The Long Wait

Scene from my first story and regular canon happen if they are not contradicted. Also in this chapter, the time jump is based on the time after Setsuna arrived back.

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Setsuna (One week)

Setsuna lay in Feldt and his room, looking up at the ceiling, a routine was beginning to settle in since he arrived back. He had gotten his uniform the day after he gave the form to logistics and been assigned responsibilities by Marlene, mainly keeping up with his personal training, testing the new Gundams specs, and training Feldt. She had shown to be a talented pilot, if a bit green due to the lack of actual combat experience. Not that he blamed her for that. There was little opportunity for that in the current situation, so only simulators would work for now. She was a decent shot, though she could be a bit shaky at times. And he had to do a lot of work helping her with melee combat, but he supposed the current pilots weren't exactly focused on it.

It certainly was enjoyable to teach and spar with her, be it against each other or working together. There was something nice about being able to fight side by side with his girlfriend, even if it was a simulated fight. It was too bad that Feldt's mother wouldn't allow her to become a pilot. She would have made a good meister, the fact that Feldt hadn't been assigned to the Cheridum already had made it obvious Feldt was going to stay reserve.

Looking at Feldt cuddled up to him, he smiled. Her eyes were closed and she smiled peacefully as they lay on her bed. The room assigned to him had become Setsuna staying in Feldt's room, effectively becoming their room. Both of them had tried to sleep alone, but the one time they tried, he found Feldt at his door asking if she could stay in his room. He had stayed in her room the next few days and Marlene had found by accident when she entered and saw the two cuddling. Marlene had given the two an even look, saying she expected this and reluctantly approved it. He had happily moved his small amount of stuff into her room, and the two officially had their own private space to just be together.

He let out a sigh looking at the redhead, a thought that had been going through his head recently reappearing. Back when he told Feldt about his past, he had purposely left out the fact he had killed his own parents. At the time he wasn't ready to confront that and was worried about how Feldt would react to learning about it. Over the three years alone, he had reflected on it and while he still blamed himself, he wasn't afraid to think about it. 'Maybe it's time to tell someone.'

Feldt's eyes opened and looked at him, worried, "Setsuna, are you ok? You look troubled."

Setsuna let out a deep breath, frowning, "Remember three years ago, when I told you about my past? How I was a child soldier?"

Feldt nodded, "Yes. I thought there was more to it, but I didn't want to force you to tell me."

Setsuna smiled sadly at her, "Thank you for that. But I think I'm ready to tell you the rest." He took a deep breath, "When I said my parents died in the fighting, that was a lie. When Ali al Saachez recruited us, he said to become true warriors of God, we had to remove our attachments on Earth."

Feldt initially looked confused, but then she put a hand over her mouth, gasping, a tear coming to her eyes, "Oh no."

A tear rolled down Setsuna's cheek onto the bed, "When I came back to my parents, they were so excited to see me. They were so worried about me, as I had been gone for a few days, along with many of my friends." More tears came down Setsuna's face, his emotions getting harder to control, "I was so convinced that this was the right thing, I gunned them down mercilessly. It was the first step to becoming a warrior of God." Setsuna growled under his breath, anger at himself flowing into his mind, "I was so stupid. I should have stayed home. I should have not been taken. Then I…"

Feldt put a hand on his face, wiping away a tear, "Setsuna, I'm sorry you had to go through that. No child should have to suffer like that. But we can't change the past."

Setsuna verbally grasped for anything, "But I could have maybe-" He had always wished he could have fixed what he did, the guilt a constant weight on his soul. He knew it was impossible, but he could still feel the yearning.

"You were only a child. You couldn't have known better." He began to retort, but Feldt put a finger on his lips, tears coming to her eyes, "We all have regrets. I wish I had been pushier about finding out about my mom. Maybe I would have found her earlier. But that's not who I was back then. I can only try to do my best now." Feldt looked into his eyes, a sad smile on her lips, "You never grieved them, did you?"

Setsuna shook his head, beginning to choke up. He had tried not to think about this event for a long time, the memory too scarring to want to touch. He hated showing weakness back then, but right now, he was with the woman he loved, the woman he had opened his soul to previously. She had just shown no judgement of him and comforted him. He choked out sobs, more tears falling onto the bed. Feldt pulled his face into her chest, gently caressing his neck and upper back, "It's alright. Let it all out." His tears began to stair her green tank top, but she didn't say anything.

Setsuna let his emotions flood like broken dam, all the grief about his parents catching up with. Feldt whispered comforting words softly into his ears. 'God I don't know what I would do without her.' He continued to cry for the next several minutes, feeling his soul lightening. There was still a nugget of guilt that refused to go away, and he didn't think he would ever fully get over it. But having someone hear it and understand him made a world of difference to him.

When he finally ran out of tears, he looked up at Feldt, who smiled at him warmly. Setsuna gratefully smiled at her, his voice a bit hoarse, "Thank you."

Feldt kissed him on the forehead, then rested her head against his, "I love you Setsuna. I am here for you whenever you need it." Setsuna just nodded, relief and happiness washing over him. After all of the stuff that happened to him, Feldt had seen him at his weakest and didn't judge him. He whispered, speaking his thoughts aloud as he looked into her eyes, "Angel."

Feldt looked at him, slightly flustered, "Angel?"

He smiled at her, kissing her lightly on the lips, "You are my angel." He pulled her closer, intertwining their legs.

Feldt blushed even more at that, bashfully smiling at him, "Your angel, huh? I like that." She gave him a teasing smile, "What should I call you then?"

"Setsuna?" He looked at her, confused.

She rolled her eyes, "I mean a pet name, silly. Hmm, let me think…How about darling?" She tried to the word on her tongue, "Darling. Darling." She smiled warmly at him.

Setsuna blushed at that and Feldt laughed, "I think I'll stick with that." Setsuna pulled her in for a kiss before he felt the lure of sleep rush over him. 'I guess that crying took a lot out of me.' Setsuna pulled Feldt close, closing his eyes as the bliss of sleep overwhelmed him.

Feldt (1 Month)

Feldt and Setsuna made their way to Marlene's office. Setsuna had told her he was curious about Marlene's team and operations recently, something she had never thought to ask, so she had sent a message to her mother wondering if they could talk about it. Her mother had sent her a message agreeing and a time to meet her, which had come up today. Her mother had always been a bit cagey talking about her old team, only mentioning her father. Feldt knew something bad happened, but never got specific details and even Ian had told to ask her mother. 'I hope that she will open up.'

The pair reached her office and Setsuna knocked on the door, her mother's voice telling them to enter. The door slid open, and Marlene was looking at the two as they entered, her hands folded in front of her as she sat in her chair, a frown on her face. She let out a long sigh, "I'm surprised it took someone so long to really ask about my history. I was expecting you to do it earlier."

Feldt smiled in reply, "I could tell it made you uncomfortable. And I just wanted to learn more about my father at first."

Marlene then looked over at Setsuna, "So I suppose it was you who wanted to ask then."

Setsuna nodded at that, "Ever since Feldt told me she was the daughter of the previous generations, I was curious what that team was like, what you did. I didn't want to ask immediately when I got back, wanting to settle in before I asked that." He looked over at Feldt, smiling, "I didn't expect Feldt to ask you based on an offhand comment I made."

She smiled back and him, "I wanted to do something nice for you. You were always kind of obsessed with the Gundams." Setsuna blushed, causing Feldt to chuckle, who then turned her attention to Marlene, "You don't need to answer if you don't want to." Marlene nodded at the chairs in front of her desk, Feldt and Setsuna took a seat in chairs in front of her desk.

Marlene waved her off, "No, no, it's fine. I probably need to talk about this with someone." Taking a deep breath, Marlene began to tell her tale, "I was recruited after I was falsely accused of an outbreak of disease during a colony construction job. As the only survivor, the Union wanted someone to take the blame for the incident that wasn't them. I was declared guilty, but they did cure me of the disease."

Feldt looked at her mom curiously, "Why didn't you try to fight against it?"

Marlene shrugged her shoulders, frowning, "What was the point? They were a powerful government and I had been thrown under the bus. Besides, I just wanted to move forward, try to do some good in the world. But when the man who saved me died from the disease, it felt like the world was unfair, like it needed to change. How could a good person like that die when someone as guilty as me survived?"

Setsuna gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry that happened to you. Being a last survivor is never pleasant." Feldt squeezed Setsuna's hand, knowing it was still something he reflected sadly on.

Marlene gave him a slight smile, "Thank you. But I've mostly gotten over that guilt. It's ancient history as far as I'm concerned." Feldt could see her mother was partially lying about that, but she could tell it was something no one could truly help her with. 'Like Setsuna and his past.' She found it interesting how similar her boyfriend and mother could be at times.

Marlene cleared her throat, continuing, "I was then recruited by Veda, becoming part of the team that was testing the second-generation mobile suits. We did small operations, generally testing out new weapons for the next generation of suits. We knew we were testing the suits rather than be doing missions like you guys did, so we really didn't need as large a support network. I found myself growing more attached to the team as we progressed. I particularly grew close Ruido, Feldt's father and Chall, a teenage girl who was one of the meisters. There was also Ian and Dr. Moreno, along with a few others." Marlene chuckled bitterly, "I was actually regarded as a risk due to my criminal past, so they placed a bomb collar on my neck to made sure I would follow orders."

Feldt's eyes widened, "That seems too cruel, even for Veda! Why would they do that? They must have known you were innocent!"

Marlene looked down at her desk, "They thought I wouldn't go along with the plan. Even if I was innocent." She then looked at Feldt, "Your father was the main one to complain about it and wanted it removed, but Veda didn't agree with him."

"He was right to think it was unfair. You shouldn't have had to do that." Feldt smiled sadly, "He must have really cared for you."

Marlene smiled warmly, her eyes glazing over slightly, "Yeah. Even when I tried to close myself off to him, his warmth and friendliness began to win me over. He was rather persistent in trying to get me to open up." Marlene looked down at her hands, "I was such a fool for taking so long to fall for him."

Feldt's eyes widened, "How long did it take for you to get together?"

"Quite a while. He flew a mission in my place, not wanting me to have to bloody my hands. He said I had a gentle heart." A tear came to Marlene's eyes, "I don't know how right he was, but that was when I came to like him. I delayed doing anything about it, but eventually I came around and we got together." More tears came down her face, "He even convinced Veda to give him permission to remove my bomb collar at our wedding."

Feldt was pulled by two separate emotions. She was happy her mom had found happiness and hearing about his devotion towards her, but her heart ached hearing how much her mother missed her father. 'I'm so sorry he's gone. I wish he could be here for both of us.'

Setsuna tilted his head, wanting to change the topic, "So when did you two have Feldt?"

Marlene wiped the tears away, getting better control over herself, "It was several years later. At the time, our missions had stopped and we began work on the third generation of Gundams." Marlene looked warmly at her daughter, "She was a calm child. Not crying too much, always curious. Always wanted to seem to play with her father's tools." Feldt blushed at that, and Marlene chuckled, "I wished I could have seen her grow up more."

Feldt put a hand on her mom's wrist, "I do too, but we can't go back." Marlene nodded and Feldt gave her a smile, before frowning, knowing the question that had been on her mind for years, "How did he die?"

Marlene pursed her lips, looking down. Feldt began to speak, "Mom, you don't have to-"

"Feldt, it's ok. I need to tell someone this." Placing one of her hands on top of the other, she spoke with a heavy tone, "We got intel that a group of terrorists were planning on holding one of the orbital elevators hostage from the ground. Veda said it was not likely to be an issue, but Ruido refused to accept that, sending in a mission plan. Veda approved it, but he had left me out of it. I refused to let him and Chall go without me, even when he tried to convince me to stay."

Feldt looked at her with sad curiosity, "What was the plan? And why were you so adamant on going?"

"The plan was to let Chall's Gundam leak GN particles, fully disabling the mobile suits without damaging anything. She would launch her core fighter and sacrifice the suit to keep them disabled. Ruido would grab her core fighter and bring her back. And I wanted to be there for both of them. They were my teammates and I wouldn't let them take that risk without me."

Setsuna spoke evenly, "So what went wrong?"

Marlene's voice was thick with regret, "Everything was going well, but Chall's core fighter wouldn't eject, leaving her stuck. Both Ruido and I tried to help her, but it wouldn't budge. The particles were everywhere and creating issues for both of us." Feldt saw her mom choke back a sob as she looked at Feldt, "You father and Chall told me to leave, to get to safety. I tried to convince them I was staying, but they said I needed to make it back. For you." More sobs began to choke her up, "I… I did what they said and began to fly away, telling Ruido I loved him one last time. As I got further away, I began to feel drained and tired and the last sight I had before I woke up three years ago was the ground getting bigger and bigger."

The tears and sobs came on thick. Feldt rounded her mother's desk, wrapping her arms around her. 'I didn't know it was this bad. Why did you hold onto this for so long?' Her mother always tried to be so strong. 'How long had she been holding it all in?' Setsuna looked at Feldt softly, silently asking if he should leave. Feldt shook her head. Her mother wouldn't be crying with him here if she didn't mind it.

After a minute, Marlene's tears dried, sobs stopping. Her eyes were red and puffy, but Marlene tried to straighten herself out, "I'm sorry for that display. A commander shouldn't be that weak."

Feldt shook her head at that, "Mom, it's ok. You held onto it for so long. Dad wouldn't want you to be stressed."

Marlene frowned at that, but simply nodded, "Probably. But there is much work to be done." Feldt could tell her mom was back in professional mode and would be that way for a while.

Feldt smiled at her mom, "Thank you for that. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. We'll leave you to your work."

Marlene gave them a small smile, "It was no problem."

Setsuna (Two months)

Setsuna exited the 00, the machine being activated for the first time. After multiple drives being tested alongside the 0 Gundams drive, it had finally become stable after using the Exias, though he had to use the trans-am to get it over the line. The sheer amount of GN particles it output. He had felt like pure power flowing through the machine and he knew he had a powerful weapon to fight the ESF with. He was pretty sure the Exia was getting fixed at another base, but the 00 was more essential for the upcoming fight they would have.

The 00 itself was also impressive. It had a similar frame and color scheme to the Exia, blue on the chest and shoulders, a small red section on the midriff, and white legs, though the armor was a little more angular. The main difference was the fact the two drives were on rotatable shoulder mounts instead of being mounted in the back. He had been told this system was experimental, so they had no idea the true potential of it. 'Well I guess I'll have to find out.'

As he began traveling down the walkway back to the control room, he saw Ian, Lasse and Tieria coming to meet him, Lasse and Tieria smiling and Ian with a scowl. The four men met, and Ian was the first to speak, frustration in his tone, "Setsuna! Activating the trans-am was dangerous! You could have damaged both drives!"

Setsuna shrugged his shoulders at that, "It activated the machine. It wouldn't pass the threshold to stability before, so I knew it needed a boost. And nothing seems to be damaged, so I don't see why it's an issue."

Ian ran a hand through his hair, letting out a groan, "God help me. Your impulsiveness is going to be the death of me. Just get out of here while I go examine the 00." Ian moved passed him as Setsuna nodded, who followed Lasse and Tieria as they moved to leave the hanger.

As they left the hanger and traveled into the rest of the base, Lasse smiled at Setsuna, "You gave the old man a hell of a scare. It was fun to see him so panicked."

Tieria just shook his head, "I'm surprised Ian was shocked you did that. You haven't been shy about doing things like that previously. Though based on the data I saw, using the trans-am on the twin drive might be a dangerous thing to do. The power flow from them is much higher than the other Gundams."

Setsuna nodded his head. It would be annoying that he couldn't use trans-am, but he knew Ian wouldn't lie about it being a risk, "I guess I'll just have to have train with the 00 so I don't have to worry about not having access to it."

Lasse chuckled, "I'm sure the old man and his wife are developing something to help with that. Don't know what, but I'm certain they want you to be able to use it." Lasse then gave Setsuna a sly grin, "And you have a perfect training partner. How about that?"

Setsuna tried not to blush but couldn't stop a bit of color coming to his face. He spoke in a terse and embarrassed tone, "I will certainly get Feldt to help me train, yes."

Tieria chuckled under his breath, "I'm certain that she's looking forward to helping you and sparring with you."

Setsuna groaned. Now both of them were teaming up against him. 'I didn't think getting a girlfriend would open me up to so much teasing.'

Setsuna frowned slightly, "Is there a reason you two like teasing me about Feldt?"

Lasse grinned, "One, because it's fun to see you so embarrassed. Two, it's the only ammunition to use against you besides your obsession with Gundams. And lastly, I am happy for you and just want to give you the normal experience of having a group of friends."

Setsuna could feel a smile come to his face. Ever since he came back, it felt like the old crew was closer and more friendly. Like they were more than just a crew thrown together. 'I see why Feldt sees the crew as a family.' He wished the whole crew could have seen this, but they probably would be happy to see they had this effect.

Tieria put a hand on his shoulder, grinning, "Besides, Feldt is a sister to me. A little teasing of her boyfriend is normal. She'd be disappointed if I didn't."

Setsuna looked at his, curious, "Do you mess with her as well?"

The purple-haired man nodded, "Of course. But I can't nearly embarrass her as much as Linda and Mileina do. They really get her blushing." That surprised Setsuna. From what he had seen of Linda, she was kind, respectful and easy going. 'What would she do that embarrassed Feldt so much?' He would have to ask Feldt. Though he could tell that Mileina would embarrass his girlfriend. Mileina had shown herself to be an intelligent and friendly, if overeager, teenager. Setsuna wouldn't say he hung out with her, but he could tolerate her stream of questions. She was a chatterbox and would probably ask all types of questions about his and Feldt's relationship. Feldt had taken the girl under her wing and of course Mileina would be curious about their relationship. 'She's probably reasonably fine. She stops. Eventually.'

Nodding his head at that, he looked at Tieria and Lasse, a serious look on his face, "How long do you think it will take to begin operations again?"

Lasse gave him a thoughtful look, "I can't be certain, but I'm guessing at least a few months. We are waiting on info about Ms. Sumeragi's location as well as a new recruit. So once we get that, we will probably go active."

Tieria nodded at that, "We should probably enjoy the peace we have right now. Once we start, I have no idea when we will get a break. We don't have the protection that Veda gave us three years ago." Setsuna noticed Tieria frown at the mention of Veda. 'I remember he took the loss of Veda badly when we swapped over our OS. He still must not be fully over it.'

Setsuna gave him a determined look, "Once we start, we will get it right this time. We have to." Tieria perked up at that, giving Setsuna a small smile.

Feldt (Three months)

Feldt entered the hanger control room, ready to start her shift when she noted a strange sight. Her mother was watching simulation footage of Setsuna in the 00. And Feldt smirked when she saw me mother smiling faintly at the footage. 'She's impressed by it, huh? It's funny to see her growing to like someone so quickly.' She quietly walked up behind her mom, and shouted "Boo!" into her ear, causing the blonde woman to jump in her chair and look up at the redhead.

"When did you get here?!" Her mom tried to correct her shock, glaring at her daughter in annoyance.

Feldt just laughed, "Just now. But I can see you were enjoying watching Setsuna fight against imaginary enemies." Setsuna had certainly taken to the 00 well, and Feldt had noticed a level of excitement she hadn't noticed before when they trained together.

Marlene looked a bit flustered, even as she tried to hide it, "I was just appreciating his piloting skills. It was a good decision to try to find him as soon as possible. He now has time to get used to his Gundam."

"You're welcome for helping him focus on that, by the way." Her mom just nodded at that and Feldt grinned, "But I think you are beginning to like him. You let him call you Marlene despite not knowing him that well."

Marlene gave her an even look, "He is your boyfriend. He is part of your life, so I have to accept him. Also his attitude had been a breath of fresh air. He knows not to back talk and goes along with his orders and responsibilities. I wish more of the staff were like him." Marlene smiled, "And you chose to trust him, so I'm going to trust your instincts. If you think he's a good person, I will trust that until he proves otherwise, which I don't see happening anytime soon."

Feldt rolled her eyes, "He sounds just like you. Though a little less strict." She then smiled back at her mother, "And thank you for that. I knew you would like him." A teasing grin came to her face, "Does that mean you approve of him in any…future endeavors?"

Marlene pursed her lips, "Don't think about that."

Feldt laughed, "I was kidding. I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

Marlene just nodded and gave her daughter a warm look, "You are just like your father, you know? He was always more relaxed compared to most of us in my generation."

Feldt blushed, happy she inherited something from her father, "I just think it's the right thing. We have to trust in people or what's the point of being idealistic."

Marlene chuckled bitterly, "I wish I could be as idealistic as you. After all the betrayal by Veda you went through, you still can put such trust in people."

Feldt looked at her mother, concerned, "Is there something wrong with that?"

Marlene shook her head, "No. Please don't change. This organization needs people like you. I'm just a cynical old woman."

Feldt placed a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder, "We need you as well. You have clear head that we all need. Having someone to act as the cool head of the organization has helped all of us."

Marlene gave her daughter a soft smile, "Thank you. I needed that. We certainly have no lack of stress on either of, don't we?"

Feldt nodded at that then frowned, a question coming to her lips that had been on her mind for a long while, "Mom, why can't I pilot the Cheridum? We don't need to look for a recruit and you know I'm a decent shot and good pilot?" Her tone was yearning, desperate to do what she felt would make herself happy and would help the organization. If they could recruit from the inside, then they could certainly not have to worry about loyalty.

Marlene looked at her daughter conflicted, her eyes hard to read, "You are the best tech person we have on the base. I need you for data analysis and support of the meisters. Also the organization really doesn't have people to spare. It's not personal. If we did have available crew, I will certainly let you become a pilot."

Feldt frowned at that. She could tell her mom was hiding something. There was almost a sense of fear in her voice as she answered the question. 'She is right about my skills, but that's not everything.' Feldt begged, her eyes wide, "Mom, what are you hiding?"

Marlene shook her head, her voice hardening, "Feldt, those are my reasons. If we get any other machines and have the crew available, you will get one of those." Marlene frowned, regret obvious.

Feldt bitterly nodded, her heart aching. She knew her mom was hiding her reasons, but it hurt to know she was hiding them from Feldt. 'Why can't she let me pilot the Cherdium?' She knew that this conversation would go nowhere, so Feldt quietly walked to a nearby console, saying, "I love you mom."

Marlene's voice was almost a whisper when the words reached Feldt, "I love you too." The words were regretful and melancholy, Feldt wishing her mom would just open up to her. She didn't want to create an issue between the two of them, so she would let it lie. She could distract herself with Setsuna, work and the rest of the crew. 'Could I really?' She had no idea, but right now it hurt just a bit too much to think about.

Marlene (Nine months)

Marlene felt a different type of tenseness right now. She was currently sitting in her office, bottle of whiskey in her hands. The crew was a few days out from launching in the Ptolemaios 2, having gotten information from Wang Liu Mei that a colony named Proud was a target for a raid from that black ops group they had recently learned was named the A-Laws. They had been quiet long enough and now was the time to go on the offense. Her thoughts drifted to Wang Liu Mei. 'She's a snake, but the most reliable info we have.' She didn't trust the woman and hated having to pander to her, but they needed someone on the outside to help them.

They also had found out the location of their old tactical forecaster, Sumeragi Li Noriega, as well as a potential recruit to pilot the Cheridum. Her daughter hadn't brought up the topic since they talked about it six months ago, though she could tell it bothered Feldt still. 'I'm sorry I can't tell you. But you wouldn't fully understand.' Marlene knew she was being selfish, but if her daughter never became a meister, then she couldn't die like Chall or Ruido did. But besides that, Celestial Being now had info to act upon. 'The only thing we are missing is the location of Allelujah.'

The door to the office slid open and Marlene turned to see Ian enter, a curious look on his face, "Marlene? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Marlene smiled at him, a slight blush on her face from the alcohol, "Just… reflecting is all." Marlene then frowned, the memory of what the day was catching up to her.

Ian nodded, "We aren't going to have a lot of peace after this, so now would be a good time to. Thinking about anything in particular?"

Marlene sighed heavily, "It's…that day."

Ian just nodded sadly, walking over and sitting on a chair in front of her desk, "Yeah. I hope wherever they are, they are in a better place." Ian gave her a soft look, "Do you do this every year?"

Marlene nodded, a tear coming to her eyes, "I still sometimes wish I could have joined him. Being the last meister from that group…Their deaths still haunt my dreams."

"I know the feeling, but these kids need us. And Ruido wanted you to be with your daughter. You'll see him eventually and you can tell him about the woman your daughter has become." Ian looked at her curiously, "Does Feldt still do the letter thing?"

Marlene nodded, thinking back when she first learned it a year after she woke up.

Marlene entered her daughter's room and was struck when she saw her daughter at her desk, writing something. Not announcing her presence, she floated behind her daughter, spotting her husbands name on the letter. 'What is she doing?'

Her daughter finally caught onto her presence, rotating to look up at her mom in surprise, "What is going on? Did I forget something?"

Marlene shook her head, smiling, "No, you are fine. I just wanted to check on you." She gave a pointed look at the letter, "What are you doing?"

Feldt blushed and looked down at the ground, "Well it's a thing I've been doing where I write a letter to everyone I lost, saying what's going with my life and how I'm feeling." A tear came to her eye, "It used to be just for you and dad, but the list…grew."

Marlene placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice soft, "I'm certain he loves hearing what you are thinking, along with everyone else." Feldt nodded at that and Marlene smiled, "I am happy you don't need to write it for one more person. What about Setsuna?" She knew her daughter had unerring faith he was alive, but she was curious if she wrote one just in case.

Feldt shook her head back and forth, closing her eyes, "No! He's alive! I refuse to write one for him! I can't!"

Marlene knelt down and kissed her daughter on the forehead, the girl looking into her mother's eyes, "Keep you faith in him." Feldt blushed as Marlene continued, "Tell you father that I still love him and I'll meet him eventually."

Marlene looked up at her ceiling, "She's so…idealistic and kind. It's so hard to imagine someone staying that way in our position."

Ian chuckled at that, "Believe me, I know the feeling. Mileina is so energetic and chipper, and I have no idea where it comes from. She has all these responsibilities, yet she cheerfully does it. When I was there age, I was just in school, trying to avoid homework."

Marlene nodded at that, "We lived in a seemingly simpler time, though I don't regret joining Celestial Being. I only wish Feldt and Mileina could have grown up in a safer environment."

Ian shrugged his shoulders, "There's nothing we can do about that now. The best we can do is to try to make sure they are as safe as possible."

Marlene smiled, "We can only hope they become stronger and better people than us."

Ian nodded then smiled at Marlene, "Do you have a glass?" Marlene nodded, sliding over a shot glass after pouring some of the whiskey into it. Ian grinned, raising up the glass, "To daughters!"

Marlene raised the bottle, clinking it on the shot glass, "To daughters! And hoping they have a happy future!" Ian chugged the shot and Marlene took a swig. The two grinned, looking at the nearly empty hanger. 'Here's hoping for success.'

Author Note

And that's the chapter! We move onto the plot of S2, so get ready! This will be fun! I'll see you guys next week and I love reviews, comments, kudos, etc.!