At Last

Canon scenes happen like normal

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Feldt

Feldt sat in her small office, bored out of her mind. The office was fairly sparse, just a medium sized desk, a terminal, some shelving and filing drawers. Feldt had never really felt the need to decorate it, focusing on her room. It had been a slow day, no need for her to assist with any technical stuff and her search for Setsuna had been fruitless so far. Haro was currently hooked up to her terminal, scanning for her. For all she knew, he might have better luck than her. She was a bit annoyed that after three years, there was nothing, but she knew Setsuna would be good at hiding his presence.

She looked over to see Tieria sitting in the corner of her office, probably writing up a report. He often came by her office to work in private. The two really wouldn't talk, but that was ok with her. Both were happy to sit in silence, working on their own stuff.

The silence of the room was disrupted when Haro let out a loud call, "Exia found! Exia found!"

Feldt looked at the robot, confused, "What do you mean?" Internally, Feldt's emotion were in a turmoil, her mind a rush of feelings. She wanted this to be real, but she had to be sure. Haro had never done this before, so this could be it.

Haro chirped happily, "Exia drive located! Exia drive located!" Feldt's eyes widened, knowing Haro wouldn't lie to her about this or anything really.

She spoke tersely, "Haro! Bring up the data on my terminal! Show me the location!" Her screen began to show new data, showing a short-lived emergency signal that had lasted long enough for Haro to trace the location of. Focusing on the screen, it showed a small asteroid only a day or so from the Lagrange 3 base. Looking at the location, she searched through her database, finding that it was an old mining facility of the HRL that had been abandoned years ago. 'He's there! He has to be there!'

She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Tieria, who was also looking at her screen. His voice was even and serious, "Are you sure that Setsuna's there? It could be a trap."

Feldt nodded, "Only Celestial Being members could use the Gundams. You would need to access our database to change the DNA access." Feldt's voice trembled a bit, "And if they had captured the Exia, you would think that it would be a major news story." Capturing one of the Gundam meisters and a Gundam would be something so big, that even this government wouldn't or couldn't hide it.

Tieria nodded at that, smiling, "We finally found him then. Do you want to bring this to your mother? I know you want to go out and find him as soon as you can."

Feldt nodded and smiled back at him, "Yes." Feldt shot Tieria a knowing look, "Don't pretend you aren't excited to find him as well." Tieria just grinned at her and Feldt copied the data over to a flash drive before taking off to head to her mother's office, the purple-haired meister right behind her, Haro floating along with them. Feldt could almost feel herself vibrating from excitement and nervousness. 'Please allow this, mom. I need this.' When they reached her office, Feldt barged in, Marlene looking at her with shock and annoyance.

Marlene must have been looking over reports, as there were a number of them up on her terminal, but that was quickly abandoned as all of the older woman's attention was directed to Feldt and Tieria. Her mother glared at her, "You should have knocked." Her look then evened out slightly, glancing at the flash drive in her hand, "It looks like you have something important to tell me."

Feldt nodded, smiling, "Mom, I found the Exia." She heard annoyed flapping behind her, "Well, Haro found it. But still, I know where it is located."

Marlene looked at her calmly, "Explain."

"Well in the new OS, well at least at the time it was new, we put an emergency beacon in case any Gundam needed to be recovered. Haro managed to catch a short-lived emergency signal in a nearby location. Setsuna must have activated it by accident and deactivated it, thinking it would let the government track him." Feldt knew Setsuna was a survivalist and knew the OS hadn't been explained fully to the meisters, so she could see him misunderstanding it as a long-range SOS signal.

Marlene tilted her head slightly, "Would that happen?"

Tieria spoke up, "No, Commander Vlady. The beacon only transmits to us. So Setsuna would only have been transmitting to Celestial Being."

Feldt gave her mom a determined look, "So now we can find him. Who knows how long he will be in that location? He may already have moved! We have to at least check for clues!"

Marlene pursed her lips, thinking for a second before responding, "Show me the data." Her tone was unreadable, her body language equally hard to read. Feldt nervously handed over the flash drive, her mother plugging it into her terminal. Feldt stood there watching her mother silently look at the data, Marlene's hand resting under her chin. Feldt took a few breaths, nervous at what she would say, her heart racing. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking back to see Tieria silently smiling at her. He squeezed her shoulder, her nerves calmed down a bit, her breathing evening out and heart relaxing.

Marlene turned back to the two, as unreadable as a stone, "Your data suggests that this isn't a trap. Tieria, you are to head out in a shuttle and investigate the location. If you find Setsuna, bring him back along with the Exia, or if he's gone, go looking for clues and bring back what you can."

Before Tieria could respond, Feldt exploded, "No! I am not going to sit here and watch someone else find the man I love! I am going with Tieria!" Feldt could see her mother's eyes soften a bit, regret soaking in. Feldt softened her tone, her voice choking with emotion, "Mom, I have been looking for him for over three years. I need to see him, to find him. Please, let me go!"

Marlene let out a breath, her voice slightly hesitant, "Feldt, you know I need you here. You have an in-depth-"

Feldt slammed her hands down on her mom's desk, "Mom, you know this isn't a trap! You know how I feel! And you know there are people who can deal with tech issues! It will only be a few days! The location isn't that far away!" Tears began to prick her eyes, her mother's reluctance to let her go frustrating the redhead.

The mother and daughter then stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Feldt could tell her mom was stubbornly holding on. 'Why is she like this? Why can't she see I need to do this?' She kept staring at her mom until Tieria's voice broke up the tension, "Commander Vlady, I will bring Feldt to the area where the Exia is located. I will wait nearby after dropping her off to ensure her safety."

The two women broke their staring contest, looking at the purple-haired man. Marlene narrowed her eyes slightly at him, and Feldt looked at him hopefully, happy he offered that. 'Hopefully she'll be ok with that.' Marlene sat back in her chair, not looking at either Tieria or Feldt. She rested her hands together on her chest, frowning.

Feldt could tell Tieria got through to her. Her mother was tough to read, but she was actually emoting, so that had to count for something. Marlene then leaned forward, resting her hands in front of her face, hiding her mouth. She spoke in a resigned voice, "…I can accept that. I will send a message for the hanger crews to prepare a shuttle for you guys in a few hours. You have three days to get back."

Feldt smiled brightly, her eyes shining, "Thank you! Thank you so much mom! You won't regret it!" Feldt went around her mom's desk, hugging her back.

Marlene spoke in a soft, tender voice, "Just please be safe."

Feldt nodded, "I will." She could detect something in her mom's tone. 'She must have been really worried about me.' She didn't want to upset her mom initially, but she knew her mom wouldn't bend unless Feldt pushed back against her. 'She was hardheaded like that.' Feldt moved back towards the door of Marlene's office, nodding at Tieria. Haro followed both of them, flapping his wings and spinning in circles.

The two exited her office, and Feldt looked warmly at Tieria, "Thank you for helping me back there. I don't know if I could have gotten through to her without you."

Tieria's voice was soft, "It was the right thing to do. You needed to get back the man you love and your mom is a tough nut to crack. She just needed to know that you were safe."

Feldt nodded at that, "She's not the easiest person to get along with, even with me at times." Feldt's eyes glinted with determination, "C'mon, let's get supplies for the trip!" Tieria wordlessly followed her, and Feldt could almost feel his grin. 'Setsuna is only a day away! Just a little more time and I'll be with him!'

Setsuna

Setsuna sat, nerves on edge, his reddish-brown eyes scanning the security feed from his room. He had accidentally set off some sort of beacon the day before when trying to find something in the Gundam OS, unsuccessfully at that. He had been experiencing some glitches and needed to fix them. 'I was never good with tech.' It took him a few minutes to disable it, when he let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea how wide it spread at the time, so he went on high alert, keeping his security systems active, which consisted of cameras and old sensors.

Setsuna determined that he would keep high security up for a few days, just to make sure that he wouldn't be attacked. So when his external sensors showed a ship coming by and landing, he had dressed in his pilot suit, pistol at his side. Unfortunately for him, all of the external cameras and a good chunk of the internal cameras did not work, which included the hanger that didn't have the Exia in it. What caught him by surprise was the ship flying away after a few minutes, seemingly not investigating this asteroid. 'What is going on? Why are they leaving?'

Movement caught his attention on the internal cameras that were working. A figure in what looked like a pilot suit was floating through the hallways of the facility, scanning around. He could tell the person was a woman by her figure, her dark pink pilot suit hugging her curves. The boots were black and her visor was tinted so he couldn't see her face. 'Who is she?' Her outfit didn't seem to fit any organization he had seen, especially not the ESF forces or even the black ops unit that he had been trying to track. 'It kind of reminds me of Celestial Being's suits.' He knew they had escaped destruction, so it was a possibility. 'Did they find me?'

Hope grew in his chest, but he pushed it down. It was a nice idea, but the last three years had made him cautious. Looking at the figure once again, he saw she had a gun in her hand, one that was only used by Celestial Being. 'Was it them? It seems to match up.' He could see the figure near the area where he lived, and he prepared to act, not knowing what to expect. He didn't intend to kill the person if he didn't have to, he just wanted to get to the bottom of this.

As he saw them pass his room, he quietly opened the door and took aim at the person from behind, narrowing his eyes. In a low voice, he called out, "Stop where you are. Let go of the gun and turn around slowly. And if you try anything, I will shoot." The figure let go of the gun and began to slowly turn around, her hands in the air. Up close, he could tell it was definitely a woman.

Her visor was still tinted, but he heard her gasp and call out quietly, "Setsuna?"

The word, despite being a whisper, reached his ears and there was something he recognized in it. It sounded like someone he knew, causing his heart to race and as he was about to speak, the visor tint disappeared and he saw the beautiful face that had haunted his dreams, and at the same time kept him going. Breathily, he spoke, tears coming to his eyes, "Feldt?" Setsuna immediately noticed how she had matured, going from the girl he knew to a beautiful young woman.

But what caused his attention was the shining sea-green eyes, tears flowing from them as she rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, sobs coming out of her. He instinctually pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, his sobs joining hers. She rested her head on his chest, constricting around his neck. Setsuna lifted her head up by lightly grabbing the bottom of her helmet, pulling it off, his joining hers a second later. He rested his forehead against hers, quietly apologizing, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you alone. I missed you so much."

Feldt replied, her sobs dying, "I'm so sorry we abandoned you. I missed you. I miss you so much too." Her eyes shined with happiness and tears, "I love you Setsuna! I love you so much!"

Setsuna felt happiness bloom in his chest, happy she felt the same for him that he felt for her. He replied, his voice thick with emotion, "I love you too."

Looking at her lips, he was drawn into a kiss, quietly moaning as pleasure rushed through him. It was desperate and passionate, but right now it's what he needed. They could talk after this. All of the waiting, all of his patience paid off. He needed to show her how much he had missed her; how much he had wished she was by his side. They pulled each other closer, the kiss intensifying and sparks of passion ran through him. Both of them moaned into the kiss, Setsuna happy she was enjoying this as much as he was.

It was so much more than their first kiss. Back then it was chaste, more innocent. Now he was a man and knew exactly how he felt for her. The kiss broke, leading to another kiss, which in turn led to another and another. It was heating up and when they broke a kiss, he could see in her eyes she knew where this was going.

Clothes were shed and quiet groans and moans permeated the quiet air of Setsuna's room. No unnecessary words were spoken. She had become a beautiful woman and he wanted to show her how much he wanted her, all his fantasies from the past three years becoming reality.


An unknown amount of time later, the two were panting, Feldt curling into his side, his arm wrapped around her. Her weight on him felt nice. He gave her a soft kiss on forehead, his body feeling too sore to move. He smiled warmly at her, "That was…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Feldt just lazily nodded, seemingly not able to describe it either as she smiled at him, "Yeah."

Feldt rested her head on his chest, her new hair color piquing his curiosity, "You dyed your hair a different color?" He ran his fingers through it, enjoying the feeling.

She smiled at him, "Actually no, it's my natural hair color. I had dyed it before, but I kinda like this hair color."

He ran his finger through her hair a few more times, "It looks good on you." Feldt blushed prettily at that, looking away from his eyes. 'She's still as bashful as ever.'

Feldt looked up, playing with his hair, "Your hair got longer." Setsuna chuckled at that and Feldt ran her hands through it, "You need a haircut."

Setsuna rolled his eyes, "Well I would have, but I'm not exactly great with scissors."

Feldt giggled, which caused Setsuna to blush, and she spoke in a teasing tone, "I'll do it for it you. It's not the best but your hair was always messy."

Setsuna laughed, "I'll hold you to that." Setsuna tickled her side, wanting to hear the laugh he missed for so long and she mock glared at him, shoving his hand away.

Feldt's expression changed to a curious one, looking up at him, "What happened with you? What have you been doing for the last three years?"

Setsuna gave her a relatively shortened version of events, talking about his repairing the Exia, the various missions, finding this base, and his info gathering. Feldt looked at him, her eyes showing a realization, "That makes a lot of sense. We got information about government facilities being attacked, but they didn't seem to match up with any rebel groups." She grinned at him, "You made the government real frustrated, you know that?"

Setsuna grinned back, "I hoped I did." He tilted his head questioningly, "What have you been up to? What happened to Celestial Being?"

Like him, Feldt covered the three years, highlighting the slow rebuilding of the organization in the face of the losses, the fact they were building new Gundams and what caught his attention the most was the mention of her mother and the fact she had become a reserve Gundam meister. After she finished, he spoke up.

"Your mother was alive? Didn't Veda say she was dead?"

Feldt pursed her lips, "Veda hid the information because it was a distraction."

Setsuna could sense the anger in her tone at that and hugged her, causing her to squirm for a second, before she tried and failed to not to smile at him, "It must have been a shock to see her alive." 'It looks like Veda made more mistakes.'

Feldt nodded at that, "It was. I cried when I first saw her. She and I have our moments, but we mostly get along. She's stubborn, stoic and kind of cold, at least to most people. She actually reminded me of you, especially when we first started talking. But I love her and I wouldn't trade her for anything."

Setsuna smiled happily at her, a twinge of sadness reminding him about what he did to his parents, "I'm happy you found her. It's nice to know you had her to lean on. I can't wait to meet her."

"I know she'll love you." Feldt then frowned, "You were all alone out here, weren't you? How did you last?"

Setsuna frowned, looking away, "It wasn't easy. I got used to actually being around people being a part of Celestial Being, so being on my own again was not a new experience, but something I didn't enjoy going through again. But I kept myself sane by focusing on stopping the Federation. I couldn't find any of you, so it was all I could do." Setsuna let out a sigh, "I admit there were nights when I was lonely, and wished you were here, but that would mean you were away from everyone else, so I just had to bear it."

Feldt pushed his head back to face her, a sad smile on her face, "Oh Setsuna, I'm sorry you had to be here all alone. You shouldn't have to had to go through all this. If we had made one more pass…"

Setuna just gave her a sad smile in return, "I don't think either of us could have changed what happened. I wish we could have been together that entire time, but that's not what happened. Let's just move forward."

Feldt gave him a teasing smile, blushing, "When did you become so thoughtful?" She placed a hand on his face, kissing the side of his jaw.

Setsuna blushed, her praise and kiss affecting him, "I guess being alone had its benefits." He kissed her neck in response, Feldt squirming happily, "How does it feel to be a meister?"

The redhead's eyes glazed over with happiness, "It is so…liberating! I can fly and fight and protect everyone! It makes me feel…"

She trailed off and Setsuna finished her sentence for her, "…like you are greater than you are." Feldt nodded at that, Setsuna seeing her recognizing the phrase, and Setsuna gave her a grin, "Do you want to pilot the Exia back to wherever your base is?"

Feldt's beamed at him, "Really?!" He nodded and she began kissing the side of his face, "Thank you! Thank you!" Setsuna just pulled her into a quick kiss, Feldt kissing him back happily.

Feldt then yawned, her eyes drooping slightly, and Setsuna noticed she was trying to stay awake, rubbing her eyes to fight off slumber. He spoke softly, "It's alright if you want to go to sleep. I'll be right here."

Feldt's voice became shaky, "I'm afraid this is all a dream. Like I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll be alone again."

"This is real." Setsuna kissed her on the forehead, "I'll be right here. I am not leaving your side again." Feldt settled into his arms, her eyes closing and breathing steadying as she wrapped her arms around his side. Setsuna placed a kiss on her hair and closed his eyes, pulling her close. 'Tomorrow will be a new day. I have Feldt. I have people to rejoin.' A smile graced Setsuna's face, as he joined Feldt in a state of blissful slumber.

Marlene

Marlene took a breath, her worry about Feldt having faded once they got a communication saying she found the Setsuna and the Exia. Impatience had replaced it, and she tapped her foot to try to relax. She stood in the hangar control room of the Celestial Being base with Ian and Lasse, who has said he wanted to be there when Setsuna got back. Even Ian seemed happy to see him, despite his complaining Setsuna putting the Exia through unnecessary damage in the past. Ian looked over at her, rolling his eyes, "Marlene, they'll get here soon. You just have to relax."

Marlene pursed her lips and straightened her posture, "I am relaxed." 'I just want to make sure my daughter is safe.'

Lasse chimed in with a retort, "With a posture like that, I'm sure you are very relaxed." Marlene glared at him and Lasse put his hands up, rolling his eyes. Marlene hated back talk like this, but Lasse was always like this, so she tolerated it. Tieria had gotten back a few hours previously, telling her that he talked to both Feldt and Setsuna, saying that they had stuff to grab from Setsuna's living quarters and they would be right behind him. Marlene had thanked him for keeping her daughter safe and had told him to get some rest.

The hanger sensor chimed up and the external camera showed a damaged Exia approaching. The head was partially damaged, one of the arms was entire missing and the GN blade had lost a part of its tip. Marlene was surprised he was able to operate at all, but Setsuna had shown himself to be highly competent in the recordings she had from previous operations. 'Though he probably wasn't too risky.' The ESF had been developing better mobile suits and according to some of their informants, they were in the process of testing their own new model of mobile suit. Frustratingly, they had been unable to get any info on them, so they were unable to plan around their capabilities.

Marlene centered herself, focusing back on the Exia entering the hangar. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ian frowning in annoyance at the damage on the Exia. She knew it was probably something that couldn't be helped, but Ian was always endlessly frustrated with having to fix things. 'It's good to know that hasn't changed.' She grinned for a quick second before returning to an even look. Hearing the docking clamps grab onto the Exia, she took the lead, heading out of the control room and with the other two men behind her, they entered the walkway leading to the damaged Gundam.

As the group reached a T-junction, the blonde woman saw her daughter followed by a raven-haired man with long hair following behind her, the two kissing each other quickly. Marlene could already tell by their body language how happy she was. Her smile was brighter and happier than she had ever seen it before. After three years of separation, her daughter had found the man she loved. Feldt then seemed to notice them and blushed, holding onto to Setsuna's arm as she guided him over to the group. Marlene gave her daughter a smirk as she saw Feldt wince in pain when she kicked off a railing, which just caused Feldt to blush more. 'I should have seen this coming. Looks like I'll have to ignore that is happening.'

The couple stopped in front of the group and Setsuna looked over at Ian and Lasse, smiling slightly, "Lasse, Ian. It's good to see you again. Sorry about the damage to the Exia."

Ian chuckled, "It's good to see you too. Normally I would get on you for that, but I'm just glad its not completely wrecked after three years."

Setsuna nodded at that and Lasse slapped Setsuna's shoulder, "It's good to see you back buddy. Feldt spent a lot of time trying to find you." He gave Feldt a grin, "It looks like your obsessive hunting paid off." Feldt blushed at that, looking down at the ground.

Setsuna smirked at the man, "I am happy she did."

Feldt then kissed him on the cheek and smiled at Lasse, "I'm just happy my search paid off. I wanted to bring him back to us."

Lasse just grinned at her, his voice teasing, "You wanted to bring him back for yourself. It's ok."

The redhead puffed her cheeks in annoyance, glaring at Lasse, which cause the black-haired man to smirk and Ian to laugh. Marlene rolled her eyes and coughed, drawing the attention of everyone else. Setsuna immediately scanned the blonde woman, Marlene equally taking stock of the relative stranger.

Setsuna's voice was even, "You must be Feldt's mother. She told me about you."

Marlene raised an eyebrow, looking at her daughter then back to Setsuna, "I hope it was good things. My name is Marlene Vlady, if she hadn't told you."

Feldt rolled her eyes at her mother, "Mom, I told him your name. You think I would hide that?"

The older woman just kept an even look, "I had to be sure." Setsuna then handed her a flash drive, catching her by surprise, "What is this?"

The raven-haired man looked her in the eye, "It's all the reports I wrote from my various missions I did over the three years. I don't know if it has more info than what you guys have, but Feldt suggested that you would like this."

Marlene gave her daughter and Setsuna a surprised look, Setsuna smiling slightly and Feldt smiling at the silent praise, "Thank you, Setsuna. I'll look it over. You two should get some rest." She focused on Setsuna, "I will have quarters assigned to you, but I assume you don't mind sharing a room with my daughter for now."

Feldt looked down at the ground in embarrassment, Ian and Lasse unsuccessfully trying to stop their laughing to her side. Setsuna just responded with a slight blush, "I would not." Marlene resisted chuckling herself. 'I'm not sure if he will ever stay in his quarters, based on the fact they probably slept together already.'

Marlene then spoke in a commanding tone, "Setsuna, you will report to the main conference room tomorrow for a debrief at 0900. I'm not interrogating you; I just want to hear what happened from your mouth."

Feldt looked like she was about to interject, but Setsuna simply nodded, "Understood." Feldt let out an annoyed sigh. With that, Feldt and Setsuna headed back to the Exia and pulled out a small bag, Feldt holding onto him the entire time. Despite her daughter's happiness, she could see her daughter was clingy and was going to be for a while. 'She's going to be a bit dependent. Not that I wouldn't be the same if my husband came back. Like mother, like daughter.' Marlene chuckled silently at that.

As Setsuna and Feldt passed by her on the walkway, she called out to the two, "And please be safe. I don't need grandkids yet."

Feldt and Setsuna both blushed, her daughter matching her old hair color. Feldt pulled Setsuna away from the three other Celestial Being members, avoiding looking at her mother. Ian facepalmed, letting out a sigh, "Marlene, you didn't need to embarrass the kids."

Lasse looked at her, too surprised to laugh, "I didn't know that you made jokes."

Marlene kept her look even, "I wasn't joking. I really don't need grandchildren right now." Lasse scrutinized her, trying to figure out if she was joking, but gave up. Marlene looked at the two, "Ian, the Exia is all yours. And Lasse, back to your regular duties."

They both responded at the same time, "Yes Commander!" As the two went to do their respective job, Marlene began to travel back to her office. She felt a smile rise, happy about the improved situation. They not only had a drive back, but one of their pilots as well. And on a personal level, seeing her daughter so happy warmed her heart. She completely understood why her daughter had been so desperate to find him after that display. Her daughter may be a bit…attached for a while, but she will calm down after a bit. 'Now I just need to ignore the fact my daughter is having sex with her boyfriend.' She would need a drink later. Probably a few.

Author Note

And we reach the end of this story! I hope you guys enjoyed and don't worry, there is a sequel taking place in S2. It will use my first story, In Another Time, Another World, as a base for canon and you will see much more of Marlene. And our favorite couple. I will be posting that when I have built up enough chapters. The sequel will definitely be longer than this one, but Marlene is going to be a fun character to work with.

I still love reviews and comments even after I finish, so keep them coming! I'll see you guys at the next story!