January 1st, 1206

7:45 am

The difference between paranoia and foresight is mostly luck. If Fiona had returned to a sleeping household, her actions on the way home would have been paranoid. Instead, they showed great foresight.

"G'morning," Fie said as Fiona entered the house.

"Good morning, Fie." Fiona gave her a polite smile and lifted the bag she was holding. "I was just out at the farmer's market," she said, launching into her well-rehearsed excuse. "We emptied out the fridge with the dinner last night, I wanted to make sure we had enough to tide us over until I could go grocery shopping."

"Uh-huh," Fie replied, giving no indication she believed her nor cared that she was lying.

"What's got you up so early?" Fiona asked.

The corners of Fie's lips perked ever so slightly upwards. "Elliot's taking me to Etoile for breakfast."

"I see." Fiona tried to hide the pang of jealousy behind a wider smile. "How romantic. It's so important to cherish the moments you have together."

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, I'll just put these things away and get back to bed."

"Want some help?" Fie offered in a tone that, while polite, clearly expected and wanted the answer to be no.

"No, thank you." Fiona left the living room and went into the kitchen. The contents of her bag were haphazardly shelved, they could be sorted out later when she was less tired and angry. She and Neithardt had decided to say their goodbyes in the hotel room, where they could be said as a couple and not while pretending to be something else. Fie and Elliot wouldn't have that problem. Their breakfast together would be more than just a couple of danishes from the front desk. No, they would get to eat together in a restaurant; sharing smiles and touches and focusing all their attention on each other and not having to worry about a goddamn-

Slam!

Fiona flinched. She hadn't meant to close the cabinet that hard.

"Are you okay?" Fie called out.

"I'm fine," Fiona replied. She took a deep breath and made herself calm down. She had to be happy for them. She had to be happy for them. She had to be happy for them. Exhale. They were good kids, growing up into good adults. They deserved it, they deserved each other. And what, she and Gerhard didn't? They'd been together more than twice as lo- No! No. Happy. Happy for them.

One more deep breath, and she exited the kitchen. She had planned to go straight to her room, but couldn't keep herself from glancing into the living room. What she saw stopped her in her tracks; Fie, leaning against the wall, fiddling with her ARCUS, wearing Elliot's sweater and vest.

It just looked… right. Natural. Fiona had to ask herself; what the hell was she doing?

Fie noticed Fiona looking at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to your scarf?" Fiona asked after a brief awkward silence.

"I left it in Elliot's room," said Fie. "It's too damaged to keep me warm anymore." Her attention returned to her ARCUS.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Fie shrugged.

Fiona could have taken the exit and just kept walking, but she hesitated. "You know, I have a spare scarf I don't use very much. Would you like it?"

Fie looked up and blinked at Fiona. Her gaze put her in mind of the stray cats she would see from time to time, how they would stare when she tried to offer them treats. "Let me- let me just go and get it, so you can see it and decide," Fiona said.

"Okay," Fie cautiously replied.

The spare scarf was retrieved and presented to Fie. It was made of a pretty, warm blue cloth and decorated with parallel white lines. "It looks good on you," Fiona said as Fie wrapped it around her neck.

"Thanks," said Fie. She slid the fabric through her fingers, almost like she was checking it for bugs or weapons. After her inspection, she said, "I like it."

"It's yours," Fiona said, a bit too loud and a bit too fast. "I mean, if you want it."

Fie gave a single nod. "I do." Her eyes slowly, carefully, slid off of Fiona and back to her Arcus. "Thanks."

Fiona sighed. A present was not an apology. "I..."

"...Hmm?"

"I was rude to you."

Fie looked up, meeting Fiona's eyes.

"You didn't deserve it. I'm sorry, Fie." Fiona shifted awkwardly, feeling like she was under a microscope while waiting for Fie's response.

"It's okay," Fie finally said.

It wasn't forgiveness. Then again, Fiona didn't really deserve that. "Thank you."

"Sorry it took me so long," Elliot said as he galloped down the stairs. "I couldn't- Oh! Morning, Fiona."

"Good morning," she replied, but Elliot wasn't really listening. He went over to Fie and took her hand. Fiona hadn't realized how tense Fie was during their conversation, or even that she was at all, until she watched it all melt away at Elliot's touch.

"Ready to go?" Fie asked, smiling and putting away her ARCUS. Elliot nodded and Fiona left the room as he spoke. She would probably always be jealous of them, at least until Neithardt reached a rank where he no longer served directly under her father. But that wasn't their fault, nor was it hers. They didn't deserve to suffer for her frustrations anymore than she deserved the pain of trying to force herself to be happy for them.

Besides, they didn't need her happiness. They had their own.

12:56 pm

It's never exactly fun to be at a train station, they have this strange quality of too much room with not enough seats and the vending machines are all overpriced. But it's always worse when it's the end of a vacation. Even for someone like Sara, who genuinely enjoyed her job.

She sat in an uncomfortable chair with her luggage next to her, reading a cheesy book that she could already tell she wasn't going to finish, mentally counting down the minutes until the supposed boarding time. If only Fie was here, then she would have someone to talk too. On the other hand, Sara didn't want to be there either. She just had nothing else to do and figured she might as well save a chair for Fie.

Neithardt entered the station and noticed her tell-tale magenta hair. "Good afternoon, Valestein," he said, walking up to her.

"Hey, Neithardt," Sara replied, folding down a page in her book and placing it in her lap. "Surprised to see you here. I figured you and Olaf'd be out on the first train to Garrelia Fortress."

Neithardt scowled. Well, he would prefer it to be called a scowl; it was closer to a pout. "General Craig left at 0525 this morning."

"Ah," Sara said with a teasing smile. "Is that what's got you so grumpy? You didn't get to come?"

"The general strongly recommended that I take the opportunity to rest as much as I could before returning to the base."

Sara nodded. "Told you to stay in bed or he'd throw you there himself, huh?"

"...Perhaps."

"Mmmm. Well, no need to keep standing around like that." Sara pushed her coat off the neighboring chair and onto her luggage. "C'mon, take a seat."

"Thank you," Neithardt said, accepting her offer.

"So, when does your train pull out?"

"2:15."

Sara turned to look at him with a surprised face. "Really? You're here early even for you."

Neithardt shrugged.

"You don't do anything for no reason. What's going on?"

"My reasons are my own."

Sara narrowed her eyes at him. "Hmmm." Neithardt didn't budge. Sara returned to her book while Neithardt went through some forms he had brought with him.

Her attention was eventually broken by the familiar sound of Fie's footsteps, followed closely by Elliot's.

Following the exchange of pleasantries, Sara asked, "It's still thirty minutes before we leave, what're you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to say goodbye to Xeno and Leonidas," said Fie. "Their train leaves soon."

Sara craned her neck, scanning the room for the Jaegers. Fie shook her head. "They're not here yet. Xeno doesn't like being in a train station until five minutes before it leaves."

Sara rose from her seat. "Well, why don't you two sit down and me and Neithardt can look out for them. We could use the excuse to stretch our legs." Neithardt side-eyed her but didn't argue, standing up and following her as she began walking around the station.

"So, why are you waiting for Fie's brothers?" Sara asked.

"..." Neithardt replied.

"Don't play coy," Sara said, lips stretched into a catlike grin. "I saw that twitch when she mentioned them. What's going on?"

"My reasons are my own."

"Ahhh." Sara nodded slowly. "Her, huh?"

Neithardt's lips pursed and he angled his face upwards. "Perhaps."

Sara chuckled. "You know 'perhaps' from you always means 'yes', right? I've never once heard you say it and mean 'no'."

"Perhaps."

"Well, it must be important if it made you miss them coming in," Sara said, pointing at where they had left the teens. Fie was in the process of letting go of Leonidas and beginning her hug of Xeno.

"You missed them too."

"Did I?" Sara smiled sneakily and got a glare in response. "Okay, yes I did," she relented. Neithardt rolled his eyes as they walked up to the Jaegers, catching the tail-end of the conversation.

"Yeah, all that's left is for you to meet the boss," Xeno said to Elliot. "And that'll probably happen pretty soon. There's something for you to look forward to."

Elliot gulped. "Meet him how?" Fie laced her fingers with his as a supportive gesture.

"In the world of the living," Xeno answered. "Most likely."

Leonidas spoke up. "You have nothing to worry about. The boss is a reasonable man; I am certain he will have no issue with you."

"That's a relief," Elliot said. Fie tugged on his hand.

"Let's go back into the sunshine," she said. Elliot nodded and they turned to leave, nearly bumping into Sara and Neithardt.

"Wow," Sara said, an amused look on her face. "Literally just here to say good-bye, huh?"

Fie shrugged. "I'll be back."

Sara chuckled and stepped to the side, waving them through. "Go, go."

Neithardt spoke up. "Leonidas, may I borrow you for a minute?" He could have posed his question to either Jaeger, and asking both would likely have the greatest chance of success, but something about the blond man rubbed him the wrong way. When his profession and leader were insulted, Leonidas stood up for them and their honor. Xeno had given no indication he cared about either.

Leonidas' eyebrow quirked with intrigue. "Very well," he said, standing up with his bag. They went to a relatively quiet corner of the station.

"I am truly sorry for what I said yesterday at dinner," said Neithardt, his expression firm and giving away nothing. "And I would like to thank you for escorting me back to my room when I was impaired."

"Hmm." Leonidas crossed his arms and leant against the wall. "I accept both, but something tells me those aren't what you wished to discuss," he said. "And I do not have much time."

Neithardt pursed his lips and looked down, trying to find the words to jump ahead in his planned script. "I have heard hearsay of there being places which those with unsavory business practices may go to in order to relax, where anyone can speak of anything and nothing gets out. Do you know of any? I will pay for the information."

"Why?" Leonidas asked.

Neithardt had expected this; of course such information couldn't be given out for no reason, let alone to a man of his position. Even though he had made the decision hours ago, he still hesitated. If it was just him at risk, he wouldn't waver even for a second. Then again, if it was just him at risk he wouldn't be doing this in the first place. If it was for anyone else, he wouldn't even think of putting his trust in a Jaeger. "Can you give me your word, as a Jaeg- as a soldier, that you will keep my reasons secret?"

There was no hesitancy from Leonidas. "I can give you my word as a man."

Neithardt released his held breath. "Thank you," he said, continuing quickly to avoid wasting time. "It's so me and my partner can go somewhere where we can be together without word of our relationship getting out. Can you help me?"

The slight pleading notes in his voice were not lost on Leonidas. He pulled a notepad out of his pocket, writing as he spoke. "There's a hamlet in the Olbia Lowlands named Little Monkton. You might have heard of it as 'Killers' Village'. Nothing illegal happens there, but you'll hear about a lot. No one tells anyone about what they hear or see there without losing their life." He tore the page out of his notepad and folded it carefully, giving it to Neithardt before ripping out the three pages below it and shredding them to pieces. The pieces were put into another pocket. "Call this phone number and say this phrase and you'll be able to book a hotel room. Memorize them and burn the paper as soon as you can."

Neithardt held the folded paper out in front of him, eyeing it like a lit stick of dynamite. Every fiber of his heart was telling him to open it up, to memorize the contents, to start the process of giving his love what she so badly wanted. But he didn't.

"What do you want in return?" he asked. "I will not do anything that would compromise the safety of the people of Erebonia." Prudence? Maybe. Skepticism? Possibly. But honestly, it was that he knew how disappointed Fiona would be if he was stupid and did something rash.

Leonidas shook his head. Neithardt's heart sank as he prepared for the paper to be taken back from him. "I told you, I'm not doing this as a Jaeger," Leonidas said. "No payment needed."

Neithardt's hand moved quickly, sliding the paper into his inner breast pocket even as his mind screeched to a halt. A thank you would have been appropriate. "Why?" he asked.

"Because life's not fair," Leonidas replied. A whistle rang through the station. "That's my train. Good luck, Major."

He walked away, leaving Neithardt with minor new questions but a very important answer.

Sara sat down and reopened her book. She tried to read it, but found herself losing interest and focus halfway through a paragraph, even after re-reading it. Well, maybe what worked last night to fix her boredom could work again.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Sara mused in Xeno's general direction.

Xeno shrugged. "Really late parent-teacher conference?"

"You're joking but I wouldn't put it past him."

"I'm not sure I was joking," Xeno said as he sat down next to her. "He just gives off that vibe."

Sara groaned, but it was a fond groan for a friend. "Tell me about it," she said, closing her book. "He wouldn't have much to say anyways; Fie's a good student."

Xeno nodded. "The boss made the right choice."

"What, telling you all to abandon her?" Sara flatly said, side-eyeing him.

"Telling us to leave her with you. You've done a good job."

"Oh. Well… Thanks."

Silence fell between them. Sara tried to read her book while Xeno tilted his head back and closed his eyes. The sound of pencil scratchings made him peek one open.

"Here," said Sara, putting a piece of paper in his lap before putting her notepad away. "It's my ARCUS ID. Whenever you get one, contact me and I'll be able to let you know right away if anything ever happens to Fie."

"Hm." Xeno lifted the paper by its torn corner, looking at it in the light of an overhead fixture. "I'll have to get my hands on one soon." He looked at Sara out the corner of his eye. "You know I'm definitely gonna use this to schedule a rematch."

Sara smirked in a way her lips said was cocky but her eyes said was playful. "I'm always up for a challenge. Go ahead."

"Maybe a spar this time," Xeno said, folding up the paper and putting it away. "Your friends interrupted us in the castle before I could see what you're like going all out."

"You think you could handle me?" Sara asked, leaning on her elbow on the armrest dividing them.

"You think I couldn't?" Xeno replied, smirk-smiling as he met her gaze.

"Hmm…" she replied as she leaned back in her seat. "Sounds like we're gonna have to find out."

"Sounds like it," Xeno agreed. The whistle blew. "That's my cue," he said, standing up and pulling his bag over his shoulder. "I look forward to proving you wrong."

"I look forward to you trying," Sara responded. Xeno left for the platform and she reopened her book. She only glanced up to collect her thoughts, it was just a coincidence he was in her view. Twice.

1:26 pm

Fie and Elliot were just about to finish another lap around the train station when her ARCUS buzzed.

"It's Sara," said Fie. Her voice was nonchalant as ever, but it was impossible for Elliot to miss how her grip tightened on his hand. "She's on the train."

Elliot's grip tightened as well. "Must be nearly time for you to leave."

"Yep. Four minutes."

Elliot nodded slowly. They had stopped walking. "It's been nice. Having you here and being with you and- and stuff. I had fun."

"Me too," said Fie. "And I should be a senior bracer pretty soon. That'll give me a lot more control over what jobs I take and where I go and how I get there."

"Yeah. And I'm probably going to go on tour in a couple months, so, you know; maybe we can make our paths cross then."

"Yeah."

"Plus, we're still going to be texting every night."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Yeah. We're really bad at this."

Elliot couldn't stop himself from laughing. Fie smiled a small smile that grew with every one of his laughs. When he finally managed to straighten up, her smile matched his. "I'm gonna miss you," he said, finally acknowledging the elephant in the room.

"Same," said Fie. Melancholy spread through her features. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"I wish I could come with you."

Fie nodded. She let go of Elliot's hand in order to take his wrist and bring his palm to her chest. "Yours," she said.

"I know," he said. He pulled his hand back in order to take her wrist and do the same, splaying Fie's fingers out against his chest. "Yours."

"I know," she said. Their lips joined in a kiss long enough to turn sorrow at their current parting into anticipation for their next meeting.

"Can I walk you to the platform?" Elliot asked.

"Please," Fie replied. They resumed walking.

The rest was feeling. Elliot's next coherent thought came only as the train disappeared from view.

"I'm never getting that sweater back; am I?"

Cover art by Masky, maskyarts on twitter. If you liked this story, plz review and feel free to give me a follow on twitter, I'm leonidas701. Sorry the conclusion took so long to post, I have been busy doing grad school interviews and working more shifts at work.