A/N: To Haruko Kakikomi, I had to modify Peter Pan from the original story a bit, since it would have been impossible for Fate and the others to fly in their previous life (although that would have been pretty fun to see). I'm going to try to incorporate Anastasia into the next update if it's possible, per Redmoon021's request.

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 25 – Mothers and Daughters

Nanoha POV

"This seems too short," Vivio mentioned to her reflection in the mirror.

I watched her silently as she turned from one side to the other, staring at the length of her skirt of her new school uniform. I finally walked up to assist her.

"Here, let me see" I instructed, and I reached down for the ends of her skirt to pull it down lower if possible.

Vivio stepped away from from me before I could. "No, I've got it!" she said quickly.

I stood back up and placed a hand on my hip. "Okay, then. It's your skirt."

She then started to put her vest on over her white button-up shirt. "Do I really have to go to school?" her muffled voiced asked from behind the knitted garment.

"You know what Lindy said," I replied. I glanced out from behind the dressing room curtain to see Fate had shown up at the uniform shop yet.

Vivio crossed her arms and sulked. "I know, but what difference does it make if Einhart and I just have to go back to our time anyway?"

I brought my head back into the dressing room and stared at her in shock. "Why would you say something like that?" I responded defensively. "You're staying here with us, no matter what it takes."

She peered back at me. "We wouldn't have to learn to defend ourselves if you really believed that, Mama."

Before I could say anything in response to Vivio's last comment, I heard the front door of the uniform store open. I looked out the curtain again, seeing Fate enter the store and look around. Ginga, Hayate, and Einhart followed in behind her.

"Vivio, Einhart is here," I informed her. "Why don't you change out from the uniform and pick out some shoes with her?" Vivio nodded, and I left her in the dressing room to change. I walked out to meet Fate in the main part of the store.

"Fate-chan!" I called out.

Fate turned and smiled, and then hugged me when I came closer to her. "Hey, Nanoha!"

"I'm glad you made it. I have to go see my father soon," I said.

"Have you figured out what you are going to say to him yet?" Fate grimaced at the thought.

I shook my head. "N-Not really," I replied. "Vivio doesn't seem all that thrilled about the idea of going to the dojo, I think."

"She is probably just nervous, Nanoha."

"How does Einhart feel about it ?" I asked. Fate and I both looked to where they were standing, a few clothing racks away from us. Ginga was holding up a skirt that would have been much too short on Einhart, and Hayate shook her head disapprovingly. Einhart had her usual stoic expression as she watched her two mothers argued over the appropriate length for her.

"Einhart understands, I think. I haven't heard her object to it, at least," Fate responded.

We watched as Hayate and Ginga then turned their attention to the vests, causing a whole new discussion about how tight it should be. Vivio exited the dressing room holding her new uniform, and we saw her drag Einhart away to the shoe section. Einhart looked both relieved as well as pleased to see Vivio, and I started shifting through the cheerleader outfits on the rack in front of me.

Fate leaned over my shoulder. "Are you stalling?" she whispered in my ear.

"Yes, of course I'm stalling!" I responded through clenched teeth.

Fate's hand entered into mine, and she started pulling me away from the clothes. "Let's go outside for a minute," she suggested.

I let her guide me out of the front door of the store and around the corner of the building. We were standing in the entrance to the alleyway, now out of sight of the public for the most part. She placed a reassuring hand on my cheek and guided my head up to look at her.

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready, Nanoha? We can pay for a different instructor."

I put my hand on her arm and shook my head. "No, it's okay. I need to do this. Plus, how can I convince Vivio to be brave if I can't even face my own father?"

Fate smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. "Well, if you do this, I'll make sure to reward you tonight," she said beside my ear.

I pulled back from her and frowned. "Don't say with sex, Fate-chan. That's your idea of a reward."

"You don't like having sex with me?" she asked as she pretended to pout.

"Jeez..." I growled, feeling my cheeks flush as I looked away from her.

Fate began to laugh. "I was thinking of watching a movie together tonight? A fun one."

I threw my arms around Fate's neck excitedly in response. "Well in that case, I'd better get going!" I told her. I kissed her on the cheek before heading out of the alley towards the bus stop.

"I'll tell Vivio you said bye!" Fate called out behind me.

I turned and waved at her, and then picked up my pace when I saw the bus I needed to catch approaching from down the street. I made it just in time to hop on before the doors closed behind me, and took a deep breath as I mentally prepared to see my father at his dojo that evening.

oOOOo

Fate POV

I walked back into the uniform store and spotted Hayate and Ginga near the front of the clothing racks. Vivio was having fun putting different hats on Einhart's head across the store, and Einhart looked embarrassed and amused in response to her antics.

"Hey, did you guys ever figure out why the eye thing didn't work for you in the dream, by the way?" I asked as I came to stand beside them.

Hayate glanced at me once and then away to the floor quickly. "Y-Yeah, I think I was too distracted trying to figure out ways to kill you, Fate. I never really had a chance to look at Ginga directly during those times."

"Oh," I responded. "I guess I can take comfort that you were always a good friend to Nanoha, Hayate."

"Fate, there's a problem..." Ginga suddenly said.

"Huh, what is it?"

"Has Nanoha noticed anything different when she touches Vivio, by chance?" she asked uncomfortably.

"No, not that I know of?" I replied.

Ginga was now unable to meet my eyes, and Hayate decided to step in for her. "Every time Ginga tries to touch Einhart, it's a little painful for both of them," she said.

I stared at her in confusion. "Painful how?"

"It feels like electricity, maybe?" Ginga said. "It's bearable but... it seems like it's an issue we need to address."

"I'll have to find out if Nanoha touched Vivio today or not. Do you think it's related to them coming here somehow?"

"Well, if the same thing happens between Nanoha and Vivio, then I think we can assume that it is," Hayate replied.

"Does Vivio know about it?" I asked.

Ginga nodded. "She was there when it happened the first time."

Vivio and Einhart put down the funny hats and began to walk across the store towards us. "I bet Vivio wouldn't let Nanoha touch her then, knowing her," I mentioned.

"We asked Teana to see if she could figure out anything," Ginga added. "But so far, she hasn't come up with anything."

Vivio came up to stand in front of me with a goofy grin on her face, and I put my hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Well, I guess we'll tell Nanoha as best as we can tonight," I concluded.

oOOOo

Nanoha POV

I kneeled in silence at the edge of the wooden floor of the dojo, watching my father practice kendo techniques by himself. The only sounds were the echoes of him stamping his foot forward and shouting as he imitated a strike against an opponent. I glanced around and noticed that the interior looked exactly the same as when I was eight years old, when I used to watch my siblings perform these techniques. I was now sitting in the exact spot I had been in when I last watched my sister Miyuki practice here.

My father finished his routine and replaced the shinai in the stand next to the others before beginning to take off his equipment. He was unwrapping the cotton towel from around his head when he finally spoke to me.

"Nanoha," he greeted, his voice a bit distant and emotionless.

"Hello, Father," I responded evenly in return.

My father began to place the equipment back on the shelf as I stood up. "It's been quite a few years since we've been in this room together, hasn't it?" he mentioned.

"Almost a decade."

A silence enveloped us, and I let him finish his task before trying to speak to him again. "Dad, I - " I began.

"So I heard you're married now?" he interrupted, looking at me over his shoulder.

I stepped back a little, and attempted to quell the fear and anxiety that were threatening to shake my resolve. I opted to not respond just yet, worried that my voice might shake if I tried to.

"Do you believe it was a good decision?" he pressed.

I took a deep breath. "Yes, I do believe it was. I'm meant to be with her," I responded confidently.

My father nodded. "Okay then. I can accept it."

I felt a growing sense of frustration bubbling inside of me now that we were on the subject of Fate, and subsequently her family. I wanted to lash out at my father for all the horrible ways he treated the Testarossa family, and for letting Precia take the fall to protect his own selfish interests all those years. I felt my hands ball into fists, but before I could begin to grill him about his past misdeeds, an image of Vivio flashed through my mind. I relaxed my hands a little, realizing there was something more important I needed to address with him at the moment.

"Dad, I need your help," I stated.

My father turned and looked at me directly. "What is it, Nanoha?"

I finally approached him. "There are two very important girls to me that need this place. That need you."

My father studied me closely, and I felt like it was the first time in years that I could remember him actually looking at me like his daughter. "It's interesting, Nanoha," he responded. "I don't think I can ever remember you asking for help from me once while growing up. You are always so independent."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You didn't make it all that easy for me to want to rely on you or approach you," I replied coldly.

"That is true," he acknowledged. My father then narrowed his eyes as he stared at the wall behind me, seemingly lost in thought about his old self.

"Will you teach the girls how to defend themselves, and train them in kendo? Please?" I requested of him after a moment.

"Have them show up at four o'clock tomorrow afternoon," he replied. I turned and began walking away towards the exit without another word.

"Nanoha?" my father called to me before I could leave.

"Yes?" I replied, my hand on the door frame as I looked back at him.

"Is Fate Testarossa coming to dinner on Saturday?"

I paused. "Yes, my wife will be there," I responded.

My father nodded. "Good. I have a lot I wish to discuss with her."

I left the dojo and caught the first bus I could home. I wasn't entirely pleased with my encounter with my father on that visit, but I also knew there were many years of rejection and pain to overcome before I could fathom a stable father-daughter relationship with him.

I now felt apprehension and dread for the upcoming dinner on Saturday on the bus ride back. Although Fate had agreed with little hesitation to come to the dinner for my sake, I still felt an overwhelming need to protect her from any potential problems my father could still cause her and her family.

I turned the key in the deadbolt to Fate's house and opened the front door, and a sense of relief washed over me. I felt I was back in the one place in the world where I was welcomed wholeheartedly. I walked into the kitchen and set my purse down on the bar counter.

"Hey, Mama!" I heard from the other room.

I looked over to the living room and spotted my daughter and wife sitting under the kotatsu together, with take out containers on the table in front of them.

"Vivio, you're here with us tonight!" I responded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, she and I thought it would be nice to have a family night together," Fate responded for her. I went to sit under the quilt of one of the unoccupied sides of the table, and then glanced into one of the food containers.

"Chinese food? This is quite the reward indeed, Fate-chan." I found her shin under the table, and I snuck my foot underneath her pant leg. She laughed and squirmed a little at the sudden intrusion, and then playfully grabbed my foot to tickle it in return.

"How did it go with your father, Nanoha?" she asked as I giggled.

"Nyahaha! Oh, um..." I turned to Vivio. "You and Einhart start tomorrow at four, sweetie."

Vivio only nodded solemnly and looked down at the table. I went to reach for her hand to ask what was bothering her, but she pulled it away before I could.

"Why are you doing that?" I asked her, now feeling hurt and confused. "You haven't let me touch you all day, Vivio. What did I do wrong?"

Vivio looked to Fate for help, and I did the same. "Nanoha, there might be a problem..." Fate reluctantly mentioned.

"Well, just tell me then!" I replied impatiently.

"Mama...?" Vivio began, and then reached over to lightly touch my hand with hers. I immediately felt a sensation similar to electricity coursing through where our hands touched. It was almost painful, and I pulled away from her.

"V-Vivio?" I said as I glanced between her hand on the table and her eyes. She closed them in sadness and looked away.

"It's happening with Ginga and Einhart too," Fate added.

"Well, it could be nothing, right?" I ventured.

Fate attempted to shrug carelessly. "Maybe?" she lied.

Vivio glared at her. "Tsk, dummy!" she scolded.

We heard the lock to the front door turn behind us, and Lindy and Precia entered through the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Hey, everyone is here! We brought desserts!" Lindy said happily. "I'll go make us some tea."

Precia came to sit on the couch near us, and she crossed her arms and legs in front of her. "Anything new?" she asked us.

"Nanoha and Vivio can't touch each other without being slightly electrocuted," Fate replied matter-of-factly. "Same thing with Ginga and Einhart."

"Hmmm," Precia responded, and was immediately lost in thought for a scientific explanation.

Lindy returned from the kitchen. "So, what's up?" she asked, sitting next to Precia on the couch.

"I'll explain it later," Precia said to her, although she still had an distant expression on her face.

"Anything new with you two, by the way?" Fate then asked them.

Lindy glanced over at Precia, who gave her a quick 'go ahead' before returning to her thoughts again. Lindy's cheeks began to blush a little, and she looked away to the wall in slight embarrassment.

"...yorfph mofr engaged..." she mumbled.

"C-Come again?" I stammered.

"Precia and I are engaged. We are going to get married!"

Fate, Vivio, and I stared at Lindy and Precia on the couch for quite a long time in silence. I was mentally doing the math of how long the two had actually known each other, but then decided time was a mute issue at this point.

Lindy finally recognized the shocked look on our faces. "We aren't getting married anytime soon, of course!" she assured us.

"We just know it's supposed to happen someday," Precia added. Lindy looked over at Precia and gave her a warm smile, and then put her hand above her knee affectionately.

I looked over to Fate. "I guess I can understand that," I mentioned.

The five of us enjoyed the evening together as a family. We laughed at Lindy's overjoyed response when Vivio came out modeling her new school uniform. We ate the celebratory desserts that had been purchased for the engagement announcement, and we finally settled in to watch the movie Peter Pan with Vivio, which Fate had rented for us that evening.

Vivio, Fate, and I ended up falling asleep under the kotatsu about halfway through the movie. Lindy and Precia began to turn off the lights in the living room, and I heard Lindy mention something about us still being kids after all. They left to go to bed, and the sound of the movie played in the background as I drifted back to sleep.

oOOOo

~London, 1902~

Nanoha POV

I was pretending to be asleep when I saw a familiar blond-haired girl open the second-story window across the room, and she made entrance inside the bedroom I shared with my siblings. She had an unfamiliar kid with her this time, and they began to look around the room and inside the dresser drawers. I would occasionally open one eye to watch them as they moved around, and would shut it quickly when they looked in my direction.

"Do you see it anywhere, Ginga?" Fate asked the other girl quietly.

I watched Ginga shake her head in response, and Fate put her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "It must be here somewhere...Shaaaddoowww?" she called out across the room in a hushed voice.

Ginga suddenly became excited and pointed to the floor. Fate turned around and jumped in surprise to see her shadow now behind her, which was being cast by the light coming in from the street lamp outside.

"Ah ha! There it is!" she cried, and began chasing her own shadow loudly across the room. Ginga joined in the pursuit and occasionally stepped on it, to which Fate would pretend it hurt and would push her off.

"Would you like me to sew your shadow onto your feet, so that you'll never lose it again?" I mentioned, now sitting up in my bed and watching them play.

Fate turned around at the unexpected sound of my voice, and quickly walked across the room towards me. "Would you?" she asked happily.

"Yes, come sit on the bed," I responded as I pat beside me. As she took a seat on the edge, I knelt on the floor and grabbed her foot in my hand. I pretended to start sewing the shadow onto her foot with a fake needle and thread.

"I knew you'd be back for it," I added. "After all, one can't leave their shadow lying about, now can they?"

"What was your name again?" Fate asked as she watched me intently. I looked across the room and noticed Ginga now staring down at Hayate in her bed curiously. Hayate had somehow managed to sleep through all their noise, as did Subaru.

"Nanoha. Nanoha Takamachi," I replied. "I am ten years - "

Fate waved her hand. "Nanoha is good enough! So do you have any more stories tonight, Nanoha?"

I put her foot down, and she crossed the room to test her shadow against the wall. "More stories?" I asked her. "But all my stories are about you, silly!"

Fate turned and placed her hands on her hips proudly. "That's why I like them!"

I turned away to look to the floor. "I can't tell any more stories, Fate-chan. I was told I have to grow up tomorrow. This is my last night sharing a room with Hayate and Subaru, in fact."

"Grow up?!" she shouted. "But that means... no more stories?"

"Um-hmm," I confirmed.

Fate quickly crossed the room and grabbed my hand. "No, I won't have it. I..."

I met Fate's eyes with tears in my own. I suddenly stepped back when I felt a different, unfamiliar emotion overtake me. Fate seemed to experience something affect her as well and she began blushing furiously, although she looked confused at the same time.

"I, uh..." she tried again.

"Fate, are you okay?" Ginga asked, coming to approach us both.

"I feel funny," I mentioned as I felt my hand suddenly become clammy in hers. My heart was racing, and the pace of my breathing began to increase.

"Me, too," Fate responded and looked away. "It feels like... I need to go run or something."

"We can fly back to Neverland, Fate! Now that you have your shadow back!" Ginga suggested.

Fate nodded excitedly. "Yeah! That would work! Nanoha, you should come with us. You'll never have to grow up in Neverland," she said as she began pulling me towards the window.

"Neverland? Where is it?" I asked as I was led across the room.

"Come on, I'll show you!" Fate climbed up onto the sitting bench beside the window. She then looked outside towards the street to ensure no one was coming.

"Wait!" I shouted. "What would mother say?"

Fate paused and looked back at me, and then at Ginga in confusion. "You have one of those?" she asked in disbelief.

I stepped back away from the window. "Well, yes. And a father. They would be awfully worried about me if I left now. I should at least leave them a note."

"Nanoha? What's going on?" Hayate's sleepy voice came from across the room. The three of us watched her rub her eyes and yawn as she sat up in her bed. Subaru stirred in her bed as well, and Ginga walked over and pushed her on the shoulders roughly to wake her up.

"We're going to Neverland, Hayate," I told her. "Subaru, wake up! Fate's taking us away to a place where we never have to grow up!"

"How are we going to get there?" Hayate asked.

"We'll fly, of course!" Fate responded.

I looked at her skeptically. "Fly? I'm not so sure about that."

Subaru and Hayate jumped out of bed still in their nightgowns, and began putting dresses on over them. I opened one of the dresser drawers and retrieved something to put on as well.

"All you have to do is think a happy thought," Fate said as she grinned and tapped her temple.

"Any happy little thought?" I asked.

Fate laughed and stepped out onto the window sill. "Yep, it's like having wings!" she exclaimed. She held out her hand to me and led me out onto the narrow part of the roof that jutted below the second story window.

We walked along the roof towards the backdoor of the house, which had an overhang we could step on to. Fate jumped down first and then assisted me onto it next, holding me firmly by the waist as she guided me off the roof. Hayate followed on the same path behind us, and we assisted her onto the overhang as well. Ginga followed Subaru out of the window and ensured that she was safe on the short journey across the rooftop.

Fate was the first to jump off the overhang and onto the ground, and we all assisted each other in climbing off of it. Once the five of us had made it out of the house and into the yard, Fate stretched out her arms and began running down the empty street. Ginga immediately followed, pretending to fly behind her friend with her arms outstretched as well.

I shared a look with Hayate and Subaru, who smiled and nodded at me in return. "Don't forget your happy thought," I instructed them. We all ran down the sidewalk and in the direction of the Thames River, which was only a few blocks from our house.

"Follow us!" Ginga said excitedly as we made it to a wooden area beside the river. I saw her glance back at Hayate and blush, and then grabbed her hand and pulled her into the forest. Hayate look flustered in response, but allowed Ginga to lead her in without hesitation. Subaru looked a little tired from all the running, and I was beginning to become concerned.

"Fate-chan!" I called out to her in front of the group. She stopped and came running back to us.

"Yeah?" she responded and smiled at me, breathing a little heavy.

"Subaru is only eight. She's having trouble keeping up," I informed her.

Fate turned her back to Subaru and squatted down. "Come on, I'll give you a ride! No one gets left behind!"

Subaru happily jumped onto Fate's back for a piggy-back ride, and she ran into the entrance to forest with me following close behind them. I began to hear rustling in the trees all around us as we went deeper into the woods, but Fate did not seem concerned. I looked above us to the full moon and was grateful that it was bright enough that we could see clearly, even in the dead of night.

The five of us eventually made it to an area that was thick and overgrown with brush, which made it impossible to see through. Fate put Subaru down and gingerly made her way through the branches to the other side, and then used her arms and body to try to clear a path for all of us to go through it.

"Be careful," she warned.

Subaru was the first to go through it as the smallest. Ginga and Hayate went through next, and I followed behind last. I gave Fate a quick kiss on the cheek as I passed through, and she immediately blushed and put her hand up in surprise. One of the branches she had been holding back with her arm snapped forward and slapped her on the side of the leg.

"Ouch!" she cried as she rubbed the spot, before making her way through to the other side.

"Sorry!" I called out to her. I turned around and immediately froze when I saw a slingshot pointed directly at my face.

"Who dares hurt our leader, Fate?!" the younger red-haired girl yielding the weapon shouted at me. I observed her pull back on the rock in the sling a little more.

Fate came to stand in front of me. "Calm down, Teana! Nanoha is a friend. So are those two," she added, pointing at Hayate and Subaru.

Teana lowered the slingshot reluctantly. "Okay, I guess," she grumbled.

"Where are the rest of the 'Lost Boys'?" Ginga asked her.

Teana raised her hand and snapped her fingers, and four other figures emerged from behind the boulders and trees around us. They all had rocks and sticks in their hands, as if they were ready to attack the group.

Fate crossed her arms and then pointed angrily in front of her. The girls reluctantly dropped their makeshift weapons and formed a straight line in front of her, standing at attention as they waited silently. Fate began to pace in front of them with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Well now... I come bringing new members to Neverland, to tell us all wonderful stories and this is how - "

"Stories?!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"Yes, Nove. But then you guys go and try to shoot them down!" Fate continued.

The four girls looked down and scuffed their shoes in the dirt in guilt. I came to stand beside Fate and put my arm through hers.

"Fate-chan, I'm sure they were just trying to protect Neverland. Why don't you show us more of this place?" I suggested.

Fate looked over at me and smiled, and then nodded in agreement. "Dieci, Cinque, Wendi, Nove! You guys run ahead and prepare the camp for our visitors. Teana, will you help me with Subaru please? She needs extra help through the woods."

The girls all saluted Fate in response to her instructions. Hayte, Ginga, and the four girls ran into the woods away from us, and Teana walked over to Subaru.

"C-Come on," she said. She grabbed Subaru's hand and started leading her down the path the other girls had taken. Fate and I walked a bit slower behind them, and I still had my arm wrapped around hers.

"Who are all those girls?" I asked as we walked together.

Fate shrugged. "Just orphans. None of us have parents. But who needs them, right? We have a ton of fun out here by ourselves."

I frowned. "But everyone needs parents, Fate-chan."

Fate laughed. "What? No, of course not! Come on, let's hurry up to the camp, Nanoha. We can play pirates, and then maybe you can tell us all a story! Everyone would love that, I'm sure."

I let Fate drag me down the wooded path until we came to a clearing, and I saw makeshift tents situated around a fire in the middle of the camp. Two of the girls were carrying firewood in from the forest, and Ginga and Hayate were pointing and looking up at the stars together.

"We can play for a little bit, Fate-chan. But then we have to get back home," I told her.

Fate turned back around and looked at me in confusion. "Home? Why would you want to go home?"

"Well, my mother would be worried sick about us if we didn't come back, of course."

"I don't understand?" she replied. "You can stay here with us forever and never have to grow up. Isn't that what you want?"

I looked to the ground. "Um... It's not that I don't..."

Fate stepped back from me. "Oh," she said in disappointment. She then turned away and began to walk towards the fire. Before I could follow after her, Nove approached me.

"You have a mother?" she asked me earnestly.

"Well, yes," I replied. "Everyone our age should."

Cinque laughed as she stood beside the fire. "What have adults ever done for us, huh? Except stick us in orphanages and forget about us."

"Not all adults are bad," I countered. "Some are very good, and will treat you well."

"Yeah, yeah," Wendi scoffed. "We're much better off out here. After what my father did to me..." She trailed off before finishing her sentence, and angrily poked at the fire instead.

I walked across to Fate. "Fate-chan, please listen?" I began, and put my hand on her arm.

"You guys should just go. You don't belong out here with us," she stated quietly as she pulled away from me.

"Now, wait a minute!" I responded. "We need to talk about this."

"I'll show you the way back," she added, and then started running down the path we had entered in from.

"FATE!" I shouted helplessly after her as she ran away from the group and back into the woods.

oOOOo

~Present Day~

Nanoha POV

I opened my eyes slowly and felt the plush carpet underneath me. I sat up as I tried to assess my surroundings, and I banged my knee slightly underneath the table. I then realized I must have fallen asleep under the kotatsu in the living room. I observed Vivio asleep under one side of the table, and Fate was sitting up across from me in the dark.

"Hey," I said to her quietly.

"Hi," she responded.

"Did you do that?" I asked her, alluding to our visit to the previous timeline.

"Yeah, sorry," she admitted. "I meant to tell you before we fell asleep. I read the story in the book earlier at Ginga's house."

"But we were only ten in that one? You knew we wouldn't have been able to conceive Vivio at those ages?"

Fate looked away and smiled. "I-I know. I just wanted to see what it would be like to fly, if it were possible."

"You're so silly," I responded, finding myself smiling as well. "Hey, Fate-chan, those girls...?"

"Yeah, those were the Scaglietti girls," she confirmed with a nod. "I'm not sure what that means, but it might not be good."

A brief silence fell over between us as we recalled more of the dream, and I stood up to sit beside her. I ensured that Vivio was still asleep as I curled up next to Fate, and she put her arms around me.

"Fate-chan, are you worried?" I asked her.

"About what?"

I paused. "That I'm going to leave you somehow?"

Fate tensed a little in response to my question. "Should I be?"

I shook my head and cuddled up to her more. "No. I'll always be by your side. No matter what," I assured her.

"I know," she replied.

"I love you, Fate-chan," I told her.

Fate kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tighter. "I love you too, Nanoha."

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates recently. I've got a lot going on at work for the next few weeks, but I'll try to squeeze in more chapters if I can. Until next time! ~Nissanity~