Disclaimer: This is an adaptation of a book of the same title by Radclyffe. I do not own any of the story or characters in this fanfiction nor the original Safe Harbor and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

Chapter Nine

Fate pulled up the short driveway to the rear of her house at six-fifteen a.m. The night had passed uneventfully. By two-thirty the streets of Provincetown had been deserted. The bars had closed at one, and for the next hour the street in front of Spiritus Pizza was a mob scene. Predominantly men, the crowd swelled as those who had yet to find partners for the night cruised each other. There were also a fair number of men and women who just wanted to partake vicariously of the sexual energy that literally filled the air. The party-like atmosphere would be sustained for the next twelve weeks, as new vacationers and week-end visitors flooded into town, carrying the excitement of being openly gay and unafraid, perhaps for the only time all year, with them.

Periodically Fate walked down one of the narrow alleys between the crowded establishments to the harbour beach, checking that no one decided to sleep off too much alcohol on the sand. High tide was at five-forty, and by then the waves, still vigorous even in the secluded harbour, would be up to the pilings of many of the buildings. Already the decks behind the Pier and the Boatslip, two of the most popular lesbian and gay bars, were surrounded by water. Fate didn't intend to have any drownings on her watch. She knew that the shadowed areas under the piers were favourite spots for quick sexual encounters, but she wasn't interested in busting two adults for a fast grope in the dark. She was on the lookout, however, for groups of teenagers hanging out on the beach. Tiida Lanster had warned her that drug use, and distribution, was becoming more of a problem with the youth of the small community, and that many of the suppliers seemed to be teenagers from neighbouring townships on the Cape.

Fate hated drugs, and especially those who provided it. Too often, the kids who tried it were simply acting out of the normal rebellious, unfocused discontent that seemed inherent in the nebulous world between childhood and adulthood. Unfortunately, they became trapped by the very real physical and psychological seductiveness of the drugs, and the drug culture, without meaning to. That they were victims, she had no doubt, and the perpetrators of the crime were the suppliers, not the addicts. She was determined that Provincetown would become a very unpopular place to commit that particular crime.

Fate rolled to a stop, cut the engine, and sat for a moment looking at the person huddled on her back steps. Teana Lanster stared back at her, her gaze steady and defiant.

'You're early,' Fate commented as she approached. 'Class doesn't start for forty-five minutes.' Fate could tell by the look of surprise on Teana's face, a flicker of expression quickly masked, that Teana had not been thinking of their seven o'clock appointment for her first jujitsu class. 'Come in the kitchen and wait while I shower and change,' Fate said as she passed the teenager, fitting her key into the back door as she spoke.

'If you haven't eaten, there's bread for toast and juice in the fridge,' Fate said as she tossed her keys on the table. She continued through to her bedroom, leaving the youth to sort things out for herself. When she returned in a clean white tee shirt and crisply ironed gi pants with her damp blonde hair in a high ponytail, she was pleased to smell coffee brewing. There was a plate of toast sitting in the middle of the breakfast bar. Fate gabbed a piece to munch on as she poured a cup of the welcome coffee.

'Thanks,' she said as she leaned against the counter facing Teana, who was perched on one of the high stools that flanked the counter dividing the cooking area from an eating area large enough to accommodate eight at the glass and chrome table.

Teana stared at the woman facing her, impressed by the taut muscles outlined under the tight tee shirt as well as her piercingly direct gaze. Fate presented an awesome figure. Teana took a deep breath.

'I came to talk to you about last night,' she managed to say without a hint of the unsteadiness she felt.

'I thought you came to train,' Fate responded.

'Maybe you won't want me to now,' Teana said, a slight quiver in her voice.

Fate raised an eyebrow, her eyes never leaving the troubled teens face. 'How so?'

Teana shrugged. 'I-I came to ask you not to tell my brother.'

'I wasn't planning to. But you should.'

'Yeah, right,' Teana snorted. 'Like he wouldn't kill me.'

'He's got to know sometime. Maybe you should give him a chance,' Fate suggested mildly as she refilled her coffee cup. 'I don't know him real well, but he seems to be okay about the gay thing.'

'Oh, sure – it's okay with him, maybe, for some other kids - but not for me!'

Fate looked at Teana, then nodded. 'You're right. There's no way to tell how he's going to react. But he for sure is going to be a lot better about it if he hears it first from you.'

'I will tell him! Just not now!' Her fear broke through and her eyes filled with tears. 'I'm only seventeen, he's my legal guardian, he can keep me from seeing Subaru if he wants to. And if her father finds out, he'll kill her!'

The girl's anguish was palpable, and Fate suddenly realized how many additional terrors being gay added to the already tumultuous world of adolescence. It was something she didn't know much about, and in a town like Provincetown, she needed to. She decided that, for the moment at least, she didn't know enough to make a good decision, or to offer meaningful advice.

'I'm not going to say anything to your brother, and if I decide it's necessary at some point, I'll tell you first. You can decide then whom he hears it from. In the meantime, I want your word that you and your girlfriend will stop meeting in dark alleys, or under the pier.'

Teana tried to cover her surprise. How did she know about the pier?

'It's dangerous, Teana, especially for two women.' Fate raised her hand against Teana's protest. 'There's no point in pretending that you and Subaru could stand up to a bunch of guys. That's not sexist – that's reality. One way a woman defeats a man is to use her brains - first to avoid the fight, and then if she must fight, to win the fight. Don't stack the odds against yourself.'

'There's nowhere for us to go,' Teana muttered, knowing the truth of Fate's words. 'That's why I need to learn to fight.'

Fate crossed the kitchen into the hallway beyond and returned with a folded bundle which she handed to Teana.

'This is your uniform, your gi. It is only to be worn in the dojo, when we train. I leave for work at seven. If you are here at five forty-five, any morning, we will train for an hour. It will take time, and patience, and work, but I will teach you to defend yourself. Is that still what you want?'

Teana reached for the uniform. For her it represented her first steps toward self-determination. 'Yes.'

'Then let's get started.'

After Teana changed into the uniform Fate had provided her, she followed Fate through the breezeway to the garage. She copied Fate's actions, bowing at the threshold before entering the thirty by forty-foot space, then removing her shoes and placing them beside the expanse of mat covered floor. She waited uncertainly as Fate crossed to the center of the mat and knelt, her hands resting gently on her thighs.

'Kneel and face me,' Fate said. When Teana complied, Fate continued, 'It is customary for the student to bow to the teacher, or sensei, at the beginning and end of each class. This is not to show obeisance, but to convey respect and to offer thanks for the opportunity to train. I will also bow to you, to honour your commitment to learn.'

After the initial ceremony was completed, Fate stood and motioned Tea to her feet. 'Basics first. You need to learn how to fall before I can teach you to throw; you need to learn how to block before I can teach you to punch and kick; you need to learn to move out of the line of attack before I can teach you how to counter an attack. These are the foundation for all that you will learn in the months, and hopefully the years, to come.'

Teana nodded her understanding, eager to begin, and anxious to prove her serious desire to learn. In the hour that followed, Fate introduced her to the fundamentals of jujitsu, demonstrating forward and backward rolls, proper fighting stances, blocking drills, and the first joint locking technique. Teana was young, supple, and athletic. She made good progress. She concentrated on Fate's every move, trying to imitate the way her teacher stood, turned, and rolled. It seemed impossible to her that she would ever be able to attain the grace and power that Fate manifest with every move, but she was determined to try.

'Grab my lapel,' Fate instructed. As Teana complied, Fate said, 'Kata dori,' indicating the Japanese term for the attack. Reaching up, she trapped Tea's hand against her shoulder, turned her wrist, and with both hands applied a wristlock. Teana gasped slightly at the pain in her stretched wrist, but held on wordlessly. As Fate leaned slowly toward her, the pressure in her wrist forced Teana to her knees.

'Kata dorinikkyo,' Fate named the defensive maneuver.

When Teana stood, Fate grasped her jacket. 'Now you.'

Teana repeated the movements exactly as she remembered Fate had done, and was awestruck as Fate went to her knees before her.

'Very nice,' Fate commented and she flushed with pride. 'These techniques are powerful, and potentially devastating. They are only to be used here, in the dojo, or on the street when you have no other choice but to use them.'

'Yes, sensei,' Teana answered quietly.

Fate turned away with a smile. She sensed that Teana would be a good student, and she had enjoyed the chance to teach her.

After they had bowed to each other, and Fate had knelt to carefully fold her hakama, the black skirt-like garment worn by experienced practitioners, Teana lingered uncertainly at the door. Fate looked over to her, a question in her eyes.

'Can I come tomorrow?' Teana asked softly.

'I am here every morning at quarter to six. If you come, we will train.'

Teana smiled and bowed slightly, naturally. 'Thank you.'

Fate smiled and bowed back, watching as she walked away down the drive. She remembered how she had felt, when she first began nearly twenty years before, and how her life had been enriched by her training. She hoped she could provide that, in some small way, to this young woman. At the moment, however, there were more pressing things to consider. And more that she herself needed to learn.

Note: I apologise for not clearly stating at the start, to clarify, the setting of this fic seems to be in the mid 80's and in the real 'Earth' world, hence the typical lgbt issues of that time. The story's focus is not mainly on that, but the relationships and lives of our characters so there will not be comment about those issues except within the story. Also, cell phones were rare (I think? That was before my time I have to admit), people still used landlines and payphones and is thus reflected in the fic. Thanks for reading and the reviewers, you know who you are. :)

Ps: I was about to post this chapter when a very favourite author of mine posted a review ;D Thanks for your encouragement and for reading! I absolutely love all your MGLN and FFXIII fics!