A/N: one of my longer pieces, I hope you enjoy it. This is a direct continuation from the previous vignette, "A for Effort."

Past and Present

After a long awaited dinner, the two had settled into lounging comfortably on the couch together and talking about anything and everything. From bracer work, to the work at the Branch Campus, to discussions about their classmates, to Zephyr, and more. Before they knew it, it was midnight…

"Fie." The black haired man gently nudged the girl with his shoulder.

The silver haired girl didn't respond, instead moving further into Rean and pushing her body weight further onto him.

...she knows exactly what she's doing. The Instructor of Class VII internally groused, attempting to shift his body around on the couch in a vain attempt to gain a reaction from the sleeping girl. No success. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Rean Schwarzer scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the bedroom, sneaking looks at the girl's peaceful expression. The steady rise and fall of her breathing in his arms was incredibly stimulating.

Rean really hoped that she couldn't feel his heartbeat right now, because it was beating as fast as an overeager pom. Somehow, in the occasional beam of moonlight, Fie Claussell looked even more attractive than normal. Not that she was unattractive to begin with, but he found himself muttering regardless. "Why are you so cute when you're asleep?" For a second, he thought he saw her lips twitch, but it was probably just the shadows in the room.

The man shook his head to dispel the thoughts. Using his weight to open the door, Rean tiptoed his way to the bed before setting the girl down and tucking her in under the covers. Staring at the girl for a few moments, the man turned away, ready to crash on the couch to get some sleep...

Or at least, he would have, if not for the sudden emergence of a hand from the covers grabbing onto his with a firm grip. Turning his head slightly, Rean could make a pair of half-lidded lime green eyes gleaming gregariously in the dark.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be a ladies' man...where do you think you're going?" The bracer stared at him, unamused.

"Fie?" Rean blurted out, bewildered. "I thought you were asleep!"

"Call me a good actor, I guess." The serial napper of Class VII continued to stare at him, a slight blush on her face. "You weren't really going to just...leave me here, were you?"

Detecting a hint of concern and perhaps even desperation in her voice, Rean shook his head vigorously. "No, of course not! Uh...your bed is kind of small, and I was planning on sleeping on the couch anyways - " Fumbling through his words, he was interrupted when the girl yanked hard on his arm with surprising strength, pulling him backwards and almost onto the bed. "Okay, okay, I get the point! I'll...uh...stay here." Rean pulled his arm loose and awkwardly stood to one side, taking off his jacket and leaving it on a chair nearby. He didn't want to seem too sudden or eager, instead just taking off his boots and sitting on the side of the bed.

"Most people tend to sleep lying down, you know." The girl whispered beside him, seeming more awake than before. A few seconds in silence passed before Fie broke it. "...you're so tense, you give Machias a run for his money." Her voice suddenly dropped, almost lost in the stillness of the night. "...if you don't want to sleep here, you can leave. I…" Her voice unusually faltered. "I...won't mind."

"No, that's not the reason…" Rean whispered back before lying down next to her on the bed clearly made for one person. Pausing to readjust himself more comfortably on his side, Rean felt Fie squirm closer to position her head under his chin. "I was just concerned for you. The bed isn't...uh...exactly made for two people. And I know you've been working hard, so..."

"So have you." Fie countered. "And besides, I thought you'd want to spend the night with a cute girl anyhow." Even without looking at her face, Rean could tell she was smirking.

"...you've been awake this whole time, haven't you?." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement, as if Rean was scolding a student.

"Maaaybe."

Her hands groped around in her bed, searching aimlessly for something to come into contact with. When they failed to find anything, Fie's eyes fluttered awake in the darkness. Ugh. This is one of those moments where I hate being such a deep sleeper. The familiar warmth was gone, replaced by cold, chilling air. Sliding her feet out from under the covers, the bracer walked over to her bedroom door, opening it slowly to reveal an empty living room and couch. Glancing back at the side of the bed, she quickly realized both Rean's jacket and boots were gone as well. Maybe I was just imagining things?

Her breathing increased somewhat, whirling around as she grabbed her ARCUS off of the nightstand, Flipping it open, the girl immediately moved to contact Rean and was crestfallen when the call immediately failed to connect or dial. Something felt...very off. Like the darkness was closing in, and there wasn't anything she could do. Come to think of it, she couldn't even hear the sounds of the city.

Calling both Toval and Sara's failed to yield any results either, and for the first time in a long time, Fie Claussell felt the hold of being alone and abandoned encompass her as she sat down on the couch in a daze.

Pulling her knees close to her chest, the girl curled up in a ball for a moment as a variety of memories came roaring back in the dead of the night.

Her father's death…

Zephyr disbanding and leaving her behind…

Valimar flying off with Rean in tow during their defense of Trista…

Rean's loss of control in the Gral of Erebos, and the fact that there was nothing she could do…

Watching her father effectively "die" for a second time...

Reliving those memories in an instant, the former jaeger and current bracer trembled, tears cascading down her face.

Fie's eyes opened slowly, her body attempting to shoot up into a sitting position as she whipped her head around frantically, finding herself encased in a mix of the blankets and covers. Without a second thought, she attempted to spring out of bed.

"Fie!' Rean's voice slashed through the darkness surrounding her, his silhouette shooting up from the bed. Quickly wrapping his arms around her chest and arms, he whispered quietly. "Hey. Hey. It's okay."

The former jaeger froze, her frantic breaths and his measured ones being the only sound that filled the air. She mechanically turned her head in his direction, easily making out the worried face of her boyfriend.

"Hey." His steady voice spoke firmly. "You're okay. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere, I promise." In the back of his mind, Rean filed away in the back of his mind that this was the first time he'd ever seen such a look of panic on her face.

Fie swallowed hard, her arms immediately circling him and pulling him close, as if to confirm that he was well and truly here with her.

The two stayed like that for an unknown amount of time, the occasional sound of the city drifting in to remind the two that time was passing by after all.

"...sorry." Fie was the first to break the silence.

"For what?" Rean responded, pulling her a little closer.

"For waking you up." Her answer garnered a snort from the man, causing her to look at him with reluctant eyes.

"I could care less about that, Fie." Adjusting himself on the bed, he let his arms drop from her to reposition himself so that his back was to the wall with Fie by his side. Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer again. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "...do you want to talk about what just happened?"

The girl shifted uneasily before opening her mouth and shutting it. It took her a few moments to gather her courage again, but she spoke in a soft voice. "...I sometimes get reminders of what it's like to be alone again. To not have a family. They came less often when I joined Class VII, and even less when I became a bracer, but...sometimes they still happen. Tonight was just...one of those nights, I guess. I'm sure you could tell, but...part of me knew that it was going to happen tonight. That's why I wanted you here with me."

Watching the girl carefully, the leader of Class VII came to a decision. "Wait here for a second, would you?" Rean unsnaked his arm from her waist and stood up from the bed, striding over the door without a moment of hesitation.

"Huh?" The girl's eyes shot open as she scrambled to get to her feet as well. "Where are you going?"

"Just wait a moment, okay?" Rean's expression told her he meant business, and she immediately sat down on the bed once again. "I'll be back in a second. Promise." Before fully closing the door, Rean turned and offered her a reassuring smile.

"Okay." The girl curled up again as the door closed, her current emotional state a mix of confusion, embarrassment, and fear. From the other side of the door, she could hear some muffled sounds, but in her current state of mind, all of the sounds just blended together. Though it felt like an eternity, minutes later, the door opened to reveal Rean. Fie unconsciously let out a breath she'd been holding.

Flicking on the lights, he strode over to her and offered her a steaming mug of...something. "Here."

The silvered hair girl took it gingerly, sniffing it before realizing immediately what it was. "Hot chocolate?"

Rean nodded back. "Yep. My mom used to make it for me whenever I had bad dreams, and I thought it would do just the trick. Luckily for me, you had the ingredients." He took a sip from his mug. "It doesn't taste quite the same as when she makes it, but…" Rean watched pointedly as Fie took an unusually long sip.

"It's not a very romantic drink…but it's very good." Fie tilted her head downward, missing the chuckle of disbelief from Rean. A strange warmth filled her body as she continued to drink the hot chocolate, the darkness seemingly vanishing. The warmth was immediately followed by a comforting hand resting upon her head as it ruffled her hair. Setting her cup aside, the girl allowed him to pet her for a few seconds before standing up and immediately wrapping him up in an embrace. "Thanks, Rean."

"I know I've said it before…" He placed his chin on top of her head as his arms returned her embrace. "But you're not alone anymore. Ever since you joined Class VII, we're all willing to stand by you and remind you of that. And…" He paused, trying to find the words to say. "I'm not going anywhere, Fie. I promise."

"Same goes for you." Fie tightened her grip, and was reassured when Rean did the same. "Thanks for doing some watering."

She was delighted when Rean laughed heartily at her Fie-ism.

Blinking in disorientation from the morning rays of the sun, the silver haired girl scanned her room.

Equipment in boxes. Check.

Jacket on chair. Check.

Two pairs of boots on the floor. Check.

Pair of mugs on nightstand. Check.

Turning her eyes to her side, her gaze rested on Rean's slumbering face. The girl felt her face heat up as she recalled the events of last night, causing her to shift in the bed made for one. Well. I could get used to this.

Her movement caused Rean to stir awake, and he let out a yawn as their eyes met. Without a word, Fie moved closer, resting her head on his chest, nuzzling him as she did so. Rean responded in kind by running a hair through her silver hair, chuckling as he gazed back at the satisfied grin on her face. He was encouraged that she showed no signs of fear or pain from the night, and filed that thought away for future reference. Rean adjusted slightly to kiss the top of her head. "I love you too, Fie."

"...I know you do."

A/N #2: From comedy - angst - fluff. I took a good amount of inspiration from Fie's conversations with Rean about family, and its importance to her. Hopefully you enjoyed it - amusingly, I think this is one of the longest vignettes that I've written so far.

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with this series! I very much appreciate the follows, favorites, and reviews.