Dancing on Broken Glass

Scene from my first story and regular canon happen if they are not contradicted.

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Setsuna

Setsuna blinked a few times, the haze in his vision clearing up as he looked at his surroundings. He found himself standing in the hallway of the Ptolemy, currently in his casual uniform. 'What is going on? Last thing I remember was being in the 00 with a wounded shoulder. Wait, am I still injured?'

He experimentally rotated his arm in circles, finding it worked just find. Confused, he scanned the hallway he was in, seeing he was in a long T-junction with a room at the end where the top of the T was. He suddenly heard a desperate cry from the room at the end of the hallway, Feldt's voice ringing in his ears, "Setsuna! Save me! Please!"

His eyes widened and he immediately rushed towards the room, but the hallway seemed to stretch on and on as he ran down the hallway, desperation setting in, Feldt's voice still echoing in the hallway. He needed to get to her. The woman he loved was crying out for help and it seemed he couldn't reach her. He grit his teeth and advanced, finally reaching the door. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a gunshot and Feldt's voice going silent.

Setsuna slammed the button to open the door, and the sight in front of him caused his heart to drop, all words leaving his mind. Feldt's body lay lifeless on the floor, a gunshot through her head, blood beginning to pool around her corpse. Standing above her was Ali and Ribbons, Ali with a smoking gun in his hand. They smirked at him, and Ribbons spoke in a gloating tone, "Look at the child soldier finally arriving. What took you so long? I know you heard her crying out for help."

Grief and rage stormed through Setsuna as he spit venomous words, tears streaming down his face, "You murdered her! She was the best thing in my life and you murdered her!" The brightest light in his life had been snuffed out and these two were just gloating at him

Ali just grinned at him, "Well maybe if she didn't know you, then she wouldn't be this way. The little Krugis punk dragging down all those he cares about." Ali turned the gun on him casually, not aggressively threatening him, but ready to react.

Setsuna fell to his knees, his legs failing him. More tears began to stream down his face, "She was just…so good. So kind. Why do monsters like you do this?!"

Ribbons spoke this time, completely in control, "You took what was mine. So I'll take what is yours. Don't you think that is fair?"

Setsuna grit his teeth, "No, it's not nearly the same. You would make a corrupt world. Make it your plaything." His nostrils flared as he exhaled, "Why don't you just shoot me and be done with it?!" Setsuna's could barely move his body, the sight of Feldt's dead body draining his motivation.

Ribbons tutted at him, "Now, now, now, that wouldn't be fun. You will suffer and have to live without the people you care about." He looked at Ali, "We can leave now. I think he got the message."

Intense anger rose up again in him and he attempted to tackle Ribbons, but he felt a heavy boot hit his back, knocking him prone and knocking the wind out of him. His vision became blurry once again as footsteps exited the room, leaving him alone with the body of the woman he loved.

He crawled over to her body, and looked into her eyes, desperately hoping to see the light in them. But he saw none of the familiar warmth, just seeing the eyes he had seen many times over on the battlefield. The eyes of someone long gone, leaving the husk of a body behind. He began to sob into her chest, knowing the person he had given his heart to was gone, taken like everything else good in his life had gone.

He cried and wailed for a few minutes, till he heard footsteps enter the room. He turned to see Marlene standing above him, her eyes wide in horror at Feldt's dead body. She looked to him angrily, "You! I trusted you to protect her and look at my daughter! She's dead!"

"I-" Words fled his tongue, not knowing what he could say.

"She trusted you! How could you let her die!?" The woman balled her fist, all her anger focused on Setsuna.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" It was all he could say, all he could think. He had failed the woman he loved and he had nothing to explain or justify. All of this was his fault and he wouldn't defend himself.

Marlene was about to say something when the world suddenly turned to white, everything fading around him. He looked around, only seeing a white void, even his own clothes gone. 'What is?'

A soft, melodic voice filled the space, Feldt's kind tones all around him, "Setsuna, it's not your fault. You were not to blame."

He looked around desperately, hoping to find the source of the voice, but had no luck, "But I let you die! I should have been there to-" The realization this was a dream was hitting him, but the guilt was real, and he couldn't help but stay wrapped up in that.

Arms wrapped around his chest as a familiar weight pressed into his back. Feldt's voice whispered into his ears, "I'm right here. I'm safe, darling. I will never leave you." Setsuna turned around in her arms to see Feldt's naked form holding him. He rested his forehead against hers, tears of happiness streaming down his face. She continued, "I love you Setsuna. But you need to wake up. Just remember that I chose to fight besides you and will stay with you till the end."

Setsuna just nodded, bringing Feldt into a soft kiss as the light around him brightened. He didn't know if he would remember this nightmare, but he would show Feldt how much she meant to him when he woke up.

Marlene

Marlene sat at Feldt's old station, checking through the system, daylight streaming into the ship. The bridge was full as Anew and Lasse were at their stations, though Sumeragi was not on the bridge at the moment. The ship was making its way through the mountains to meet up with a Katharon resupply caravan for supplies after the battle against the innovades the previous nights. 'I wonder who helped us with that?' She gave a knowing look at Lyle, who stood next to the captain's chair, arm resting on the side of it.

Marlene spoke in an even tone to the bridge, not turning to look at the rest of the crew, "No enemies in this airspace. We are in the clear."

Lyle replied quickly, "Then let's hurry to the rendezvous point. I hear the Katharon supply trucks are already there and waiting for us."

Lasse chipped in with a knowing tone, "We better thank Katharon for letting us know all about that, right?" Marlene looked over to see Lasse giving Lyle a half smirk and side eye.

Lyle let out a groan, looking embarrassed, "Yeah. I'll tell him." Marlene rolled her eyes at him. It was obvious Lyle was a part of Katharon, even without her spying on him. They were suddenly able to contact Katharon way easier and Kathron began showing up at places they were, like the prison when they broke out Allelujah. His messages had shown they were harmless, so she let them be. She was annoyed at his loyalty to Katharon, but she had bigger things to be worried about.

Anew added in, chuckling, "Told you so."

Malrene spoke up in a deliberately even tone, "Mr. Dylandy, you need to work on hiding your little spy act. You were very obvious."

Lyle let out a sigh, "I thought I was good at hiding it, but it seems everyone knows."

"I know. I was spying on you the entire time."

Lyle turned to looked at her, eyes wide, "What do you mean you were spying on me?"

Marlene let out an annoyed sigh, "It means exactly what I said. With the attitude you were giving me at the first interrogation? Of course I would keep an eye on what you were doing." She smirked, "Haro is a very convenient cover to hide it."

Lyle hung his head at that, scowling lightly, "I should have expected that, to be honest. Little snitch." His tone at the last words were joking, no serious accusation behind them.

Lasse laughed, "Lyle, I told you the commander was a hardass. Of course she was going to keep an eye on you."

Lyle looked at Lasse defensively, "I didn't expect her to use the small robot to keep an eye on me. It feels like cheating."

Anew giggled, "All is fair in love and war."

Lyle grumbled under his breath, "Normally that's for your enemies, not allies."

Marlene chuckled lightly, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. 'So this is what Sumeragi meant by relaxing a little. I suppose I could come to enjoy this.' This would be new for her, but she would resist the urge to pull away from this. She couldn't promise to be anyone's friend, but she could at least lighten up a little. 'Only a little. I still have a reputation to maintain.'

Feldt

"I wish I still had the kimono, but you wouldn't have expected Setsuna to look so entranced if you didn't know him." Feldt chuckled as she spoke to Marina, the two sitting next to Setsuna's bed. After falling asleep next to Setsuna for several hours, she had woken up feeling very stiff, but much more put together than last night, now that she knew Setsuna was fine and wasn't in danger of dying. She also realized she smelled, so she asked around if they had a shower she could use. They had told her yes and after showering, she found her way back to the medbay, finding Marina standing over him, a worried smile on her face.

Feldt had struck up a conversation with her after pulling up two chairs, Marina asking how the two got together, which Feldt explained, leaving out the steamier stuff in their relationship. Marina seemed to find it endearing how soft and patient Setsuna had been with Feldt and vice versa after Feldt told her the story. And she was happy that the two had found each other when they did.

Feldt did not expect the princess's next question, "You called him your fiancé. When did that happen?"

Feldt blushed, realizing it probably slipped in when she was gushing about how happy she was with the raven-haired meister, "Well after we destroyed the Memento Mori, we ran into an…old enemy and I couldn't stand her flirting with him, so I kind of blurted it out." Feldt scratched the back of her neck, "But then he said yes, so I guess we are engaged."

Marina chuckled, "That's Setsuna for you. And congratulations. You both deserve happiness and a future." Marina looked at her curiously, "What are your thoughts about the future?"

Feldt looked down nervously, "I don't know. A family at some point? After everything is done? There's just so much going on. I just want to be by his side right now."

Marina gave her a warm smile, placing a hand on Feldt's knee, "Whatever that future is, I know you will find happiness."

Feldt nodded at that, a smile coming to her face, "Thank you."

Marina removed her hand from Feldt's knee, looking away for a second before looking back at Feldt with another curious look, "When did you become a pilot? Setsuna never mentioned you were one of them." Feldt noticed a slight frown appeared on her face. 'Is she disappointed I became a pilot?'

Feldt took a breath, "I've actually been a reserve meister for a couple years now. I wasn't assigned a machine till right before the Memento Mori battle, but I'm happy I get to fight besides the man I love." She left out the details with her mother, as it wasn't important that she know that whole situation. Feldt pursed her lips as she asked Marina a question, her frown confusing Feldt, "Are you ok?"

Marina gave her a sad smile, "It always hurts a little inside when I have to watch someone fight, even if I have accepted the need for it. But having someone you care for fight by your side must keep both of you going." Marina's smile became warm, "I'm happy someone like you is by Setsuna's side, supporting on and off the battlefield. He had been alone for so long and now he has a woman who loves him, who is marrying him."

A few tears came down her cheek, and she laughed, "I'm sorry about that. Just me being a silly woman who wants happiness for a wounded boy."

Feldt just chuckled, "No, I completely understand. I was once a silly girl with a crush on a boy who didn't know what romance was. But now look at us." Feldt could feel warmth in her chest as she thought about Setsuna, the memories of their budding relationship still fresh in her head.

Both women were shocked when Setsuna's eyes shot open and a desperate cry came out of him, "Feldt!" His good hand shot out, weakly reaching out for her.

The redhead immediately moved to grab his hand with both of hers, looking into his eyes, his worry reflecting her worry, "It's ok Setsuna. I'm right here. I'm right here."

Setsuna was breathing shallowly and attempted to move his other arm, but winced in pain as he fell back onto his back. Feldt spoke, concern in her voice, "Setsuna, you need to relax. Your arm is hurt."

"I…I had a…" Setsuna trailed off, looking away from her. Feldt could see him calming down, but was confused why he looked away from her.

Feldt gently placed a hand on his face and turned him to face her. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, smiling, "It's ok. I'm just happy you are safe."

Setsuna spoke quietly, "I love you. Please don't leave me."

With the hand that kept a grip on his good arm, she intertwined their fingers, softly kissing him again, "Never." Feldt squeezed their linked hands, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead on his. They remained in that position for a minute, just taking in each other. To see him so worried about her concerned the redhead. 'What happened that he called out my name so desperately? I'll have to ask him later.' Right now she just was happy knowing he was safe.

Marina's voice called out, drawing both meister's attention to her, "I'm happy to see you safe Setsuna."

He looked at her, eyes wide, "Marina."

She smiled at him warmly, "Yes." She looked between the two, "I have information for you both, but before that, I wanted to thank Setsuna for opening my eyes on…well how I was before. I was naïve, but without you pointing that out, I don't know if I would be the woman I am right now." Feldt looked at her confused. 'What did he say to her on the ship?'

Setsuna gave her a curious look, "Was what I said that important?"

She nodded, "Yes. That's why I want to help you guys get back. The world needs both of you." She took a deep breath, her tone understanding, "We got a call from a cell in Europe about resupplying your ship. We have sent the info to where they met your ship to your Gundam."

Feldt gave her a grateful smile, "Thank you."

Marina just nodded, "It was the right thing to do. Now let's get you moving." She handed Setsuna a few injector needles, "This should help with your arm. I don't know how much, but the doctor said it would help with the bleeding."

Setsuna nodded, breaking his grasp with Feldt and pushing himself up. Feldt looked a bit concerned at him, seeing him a bit shaky, but he caught himself, faking that he was alright. 'If Setsuna is one thing, it's stubbornness in the face of everything.' She smiled bitterly at that and followed him, Marina behind them. As they were about to reach the hanger, Marina spoke, "Feldt, Setsuna, treat each other right." Both of the pilots stopped and turned, seeing the warmth in her eyes.

Both nodded and spoke at the same time, "We will." Feldt would not ever let him go again. Not after all they went through. Not after all the time they spent together. She would make sure there was no regrets in making this choice. She looked in his eyes and saw the same devotion that she had, which caused her to grin back at him. 'We will make this work.'

As Feldt and Setsuna reached the 00, Feldt stopped Setsuna as they reached the side of the 00 Raiser, looking Setsuna deep in his brownish-red eyes, her voice a combo of pleading and commanding, "Setsuna, I need you to get in the 0 Raiser."

Setsuna looked at his fiancé confused, "But I need to pilot the 00. That's what I trained in, what I'm supposed to pilot." Feldt could feel the devotion to piloting the 00 in his voice. She knew he was attached to piloting it, but right now he was injured and if they got in a fight, it would only make his shoulder worse.

Feldt took a calming breath, "You're injured and I have to get you back safely. It's ok, you know I can handle myself." Setsuna had had her train in the 00 simulator, wanting to get her input but also to have her at least some experience in the machine as well.

Setsuna looked at her for several seconds, clearly thinking about what she said. She knew this was a lot to ask him, but she hoped he would see the logic of the situation. She gently placed a hand on his face, smiling sadly, "Once you are better, the 00 is yours. But just for now, please allow me to pilot the 00."

Setsuna's shoulder's slumped and he let out a deep breath, nodding slightly at her, "Alright. I will do it. I might need Haro to pull the weight for the sensors."

Feldt chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I'm certain he's going to find this whole situation strange." There was a warmth in her chest at Setsuna trusting her with something that she knew he considered his. 'I won't let him down.'

Setsuna smiled back at her, "I bet." He pecked her on the lips, which she blushed at as they clearly had an audience, but he headed to the rope into the 0 Raiser, leaving her standing there alone. She looked around one last time, seeing Marina wave at them, to which she waved back and made her way to the rope that would get her into the 00. She was still annoyed with Setsuna, but it decreased by a lot since they had arrived at the base.

Riding it up, she looked into the cockpit, feeling a little nervous all of the sudden. She had been the 00 training with Setsuna before, but now she was about to pilot it for real. Descending into the cockpit, she attached herself to the back of the seat and the displays in front of her lit up, the machine coming to life. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she gripped the controls and closed her eyes, just taking in the idea that she was now controlling the most powerful Gundam Celestial Being had, the one that had turned the tide at Lagrange 3. 'Is this what Setsuna felt like the first time he got control of the 00? Due to the sheer sense of power it had?'

The 00 seemed to hum with power, even more than the 0 Raiser did. It almost thrummed through the body. She knew the 00 is where most of the power came from, the 0 Raiser only acting as a power regulator and focuser. 'No wonder Setsuna seemed so excited when they docked for the first time in battle.' Ian and Linda did an amazing job designing the 0 Raiser to make the mech they were now in.

Opening her eyes, she opened communications with the 0 Raiser, and saw Setsuna looking over all the displays. He gave her a nod, "All systems are good here." She saw him wince as he used his bad arm to press a button, but he quickly went back to an even look, "How does it feel?"

"It feels…exhilarating. I've never felt something like this before."

Setsuna smiled at her, but Haro called out over the link, "Feldt in 00? Feldt in 00?"

Feldt laughed at Haro's words, "Only for the moment, little guy. But right now I need you to take care of Setsuna for me. Can you do that?"

"Haro can! Haro can! Setsuna hurt! Setsuna hurt!"

Feldt shook her head at the little machine, then gave Setsuna a serious look, "Ready to go?"

He responded evenly, though she could detect a hint of worry in his voice, "When you are."

As she was about to launch, she suddenly saw a flight path appear on her display. Studying it, she realized the Ptolemy must have sent them data as to where they were going. 'Why are they going to the African orbital elevator?' Knowing they would get answers when they met the ship, Feldt kept the info on one side of her display. If they used trans-am, they could probably meet them halfway along the flight path.

Taking off, Feldt pushed the 00 through the opening hanger doors and shot through the air, activating trans-am am as the base became smaller and smaller behind her. 'We are almost there Setsuna! Just a little longer and the ship can help you!'

Marlene

As the ship was crossing the Mediterranean, Marlene could only focus on the recent info they had gotten as she sat at her station. 'A coup at the Africa tower. Who would have expected that?' Marlene had assumed the main army had been cowed by the A-Laws, but it seemed she was wrong. '60,000 hostages wrong.' She could only hope they didn't plan to hurt those people, but they would have to get to the tower before they could make any plan.

Mileina's voice suddenly broke the calm as the meisters had just begun to trickle out of the bridge, "It's the 00 Raiser!" Marlene looked excited towards the teenager, a warmth rising in her chest. The crew had learned from Katharon that Feldt and Setsuna were safe at one of their bases, which Marlene had been more than happy to hear. All she had to do was wait for them to arrive back, but she knew her daughter and Setsuna were smart enough to reach them along the route that they had been sent. 'They must have pushed the 00 hard to reach us so fast.'

Sumeragi called out to the girl, "Open up communications!"

Feldt's face appeared on the screen and Marlene was surprised to see her sitting in the 00. 'Why isn't Setsuna sitting there? What happened?' Feldt, seeing the crew, spoke in a partially controlled tone, "Setsuna is injured. We need to get him to a healing pod!"

Sumeragi looked to the crew, "Alright! Marlene and Tieria, go meet the 00 Raiser in the hanger. Everyone else stay at your post till I say so. Is that understood?" The crew responded affirmatively and as Marlene was getting up from her seat, she saw Sumeragi give her a warm smile out of the corner of her eye. Marlene nodded back at the brunette, a smile on her face as she exited the bridge, headed for the hanger, Tieria already ahead of her. 'Feldt!'

As she reached the hanger, she could see that Feldt was already supporting Setsuna as they walked along the walkway. Setsuna's pilot suit was stain on his right shoulder, which Marlene easily recognized as dried blood. Her heart clenched looking at her daughter's worried face, and Marlene rushed up to the pair, "What happened? Are you alright Feldt?"

Feldt nodded, voice tense, "Yeah, but Setsuna is hurt. He needs to-"

"I'll get him to the regeneration chambers." Tieria chimed in, maintaining an even tone. Tieria took Setsuna from Feldt, the raven-haired meister looking at the mother and daughter pair with drooping eyes before tiredly going along with Tieria. As the two men headed towards the Elevator, Marlene pulled her daughter into a tight hug, a sigh of relief as all Marlene's worries rushed out of her. 'My daughter is safe in my arms. I should have given her a little more credit.'

Feldt held Marlene equally tight, pressing her face into Marlene's soldier. Marlene whispered so only Feldt could hear her, "I was so worried. You and him were out there all alone, and I didn't know where you were. We couldn't find you. I'm sorry." Right now she felt weak, but her daughter was all that mattered at the moment. She wanted Feldt to know how deeply she missed her and how much she meant to Marlene.

Feldt shuddered in her arms, "I missed you too. I thought you were dead and things got chaotic, but we got here as soon as we could." The two stayed in the embrace for a few more seconds before reluctantly breaking it, standing close to each other.

Marlene took a few seconds to calm down, and asked calmly, though still had a hint of worry, "What happened to Setsuna?"

Feldt looked down at the ground for a second before looking back up, "We were tracking Ali al Saachez and met one of the innovators. We argued for a few minutes, but when we rejected his demands to give him the Gundam, Ali shot Setsuna." A tear came to her eyes, "Setsuna told me to stay safe and not say anything, but after he threatened you and brushed off murdering millions of people, I couldn't hold my anger back."

Marlene took in her words, surprised they met one of the innovades face to face. Normally they only faced them in combat, but Feldt and Setsuna met one in person. 'Why would one of them want to do that?' These innovators were getting stranger and stranger the more she learned about them. 'First they maintain secrecy, now they are directly helping the A-Laws. But I suppose they aren't exactly human, are they?'

"An innovator, huh." Marlene thought for a second before responding, "Good to know you gave him a piece of your mind. What happened after that?"

Feldt continued, "After that we fought the mercenary, defeating him and were escorted to a Katharon base. Once we recovered for a bit, we headed to meet you as soon as possible." Feldt blushed slightly, "I may have used the trans-am a bit to catch up asap."

She put a hand on Feldt's shoulder, smiling, "I'm happy you two made it back safely. And in one piece. Did anything else happen?"

Marlene looked at Feldt evenly. Marlene was then surprised to see Feldt's expression shift to excited, but nervous, "I may have accidentally proposed, and Setsuna maybe have accepted." Feldt looked down at the ground, her cheeks bright red.

Marlene blinked a few times, the words taking a few seconds to really take root. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her daughter, "You proposed? And he accepted?" Feldt nodded, still not looking at the blonde woman. A bittersweet feeling rose in Marlene's chest. She has hoped to see it, but it reminded her of the ticking clock that was her life. 'I hope they plan to do it sooner rather than later.'

Marlene put a finger under her daughter's chin, lifting her face to look back up at her, "And you both are serious about this?"

Feldt nodded, face still bright red, "I love him so much. I want us to be a family. I don't want to lose him and I want him to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

Marlene laughed, removing the finger from under Feldt's chin, "Well look at you making the first move. I can't say I was expecting it this soon, but I can't say I'm fully surprised."

Feldt's eyes widened, "How did you know this would happen?"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Feldt, I saw the way you looked at him and him you. You looked the same as your father when he wanted to marry me."

Feldt, frowned slightly at the mention of her father, "What would he think?"

Marlene felt warmth flood her cheeks, "Feldt, your father would have loved to see you getting married. Probably would have asked me what our grandkids would look like, trying to tease me."

"Sounds cute." The smile returned to the redhead's face, her daughter clearly embarrassed, "I wouldn't mind having a few kids. Though it seems too soon at the moment."

Marlene pursed her lips, "Thanks for holding off till this threat is done."

"I know. I just wouldn't mind seeing the results of our love running around." Feldt then spoke a little annoyed, "I wish we had rings we could use. It's not like we can get that now."

Marlene smirked, having planned for this, "What if I said that you could have wedding bands?"

Feldt looked at her confused, "How?"

A mischievous look grew on Marlene's face, "Don't you know me? Of course I prepared for the day this happened. I had mine and your father's wedding bands resized for you two."

Feldt looked shocked, "But that was your-"

"He's always in my heart. I don't mind giving you something to remind you of Setsuna and your bond."

Feldt hugged her mom, happy tears on her face, "Mom! I love you so much." Warmth filled Marlene's chest as her daughter hugged her. Feldt was beaming as she looked up at her mother, "I want to marry him as soon as possible."

Marlene nodded, "Give us a week and we can set something up. But first we have an African tower to deal with. And you need to get some rest." Marlene picked up a motherly tone at the end.

Feldt sighed, but Marlene could see the recognition of the situation in her eyes. Feldt nodded and Marlene began to guide the two out of the hanger, "Now, fill me in on what happened with you two after the Memento Mori battle fully." Feldt nodded and began to tell the story, leaving nothing out.

Author Note

And chapter 11! Around halfway through! We have a wedding coming up and Feldt got to pilot the 00! More to come! Hope you enjoy and I'll see you guys next week!