Forged In Fire, Chapter 42: Shock And Awwww…

Mako, Raleigh, and Miranda's apartment

August 6, 2025

0712

Raleigh was happily eating his breakfast as Mako headed out the door to go to the dentist. "Hope it goes well."

Mako gave a nervous smile. "I'm just worried they'll order my wisdom teeth out. The only reason I still have them is because I didn't have the time to recover."

"Something you've got plenty of now." Raleigh walked over and gave her a hug. "Relax. It'll be fine."

Mako loosened up slightly as Raleigh hugged her. "Thank you. And as much as I'd like to just stay here like this…"

Raleigh let her go. "Go on. Don't want to be late."

Mako smiled again and headed to their car.

Down the hall, Miranda stumbled out of her bedroom, still half asleep. "Mornin'."

"Morning, Munchkin. How'd you sleep?"

"Poorly. Feels like Thing 2 has been practicing his martial arts on my organs again."

Raleigh winced. "That can't be fun."

"Says the guy who… Well, I was going to say 'will never know what a pregnancy feels like,' but with you and Mako…" The petite Australian shrugged. "This is taking a little getting used to."

"The pregnancy, or having a pair of Rangers as your roommates?"

Miranda stuck her tongue out and groggily walked over to the coffee maker. "You know which one I meant."

Raleigh chuckled and turned back to his breakfast. "Should still be fairly hot, so mind your tongue."

"Thanks." Miranda poured herself a small cup of coffee and went to the fridge. "Oh, you guys are awesome." She pulled out the fresh carton of cream and added a splash to her coffee, then put it back into the fridge. "Must be nice to know exactly what's about to run out in the fridge. I was always behind the curve on that."

Raleigh tilted his head towards the door. "Yeah, Mako's pretty good about that."

Miranda sat down at the table, coffee cup cradled in her hands. "About her… and my previous train of thought…"

Raleigh raised his eyebrows. "What about it?"

"What are her periods like for you?"

Raleigh didn't hesitate for a moment. "She really hasn't had any since the day I met her."

"I'm sorry, but that's bullshit-"

Raleigh held up a hand, and Miranda stopped. "In the early days of the PPDC's existence, it was decided that they should use a progesterone replacement that prevents the uterine lining from forming in the first place. The main drawbacks are that you have to go off it at least once a year to ensure that everything still works right, and that you get a little antsy and irritable at the start of the cycle. Supposedly, it's because your body still realizes that it's supposed to be getting ready for a potential pregnancy, but something's keeping it from doing so." He took a sip of his own coffee before continuing. "But everyone I talked to about it was willing to deal with those side effects. After all, how would you feel if you had to fight a Kaiju while on your period? And be honest."

Miranda took a deep breath and blew it out her lips. "I'd do it, but I suspect it wouldn't be a wise move. I… Are the circuitry suits waterproof both ways?"

"Yes."

"Okay, it could be messy, then. And since the uterus is basically shredding itself to pieces…" Miranda trailed off.

Raleigh nodded. "I agree with your assessment. You're having an organ tear itself up. If it were any other organ, that'd be cause for a trip to the ER, right? And yet, it's considered normal to just keep going like nothing unusual is happening?" He shook his head in dismay. "Thankfully, a couple of bright folks, Caitlin included, realized that having a female Ranger on her period would not be optimal. She'd run the mission, because it was her job. But in the Drift, your pains are shared."

"So, your copilot would be hit by it, too."

"Exactly. And if it were a guy, who'd never felt that before?"

Miranda chuckled. "Ouch. He'd be in for a hell of a ride."

Raleigh smirked and raised his coffee mug in a salute to his roommate. "That's the real reason for the progesterone replacement." He took another drink from his coffee. "And from what I've gathered in the Drift, Mako's extremely thankful that it was made available to all PPDC personnel who wanted it, not just Rangers."

"She have a hard time with her periods?"

"Very."

"Oh." Miranda frowned. "She seen a doctor about it?"

"Not yet. I haven't brought it up yet, and since she's gone through her teenage years around military kids… she's of the opinion that it's normal for her."

"It might not be normal. If it's really painful, she should talk to her doctor."

Raleigh shrugged. "I'll bring it up… but you may have a better chance of getting her to listen."

"Why? You're the person she's shared her soul with. You're her copilot. Why wouldn't she listen to you?"

Raleigh gave a wicked grin. "Because I'm plumbed differently."

Miranda nearly choked on her coffee. "WHAT? You did NOT just play that card, mate."

"Oh, I did." Another grin. "Besides, as you said, I have no experience with that stuff yet."

Miranda grumbled for a few seconds. "Fine. But you owe me."

"Name your price."

"There's this microbrewery on the outskirts of Sydney, not far from the old Shatterdome. Six pack of their pale ale."

"It'll be in the fridge when you get back from the hospital after having the twins."

"It's a deal."

-.-.-

Dental office

Fair Oaks, CA

0801

"Aha. Sneaky little thing."

"Aaaah?"

"You said it was a sweet sensitivity?"

"Aahhaaa."

The dentist pulled the mirror out of Mako's mouth and hit a switch on the chair, then rolled his own chair back. "It's a cavity."

Mako's confusion was evident on her face as the chair returned to the upright position. She took the cup of mouthwash from the hygienist and began to rinse out her mouth.

"It's all the way back on the backside of your lower right wisdom tooth. That's one of the hardest areas to clean, so don't feel so bad. Many people your age have had several cavities by now."

Mako spat out the mouthwash in the small sink near the chair. "My… adoptive father… was rather adamant about that." She grew pensive for a moment as she rinse the cup out and refilled it with fresh water. "I never argued with him on that."

"Well, my personal recommendation is to not fill that cavity."

Mako looked at the dentist, clearly confused. "Not fill it? Isn't that what you do to cavities?"

"Normally, yes. But it's in a spot that, unfortunately, will be a problem spot for you to keep clean."

"So you want me to let it rot?"

"No. Although you've got the space for your wisdom teeth, they'd be a constant source of problems. Cavities, fillings…"

Mako shuddered. "No thank you. My boyfriend had a bad experience with a filling once. He shared the story with me a few months ago and I'm not too keen to run that risk."

"If I may ask… what went wrong?"

"Not enough anesthetic, apparently. He felt a good bit of it."

"That's…" The dentist winced. "That's poor patient care. Does your boyfriend remember who that dentist was?"

"He might. I'll ask him."

"If he does, let me know who it was. If he's local, I'll stop by and have a little chat with him."

"Is Anchorage considered 'local'?"

"Well, I'd been trying to decide where to take the family for vacation next year…"

Mako smiled. "Please, no need to go out of your way on his behalf."

"Hey, it's the least I can do for him. After all, you two saved us all."

Mako groaned. "Damn. Again?"

"No worries. Your secret identity is safe with us." The dentist grinned. "Tell you what, I'll go get you a couple of referrals for a consultation with some of the local oral surgeons. Nancy here will get you one of our goodie bags."

The dentist disappeared back down the hallway to his office nook, and the hygienist opened a drawer and pulled out a small paper bag with a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste in it. "Thank you, ma'am."

Mako sighed. "I get that a lot."

"It's not every day that someone that stood toe to toe with a Kaiju and lived to tell the tale comes into our office." The older woman smiled. "Let alone someone who did so in a Jaeger. It's nice to know that you're just another normal person, too. Makes me feel safer."

Mako blinked at that. Why would that make her feel safer? I know that I would feel a lot better knowing that it was someone much more… well, less flawed and broken.

Mako was still musing the hygienist's words when the dentist returned, a small packet of papers in hand. "Here you are. Four different surgeons in the area."

"Any personal or professional opinions?"

The dentist frowned for a moment before tapping one of the slips of paper. "These guys. They've gotten high praise from all of my patients that have gone to them."

Mako looked at it and decided to call all four first. "Thank you."

The dentist gave Mako a formal Japanese bow, then left the exam room to take care of another patient.

Mako stood there, utterly stunned by the gesture. I haven't had that happen to me in months…

-.-.-

Ten minutes later…

Mako found herself absentmindedly running the tip of her tongue along the sides of her wisdom teeth as the car drove through town. I wonder what it'll be like to have them out. She looked at the slips of paper, then pulled out her phone and dialed a number from memory.

Brrrrrrrr… Brrrrrrrr-CLICK. "Yello."

Mako grinned at the sound of Raleigh's voice. "You ready to go?"

"Of course. Just waiting on you. How'd it go?"

"It's a cavity."

"Bummer. What're they gonna do?"

"Have my wisdom teeth removed."

There was a long pause before Raleigh continued. "What?"

Mako giggled. "The cavity's on a wisdom tooth."

"I get that. But isn't that a little, I dunno, extreme?"

"Not when the dentist says that it'll be a continuous problem there. I snuck a peek at the x-rays…"

"Mako… just because you x-rayed parts for Gipsy doesn't mean that you can read the dental x-ray."

"I know that… but the enamel back there was rather thin. I can see why he wants them out. It's this, or a lot of fillings."

There was another long pause before Raleigh spoke again. "Okay, that's a good point. Besides, now you've got the time and someone to keep an eye on you after you come out of surgery. Trust me, you want that other person to be there."

"Yancy, or your mom?"

"My mom. Yance had school still. I was 16."

"Mmmm." Mako looked out the window to see their apartment block coming into view. "Okay, just pulling up now. Ready?"

Raleigh appeared in the doorway of the apartment, phone still in hand. "Yup." Click.

Mako watched her copilot lock the apartment, then kissed him on the cheek as he got in the car. "So… ready for another exciting day at the office?"

"Hey, you get to play with the robotics. I just get to drag schedule blocks and curriculum sections around on the computer."

"I have something in mind for you to help with. Just hang on for a few more weeks while we get Stephanie back on her feet."

Raleigh nodded at that. "Okay, I can do that. Besides, I've got a few other things I can work on to help kill the time."

Mako looked at Raleigh, clearly amused. "Like your secret project?"

"Oh, no. That's done. I'm just waiting on a good time to share it with you."

"Spoilsport."

Raleigh simply smiled at his copilot's comment.

"I'm going to find out somehow."

"I don't doubt it. You're stubborn as hell when you set your mind to a task."

"You know you enjoy it."

"Part of the reason we work so well together."

"Mmm…" Mako relaxed in her seat. "Can't argue with that."

-.-.-

PPI R&D Offices

1215

Mako was deeply engrossed in an engineering model of the new Mark VI Conn Pod when Jazmine knocked on the doorframe. "Hey, Mako. Got a moment?"

"Hmm?" Mako kept working on a particularly important hardpoint, using a stylus to pull it out a little more from the wall.

"Got someone for you to meet."

"One moment…" Mako saved the changes, then looked up at Jazmine. "Okay, what's up?"

Jazmine stepped aside to reveal a familiar face. "This is Emily. She's coming onboard to help you guys with the new exoskeleton program."

Mako smiled. "Welcome aboard."

Emily gave a shy smile. "Thanks. I'm just glad to have a job again. Getting laid off sucks."

"Well, if this exoskeleton works, we'll have plenty of work ahead of us. Come on, let's go take a tour of our shop." Mako got up and walked down the hall, Emily in tow. "It's a little bit on the warm side in there, though. Unavoidable part of it being a repurposed hangar."

As they walked past the desk at the door, Mako notice that Emily wasn't the only new hire. Miranda was teaching an unfamiliar face how to handle the small mountain of data that flowed through the office.

Emily eyed Miranda with curiosity as they headed out the door. "Sorry if it's a bit prying, but… is she an Aussie?"

Mako looked at her watch. "Wait…"

As if on cue, a pair of motorcycles raced down the street, headed to the Coast Guard Air Station at the north end of the flight line.

Emily stared in awe. "How'd you know they were coming?"

Mako grinned as they crossed the street. "Those two guys are always cutting it close to get to the Station on time. They're almost as reliable as a watch." She shook her head in dismay. "Getting back to your point, yes, she is an Australian. Came from the Sydney Ring."

"So… why'd you pick her? Connections, or skills?"

"She's really good at whatever task she applies herself to."

"That didn't answer my question."

Mako opened the small door into the receiving area of the hangar and grabbed an electric flyswatter from a hook just off to the left. "Yes on both counts. She's the widow of a Ranger. And no, I'm not telling you more without her consent."

Emily eyed the flyswatter with visible concern. "Uhm… something I should know?"

"Yes. I'm deathly allergic to bee and wasp stings. And since the yellow jackets love to set up nests on the rafters here…" Mako brandished the device and looked around. "Looks clear for now. Let's go."

The two women turned right as they cleared the door… and Emily's jaw fell open. "Whoa…"

More than two dozen machines ran along the left side of the hangar, ranging from grinders and drill presses to lathes and milling machines. The right side was packed with raw materials and components. And in the center of the hangar, right beneath the Big Ass Fan…

"Work, you recalcitrant piece of scrap!"

"Steph, your yelling at it won't make it work any better."

"Stuff it, Sunshine. Doc, is the computer even on?"

"Yes, Stephanie. It's on."

Mako groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "When was the last time you ate, Stephanie?"

"Breakfast. Why?"

"Because it's now 1220. Go take a lunch break. You're bitchy when you're hungry."

The former pilot of Hydra Corinthian opened her mouth to protest, but the growl of her stomach beat her to the punch. "Fine."

Raleigh pushed Stephanie's wheelchair over to her. "Here. Don't worry about taking off the suit. Just go get something to eat."

Mako tilted her head towards Caitlin. "Come on, let's go meet the brains of the project."

Caitlin looked up from the computer terminal she had set up on a folding table. "Hey, Mako. Brought the new hire, I see."

"Yes. Emily Baxter, this is Dr. Caitlin D'Onofrio. Cait, Emily."

Caitlin held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Emily took the offered and shook it. "Same here." She pointed at the computers. "Can I take a look?"

"Sure. Let's get you up to speed."

The two women headed over to the table and started to talk shop, while Mako headed over to Raleigh. "Hey. I thought you had some scheduling stuff to do."

"Nah. Got bored and decided to come over to give Steph a verbal punching bag."

Mako nodded. "It does seem to help her." She gestured at the open hangar doors. "Anything of interest today?"

"Not really. The neighbors have been busy, though." Raleigh tilted his head to the south, where a civilianized OV-10 Bronco in an eye-catching red and white paint job taxied along the ramp, the cockpit open as the crew tried to stay cool in the large greenhouse-like cockpit. "There's a small forest fire near Blue Canyon again. They've been making the run from here, though."

Mako shrugged. "I hope they can get a handle on it quickly. They can't afford to have another big one right now."

"Yeah." Raleigh's face darkened. "I remember one, back in 2017… Yance and I were in LA with Gipsy, and a huge fire broke out. We wanted to take Gipsy out to scuffle out a firebreak."

Mako laughed at the image. "And what did the brass think of your idea?"

"Oh, they wanted to do it, too. But the government thought that it would be a 'waste of resources' to do so."

"When was it?"

"Early October. Turned out to probably have been a wise idea to have us stay in the 'Dome."

Mako turned back to the hangar. "Yes, what with Yamarashi coming later that month."

"Yup." Raleigh watched Caitlin and Emily tour the shop. "So, what do you think of Emily so far?"

"Raleigh, I came right over after I was reintroduced."

"Ah." Raleigh scratched the back of his neck. "Then I guess they haven't told you the other bits of news?"

Mako slowly turned to face her copilot. "What news."

"Uhm… Vanessa's coming on, too… and David and Jaz are headed downtown to start on a real office and HQ."

Mako blinked in surprise. "Vanessa? I thought she was on leave still?"

"Hermann's working from home. He says it'll allow him to focus on the math more than he could hope for here."

"Mmmm… I think I'll turn Vanessa loose on the exo systems with Emily, then. They're both robotics experts, after all."

"You know, we really need a better name for that."

"Hmmm…" Mako's brows furrowed as she tried to come up with a name…

The door to the hangar opened, and Max sauntered in, Herc close behind. "Hey, guys."

"Sir." "Hey, Herc." "Sir."

Max whined and looked at Herc.

"Well, you silly dog, where'd you put it?"

Max looked around the hangar before sauntering over to the racks of piping and barking.

Raleigh was closer than Herc and looked at where Max was focused. "Max… How'd you get your ball in there? It's up the pipe!"

"Sorede oshimai!" That's it! Mako's face lit up. "MAX!"

Herc looked at her, clearly confused. "What?"

"Mobility Augmentation eXoskeleton!" Mako grabbed a nearby sheet of paper and a pen and quickly sketched out a logo.

Raleigh managed to extract the ball from the pipe. "Go get it, boy!" Raleigh lobbed the ball across the shop, and the bulldog tore off after it.

Mako finished and held up the result. "I'm no graphic artist, but it'll work for now."

Raleigh nodded and gestured to the door. "Want to take a lunch break, too?"

Mako paused for a moment. "I hadn't been hungry before, but now?" She held a hand to her stomach briefly. "Yes, let's go get some food."

"Any preference?"

"Food is food right now, Raleigh. Your choice." Mako laced the fingers of her right hand through Raleigh's left, and the two Rangers walked out the door to the car across the street.

Herc looked down to the ground to see Max waiting patiently, ball in his mouth. Boss… play with me? "Alright, you big baby. Fetch!"

-.-.-

PPI R&D Offices

August 7, 2025

1652

Raleigh rolled back from the desk, watching the computer shut down. I can't wait for the Academy to be ready. We need new pilots desperately, and that's the only way we can train new ones. He grabbed a small stack of papers off the printer and exited his office, closing the door behind him. "Hey, Mako?"

Mako's head emerged from her office. "What's up?"

"Ready to go?"

Mako shuffled slightly and looked down at the floor. "Actually… Jaz and I are going to the mall. She says I need to get some more nice clothes."

Raleigh smiled and nodded. "Hey, it's good for you to get out from time to time, yeah?"

"True."

"So, dinner when you get back?"

"Sure!"

Raleigh hugged his copilot. "Alright. Try not to hurt her too badly, okay?"

Mako grinned. "No promises."

"See you at home." Raleigh walked down the hall. "Hey, Munchkin, can you give me a hand with something?"

The Australian looked up from her desk. "Sure. What do you need?"

Raleigh handed over the stack of papers. "This is the latest draft of the entry exam for the Academy. I want a fresh set of eyes to go over it and see if it makes sense."

Miranda took the papers and read the first few questions. Hmmm… Let's see if I can actually finish this. "No worries. Any time limits or restrictions?"

"Well, obviously no Google. And time limits… Hmm. Hadn't thought of that. Say… 15 minutes?"

Miranda eyed the questions again. "No way. 30 would be better."

"Okay, then, 30 minutes."

"Then I will do my level best to answer these in half an hour." She folded them and tucked them into her purse, then followed Raleigh out the door. "See you later tonight."

"Why?"

"Going shopping with Mako and Jaz."

"Oh. Well, have fun."

"I intend to."

Raleigh smiled and headed to the car, while Miranda waited for Mako to come out of the office. After a few minutes, the Ranger finally appeared. "Jaz will be here in a minute or so."

"You sure you want to do this?"

Mako looked at her feet, clearly unsure about the situation. "Part of me doesn't want to do this, just on principle, but the other part of me wants to do this as part of moving on and overcoming my fears."

Miranda gave Mako a worried look as Jazmine pulled up to the curb. "Hey, ladies. Need a lift?"

Mako smiled at the temporary reprieve from her conversation. "Depends. Where are you going?" She waggled her eyebrows and opened the door. "Thanks for the ride, Jaz."

"No problem." She looked at Mako. "You sure you're feeling okay? This is totally out of the ordinary for you."

Mako buckled into the seat and closed the door. "Yes." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at Miranda. "I was just talking to Miranda about this, so I'll just start from the beginning."

Miranda and Jazmine waited patiently for Mako to start.

Mako took a deep breath, rested her head on the headrest, and closed her eyes. "This… This is a big step for me. Willingly going to a mall…" Mako took another deep breath. "Malls just bring up… painful memories."

Miranda nodded. "Tokyo."

"Yes. We were at the mall when Onibaba attacked. In the rush to escape, I…" Mako trailed off and swallowed hard. "I got separated from my parents. So, I started wandering around, looking for them."

"And then Onibaba found you."

Mako nodded. MAAAAMAAAA! She winced as the memories resurfaced again, igniting old feelings. "I ran. What else could I do?"

Miranda placed a hand on Mako's shoulder. "You did what you could. There's no shame in that. I probably wouldn't have had my wits about me enough to do that."

Jazmine nodded. "Mako… You of all people would know that we're safe from an attack right now."

"It's not fear of an attack that keeps me away… It's the fear of the memories, the emotions, the feeling of utter helplessness… That's what scares me."

Miranda gave a gentle but firm squeeze to Mako's shoulder. "Hey… That's what we're here for. You don't have to bear this burden alone. It's like piloting a Jaeger, yeah? The load of this will knock you down, but if you split the burden…"

Mako nodded slowly.

Jazmine smiled gently, even though Mako's eyes were still closed. "And the store you mentioned by name?"

Mako's cheeks flushed slightly. "Uhm… That's…"

Miranda and Jazmine chuckled lightly at their friend's embarrassment.

"I… I just want to have something to surprise Raleigh with."

Both women's laughs stopped.

"I… It's hard to explain."

Jazmine smiled gently. "Don't worry. You don't have to."

Mako visibly relaxed at that, and she put her head against the headrest again.

-.-.-

As Jazmine drove them to the mall, Miranda pulled out the practice test and began to read over it. Okay… easy, easy, easy, little harder, easy… Quickly, Miranda breezed through the test, finishing it before they got off the freeway some 10 minutes later. Huh. That wasn't so bad. I'd expected it to be worse than that. She looked up and realized that they were just pulling into a parking space. Miranda looked back at the test, then at Mako. Hmmm… Not now, but soon. New Year's resolution, perhaps.

The three women got out of the car and entered the mall, where they were immediately met by a salesperson eager to make quota for the day. "Can I help you find anything?"

Mako bit her lip nervously for a moment before replying. "Yes, actually. I was looking for some nice dresses. Casual, but somewhat classy, too."

"I have just the thing. If you'll follow me?"

-.-.-

Raleigh, Mako, and Miranda's apartment

1845

Raleigh powered up his camera for the first time in over 5 years. To his relief, it worked perfectly. Good. Now I can put this to use tomorrow. But first… Raleigh fiddled with the settings briefly, then took a quick shot of the kitchen. Another few settings, and another photo. A few more, and a third shot. Then, Raleigh powered down the camera, removed the memory card, and slipped it into his old laptop. "Let's see what we've got…"

As the Ranger worked on the photos, Sadie sauntered into the room and hopped into Raleigh's lap. "Prrrttt?"

"Hey, fuzzball." Raleigh scratched the ragdoll behind her ears, and the cat curled up in his lap. "And of course I have to get up."

The cat purred and flexed her paws, clearly not planning on getting up soon.

Raleigh chuckled and returned to his work. Aha. I thought there might be a few new artifacts in the images. Might have to have the lenses serviced.

There was a rattle from the door, and both human and cat looked up to see who it was. Mako stepped through first, followed closely by Miranda. "Thanks for the lift!"

Jazmine must have waved, as the two women closed the door. Sadie decided to go greet her other humans and vacated Raleigh's lap. "Prrrrttt?"

Miranda squatted down as best she could and picked up her cat. "Hey, sweetie."

Mako came and leaned over Raleigh's right shoulder, chin resting on his collarbone. "Whatcha doing?"

"Calibrating my camera sensor. It's been a few years since I last used it, so I want to make sure it's fully operational. Looks like it is."

"Okay. I'm going to go put my new clothes away, then start on some dinner."

"'kay."

Mako went into their room and hung up the new dresses, then looked at the smaller bag she had tucked at the bottom. Despite her best efforts, a portion of the label was still visible. "...ORIA'S SEC..." Mako turned around, seeking a good spot to hide it for the time being. Her eyes came to rest on the closet and Mako walked over to see what nooks and crannies she could either make for find. Gotta be something to use… She moved a few boxes and found the small manila envelope for Raleigh. It had been opened, and Mako was sorely tempted to look inside. She began to chew on her thumbnail, a habit she had acquired after Hong Kong. Finally, she put the envelope back where she found it, determined to find a different way to figure out what it was. A quick rearrangement of three boxes resulted in a suitable pocket for Mako to stash the bag and its contents.

As Mako returned to the common area of the apartment, she noticed that Miranda had sprawled out on the couch, her belly sticking up into the air. She chuckled as Sadie hopped up onto her owner's belly and curled up, contented for the moment, "Does she do that often?"

Miranda smiled. "Nope, she's been oddly affectionate lately. Not complaining in the slightest, though."

Mako walked over to the kitchen and poked her head into the fridge. Hmmm... What do we have to cook with? "Okay, how does stir fry sound?"

-.-.-

American River Parkway

Goethe Park access point

August 8, 2025

1802

Raleigh smiled as the car eased into a parking spot and shut down. "Gotta love self driving cars." He released his seatbelt and popped the trunk, then got out of the car to retrieve his camera bag and tripod from the back. "And I have to admit, this is a pretty nice spot."

Mako also got out of the car, looking around. "It is. It's nice to have such a nice parkway in the middle of a major city." She grabbed the picnic basket that they'd borrowed from a neighbor and followed Raleigh out onto the grassy area near the bike trail. "So, what's the plan?"

"No plan. I've never had much success with posed shots. And besides, I prefer the spontaneous, unexpected shots that reveal so much more of the character of a person."

"You never cease to surprise me, Raleigh." Mako smiled at her copilot.

"I have my inspired moments." He waggled his eyebrows and took Mako's right had with his left. "See a spot you like?"

Mako looked over the field for a moment before pointing out a small knoll near the edge of the field. "I like that spot."

"Then that spot it is." Raleigh set up the tripod, then mounted the camera on it.

Mako set out the picnic dinner they'd brought, then watched as Raleigh aimed the camera at her and adjusted a few settings. "What are you doing?"

"Setting a random timer. It'll make the camera take photos at intervals. Easier to get a spontaneous shot when you don't know it's about to happen." He sat down on the blanket they'd brought and set out. "If you're uncomfortable with it…"

"No, it's fine. Just… curious." Mako's gaze grew distant for a moment. "You said you preferred to be on the other side of the lens, though."

"For this, I'm eager to be here. With you."

Mako smiled and handed Raleigh a plate.

-.-.-

Sacramento Chinatown

That same time

Jazmine eyed the restaurant that she and David… Scratch that, he's Hannibal Chau again tonight… had arrived at. "You sure this is the right spot?"

Chau put on his iconic goggles. "Of course it is. Now, this isn't to be shared with anyone you care about, okay, but this? This is the headquarters for the local branch of the Tong, and they owe me a favor or two. Couple other things… Keep your head down, speak when spoken to, and don't elaborate any further than you have to when answering a question. Got it?"

Jazmine looked at her mentor. "Got it."

"Good. Let's go." They exited the car and stepped into the restaurant, where two men waved metal detectors over them. Finding nothing, they proceeded into the back, where a small but well-furnished room awaited. Standing on the far side was a Chinese woman with a clean-shaven head. "Chau."

"Fang, glad to see you're still in one piece."

"Who's the báisè mogulz?"

Chau opened his mouth to reply, but to his surprise, Jazmine spoke up first. "I think the question you should be asking yourself, Fang, is 'Why is she here?,' not 'Who's the white bitch?'"

Fang glared at Jazmine for a moment while Chau rubbed his temples. "I told you…"

"Can it, Chau." Jazmine calmly returned the glare, then smiled slightly as Fang backed down.

"I apologize for my… indiscretion. I was unaware you spoke Mandarin."

"I'm full of surprises like that."

Chau cleared his throat to get the attention of the two women. "Alright… let's get down to business, shall we?"

-.-.-

American River Parkway

1829

Mako and Raleigh sat hand in hand and watched the parkway bustle with activity. Raleigh smiled as a pair of ducks whistled overhead. "You know, it's been a while since I sat back and enjoyed life like this."

Mako looked at him. "Yes… It's good to see what we're fighting for. What we're trying to preserve." She let go of his hands and leaned back, taking in the sunset. "A chance to unwind, too, before Sunday."

"True." Raleigh dug his hands into his pockets. "That's going to be a painful day for a lot of people."

"It always has been."

Raleigh nodded. "But sometimes, the pain comes from cleaning the wound so it won't fester, right?"

Mako smiled. "That's surprisingly deep from you, Raleigh." She ran her hand through his blonde hair. "You should do that more often."

Raleigh smiled. "Nah. It happens when it happens. Like now."

Mako's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"I decided it's time to reveal my secret project to you."

Mako waited patiently as Raleigh dug into his pocket. A ring, perhaps?

"Aha! Gotcha." Raleigh did indeed produce a small loop of metal. "I tried really hard to do this right, but it didn't come out like I wanted." He handed the misshapen ring to Mako, who looked it over with a practiced eye. "Sorry it's a mess."

"No, it's fine." Mako saw that Raleigh had indeed worked hard at it. "That's probably better than I could have done. I'm more of a blade smith, remember?"

"True."

Mako put the ring in her pocket. "I'll find a good spot for that when we get back. Thank you, Raleigh."

"You're welcome, Mako." He stood up and walked over to the camera. "Okay, one last photo before we call it a night?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Something semi-posed. Go ahead and stand up."

Mako did so, brushing pieces of grass from her favorite blue skirt. "Okay, now what?"

"Close your eyes."

Mako gave Raleigh a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Just… please."

"Okay." Mako closed her eyes. "So, what had the plan for the ring been, proposal?"

"That was the plan, yes. But remember what training taught us?"

Mako grinned at the memories from the Academy. "'No plan survives contact with the enemy.' Combat Tactics 101."

"Yeah, well, my enemy was my own inexperience." Raleigh dug into his other pocket and retrieved a small case. "So, what do you do when your plan falls apart?"

"Call for backup?"

"Yep. So that's what I did." He snapped the case open. "Open your eyes, Mako."

Mako did so, and saw Raleigh kneeling before her, a small black box in his hands. Within the box, riding on a small clip, was a ring. Mako clapped her hands to her mouth in surprise.

"Mako, will you marry me?"

Click.

Mako nodded, tears of happiness leaking from her eyes. "Yes. Yes, Raleigh, I will gladly marry you."

Raleigh stood up and hugged her, relief clearly visible on his face, before holding her at arm's length. "Wait, getting a little ahead of myself, right?"

Mako's musical laugh filled the park. "Yes, you are."

Raleigh took the ring out of the case and slipped it onto Mako's finger. Oh thank god. It fits perfectly.

Mako took a moment to examine the ring. Unusually, it was stainless steel, and a rare alloy at that. Raleigh, you clever little sneak! I'd know that alloy anywhere! Equally rare was the two navy blue sapphires flanking an exquisite fire-orange diamond. It's Gipsy. "It's beautiful."

Raleigh hugged Mako again. "Hey, I had to do something that went well with you."

Mako smiled and leaned against her now-fiancée. "Suck up. You know I would have taken the one you made, right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to do it right." He kissed her on the top of her head. "And I can tell I hit the mark with the design."

"It's fantastic. You used a bit of Gipsy, didn't you?"

"Yeah. One of the focal array rods from the left arm."

"Thought so." Mako looked at the camera. "Did you get a picture of us? I could have sworn I heard the shutter go off."

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot!" Raleigh and Mako walked over to the camera and pulled up the picture. "Aw… We look so cute."

Mako smiled as she saw the photo. "So, who do we tell first?"

Raleigh's grin disappeared. "Shit. Tendo's probably got a bet going on this."

"Yes, he certainly would do that. Let's call him second."

"Then, who do we call first?"

Mako didn't hesitate at all. "Caitlin and Sergio. They've been in our shoes, remember? We do have a wedding to plan now."

Raleigh's face paled. "Oh, man. When will we have time for that?"

"We'll make time." She toyed with her ring for a moment, getting used to the feel of it. "Well, let's pack up, shall we?"

Raleigh nodded and packed up his camera. "Munchkin's gonna flip."

"So will your sister."

"True." Raleigh smiled. "Hey, think we should turn Miranda loose on wedding planning?"

Mako paused. "You know, that may be a good way to keep her from going crazy on maternity leave. Herc says she's one of those people you never allow to get bored."

"Oh, joy. Well, at least twins will keep her busy."

Mako finished packing up their picnic and started towards the car, leaning happily against Raleigh. "So… About your secret project…"

Raleigh unlocked the car and released the trunk latch. "Was it worth the wait?"

Mako grinned as she put the basket into the trunk. "Oh, absolutely." She grabbed Raleigh by the shoulders and pulled him down slightly. "And thank you."

"You're welmmmph."

-.-.-

Author's notes: Holy crap that took a while to write. But it was SO worth it.

This marks the midpoint (yes, you read that right) in Forged in Fire. Expect lots more shenanigans, tech, and fluffy goodness ahead!

And for those of you wondering what Jazmine and Chau were doing… It'll come up next chapter. Promise.

EDIT: Forgot to put this in last night... HUGE thanks to shmoo92 over on Tumblr for helping me troubleshoot a critical part of the story. I owe you a Shatterdome shenanigans story with the Triplets...