looked into the machine. I heard a small pop as her mouth dropped open.

Not only did dry the plant mulch- I incinerated it. Not only that, but I'd managed what Piper must have though impossible: I left the engine untouched.

Piper turned towards me, shock evident. Then she lunged at me, gathering me in a bear hug, actually spinning me around like in a sappy romance novel.

Not that it still didn't make me blush.

Suddenly she set me down, a lot of absolute joy on her features. "I can't believe you did that! Oh! Wait, wait, wait! Let me check something!" Piper practically hopped onto the bike and turned the key.

The effect was instant. Strong blue flames shot out of the jets, sending out a burst of heat. The engine itself roared, sounding unnaturally loud after so long with only the sounds of nature. There was a noticeable rattling noise as it idled, but that didn't matter. We didn't care if it ran at it's best; only that it worked.

Piper turned to me, beaming. "You did it Cy!" I felt my own bit of warmth as she used the nickname. "Now we can leave!"

That warmth suddenly turned into cold dread. I'd been waiting for this issue to come up. Waiting, but not wanting. I looked into Piper's eyes, sadness evident. "Leave... where?"

Despite my voice barely being audible over the engine, she heard me. Confused, she opened her mouth to speak. It snapped shut as cold understanding.

Piper turned off the Switchblade. Without the engine's roar, the quiet of the forest seemed almost smothering. I could see the thoughts going through Piper's mind. Probably for the first time in three days, she realized the problem with a Storm Hawk and a Cyclonian Queen trying to work together: where do you go?

We stared at each other in awkward silence for a full minute. While I tried to look calm on the outside, on the inside I felt like crying. I finally got Piper. I finally told her I love her.

And now I might be about to lose her.

Unexpectedly, Piper spoke. "Hey Cy?"

"What?" I flinch inwardly at how... broken my voice sounded.

Piper seemed to realize how I was feeling on the inside. She got off the Switchblade and walked over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Do you know where any of your forces are?"

That I was not expecting. But before I could question her, the thought hit me: did I know? I thought for a moment. After the failed assault on Atmosia, I had no idea where any of my forces could be. I didn't even know if the other ships had gone through with their orders, or if everything fell to pieces after the Murk Raiders attacked.

"No," I finally answered in a small voice. "No, I don't. But that doesn't mean-"

"Relax." Piper stopped me. "As it happens, I don't know where the guys are either. And, before you say anything, I'm not taking you to Atmosia."

I was both shocked and impressed at that. Impressed that she thought of that. Shocked that she wouldn't consider it.

At my questioning gaze, she gave a small laugh. She explained, "If I took you there... I don't even want to think what they would do to you." After a moment's hesitation, she gave a warm smile. "And what kind of girlfriend would I be if I let that happen?"

My head suddenly felt light. She just called herself my... I could feel the sappy grin start to creep onto my face. "But, then what..."

"Do you trust me?"

I blinked at the sudden question. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" She repeated, her voice kind.

Though the smart thing would have been to actually consider the question, I didn't hesitate. "Yes, I do."

She smiled brightly. "Okay. I know some people we can go to, where we can probably find out where the Condor is and where your forces are. We can figure out what to do next then."

I couldn't help but eye her suspiciously. "Are these people... Skyknights?"

Piper got a bit nervous, running a hand through her hair. "Well, yes. But their pretty lax on the rules. They wouldn't tell anyone about you after I talked to them."

That I somehow doubted. Still, I wanted to believe it.

No, I want to believe her.

"And you trust these people?"

At this, Piper gave me a sharp nod, a prideful look on her face. "With my life."

In my mind, a battle was raging.

No, this is obviously a trap.

Piper would never deceive me.

She's a Skyknight. Not just a Skyknight, a Storm Hawk. Of course she'd deceive me.

She hasn't yet.

That's beside the point. I don't know where she's taking me. She could try anything.

On the other hand, it would be a long flight. And with only one seat, the only way we'd both ride is...

"Okay. Let's go."

Piper beamed. She then turned and got on the bike. I followed, strapping my staff into the Switchblade's weapons holster. I got on behind her, tentatively wrapping my arms around her waist. I felt her stiffen at first, then, to my relief, relaxed in my grip.

"Okay," she said, excitement obvious in her voice. "Let's get off this rock."

The Switchblade fired up with a roar. With a twist the handle, Piper sent the bike hurtling through the forest, trees zipping by as we picked up speed. I clung tightly to Piper, burying my face into the long locks of her navy hair, silently praying. Please work, please work, please work, please work...

Piper pulled the release. With the sharp scraping of metal against metal, the Switchblades wings unfurled.

Instantly we shot up into the air. I could feel my heart and my spirits soar with the Switchblade. Piper let out a shout of triumph as we shot up into the clear blue sky, leaving behind us the open field, the clear lake, and the cave that we had taken refuge in.

As we left Amazonia behind us, I rested my chin on Piper's shoulder. For the moment, I felt like nothing could go wrong.

It wouldn't be until much later that we realized we forgot something. On the cave floor, untouched for almost four days, lay a simple, orange headband.

A/n: People, we have reached a milestone. As of this moment, with 53 reviews and just under 40,000 words, this is the longest, most reviewed Piper/Cyclonis fic EVER. That. Is. AWESOME! And I have all of you to thank. Thank you all for sticking with me, and hopefully you all keep sticking with going into 2013. Also, I hope you liked Cy's point of view in this chapter. I tried.

Also, to quote myself: FINALLY!

P.S. If anyone wants some more Piper/Cy fics, check out The Healer's Touch by Zoey Overbeck. It's more of a friendship fic then romance and it's just starting out, but I think it has promise. Just like with me, give it a little love and I'm sure it will turn into an awesome fic.