A/N: Welcome back again, please enjoy this little slice of fun. Nanoha is about to dive deeper into Fate's life. Please leave a comment/review as they feed the plot bunnies ~Phoenixnext

~Chapter 3~

Clutching the box of baked goods in her hands Nanoha stepped up to the stoop of the great house swallowing her nerves. All day long she was debating with herself on whether it was wise to come. After her fraught discussion with Fate earlier in the day she wondered if the woman really wanted to see her again. There hadn't been a text message or call cancelling the invitation so she mustered all her courage to walk to the address. She was standing on the stoop for nearly a minute still arguing with herself when the door opened and a teal haired woman stood before her with a humored gleam in her eyes.

Reaching out to the girl Lindy Harlaown took her arm and pulled her in with a warm welcome, "Ah the guest of honor has finally arrived. I hope you weren't thinking of running away my dear, little Fate would have been so hurt if you had. She has been rather eager for your visit. Truly she has been showing more signs of life recently than she has in quite a while."

The thumping noise of a cane caught both women's attention and an annoyed blonde appeared, growling, "Mom I thought you promised not to be embarrassing tonight," then smiling at her friend she said, "Hello again Nanoha, welcome to our home. Please don't mind the natives, they can be rather backwards but they mean no harm."

Suddenly Fate was in a headlock and a blackish-blue haired man was giving her a noogie. Instantly Fate's cane fell to the ground as she shifted her weight to her good leg and the man was being flipped over her shoulder. Instead of landing hard he caught himself in a rolling fall and was back at the blonde with an evil grin pinning her to the wall and tickling her. The peals of laughter and cursing as the pair continued to tussle for a few minutes brought a brown haired woman to the front.

Seeing the pair the woman rolled her eyes and caught the man by the ear dragging him away, "Really Chrono, what kind of first impression are you trying to make? Miss Takamachi really will believe this family is nothing but ruffians if you keep this up."

Scrambling back the man tried to wave the woman off, "Ah Amy stop, let me go! It was just a joke, besides Fate started it. She was being mean."

Letting her husband go she stood hands on hips and gave him a dry look, "And I wonder where she got that smart mouth of hers from? Couldn't be from her snarky older brother who likes to poke fun at her every chance he gets."

As much as Fate enjoyed seeing Chrono get his balls busted this wasn't the time or place, she had to save any chance of making a good impression on Nanoha by stopping this now.

Hugging her brother from behind she rested her head on his shoulder and gave the brown haired woman her best puppy eyes, "Amy, please don't be so mean to big brother. You know he's pretty excitable, it's not every day we have guests. He is just trying to prove he's at the top of the pecking order even though we both know you wear the pants in the family."

Chrono was trying to go along with his sister at first hoping to avoid sleeping on the couch tonight but balked at the end. Turning on his sister he was about to complain when his wife laughing caught his arm and pulled him in for a hug.

Smiling at the newcomer Amy said, "Hello Miss Takamachi, please don't be scared of this crazy lot. They really do love each other and this is how they show it. I'm Amy Harlaown and this trouble maker is my husband, Chrono. Please come on in, the rest of the family is eager to meet you."

With Fate on one side and Lindy on her other Nanoha felt like she was being led to the gallows. What in the world had she gotten herself into? And how the hell had Fate thrown her brother like that?

In the living room were two toddlers and a silver haired woman with eyes exactly like Fate's making her wonder if she was actually related to the blonde. The woman stood up and came over to greet the guest with a smile.

"Welcome Miss Takamachi, I am Reinforce Wolkenritter, Fate's cousin."

The striking red eyes of the woman caught her by surprise. She'd only ever seen one person with such a unique color and now she was faced with a second.

Bowing to the woman she replied, "Thank you for having me, please just call me Nanoha. Ah pardon me for being nosy but your eyes…"

Laughing a little Reinforce cut off Nanoha's embarrassed question, "As I said, Fate and I are cousins."

Confused over this Nanoha blurted out, "But I thought Fate was adopted, I mean it was a big thing in town when the news got out that Harlaowns had a new potential heir."

Leaning on her cane the blonde gave her a dry look before asking, "Do you listen to local gossip a lot?"

Blushing the girl replied, "Not really but my mom was very interested in the news, she said something about going to school with Lindy Harlaown," Then remembering her manners she offered the dessert box to her hostess, "Ah she wanted me to give these to you as thanks for the invitation."

Taking the box the elder woman peeked in and smiled, "She always had a gift when it came to baking," then handed the box over to her daughter-in-law who took them to the kitchen. Settling down on a couch she tried to focus her mind, "Yes, that's right. When I heard your name it reminded me of your mother, lovely woman. How is she?"

Bowing again in the teal haired woman's direction Nanoha said, "She is very well and asked me to pay my respects to you on her behalf."

With a distant look in her eyes Lindy smiled sadly, "You look remarkably like your mother. Momoko was the prettiest girl in our school, the number of confessions she received our final year was astounding."

Biting her lip Nanoha tried not to think about all the men who came to her family's cafe to flirt with her mother. Since her father died when she was sixteen they never seemed to stop hounding them trying to worm their way into their lives. The memory of Shiro Takamachi was still strong but she feared someday soon it won't be enough to fend off the suitors.

Sighing Lindy shook herself before continuing, "Please pass on my regards to your mother. Also please tell her I am sorry for her loss. Having been widowed myself I know that can be a heavy blow to bear."

Nodding at this Nanoha could see Fate's face make a pained expression before she took a deep breath to calm herself. In an additional effort not to dwell on the past she dropped to the ground to join the children playing. Reinforce knelt and took the space next to her rubbing her cousin's back in an effort to soothe her. Frowning at this Nanoha wondered if she'd upset Fate.

Seeing the concerned look Rein smiled at her, "Fate was close to her adopted father before he died. Any mention of him can…"

Her words were muffled by a strong hand and Fate growled, "You don't have to spew out every thought that comes to that empty head of yours."

Just then a toddler pounced on the blonde saying in a babyish voice, "No fight!"

Lying flat on the floor Fate played at being conquered, "I'm sorry. I behave."

The little girl nodded her head with a triumphant smile before clapping her hands, "Good Fay!"

Sitting up Fate hugged the girl before planting a loud playful smacking kiss on her cheek. Seeing this the second child made his way over to demand his share of attention. Stretching out her bad leg she settled them both on her lap without a sign of discomfort. The amused giggle this earned had the blonde sticking her tongue at her cousin but no further tussling occurred.

Pointing to their guest Fate said, "Karel, Liera this is Nanoha Takamachi. She is a friend, can you say hello?"

Both gave the stranger a giggling hello before hiding their faces in Fate's shoulders. The burgundy eyed woman smiled at them before kissing their heads and said, "They are actually very outgoing normally. They usually only get shy around people they really like."

Deciding talking about the children would be less fraught. Nanoha dropped down to their level to look at the twins. She found herself being sucked in by the cuteness of the blonde being cuddled by the toddlers. There was a look in Fate's eyes that told of her deep love of the children but also a hint of sadness. She remembered Fate's words, she lost it all the night of her accident, her dreams had been within her grasp then they were gone. She knew that pain, touching her abdomen she held back her own sadness and anger at her own loss.

She obviously had a loving family but the pain of her accident had plunged her into a depression even they couldn't help her overcome. She understood that as well. Her family had been supportive but it had always felt like she was alone in her pain. None of them had been able to understand the depth of her hurt at what she had lost or the struggle to regain her mobility. Mentally shaking herself, this isn't the right time to be thinking about that.

Reaching out she touched each child's cheek as she said, "Hi there, my name is Nanoha. It looks to me like you love your aunt Fate a whole lot."

The girl was now holding onto Fate's neck and said in an imperious little voice, "My Fay," then as if to prove this she kissed her aunt's cheek.

Chrono joined the group at this opening his arms to his children only for them to shake their heads and cling to their aunt. This made Fate laugh and the rejected father to pout.

"Poor daddy, he gets no love. Maybe the next one will actually like you, keep trying Chrono."

Lindy reached down and gave her daughter a small flick to her ear and said, "Be nice to your brother. Give him his children back."

Giving each of the children a squeeze she then gave them a little push towards their father saying, "Give papa a hug, he's lonely babies."

The children laughed and went to their father willingly and snuggled into his arms while playing with each other. Fate looked at the twins with such longing, she'd always wanted children of her own. Yet too much had been lost in the past for her to ever regain. Even the happiness she still had reminded her of all her pain.

Reinforce spoke to Nanoha, "So Miss Nanoha what do you do?"

Blushing Nanoha said, "Right now I am working at my parent's restaurant, I'm still in school but hope to graduate within the next year."

Carrying on Rein asked, "Oh, what are you studying?"

"Aquatic Science and oceanography, currently our city has been sharing a scientist with Kimitsu when it comes to decisions affecting our beaches. Our economy is so dependent on the ocean but so little is done to protect it. I really want to instill a greater respect for our environment and preserve it for coming generations. After all the scandals in the recent past with the illegal dumping here and the accidents that caused, I want to make sure no one else is hurt. We need to protect the waters here not just for the wildlife but for the children and families who come here to enjoy themselves."

Chrono frowned, "What accidents? I hadn't heard of anything happening here."

Suddenly wishing she hadn't spoken so strongly Nanoha decided it was best to get the major accidents out of the way, "First was a child who stepped on a syringe and contracted Hepatitis C. The second was a teen who lost an arm to some kind of machinery part that was sunk here. It was either cut the arm off or drown, it wasn't pretty the boy was never the same. The last one was a girl; she was impaled on a piece of broken pipe when she was swimming. She was poking around the stack of garbage due to an animal being trapped. She nearly died. Was in a coma for over a month and lost her ability to have children."

Everyone in the room was struck silent by the horror of the lost these children suffered due to someone's greed and negligence. Fate could see the pain in Nanoha's eyes when she spoke of the final accident and suddenly knew…she was the final victim. She hoped that the more minor accident she'd read about that afternoon had been the one to involve her friend. But who was she kidding, you didn't need a year of physical therapy for a cut on the leg from scrap metal.

Standing up Chrono's face was dark with fury, in a menacing voice he asked, "Who did this? Were they ever punished?"

Nanoha shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. The city paid for the cleanup and increased the police presence monitoring the shoreline. But in recent years the politicians have been looking to cut costs and that surveillance is something they want to end. As for the accidents they investigated but nothing came of it that I know of."

Lindy looked to her son then Nanoha, "Miss Takamachi, how long ago did this happen?"

Not making eye contact Nanoha said quietly, "About ten years ago. It's starting to fade in people's memories now. Most of the victims and their families have moved away."

"I'll start looking into it mom. I can't believe no one told us about this. We've been funding so many projects and supporting the current mayor for how long now, twelve years?"

Dinner was not as fun after that discussion as everyone thought about the tragedy that had befallen three children. For two at the table the knowledge that one of the victims sat amongst them was quietly being suppressed. Once dinner was finished Fate asked if she and Nanoha could be excused for a walk. Lindy was happy that Fate wanted to go out again and shooed them out of the house with a smile.

The small thump of Fate's cane was the only noise for a while as they walked up to the private stretch of beach in front of the house. Sitting on a rocky outcrop once out of sight of the house Fate cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry for what I said to you the day we met. I had no right to lash out at you like that. You shared your pain and I didn't even consider there was more to the story than I could see."

Nanoha gave a pained laugh, "I guess it was pretty obvious who I was talking about tonight. I don't regret it. My family says I'm stubborn, probably the only reason I didn't die. I knew it was dangerous to get involved considering how deep the water was but the porpoise needed help; it was just a baby and would have died."

Patting the space beside her Fate said, "You have a strong connection to those animals, even now they trust you."

Sitting down carefully she sighed, "I have always loved the water and all marine life. Now I can't have my own children so I take an even greater interest in protecting it. It's the only legacy I can leave behind."

Fate took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "No, you can still have a family. It might not be your own flesh and blood but that doesn't matter. Giving birth to a child doesn't make you a good mother. Love, care, patience, and compassion are things a real mom gives to her child. Believe me when I say I couldn't love Lindy more even if she was my biological mom. She gave me my first taste of a real family and a home. I wouldn't trade her for my mother."

Looking over at Fate's face she could see the truth in her beautiful eyes, taking a great deal of comfort from this Nanoha whispered, "Thank you but it's not that easy. I'd still need to find a partner. No one wants a damaged woman. My scars aren't very attractive."

Laughing at this Fate reached down to her pant leg and removed the brace she wore. Nanoha gasped at the terrible scars, it looked as if her foot had nearly been torn off.

"You likely will have an easier time finding a lover Nanoha no matter what you hide, not only do I have this to live with but I am also a lesbian. It's hard enough to find a partner who'd be willing to stand up to social pressure to be openly with you but to find one who'd accept a cripple is near impossible."

Not truly believing Fate's assertion Nanoha lifted her shirt and asked, "Would you be with a woman who looked like this?"

The first thing Fate noticed was the excellent definition to her abdominal muscles and a small scar. Before the girl turned and she saw there was a matching exit scar on her back. The mental image of the girl impaled on a piece of rebar almost made her cry. Still holding up her shirt to expose the jagged star-burst like scar on her lower stomach Fate could only imagine how incredibly painful the wound had been. But it didn't detract from her overall beauty and she still couldn't understand why no man had been able to see past the hurt. Without thinking Fate reached out and touched it making Nanoha squeak in surprise.

Fate hesitated for a second worried she had hurt her somehow then knowing that couldn't be the case asked, "What's wrong?"

Nanoha could feel her muscles twitch under the soft touch and blushed, "No…no one has ever touched me there."

Instead of removing her hand Fate traced the scar then reached around to feel its partner and said, "It just proves we are too stubborn to die. I lost so much blood during the accident I went into shock and nearly died myself. My family keeps telling me that my scars don't change who I am."

Closing her eyes she let out a soft bark of bitterness, "Which just goes to prove it's not my scars holding me back but my bad attitude."

"I can understand being angry, considering what you lost. But I haven't really seen you act like you have a bad attitude so I can't speak to that."

Nanoha leaned her head onto Fate's shoulder and rested comfortably for a moment before her eyes were caught by something dark on the blonde's arm when she shifted. Looking at her left arm she saw the edge of a tattoo. Noticing Nanoha stare at her bicep Fate lifted her sleeve, a pitch black eagle with a fiery red eye, wings extended as it held a lightning bolt in its beak and a pair of bold blue stars clutched in its talons. Touching the mark she felt Fate tense up again.

Worried she had offended the woman she asked quietly, "What is it?"

Swallowing hard Fate had to close her eyes in order to muster the strength to tell this part of her life, "That tattoo is a permanent reminder of what I lost. I was stupid to get it but everyone in my unit got one and I loved my mates. I was once an Enforcer for the TSAB, I was up for a promotion to Colonel and was busting my ass studying and out in the field a lot training fresh recruits. I had a lover at the time, she wasn't in the military but she seemed supportive of what I was doing. We talked about getting married once I earned my promotion and things settled down. She said she wanted a family with me, no matter what it took to have one, be it insemination or adoption."

There was a long pause as Fate's throat worked to choke out her next words, they came out rough and laced with acidic pain, "I came home early from a training camp and I found her in bed with… ah with a man. The argument was brutal and she threw all the blame for her cheating on me. I was too remote emotionally, I spent too much time in the field, I couldn't satisfy her in bed. Then she said she really couldn't see having kids with me because everyone knows abused children grow up to be abusers. I couldn't stay there and listen to her, or look at them standing there together. I grabbed my duffle and left. I didn't know where I was going and the weather was horrible. I got soaked just getting to my car but I didn't care, I just had to get away. I don't know where I was but suddenly my car was slammed into by another vehicle and I was spinning out of control. The car flipped and my leg was trapped. It was only my knowledge of field aide that prevented me from bleeding out before help came. I sometimes wonder if my surviving that night was a good thing. I lost it all, my lover, my career, my mobility, any chance at future happiness gone in a blink of an eye."

The silence that fell between them was heavy and not knowing how else to break it Nanoha asked, "How old are you?"

Twitching a little at the question Fate admitted, "Thirty, why?"

Nanoha felt her eyes cross a bit at this, she had thought the blonde woman was closer to her own age than that. The blonde never acted like there was such a large gap in their ages, she was just Fate. Yet she was only twenty-two years old, she must seem like a damn puppy to the woman. What right did she have to say anything about how she lived her life?

Turning her head Fate looked at the now tense woman snuggled up beside her, twitching a brow Fate asked slightly amused, "Oh so my horrible attitude and scars didn't frighten you but my age does?"

Blinking out of her stupor Nanoha shook her head and tried to explain, "Oh no, that's not it. I just realized I must've sounded so conceited talking to you about how to live your life. I'm just a kid and you have so much more life experience than me. I must seem pretty naive and stupid to you."

Shifting around Fate pulled Nanoha forward and sat her in her lap, there was a very cute squeak and enticing wiggle as she flailed for a moment in surprise at the sudden movement. The girl was warm and had a sweet scent but most surprising she felt safe. She could only vaguely remember feeling this way before. Before her adopted father had died and she still had someone she could fully trust and depend on. Not that her remaining family weren't supportive and loving but there was a barrier between then even now. Yet this feeling was different from that ancient safety she had felt from her father's arms. She not only wanted the security this girl somehow made her feel but she wanted to protect this girl from anything trying to harm her.

Holding the girl tightly for a moment before relaxing her grip Fate said, "I don't think you are naive or stupid Nanoha. You have a more optimistic outlook on life than I do. I could really use someone like you around to remind me of the good things surrounding me. My family tries but none of them have ever lost as much as I have. None of them have suffered or struggled so their words don't have the same impact as yours do."

The pair sat there for a while watching the waves, Fate's head resting on her shoulder warmly snuggled against her back. The lack of sleep from the night before had the blonde dozing off comfortably. Not wanting to disturb the woman Nanoha held her arms in place so she didn't slip away. Leaning back into Fate Nanoha wondered if it would be okay to pretend they were a couple. She'd never had a lover, or even a proper crush, all she'd cared about until now was the ocean and her family. Now this stranger had come into her life and everything she thought she knew was turning upside down.

When Fate curled in tighter against her and mumbled her name in her sleep Nanoha knew she was a goner. Even if the blonde couldn't return her feelings she was going to do everything she could to keep her in her life. Turning her head she kissed Fate's forehead then relaxed into the embrace. All her stress and troubles seemed to fade away and soon she too was dozing.

It wasn't until Nanoha's cell phone went off that either of them woke up. Looking down at the caller she frowned when she also saw the time. Reluctantly she pulled away to answer the phone. A disoriented Fate shivered, much colder than she had been before without her living body pillow. Nanoha stood away from her and seemed to be trying to speak as softly as possible. Blinking to remove the sleep from her eyes Fate looked around and realized it was really late. She had to wonder why no one from the house had come out to look for them.

Switching off her phone Nanoha turned back to Fate and saw she was standing once more, dusting off sand from her clothes. Regret at the lost moment of peace between them filled her; she could only hope they'd find themselves in similar circumstances again.

With a weak smile Nanoha said, "I have to go. Will I see you in the morning?"

Nodding Fate tried to ease the moment by teasing a little, "Of course, I'm addicted to those cinnamon rolls you use as bait."

Nanoha's smile became a little more genuine as she hugged Fate goodbye, "Silly Fate-chan, I'll see you tomorrow then, goodnight."

Fate muttered a good night and watched as the girl disappeared up the beach. How was it possible this girl had gotten past all her guards so easily? Well it didn't matter, she would only be here for the summer then this all would become a memory. Whether it ended up another painful scar or a precious stolen moment in time was yet to be seen.