To most people, Bismarck would have appeared to be her normal calm, cool, collected, and generally stoic self. To those of us who knew her well, however, small details told a different story. Her stormy blue-grey eyes darted to the harbor entrance, then back to the pier, she idly chewed her lip when she thought no one was looking, and her fingers lightly tapped out an irregular drumbeat on her banner-staff.

I glanced up at her as I laid my hand on her forearm and gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine," I said softly.

Bismarck looked over at me and gave me a somewhat shaky smile. "I know, mein Geliebter, but I worry all the same. I've never done anything like this before."

I patted her forearm and nodded. "I know, but I have and trust me, it'll be fine. Just be yourself and they'll love you."

Her smile faltered for a minute, before returning, albeit with a sardonic edge to it. "But which me?"

That was an excellent question. Were they expecting the stoic leader of the Iron Blood or the quiet, gentle, loving woman I'd come to know? "I…uh…" I faltered, trying to find the correct answer. "Oh, damn."

"Now you understand my predicament," she stated with a slight giggle.

"Just be the you that made the Commander fall in love with you."

We both glanced to our right at the other shipgirl on the dock, Bismarck's most loyal and steadfast adjutant, U-556. She looked back up at us as if the answer was plain as day and we just couldn't see it. "Just be the you that made the Commander fall in love with you," she repeated with a casual shrug. "Because then they'll see why he loves you."

We looked at U-556 then, to each other, then back to her. "That was…very insightful," I quietly admitted. "Thank you, Parzival."

"That's what I'm here for, Commander!" she chirped cheerfully, and I glanced back at Bismarck.

"When did your adjutant get so wise?" I asked her with a playful grin on my face.

She chuckled and smiled softly at me. "It must be all those morning breakfasts with the Commander."

"Ah, of course," I replied mock seriously. "How silly of me." I turned my attention back to U-556, who had gone back to staring out at the harbor, looking for the unmistakable shape of the Peter Strasser, then back to Bismarck. "Although I have to say," I quietly admitted, "I really do enjoy having her over each morning. Feels-" I quickly caught myself, for fear of maybe pushing things too far or making it weird. I'd almost said, I wanted to say, "like a family," but to avoid things becoming awkward, I simply kept my mouth shut and finished with, "-feels good to have the company."

I think Bismarck caught what I wanted to say because I could see an understanding behind her eyes as she nodded. "Indeed, she has been…an unexpected font of wisdom at times," she smiled. "I value her company and her…innocent take on certain matters."

"A true knight of the seas," I nodded, much to Bismarck's amusement.

"They're here!" U-556 called out and we both turned to see the German carrier pulling into port.

"Here we go," I murmured and took Bismarck's gloved hand in my own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We've got this."

"We've got this," Bismarck repeated, a soft, if somewhat uncertain, smile on her face.

We stood in silence and watched as the ship gently slid into her berth. Out of curiosity, I checked my watch and saw she was right on time. Punctual as always, that one.

The gangplank was hooked up, and the hatch on the side of the ship opened up and revealed Peter Strasser. Once she was sure the gangway was secure, she turned to her passengers and bowed politely before gesturing for them to disembark. Three silhouettes stepped forward, and I felt my anxiety rising. I always felt like this when I was meeting someone again after such a long time. Had they changed? Had I changed? Would things be different between us? As was the case with so many other happy reunions, my fears evaporated as my mother stepped into the sunlight, saw us, and practically screamed with delight.

"There's my Eugene!" she happily cried out as she hurried down the ramp, her arms outstretched.

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as I reluctantly let go of Bismarck's hand and stepped forward to greet my mother with a welcoming hug. As she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly, I returned the gesture. "Hey, Mom," I greeted her. "Good to see you, too."

As we parted, she firmly grasped me by the shoulders and inspected me with a mother's eye. "You're looking well," she finally pronounced with an approving smile. "Getting enough rest?"

"When I can," I answer with a weary smile. "There's kind of a war on."

Mom graced me with an empathetic smile and a nod. "I know, Gene, I know. But I want you to know we're all so very, very proud of you and how much you've done." Before I could reply, she leans over and locks eyes on Bismarck. "And you," she began, walking around me and striding towards the leader of the Iron Blood like she was an old friend at a picnic. "You must be the famous Bismarck I've heard so much about…"

Bismarck, who, up until that moment, had been enjoying the interaction between mother and son, suddenly found herself caught off guard. She tensed up, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she was taken by surprise. However, she recovered quickly, putting on her best diplomatic smile and holding out her hand to my mother. "And you must be Eugene's mother. It's so nice to meet you at last."

For a brief second, Mom looked down at the outstretched hand before she chuckled and batted it aside before giving Bismarck a tender hug. As she leaned down to hug back, my beloved shot me a confused, but hopeful, look and I gave her a reassuring smile and thumbs up. That seemed to ease much of her tension as she patted my mother on the back.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and I turned around to see Dad standing there, Katherine just behind him, both of them all proud smiles. "Hey, kiddo," he said as he pulled me in for a hug. "Good to see you again. They keeping you busy?"

I chuckled as I hugged back. "You can say that again. How've you guys been?"

"Oh, doing alright," he shrugged with a lopsided grin. "Keeping busy, enjoying retirement. Trying to keep your mother from climbing the walls while following your exploits."

"I can imagine," I grinned. "I don't see what makes it past the censors, so I'll let you guys take lead on what's been said about me." That, and I think if she knew how close I'd come to death on many occasions, she'd lose her mind.

"Sure thing, kiddo," he replied as he clapped me on the shoulder. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to say hello to my future daughter-in-law."

I nodded and stepped aside to let him pass. "Go on, then, I'll just catch up with Kathy."

As he moved past, she stepped up, and I noticed her smile was a bit more forced than I was expecting. "Hey, sis," I said softly, wondering if I should broach the discomfort or simply let it lie. "How you doing?"

"Alright," she answered curtly. "How've you been?"

"Busy," I sighed. "Trying to plan a wedding while running a military installation and fighting a war really eats into your free time." When she nodded but didn't say anything, I decided to rip the bandage off. "You okay? You seem a bit…tense."

She nodded, then sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, yeah. It's just…being cooped up in that ship was a bit…rough. I don't like getting on ships, and doubly so for Iron Blood ones."

I winced as I realized my mistake. "I'm sorry," I earnestly apologized, "I wasn't thinking. I knew you hated traveling by sea, and Peter was the most reliable ship I had available. I wanted you guys to get here as quickly as possible. Besides, I thought you were going to give the Iron Blood a chance?"

"I'm going to give Bismarck a chance," she emphasized with a stern look. "And that's only because she makes you happy. The rest of them…" She looked back at the massive carrier moored behind her. "I don't know," she sighed, "…maybe…one day. But not today. Today is about Bismarck and only Bismarck."

As an almost involuntary reflex, I added, "And U-556."

She paused a moment, her tired, frustrated expression turning to confusion. "Who?"

"Her adjutant," I answered, jerking my thumb over my shoulder to where she should be. "The rest of the Iron Blood girls you can snub as much as you like, and I'll even put in a word with them to give you a wide berth, but you treat that submarine with respect or so help me you're swimming back home."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll make nice with her, too."

"Thanks," I smiled, "And for what it's worth, I'll see if I can't get an Eagle Union or Royal Navy ship to get you home."

For the first time, some of the tension bled out of Katherine and she gave me a genuine smile. "Thanks, Gene."

Just then, I overheard Dad say something that caught my attention. "And is this your daughter?"

The question immediately grabbed my attention and I whipped around to see Bismarck frozen like a deer in headlights, her eyes pleading with me to come up with a way to get out of this awkward moment.

"Of course not," U-556 piped up, unaware of the nervous glances Bismarck and I were sharing. "I'm Lord Bismarck's adjutant, U-556, but you can call me Dame Parzival, Knight of Azur Lane!"

Dad eagerly went along with it, laughing with delight at her enthusiasm. "A pleasure to meet you, Dame Parzival," he smiled as he knelt down and held out his hand.

Parzival practically beamed as she enthusiastically took my father's hand. "And a pleasure to meet you, Mister…uh…" Her smile faltered as she realized she hadn't gotten his name.

"I believe introductions are in order," I said as I approached, riding to U-556's rescue. "Parzival, this is my father, Herbert Blum, and that's my mother Debbie Blum, and my sister Katherine Blum. Dad, Mom, Kathy, this is Bismarck's adjutant and our first-ever Knight of Azur Lane, U-556, Dame Parzival."

Both women gave U-556 a friendly smile and a wave as she released Dad's hand and waved back at them. "And how did a young thing like yourself earn such an impressive title?" Mom asked. "Did you help Bismarck fight off a scary report monster?"

Parzival's frank answer took them all aback. "Nah, torpedoed a cruiser that was trying to ram the Commander and Lord Bismarck."

They all looked at each other, then back at U-556, varying degrees of shock written on their faces. Kathy looked surprised, but also proud of Parzival's accomplishment. Of course, out of all of them, she best understood what a kansen was. Mom, who sort of got it, looked both pleasantly surprised and horrified. And then there was Dad.

"You go into combat?!" he cried out in horror and I shot Bismarck an apologetic grimace in preparation for what was to come. Needless to say, in spite of my many, many attempts to educate him on what exactly a shipgirl was, he didn't really cotton onto the idea too well.

"Of course!" U-556 cheerily chirped. "It's what I was made for!"

"But you're just…just…"

Knowing the argument finishing that sentence was going to provoke, I quickly stepped in. "She is," I acknowledged, "but she's a lot more than that. She's a warship, and trust me when I say she's more than capable of handling herself."

He looked back at her, then to me, then back to her. "You keep saying all these girls are warships, but…I don't see it. Do they…do they transform into the warships?"

I sighed and prepared myself to explain how kansen worked to my father for what felt like the millionth time, and then I got an idea. I turned to U-556 and Bismarck and asked, "Would you two mind putting on a demonstration for him?" The two glanced at each other before giving me a smile and a nod, which I returned. "Excellent." I stood next to my father as I gestured out to where Bismarck and U-556 were moored together.

"Alright, Dad," I began, "See those two ships out there? The great big battleship next to the little submarine?"

I could see his eyes searching the harbor before they focused on their target. "Yeah," he said uncertainly. "I think so. Those two right there?"

"Those two right there," I nodded. "Now just keep your eyes on those ships and watch what happens." Without taking my eyes off the ships, I gestured to Bismarck, and almost instantly, the two vessels dissolved into millions of cubes, each flying towards their respective shipgirls.

Dad followed the cubes, wonderment in his eyes as they swirled around both kansen before rematerializing in a flash as their rigging. "That's…that's…" he began, turning back to confirm that both ships were gone from their dock before he looked back at Bismarck and U-556. "That's amazing!" he exclaimed, taking a half-step forward before stopping himself. "Can I…?"

I smiled and nodded as I waved him on. "Absolutely. Nothing to worry about."

He nodded and went ahead, carefully inspecting both kansen, who patiently let him examine what appeared to be every single bolt and rivet on their rigging. I turned back to look at Kathy and Mom, both of whom also seemed to be in awe of the transformation that took place before them. Kathy noticed my eyes on her and gave me a smile and a thumbs-up before pointing at Dad. I nodded as I understood her sentiment: it seemed I'd finally gotten through to him.

I turned back to see Dad still interrogating the girls. Bismarck kept her diplomatic smile on the entire time, but I could see in her eyes she was beginning to tire of being poked and prodded. Parzival, on the other hand, was very excited to share more information about herself, and eagerly regaled my father on some of her exploits in her usual animated fashion. As she went on, my mind went back to Dad's question about Parzival and Bismarck. While not biologically related, the two did share a familial bond, and the more I thought about it, I realized I did as well. Bismarck and I were becoming a family, but perhaps it was time for one more?

"...so can you walk around on your warships when you're not…uh…wearing them?" Dad asked.

Parzival nodded enthusiastically as she hefted her rigging over her head. "Yep! And we can go out sailing in 'em, too, just like a mass-produced ship! The Commander's led from both Bismarck and me before!"

Dad nodded, giving U-556 an impressed look. "Ohh, that must have been quite the honor, young Dame."

"It was," she agreed before she suddenly paused and looked thoughtful. "Hey, would you like to take a tour? I could show you around the boat!"

Dad's earnest excitement faded as he glanced back over his shoulder, "Oh, I don't know if that's okay…"

"It's fine, Dad," I said, answering his unspoken question. "Not going to violate any state secrets or anything like that. Just mind your head in there."

He gave me a confused look. "You're not coming?"

"Bismarck and I need to make sure your luggage gets to your quarters, but we'll catch up in a few," I lied, waving them along and ignoring Bismarck's pointed stare.

"Alright," Mom slowly said, glancing between Dad and myself before she was distracted by the bright flash of Bismarck and U-556's rigging vanishing. "If you say so…"

"You'll be fine," I reassured her. "You'll be in the company of one of my finest Knights! Now you crazy kids go have fun."

U-556 darted ahead of them, beckoning them on as she skipped down the pier. I watched them go for a minute before turning back to Bismarck, who was now giving me a rather stern glare.

"I thought Strasser was handling the luggage," she stated, folding her arms across her chest.

"She is," I confirmed, smiling slightly at the puzzled expression that quickly replaced her glare. "But I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What, exactly?" She asked slowly, clearly wondering where this was going.

"U-556. I was thinking about what Dad said, about her being your daughter." To her credit, Bismarck didn't object or say anything, letting me finish my piece. "She's really like family to us, to both of us. She's an important part of our lives and I want to make that…official somehow."

Bismarck listened intently, nodding along as she stroked her chin with a gloved hand. "And knowing you, you have an idea in mind, ja?"

"Ja," I confirmed. "I was wondering if we could adopt her."

Her eyes widened in surprise for just a moment, but she quickly recovered from the shock as she thought about the idea a bit more. "I think this may be legally tricky, but doable. And you are correct, she's been a driving force in both our lives. I daresay if it wasn't for her, we may never have had our little lunchtime sessions, let alone be as close as we are. But this would be something U-556 would have to agree to."

I nodded in agreement with her. "Absolutely. We'll need to talk to her and let her have the final say."

"I think I would love to have our beloved Parzival as part of our family." Bismarck began to smile, that rare, beautiful smile that so few get to see. "It's funny. To think, less than a year ago, I felt so alone, that I had to be this aloof figure, forsaking friends, family, and now I've reunited with my sister, growing closer with her each day, I have you, the man I love, and now I'm adding one more to my growing family."

She reached out to me and pulled me close as I wrapped my arms around her waist. "And it has been an honor and a joy to watch you become the woman I see before me, the woman who means more to me than anything else in the world. I love you, Bismarck."

"And I love you, mein Geliebter."

Our decision made, we headed back to U-556 to join up with the family again. The rest of the day was spent listening to Parzival explain the story of Bismarck and me to my family, chatting about how things were going back home, tales from my childhood, and how canoodling is hugging and kissing and nothing more. Eventually, the day drew to a close, and it was time for everyone to head off to their separate quarters. Well, almost everyone.

As we were saying goodbye to Katherine and my parents, Bismarck put her hand on U-556's shoulder as she started to leave, quietly holding her in place. Once I had shut the door, I looked over at the uncertain Parzival and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," I said as I took a seat back on the couch. Bismarck took a seat as well but left room between her and me for a certain submarine. When U-556 didn't quite get the hint, Bismarck patted the empty spot.

"Come, sit," she beckoned, "We have something we want to talk to you about. Something I think you'll like."

She hesitated for a little bit longer before she hopped on the couch, looking anxiously between us. "What is it?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Well, Bismarck and I have been talking," I began, looking over at my love, her stormy blue-grey eyes meeting mine and an eager smile on her face. "And we wanted to invite you to become part of our family. To adopt you."

Parzival looked between us, surprise and awe on her face. "Is that something you can do?"

Bismarck and I both nodded, our smiles growing. "I don't know how it would look on paper, but yes. You would be part of our family. I mean, you already are, this would just make it official."

"Would anything change?"

"If you wanted, you could move in with us," Bismarck suggested. "We could get a new apartment with a room just for you. That way you wouldn't have to get up early and race down here for breakfast each morning. But aside from that, no. We'd still spend time with you and you'll still carry out your assigned duties just as you would now, but at the end of the day, we would be one family."

U-556 looked between us one more time before she stared intently at the coffee table, giving the offer some serious thought. While she pondered her options, Bismarck and I reached over her and grabbed each other by the hand, our fingers interlacing as we smiled at each other. I could see the excitement and anticipation in her eyes, and I knew she saw the same in mine.

After a while, Parzival sighed and leaned back up, squaring her shoulders and nodding resolutely to Bismarck. "You and the Commander have been the best, most important things to me, and I want to be part of your family. I'll do it."

I let out a happy cry and leaned in to tightly hug the little submarine, quickly joined by Bismarck on the other side. Parzival let out an excited giggle as she pulled us as close as she could, fiercely hugging us back.

While it would be a pain to move to a new apartment, I wasn't too worried about it. It was a small price to pay to start a family with my beloved Bismarck…

A/N- Happy Birthday, Biscuit! Had this idea rattling around in my head for a while now, and since it was her launch day, thought it'd be appropriate to put it out now. Still don't have enough for a Biscuits with Bismarck vol 3 yet, but she's never far from my mind, waiting for the right opportunity to inspire me once more… Until next time, fair winds and following seas!