Sorry its been so long. But boy do I have a good excuse.

The baby came early! My little girl got impatient and said I want out now! She's here! My baby Daisy! Wheeeeee!

(I think I'm a little over excited, so I'll try to calm down.)

Okay, thanks to everyone who's been reading this, you guys are so awesome. I hope you like this chap, and more will be coming soon!

Chap: Nuns and Rulers

They talked throughout the day and part of the night, trying to figure out what would happen the next day, and what they would do for the worst case scenario. Plans were made to go to Satella for information, and to keep touch with the elder for weapon repair and barrier replacements. They were still trying to figure out how they were going to pay for all this, preferably something that didn't involve Chrono doing all the work as was typical.

The next day came far too soon for anyone's peace of mind. Chrono managed to wake Rosette up with minimal gunfire, since he couldn't kick her out the dormitory window anymore, and she hurried to the dorms to change.

She walked down the stone corridors, wondering what might happen to them both now. Will they really kick us out? I know we aren't exactly your typical couple, but surely they wouldn't try to hurt us? Chrono's one of the good guys after all, that's got to count for something. She glanced over to the side of the hall at the sound of whispers. "Morning, Sister Claire, Abbey."

Both girls just stared at her, whispering to themselves as they walked off. Well that's rude. Wonder what's their problem? She continued on to the showers, more and more sisters passing her by without saying a word. The looks she was getting were starting to scare her too. They were looking at her like she was some kind of freak. She began to walk faster.

Rosette was grateful to get to the quiet of the wash room. The sound of the water falling drowned out the whispers around her from the other bathers. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to will herself stronger. Chrono had warned her that something like this would happen, but she had hoped that her friends would stand by her. Some friends they turned out to be—

"Rosette? Rosette, are you alright?"

Rosette opened her eyes to the sight of her youngest friend. "Azmaria?"

The apostle smiled. "Thank goodness you answered. I was beginning to worry that you were falling asleep."

"No," the older girl smirked to herself. "As much as I might need sleep from the last two nights, I can't seem to get any. What about you, Az? You been alright?"

"Oh, I've been fine! Don't worry about me! But what about you? Are you alright? We could hear screaming from the garden house. Were you hurt at all?"

"You heard us all the way from the dorms?" Rosette felt her face flame in embarrassment. "Oh, crap."

"Yes, we heard you going on all night and most of the morning," called another girl from farther down the row of stalls. She nervously poked her head around the corner to face Rosette. "What happened in there? I mean, did it hurt? You were screaming for so long."

"What? Hurt? No! Chrono would never hurt me!" the blonde huffed.

"But you were screaming," Az said quietly. "What on earth could make you scream like that?"

Rosette's blush turned an interesting color of eggplant. "You—you—you bunch of perverts!"

"But we want to know!" Another sister called. "What was it like?"

More girls started to talk now, all curious about the goings on of last night. Even one of the older sisters was curious and asked questions. Rosette couldn't help her bemused smile. So that's what the matter was. They were all curious about what me and Chrono did together. Her heart warmed at the thought. I knew my friends wouldn't abandon me like that.

Suddenly one of the ranking sisters charged in, looking ready to kill. "This sort of talk is disgraceful! And it shall stop right this instant! All of you, finish up your business and get moving, practice is in twenty minutes." She whirled around to face the girls, Azmaria shaking in fear. "Rosette, you should be ashamed of your self, letting a demon defile you like that. Girls, you are to have no further contact with Rosette Christopher until further notice. You finish your washing right smart and report to the abbess."

Rosette was outraged. "By who's authority"—

"My authority, you little demon slut!" The nun shouted. "Now get out of these showers and get to the abbess!"

Rosette stomped over to her clothes, murder on her mind. But it was what came from sweet Azmaria that made her stop in her tracks, whirling around in shock.

The young apostle stood facing the older nun, fists clenched and shaking. "You—you mean bully! You're just saying those things because you're jealous that Rosette has someone that loves her!"

The sister looked down her nose at her. "You don't know what you're talking about, little girl. She has been defiled by that devil of her own free will."

"He didn't defile her! She was just trying to help him through a curse"—

"By letting a creature of hell touch her?" The nun sneered.

"Because she loves him and Chrono loves her!" Az shouted. "Everybody knows that"—

"She consorted with a devil! As far as I'm concerned, she's unclean, unfit to walk on sacred ground! I hope they send her to the Inquisition!" Everyone gasped at those words. The inquisitional squad was based on the older form from the Catholic religion to seek out demon worshippers and either reform or punish them. Rumors abounded about what happened to people that went before the Inquisition, and none of them had happy endings.

But Azmaria stood her ground. The look in her eyes became so much older than a child of twelve should ever have as she spoke. "May they find a way to forgive such poison from you, for how could God be angry with two people in love?" She turned and walked back over toward Rosette as the nun sputtered in fury. "I'll go with you to see Sister Kate." She motioned over her shoulder to the nun dismissively. "I'd rather not stay someplace with her type around."

"Me too," said one girl.

"And me," said another.

"Hey, I don't want to stick around her either!" said another girl. More girls left the showers, following after Rosette. "If Sister Kate tries to kick her out, I'm leaving the abbey," said Sister Anne. A great many of the girls there nodded in agreement.

Rosette couldn't help the few tears that escaped around her smile as she walked down the hall. "Thanks, Az."

The girl blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"For what you said back there. That was amazing," Rosette said. "I didn't know you had it in you to be so brave."

"Neither did I," Az said, her voice suddenly shaking. "I thought I was going to shake to pieces."

"You did great, hon," said a sister behind them. "If you didn't say it, I was going to." The other girls nodded. The group stopped at the threshold of the abbess's door. Rosette turned and smiled at them all. Looking a little at a loss for words. "I—I don't know what to say. Well, maybe thank you. I mean, I knew I had good friends. I just didn't know I had great friends."

The sisters smiled back, some even giving her the thumbs up. "Good luck, Sister Rosette," Azmaria said. "I know Sister Kate will let you stay." She paused as Rosette walked into the lion's den. The young girl raised her eyes upwards, praying for her friend.

&&&

Rosette couldn't really describe what she was feeling right then. She was both completely calm and shaking in her boots. She knew that even if the worst happened, she and Chrono had a plan and would be fine. But still, Sister Kate was the closest thing she had to a mother. If asked, she would have had to say that her trepidation was more in disappointing the Abbess than anything else. She stepped further into the room, facing towards the couches where the woman sat.

The Abbess motioned the girl over, inviting her to sit. "Are you feeling alright, Rosette?"

"Um, I'm fine, considering the lack of sleep for the past two days," the girl replied.

"And considering the—activities as well, I presume."

Rosette gaped at her. Kate loved getting the better of the girl: it could be so much fun when property damage wasn't involved. "Do close your mouth, Sister Rosette, you'll catch flies like that."

"So I am still a sister?" She asked as she sat down into the cushions, nervously accepting a cup of tea the nun offered.

The nun sighed through her nose. "That is entirely up to you and Chrono, now. Whatever you decide to do, I will help you both."

Rosette nearly spat hot tea out her nose. "Ju—Just like that?"

Kate's eyebrows rose. "Would you like for me to make this difficult?"

"N-no, it's just—I—I just really thought that it would take some persuading, or something." She sat further back into the cushions, tea forgotten, her look pensive.

Kate looked over at her. "Is there something wrong?"

Rosette glanced back up at her, finally blurting out, "Are you angry with me? Why aren't you angry with me! I come in here, expecting to get blown past the moon with your screaming, and you're all calm, and I don't know what to say now, so what's really going on with you!" She panted trying to catch her breath.

Kate smiled to herself, mentally laughing at the girl's state. "Well, I can't say that I'm really surprised at what happened."

The girl blinked in surprise. "You aren't?"

"Not really. I know how you are, Rosette. I knew that you would do everything in your power to help Chrono, even go so far as to"—she flushed—"have relations with him, if it would ease his pain. You both have been in love with each other for a very long time." She watched the girl for her normal reaction of denial at her last words, and when she heard none, couldn't help but smile. "So he finally told you. And you finally told him. Good on you both for that. I think the both of you have done some growing up.

"But have either of you given thought to what will happen now? What you both want to do?"

Rosette nodded. "We were prepared to go to Satella if things went bad here, so we could still have information on Joshua. But we really want to stay here. We'll be as we were before, just with this new part of us too, you know?"

"So you still want to fight in the Militia?"

"Of course I do! I'll never give up on Joshua!"

"I never thought you would, Rosette, but now you may have something else to worry about. Or rather, someone."

Rosette frowned in confusion. "Huh? You mean, Chrono? He can take care of himself"—

Kate explained her comment. "No, no. What happens if you become pregnant?"

Rosette stopped in her tracks. "Oh. Um, Chrono's pretty sure that humans and demons can't have children."

"I think that he is misinformed," Kate said, folding her hands together. "There have been some cases of half devils recorded in the Archives. You both might want to be careful in the future. Assuming that you both will continue your—(ahem)—activities with each other."

Rosette blushed, but nodded. "We will be careful, Sister Kate, I promise."

"Good." The nun paused, collecting her thoughts in order. "Well, to sum everything up, you may still be in the militia, however, we cannot keep you as a real Sister. We would have you on call as a separate unit, and we could possibly begin to train you both to be specialists."

The girl's eyes lit up. Specialists were the elite of the Order's fighting force, able to go on covert missions on their own, like Father Remington. "Really?"

"Yes. You both may stay here, living in the garden house if you wish."

Rosette smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks. It would be kind of awkward, us being apart after all of this."

"I agree. But there is something I must ask you." The intense look in the Abbess's eyes made Rosette shrink back against the cushions. "What?"

"Does Chrono intend to do the right thing by you?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, he does intend to marry you, right?"

"Uh"—

"Because if he doesn't, I might just have to do him very real physical harm."

Rosette couldn't help her sputter. Marriage? "Well, um, we, ah—I guess so?"

The sister lit up like a display window at Christmas. "This is wonderful! How many people do you want to invite to the wedding? When should we have it? We'll have to have it soon! I haven't been to a wedding in ages! Oh my, the things we'll need to arrange"—

As the Abbess rambled on, Rosette had a feeling that things were about to get very interesting around here.

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