A/N: Welcome to Part 3 of the story, everyone! This last part is going to be a bit different from the first two. It will be more focused on the present timeline, but a past timeline will be playing a significant role in the actions they will be taking. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

by : ~Nissanity~

Chapter 21 – Stranger Than Fiction

Nanoha POV

"Fate, what was that noise?! I heard a crash!" a voice called from the end of the hallway.

I glanced over to Fate nervously, and I saw the color from her face drain completely. She quickly shoved Vivio into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her, and I could hear Fate's muffled voice trying to make excuses for the noise moments earlier.

"I'll call you back, Hayate!" I said quickly into the phone before hanging up.

I patted the bed next to me. "Want to come sit, Vivio?" I asked. Vivio nodded slowly and made her way over to the bed. I noticed her perplexed look, and she never once took her eyes away from my face as she sat down.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Mama, you look so... young!" she replied, tilting her head to the side a little bit.

"Really? Well then, that's... good?" I tried, not quite sure how to respond to her observation.

Before we could say anything else, the door burst open and Lindy came inside the bedroom. "Ha! I knew that wasn't Nanoha!" she said, pointing to Vivio.

Fate sagged her shoulders. "I know. I'm sorry! I just didn't know how to explain her yet, is all."

"Lindy-san!" Vivio cried, running over and happily giving the tall woman a hug.

"Ummm," Lindy replied, holding her arms above Vivio as she looked down at her.

"I know, right?" I responded.

Fate suddenly frowned and came to stand next to Lindy. "What a minute, Lindy-san? I don't remember you coming over tonight?" she mentioned as she peered up at her.

Lindy's face flushed a deep red. "Oh, right. Yes..." she responded, now looking off to the side and avoiding everyone's eyes.

Fate silently walked over to her bedroom window and opened it, leaning her body out as she looked down. She then leaned out further and looked off to the right, down the outside of the house. She quickly reentered the bedroom.

"You used the ladder to sneak into my mother's room?!" Fate exclaimed.

Lindy laughed nervously. "Surprise...!" she said weakly to her, attempting to do jazz hands a little. "I'm dating your mother now. So, yay!"

"Seriously, what is with this family?!" I shouted. "You and Precia sleeping together after less than a week of knowing each other, and now I have a teenaged daughter."

Lindy looked down at Vivio. "What was that again? A daughter?" she asked.

Vivio pulled away from Lindy, confused again. "I don't understand what's going on here?" she said, visibly upset as she looked around at us. I could see tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

I jumped out of bed and grabbed Vivio's arm gently. "We don't understand either, sweetie," I told her honestly. I then pulled her into a hug against me. "But we are going to find out together, okay?"

I patted the back of Vivio's head for a moment to reassure her, and she wrapped her arms around me tightly. I felt her body shake a little while I let her cry against my shoulder. After a few minutes she stopped, and she wiped her eyes and nose on the sleeve of my shirt afterward.

Lindy grinned at the sight of me looking down at my sleeve in disbelief. "Welcome to motherhood, Nanoha!" she teased.

Vivio yawned and looked up at me with glassy eyes. "I'm kind of sleepy, Mama," she informed me.

"Fate-chan? Can you help Vivio while I call Hayate back?" I requested.

Fate nodded, placing her hands on Vivio's shoulders again to guide her out of the room. "Let me show you where you will be staying, okay?" she said.

Vivio stopped in the doorway to look back at me. "Goodnight, Mama," she said sleepily.

"Goodnight, Vivio!" I responded cheerfully. Lindy followed the two of them out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I picked up my phone from the bed and called Hayate back.

"Hey, did you find out anything new?" I asked her when she answered.

"Not really," Hayate replied. "We asked her if she knew Vivio, and she said she didn't. Ginga wanted me to ask if you have been having any dreams about your girl lately?"

I paused for a moment. "Y-Yes..." I finally croaked out.

Hayate sighed. "Let's just talk tomorrow. Bring Vivio over to Quint's for breakfast. We'll see if we can't figure something out."

Fate returned to the bedroom after getting Vivio settled into the guest room, just as I was hanging up the phone.

"What did Hayate say?" she asked as she pulled back the covers on her side. I was sitting up in the bed, and Fate scooted to sit next to me under the covers.

I shook my head. "They don't know much, either. But Einhart doesn't know who Vivio is."

"Einhart? Who's Einhart?" Fate asked.

I scratched my cheek. "Oh, right! I haven't... told you that part yet. They had a girl show up at Quint's place, too. Ginga has a teenaged daughter as well."

Fate leaned back against the headboard of her bed, stunned. She didn't say anything for close to a minute, so I glanced back to make sure she was okay. She shook her head to come out of her daze.

"Do you think Vivio is really your daughter?" she asked me after she had recovered.

"She's my daughter," I confirmed, looking over at the wall adjoining our room with the guest bedroom.

I felt Fate rub the small of my back gently. "She just told me, 'You look like my father.' So she called me Mama too."

I laughed and shook my head. "I knew you'd find some way to knock me up!"

"I told you, I'm like Superman," she responded cheerfully. "Hey, tomorrow's Sunday. We can meet up with Ginga and them, right?" she then asked.

"Yeah, we are going to Quint's house for breakfast in the morning," I confirmed.

"Lindy said Vivio has to go to school starting next week if she is still here, by the way," she informed me.

I looked back at Fate. "She's been here less than an hour and Lindy is already making her go to school?! That woman is seriously dedicated."

Fate pulled me down to lay next to her. I turned to face her, beginning to trace my index finger along her stomach absently. "What are we supposed to make all of this?" I eventually asked her.

Fate kissed my head softly. "I'm not sure. We will just have to take it one day at a time."

"Christ, Fate-chan! On your schedule, we'll end up with another child graduating from college next week," I teased, pinching her stomach.

Fate suddenly crawled on top of me, tickling me roughly with her hands and breathing against my neck playfully. "What was that Nanoha?! You want to make another child now, you said?!" she yelled through my laughs and screams.

"Fate-chan! I... can't... breathe!" I shouted back between my gasps. She eventually got off, leaning up on an elbow as she grinned happily down at me. I raised my hand and placed it alongside her head, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling back at her.

"What?" she asked.

I pulled her down to kiss me, and she moved to gently lay on top of me again. I placed my hands behind her head and threaded them in her hair, as she turned her attention to my kissing my neck. I wrapped my legs around her waist to pull her closer to me.

"I guess there is no harm in trying for another one, huh...?" I said, before bending my head back into the pillow to relish in my wife's touch completely.

oOOOo

"Hey, you guys made it just in time!" Hayate greeted at the front door the next morning. "Quint has been cooking all morning!"

I hugged Hayate hello. "How are things here?" I asked her quietly.

Hayate smiled. "Things are good. Einhart is so polite and helpful. It makes me wonder if she's not really Ginga's daughter after all," she responded with a wink.

We entered into the front entrance hallway, me in front with Fate guiding Vivio in by the shoulders behind me. It was a natural interaction they had already developed that I found incredibly endearing.

"Einhart, stand up, please?" I heard Ginga say from the living room. "Nanoha and Fate are here with Vivio!"

As I lead Vivio and Fate into the living room, my mouth immediately dropped open when I saw the girl that claimed to be Ginga's daughter.

"Oh my god, Ginga! Your daughter is beautiful!" I gawked.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the tall, silvery-green haired girl replied graciously. I noted she also had heterochromia, with one purple eye and one blue eye.

I heard a throat clear behind me. I turned and grinned sheepishly at Fate, realizing I had been blocking Vivio's view of Einhart in the living room. I stepped out of the way, and as I did a burst of wind blew open one of the living room windows, sending all the magazines and loose papers flying across the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" Hayate said, as she stepped over to the window to shut it.

I glanced at Fate quickly as the papers began to settle, and then over to Vivio. Her eyes were wide as she stared across the room at Einhart, completely entranced. I then turned my vision to Einhart, and she had the same expression as she watched Vivio closely.

"So... do you recognize her?" I asked Vivio, as the four of us in the living room leaned in closer in anticipation of her answer.

The girls started at each other a bit longer in silence.

"No," Vivio finally replied, and we all let out exasperated breaths.

We heard another knock on the front door, and I offered to answer it as Hayate went into the kitchen to assist Quint with the food. I discovered Lindy at the front door, holding up a paper in her hand.

"Lindy-san! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed.

"I have the admission paperwork for Vivio to go to school. I need it to be filled out by at least one parent so I can process it as soon as possible. It will take time to get her enrolled," she informed me.

I pointed up to my face and mouthed "Me?" when I realized that I was the parent in question. Lindy nodded her head in confirmation.

"Hey Nanoha, who is at the door?" I heard Ginga come up behind me. "Oh, hello Lindy-san! What's up?"

Lindy looked to me to make sure it was okay to discuss her reason for being there. "Ginga, Lindy-san is here because Vivio needs to enroll in school next week, and I have to fill out the paperwork," I informed her.

Ginga frowned a little bit. "Does Einhart have to go too?" she asked.

"Who's Einhart?" Lindy asked casually.

"My daughter? Like Vivio is to Nanoha...?" Ginga replied slowly.

Lindy moved her thumb suddenly, exposing a second admission form that she had hidden behind the first. "Good thing I brought an extra then, just in case the first one got messed up."

"You're taking this awfully well, by the way?" I mentioned to Lindy, taking the papers from her hand.

She nodded. "Once I told Precia about Vivio last night, she became really excited. She said she wanted to run some tests to confirm some biological things. She looked... happy, honestly. So I'll go along with whatever happens, if it brings her joy."

"My mother looked happy?" I heard Fate's unbelieving voice come from behind us.

"Very much so," Lindy replied.

Fate simply nodded as she looked down at the floor, lost in thought. I passed one of the papers off to Ginga. "Would you like to stay for breakfast?" I asked Lindy.

Lindy waved her hand. "No, but thank you. I'm heading down to the warehouse now, to see what Precia is up to. I heard her on the phone with Quint this morning. It sounded like they were discussing turning it into a laboratory now, perhaps."

Ginga let out a sigh and a smile, although there seemed to be a bit of sadness to it as well. "I guess we can retire now, huh? Since we don't have anyone to fight anymore?" she mentioned.

Ginga then looked apologetically to me. "Oh god! I'm sorry, Nanoha! I didn't mean that," she added quickly.

I shook my head. "Don't apologize. Things happen for a reason, you know? I'm sure of it."

Lindy exited the porch and we shut the front door, and I made my way over to Fate. "You okay?" I asked her.

She snapped her head up, unaware that I had been standing next to her. "Yeah! Of course. It's just... my mother has never seemed happy before, is all. It's a bit shocking."

We both looked over at Vivio, who was standing in the middle of the living room with Einhart. Vivio was laughing as she talked, and Einhart looked perplexed yet captivated by the blond-haired girl in front of her. It was almost like they were in their own world as they interacted with each other.

"I feel like Vivio's arrival is going to bring a lot of surprises for us from here on out," I mentioned. Fate and I made our way back into the living room to stand next to Ginga.

Teana and Subaru suddenly came down the stairs from the second floor. "Is that Vivio?!" Teana asked, smiling over the banister.

"Yes, she's here," Ginga replied.

Teana and Subaru introduced themselves to her, asking questions like how old she was and what her interests were. Vivio looked confused and uncertain when she was asked about her favorite music and movies.

"Well, how about video games?" Teana pressed.

"I... I don't know what those are?" Vivio replied. She began to frown and look down at the ground, and I gave Fate a worried glance. She and I hadn't asked Vivio any questions like that this morning, so this was all new information for us as well.

"Teana, Subaru," I began. "You guys can show them all that kind of stuff, right?"

Teana nodded and grabbed Vivio's hand. "Come on, Vivio! My mom just bought me a new laptop. Let me show it to you!" she said proudly. "Einhart, are you coming too?"

"Lap..top?" Vivio's confused voice asked as she and Einhart were being dragged away from the living room. Before the girls could begin to head upstairs though, another knock came to the front door.

"I'll get it! It's probably my dad," Subaru announced as she jogged over to answer it.

I looked to Ginga for clarification. "Quint invited Genya over for breakfast this morning. They seem to be getting along pretty well," she told me. She then smiled a little towards the kitchen, where her mother was still cooking breakfast for everyone.

Genya stopped to say hello to everyone in the living room, before he made his way to the kitchen to find Quint. Teana and Subaru took the girls upstairs to Teana's room.

"I showed Einhart what a movie was this morning," Ginga added. "She looked at the television like it was voodoo or something. It was definitely the first time she had ever seen anything like it."

"Where did these girls come from...?" I murmured, perplexed.

"Have you told Einhart about the dreams?" Fate asked.

Ginga shook her head. "We decided not to yet. She already seemed confused enough as it was."

"Yeah, we didn't tell Vivio yet either, for the same reason," I replied. "She seems a little sensitive, so we didn't want to throw too much at her at once."

Hayate came back in to the living room from the kitchen. "Nanoha, Quint has offered to watch Vivio and Einhart when we all go back to school tomorrow."

"That will be helpful. Hey, does that mean we can finally get the book club back on track then?" I asked her.

Hayate nodded. "Yes, for sure! You and I should meet up before school tomorrow at the library, to pick out something new for the club. Have a fresh start with it, you know?" she suggested.

I agreed, just as Quint was coming in to the living room from the kitchen. "Okay, everyone. Grab a plate! It's time to eat!" she announced.

Teana, Subaru, Vivio, and Einhart all came storming down the stairs together, once they heard it was time for breakfast.

"Like a herd of elephants..." Hayate commented under her breath, watching the girls descend the stairs loudly.

"Mama, Mama!" Vivio came up to me excitedly. "Can I spend the night here with Teana and Einhart?"

I pretended to pout. "Already bored with your Mamas, I see?" I replied, giving her a frown.

She frowned right back. "You guys don't have those things called video games," she retorted.

"Man, she really is your daughter!" Fate commented from behind me.

"It's okay with me, if Quint says it's alright," I told her.

Quint waved her spatula. "Of course! I'm enjoying having all these kids around, honestly. A house full of children is something I've always dreamed of."

We all spent the rest of the day together, getting to know Vivio and Einhart and introducing them to all the different things they claimed they had never seen before. It was late that evening when Fate and I returned to her house by ourselves, to enjoy the last night of our 'honeymoon' together, before we would have to return to school the next day.

oOOOo

"So, was there anything specific you wanted to read for the club, Hayate?" I asked, walking slowly behind her in the aisles of the library the next morning.

"Not at all," she replied. "For the first book, I just picked something randomly from the classic literature section."

"Let's go back there then, and see if we find something else?" I suggested.

Hayate led me to the bookshelf in question, and I noticed that it was next to the Greek literature section.

"I know nothing of Greek literature," I told her, pointing to the bookshelf next to the classical literature one.

"I know a little," she responded. "The mythology of the gods and goddesses, and their role with artists, is pretty interesting."

I turned my attention to the bookcase that contained a lot of older, familiar titles to me. I ran my fingers over some of the spines, enjoying the way the embossed titles tickled my fingertips a little.

"Oh, hey!" Hayate suddenly cried. "I forgot about this one!" Hayate reached up and removed a large brown book from the shelf above her. I noted a large celtic cross on the front.

"That book looks pretty old itself," I mentioned.

She examined the cover and then the spine, and then began to frown down at it. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the title of the book.

"What is it?" I asked, before looking down at the book as well. The title read "Classical Literature and Historic Tales."

"This is different than what I remember..." she murmured. She flipped the book over a few times in confusion, as if checking to see that she had the correct book. She then opened it and started flipping through the pages.

"There was a story in here that only had one line," she continued. "It was really odd. Like the publisher messed up, maybe?"

"Which story?" I asked.

"Honestly, I can't remember the name of it," she replied.

As she continued skimming the pages, she eventually came to a section where the pages were blank. "A-ha! Here it is!" she cried.

I continued watching her inspect the book, completely perplexed by her actions. She turned to the first page of the blank section, and I noticed there was some text printed at the top of it. It appeared to be the title to the story, and the first line of it was written underneath.

Hayate put her index finger under the title to read it. "Hmmm," she growled, her voice laced with irritation. "What is going on here?!"

I looked over her shoulder. "Joan of Arc?" I read the title out loud. "Who's that?"

Hayate shook her head. "I don't know. I've never heard of her."

I took the book from her and read the only line written. "Joan and Charles saw each other from across the room..." I recited.

"That wasn't their names before!" she exclaimed, taking the book from me. She then slammed it shut in her hand. "I'm borrowing this from the library."

"Do you want to find another book for the club then?" I asked her.

Hayate shook her head and grabbed me by the hand to pull me to the front of the library. "This will work. We are going to take a look at the stories in this at the meeting, and see what doesn't add up," she informed me.

We made it to the checkout counter of the library. "I would like to check out this book, please?" Hayate asked the clerk politely.

The clerk smiled as she took the book from Hayate's hand and placed it on her desk, opening the back jacket cover. She began to frown at it herself. "That's odd..." she began.

Hayate's hand clenched in mind. "Why is that?" she asked.

"This book doesn't seem to be in our registry," the clerk replied. Hayate glanced at me with a knowing look.

"So can we check it out, or no?" I asked her,

The clerk handed the book back to Hayate. "If you really want it, you can have it. If not, I'll have to register it in the system, but I don't really have time to do that right now. I'm sorry."

Hayate grabbed the book out of the clerk's hands. "I will gladly take it. Thank you very much," she responded.

"Hey, where's Fate?" Hayate asked as we were exiting the library doors. We entered onto the main courtyard path of the school, making our way to morning class.

"She went to go check on Vivio this morning," I replied. "Her and Einhart are going to be spending the day at the warehouse with Quint and Precia, apparently."

Hayate stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk. "I knew I shouldn't have left Einhart with them last night..." she scowled.

"Did you go home after Fate and I left?" I asked her behind me, surprised by the news.

Hayate nodded, now jogging to catch back up with me. "Signum finally forgave me for running away with Ginga the other night, and let me back into the house."

I laughed, thinking of her running away from my parent's mansion ahead of me the night I got married. The family had just had a meeting together that night to discuss what Jail had managed to do, when he took over the corporation completely in one afternoon.

"Has Signum and Shamal told my parents about the marriage?" I asked, although I was dreading the answer.

"No," Hayate replied. "Anyone who knows has agreed that you should be the one to tell them."

I nodded slowly as I stared at the sidewalk. "That makes sense. I just need to figure out the right time, is all." We both paused, lost in thought about the messy situations our family was in.

"She accidentally called me 'Father' yesterday morning, by the way," Hayate suddenly mentioned.

"Hmmm? Who did, Einhart?" I asked.

"Yep," Hayate said, staring straight ahead now. "So, what does that mean?"

I shrugged. "Vivio told Fate that she looked like her father too. So I guess I should be telling you both congratulations, huh?"

Hayate hung her head. "These Testarossa women!" she groaned. "Just what are we going to do with them?"

As if on cue, Fate and Ginga appeared at the front entrance of the school and spotted us on the main path. They began to walk towards us, both smiling broadly as we approached them. I grabbed Fate and kissed her hello in front of the whole school, and Hayate did the same with Ginga.

"We can do only what we can," I told her, "and that is to love them completely - - just the way they are."

A/N: I recommend brushing up on the history of Joan of Arc for these next chapters, just to get a good feel for her role in history, and who Charles VII was in her life. Well, until next time! ~Nissanity~