Where Do We Go From Here?

Kitatanya

Chapter 39

A/N: Thank you for your support! You're awesome! This chapter is a little short, fair warning. Important note at the end.

Read on, loves.

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Catra felt more than a little drained as the meeting broke up. All of their friends had been enthused and wondered by their wish to heal the people and Catra had had to snap at them in playful anger to reign in all their giddy mush. She loved her friends with all of her heart, but just like with her mate sometimes, all of their giddiness -Mermista thankfully usually excluded- made it impossible to have a proper discussion at times. Even as she enjoyed it and admittedly herself was wont now to let her emotions spiral out of control at times, she knew when it was time to focus and push it to the side. There were much more important things to discuss.

Talks of politics and the people and half-baked plans of action had followed that rush of affection, all swirled with the dark thoughts brought to life by Hordak and Entrapta's new discovery. Each and every one of their friends had shared at least a portion of their mixed feelings to different degrees; ranging between Perfuma's vehement denial of the need of the information and Netossa's arguing the benefit of most with discretion to the less savory. The only viable solution they'd all managed to agree on was to agree to take things in a step by step basis when the time came.

Ramel and his brothers had been mentioned by Mermista and she and Adora and Melog had all burned with pride to know that they had been out among the soldiers since a few hours after they'd left for Dryl. In light of the fact that there were limited resources among the troops, they were still retiring in the building for now, but apparently had all requested to be able to live among them as they did, like Ramel preferred. When it was available, they'd all be outfitted with their own gear. One shared glance with her mate let her know they'd be visiting Ramel as they went to visit Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle as soon as possible. They'd neglected their friends for far too long.

But for now though, there was something else she wanted and she knew Adora wanted it too as their linked fingers squeezed together. The meeting had started almost as soon as they'd arrived and they hadn't had a chance to ask Glimmer and Bow about her health. Frosta had been speaking quietly to Mermista, but now she already moving to towards them too and from the desperate glint in her eyes, she got the sense that the ice princess hadn't really gotten the chance to either.

Glimmer looked from Frosta to them and then shared a glance with Bow. "Let's go to our room." He murmured softly.

Glimmer smiled tiredly and nodded and gestured for them all to follow as he guided her into the hall. All of them were silent as they walked through the whitewashed halls. Catra wasn't quite sure of Glimmer's mood right now and it made her a little anxious. Adora and Melog were as tense as she was and there was a rather fierce expression on Frosta's face, eyes flashing that new steel she and Adora had only recently begun to notice.

As they all filed into Glimmer and Bow's room, Catra saw Glimmer part from Bow and step for the door she'd just closed. Melog huffed sharply and gave her a firm look, before shifting. As they began drawing the privacy rune on the door, Catra grinned at the gesture and at the gentle confusion mixed with affection on Glimmer's face, the majority of her anxiety leaving in a gentle rush. It seemed to have a similar effect on all of them and Bow laughed softly as he pulled Glimmer back against his side in a loving motion.

"Make yourselves at home." He spoke the words with flare and gestured grandly towards the large bed.

Like their own room, there was a distinct lack of chairs, not that she minded. Adora was shaking her head in amusement as Catra tugged her to the bed. With a smile, she held Adora steady as she removed her boots while the others doffed their shoes too. She let Glimmer and Bow take the head, since this time it was their bed they'd be on, but apparently Adora decided she wanted to be the one to hold her this time. Catra wasn't about to argue with that sparkle in her mate's gorgeous eyes and settled purring between her legs as Adora's strong arms wound about her waist to hold her tight.

She was even happier when Melog didn't hesitate to join them on the bed once the rune sealed into place and reached out to stroke them as they curled, purring thunderously, behind them and nudged Adora to prop herself up on their side. Adora settled with a happy sigh and reached out to stroke them too. Catra pressed a little more firmly back against her and traced her other arm along Adora's still about waist and linked their fingers together. She was fuzzy with warmth at the intimacy at the moment, as she watched Bow and Glimmer settling in a similar fashion against the head.

Frosta was smiling and blushing lightly as she settled cross-legged near the edge, again looking a little more young to her all at once. It sent a rush of affection towards their youngest friend through her and even without being connected closer through the soul-bond, she knew Adora was smiling just as big as she was at the sight. Frosta caught their expressions and glared at them, but her eyes were sparkling with affection all the same.

Glimmer had been smiling gently, but now she let out a soft sigh and relaxed utterly against Bow, eyes drifting shut. Bow's eyes went tender as he pressed a kiss into the top of her head. For a moment, seeing how very tired Glimmer looked, she wondered whether or not they should have waited to have this little talk, but when Glimmer's eyes opened, they were blazing with happiness and love.

"I know what you all want to know-" She murmured softly. "- and Aunt Castaspella said the baby and I would be just fine."

Relief loosened that coil of concern deep inside her and she felt Adora relaxing even further against Melog at the same time as Frosta let out a tiny sigh. Melog's purring surged and they curled a fraction tighter around them, laying their chin on Adora's thigh and she knew it was just because they wanted to be closer to them in that happy moment. "Oh, thank Etheria." Adora murmured. "Was she able to do anything about how sick teleporting makes you?"

Glimmer smiled at her, expression soft. "Not really, but she's given me some remedies to take and told me I just needed to rest more and be more careful how much of my magic I use for a little while until my body got used to the changes happening."

"And she gave me some new recipes to try that will help keep her balanced as the baby grows." Bow grinned, openly showing how happy he was by the prospect.

Adora was laughing softly as she did and Frosta laughter joined only a fraction later.. "If it's baby food you're cooking, maybe I'll reconsider letting you cook for me, Arrow Boy." She teased. Adora snorted another laugh and pressed a firm kiss into her hair that had her blushing softly, triggering more from all of them.

Bow was the first to reign it in and he lifted his chin in a rather lofty manner that made her grin. "I'll have you know that she approved of the breakfast you seemed to enjoy back at Chrytsalyis." He stated with great pride.

Glimmer giggled and cupped a hand over her mouth. "She approved it because she knows it's my favorite." She pretended to whisper.

Bow gaped at her. "Hey!" He tried to make it sound indignant, but his tone was full of mirth.

Catra was almost certain she was delirious, because again all she could do was laugh along with all of them. It was crazy how very much fun these little moments were with her friends, her mate, and Melog, in the face of the true weight of their reality. She knew Melog told her it was their right, but every time it happened it still made her feel so very lucky. But when this latest round of happiness began to still, she saw Glimmer drooping and knew that it was time for them to go and let her rest.

She looked back over her shoulder, catching Adora's eye and saw the same mix of love and regret in her eyes. "We should go." Her mate murmured, smiling at her before looking back to Glimmer and Bow. "After we change clothes, we're going to visit our friends and Ramel for a little while, but we can be back here within minutes if you need us, okay?" Melog lifted their head, breaking their petting with a sharp nod of agreement.

"And I'll be with Mermista monitoring the main crystal in the study until Netossa and Spinnerella take over this evening." Frosta added, already rising from the bed.

Glimmer frowned at her. "You were on alert almost all day yesterday and were still up this morning. You need to rest. Bow and I can take over for a little while." She said firmly.

Bow looked like he was about to argue, but Frosta spoke before he could. "No. You need to rest." Her voice was just as firm. "I did sleep, I promise. Mermista couldn't sleep and came to me after you guys contacted me." She finished pulling on her shoes and glanced at she and Adora with a fond look, before standing. "And she saw how torn I was and made me rest. And that's also why she's going to watch with me this afternoon." She smiled, lifting her chin and crossing her arms, oozing confidence. "We all talked this morning after I got ahold of you and decided everyone would watch in pairs from now on and make each other take turns napping throughout shifts. That way, we're all well rested and we won't have an issue like not being able to get ahold of Netossa and Spinnerella yesterday. Unless we're expecting confidential messages about your health or anything that is, but I didn't tell them that." She waved the words off dismissively as if she was stating the obvious. "I already knew you needed to rest more and would need us all on higher alert. You just stopped me before I could finish." She teased.

Glimmer was gazing up at her with a rather dazed expression of love and pride. Bow chuckled and squeezed her tightly. "I told you! Our friends are amazing and you don't have to do everything all the time." The words were gently chiding.

Catra snickered as Glimmer blushed hotly and pulled away from her mate so they could follow Melog off of the bed as they two began a mumbled and teasing argument. They were already surging to the door to break the rune for Frosta as Adora settled on the edge to pull on her boots. "Maybe we can take a shift before we leave tomorrow too." Adora offered softly with a smile up at her.

Catra grinned back, but she was already shaking her head in denial as Bow, Frosta, and Glimmer spoke in almost perfect unison. "No."

"You guys are going to be drained healing the people in Mystacor and you know it." Glimmer all but snapped the words. "The only place I want you guys to be after you get back from spending time with your friends is in bed, resting."

Catra's grin stretched wider as Adora pouted and she reached down to take her hand, tugging her to her feet. "Just remember to take you own advice, Sparkles." She purred the teasing words at her as she wound an arm around her pouty mate.

"Oh, she's going to." Bow's eyes were sparkling as he spoke the firm words.

Glimmer laughed and pulled away from him, throwing up her hands in a gesture of surrender as she flopped down onto the bed beside him. "Fine! Fine! Just coddle me then. I'll get you all back for it one day." She threatened playfully.

All of them were laughing as she and Adora stepped towards the door Frosta was now holding for them. "We've got everything handled. I'll see you at dinner." Frosta's tone was highly smug and she flashed Glimmer one last grin before closing the door behind all of them.

The moment that door shut, however, Frosta all but sagged against it with a heavy sigh. Catra was instantly concerned as tears gathered in the ice princess' eyes and Adora was already reaching for her, laying a hand over her shoulder. Frosta tensed the tiniest bit, before relaxing. "I'm okay." She murmured softly before either of them could speak. She looked up and sent them a rather watery smile that tried to be confident. "I'm just glad."

She didn't say more, but Catra knew what she meant and why. The building wasn't warded so they had to be careful how they spoke now. "Same." She replied in a near whisper as the ice princess let Adora draw her closer.

They bent to her almost as one, holding Frosta tightly between them. It wasn't until she sagged in their arms, face coming to rest on their joined shoulders, that Catra realized this was the first time she'd ever hugged Frosta while not in a group hug. It made her heart gave a strange lurch to realize it and to realize again how small she was. Logically, she knew from Adora that Frosta wasn't really all that much younger than them, despite her small stature, and she also knew that for all she had spoken with her and spent a little time with her, most of the memories she held of Frosta were Adora's, not her own. And neither of them had spent time with her since they'd awoken.

They'd vowed to themselves that they wanted to know her better and one glance with her mate let her know Adora was having the exact same thought. With a rather tender look in her eyes, Adora looked back down to Frosta as they all pulled away. "Have time for a snack with us before we go do what we need to do?" She asked softly.

Frosta looked between the two of them and then smiled happily. "Sure. I'll take Mermista something too."

Seemingly without thought, she moved between them and grasped on of each of their hands. With a rather giddy feeling of affection, Catra let Frosta tug her along and Adora's dazzling smile echoed the sentiment. Melog was purring loudly as they trailed along and she got the sense they were rather amused by the way she was feeling. She didn't even bother pretending to look grumpy about it.

She was gently surprised and pleased to see Scorpia and Perfuma drifting out of the little kitchen as they approached. The moment the two of them spotted them, they were smiling hugely. "Hi guys!" Perfuma all but chirped the greeting. Scorpia echoed her as they all replied. "I'm glad we ran into you. We were just coming to look for you Frosta." Perfuma said warmly.

With a grin that was almost silly, Frosta dropped their hands and moved forward to hug the flowering princess in a swift embrace and she turned the grin up at Scorpia when the tall princess reached down to ruffle her hair. "Sorry." Frosta replied. "I was just confirming some things with Glimmer before she took a nap. What did you need?"

Scorpia shook her head, but she was suddenly scratching the back of her neck with one claw. "Nothing too important." She shot a meaningful glance at Perfuma and Catra was grinning a little harder as she saw Scorpia fighting hard not to blush.

Perfuma smiled softly at her before speaking. "We're going out for a little while and wanted to run it by you and ask if we should we take one of the charms, just in case." The way she said the words let Catra know she hoped that wasn't the case. They were both obviously trying to be subtle about wanting some time alone together, but failing horribly.

Now Frosta was blushing, but there was a knowing glint in her eyes. Catra had to fight not to giggle as she saw it. "No. I'm pretty sure we've got things covered. You guys have fun, yeah?"

Scorpia was beaming now, one of those huge and unabashed smiles that always made her happy now to see, as she slipped an arm about Perfuma's shoulders. "Okay."

"See you guys later?" Perfuma looked to them.

Adora's fingers found her as she replied for them. "Later."

With a smile that almost matched the one Scorpia was wearing, the slender blonde let the tall princess guide her away. Catra was fighting hard against a purr as Frosta looked back to them. "Let's go eat." She beckoned, grinning.

With another shared look with Adora that confirmed her mate was just as happy as she was right now, they followed the ice princess into the kitchen. She wasn't really hungry, but they hadn't eaten much at dinner or at breakfast and knew that the both of them needed their strength for tomorrow. Neither she or Adora knew anything about cooking, but she was sure they'd be able to come up with something to eat. Maybe one day, they could learn a little something about it, but for now, all she wanted to do was spend a little time with Frosta before they went out to spend time with Ramel and their friends.

It felt important to her now, that they try to make a little time for the important people in their lives and through their storms of grief at the thought of leaving it all behind, she knew her mate felt exactly the same way. Their talk with Melog this morning had only solidified it. For all that they wanted each other above all else, they'd both realized how selfish they were being. Everyone else had a task, a duty, and they were all working hard to do what they could. But she and Adora, for all they wanted to help, had been far too focused on themselves lately.

How she felt for her mate and how much she wanted her hadn't changed a single bit. If anything, she wanted Adora more and more each passing moment. Especially now that they were spending this time apart in their heads, trying not to lose themselves within their minds and be here physically with each other too. But their time to be with everyone was quickly running out. The war might not be close to over and a lot still needed to be done, but still, the clock inside them both was ticking down.

Healing the people at Mystacor would be helping their people, because neither of them could stand to have them suffer much longer now that they had realized they had the power to help. But as right as that felt, it wasn't helping them win this war. And neither was getting lost in the wonder of their bond.

There was time for that and time for them to get lost in their passion together, but now they were going to start looking more at the world outside of themselves. Catra wanted that and she knew Adora did too. Things were happening around them and they were missing it and she didn't want to carry that regret with her into the stars any more than her mate did. They had to be strong, in each other and in themselves, and spending time with the people they loved while they could was one way she knew they could be.

These moments, these memories, these bubbles of happiness and peace in the chaos were the most important thing. If anything she'd experienced over the course of this crazy and impossible few weeks had taught her anything, it was that love, in every form, was the most powerful weapon in both of their hearts. And that love, she knew even without She-Ra to tell her, was the only hope the universe had.

It didn't despair her to think it. In fact, it made her almost giddy all over again. Because love was what she had now, against every odd. The love of all of their friends and the people now most precious in her life. The love of Adora, gazing at her with those gorgeous blue eyes and the love of Melog brushing against her side. There was nothing she couldn't do now with them at her side and with that magic pulsing deep in her heart.

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Thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry about the longer delay, but I'll get to that in a moment. First, I have something to apologize for.

I apologize for mistakes often and plan to go back and fix as many as I can in the future if I am able, but I noticed one that was kinda big as I was looking back over some of the previous chapters. Adora and Catra are not 18 they're around 20 and when I wrote those sections previously around the beginnings of the story, I had forgotten all about how long the passing of time within the show was and meant to change it before the chapter was posted. This has since been rectified. My bad. I'm more than a little frazzled.

As to the change of the summary and the delay… I know I have alluded often to the battle I am facing in my life and how the problem is increasing in stages, but… it has regrettably reached a stage where it is definitely affecting my ability to continue this story. I'm going to keep trying and pushing, because I don't want to quit, but there may come a time in the future where this will be impossible. Again, I say this not for sympathy, but in an effort to warn you that it may just be a thing that I can't help.

I have, however, decided to set for myself a contingency. When I am not actively working on chapters to be posted while I'm able, I am now writing in spurts a long and more detailed raw draft of the story-line for the future of this journey, including a few completed and rough future scenes to be placed where they are chronologically within this draft. If there comes a point where I can no longer actually work, these sections of raw story-line will be posted so that you will at least know where the muses were taking us and won't just have the story cut off completely before we reach our destination. It is far from an ideal scenario and I do hope it doesn't come to that, but again, it felt only right to warn you.

For now though, we'll be continuing this journey as often as I can. I do hope that you continue to enjoy and I hope to see you along as we press on towards the future. One way or another, loves, we'll get there. I promise.

Until next time, loves! Stay safe and read on! Ja.