Of the relatively short list of things Croix expected could conceivably go wrong with her plan, a wall exploding was not on that list.

"What in the-?!" She bolted up right from her seat so fast that her chair clattered to the ground.

Not that anyone in the ballroom could hear it, considering the sound was drowned out from yet another explosion from outside. And then another. And another. And by the fourth time, Croix didn't think anyone could blame her for what she ended up saying within the direct company of a government official and seven minors.

"N-not that you're wrong…" Ursula started. "But language, please."

"Language?! The wall exploded! What in the world is exploding outside right now?!"

Croix mentally poured over everything she had done in the past week since she landed back in the country, and for the life of her, could not come up with a single conceivable explanation for why her wedding was exploding.

She hadn't invented anything volatile lately. She didn't have any machines or anything similar with her right now that might explode. Or magically bond with something that had a tendency to explode, as history went. None of the wedding decorations would, to her knowledge, come with any risk of combustion.

But then, as she peered closer through the hole in the wall (and oh no, she definitely could not afford to pay for that) at the series of fireballs that were still going off, her brows furrowed.

"A-are those…fireworks?"

In disbelief, she looked out at the others, and besides the confused and displeased squint of the Secretary General, what truly stuck out to her was the quick exchange of looks between Ursula, Akko, and Sucy.

Sucy pursed her lips. "…Huh. I think those might be our fireworks, Akko."

Akko, in sharp contrast, jumped to her feet with wide eyes. "What?! They weren't supposed to-! Why are they going off now?! They weren't supposed to be blow stuff up!"

"Don't look at me." Sucy shrugged. "You're the one who wanted the biggest fireworks possible."

"Sucy!" Akko cried. "Did you know your stupid potion would do this?!"

"I'll admit, the fact that they can blow through concrete was a surprise."

Fortunately, Croix was not confused any longer.

Unfortunately, now she was livid. "Oh you gotta be kidding me!" She snapped, slapping her own forehead. "Didn't I tell you I didn't want help with this?!"

The blood drained from Akko's face. "I-it was supposed to be a surprise! I mean, it wasn't supposed to do this, but…I dunno I just thought it'd be a cool wedding thing! Like back when Ursula was Shiny Chariot she used to have big fireworks shows, so I thought it'd be fun, you know?"

Before Croix could finish what would invariably be a long winded and poorly articulated lecture on what she would define as 'fun' and the exact meaning of 'I don't want help', Ursula set a hand on her shoulder and turned her away.

"…Croix, it was my fault."

Croix blinked. "It was what now?"

"This one is on me." Ursula said. "Akko said she wanted to help, but I was the one who suggested doing something like this. I just wanted to surprise you, while we still had the chance."

Croix cocked her head. "You…you told the kid to launch fireworks? Akko?"

"The last time I saw them they were only sparklers, but…" Ursula sighed. "Don't be mad at them, okay? I agreed that doing something spectacular like this might be…cathartic for you, given our whole history with this sort of thing."

The Secretary General took a slow sip of champagne. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I should've expected some sort of disaster from the nine of you being in one place again."

…Unbelievable. So another long elaborate scheme involving her past with Chariot, Ursula, and her little apprentice resulted in something meant to be grand and beautiful being turned into a bomb.

This is a remarkably disturbing trend in her life.

The ballroom shook as the second round of fireworks started going off, and without the section of the wall to block them, the witches in attendance could only flinch from the unfiltered bright lights and sounds.

Amanda pushed Constanze back, covering her ears. "The hell did you put in those, Suce? Why are they still going off?"

"They shouldn't be." Sucy said. "It was a base spirit extract mixed with a few things. Shouldn't have been this volatile, unless…" She and Croix turned to look at Lotte at the same time.

Unless a local spirit was reacting to the extract. Such as the one used to hex the Secretary General's invite and make it read the wrong time.

Oh crap. Again.

And then to make matters worse, one of the fireworks went astray and careened into the table Croix had left messy. The tablecloth immediately ignited, not helped by the napkins and paper plates that had been deliberately left on top, and within a second the entire table was a burning fireball.

Diana barely had time to pull Jasminka away before Ursula leapt into action. Quite literally, as she jumped over her and Croix's own table to her student's defense. Without even needing a wand, Ursula simply casted a quick spell to summon a torrent of foam, stopping the fire before it had a chance to spread.

Croix was just left with her arms hanging limply at her side, trying to process her disbelief.

How could this happen? How was this even fair? All her careful plotting ruined by a random chance? There was no way she could've known about the fireworks, and how spirits might've violently reacted to it. The worst she had done was not talk to Ursula or the kid about it, but because of that the plan had to face this literal metaphor?

The Secretary General stood up from her chair and planted her hands on her hips. "What exactly is going on here, you two?"

Instinctually, Croix looked over at Ursula. Who was advanced enough in magic to cast several defensive and fire-prevention spells…but not while simultaneously maintaining a concealment spell. Which now left her in her tracksuit, completely exposing the wedding dress as a forgery.

And that's when it truly hit too close to home. She was going to end up humiliating Ursula here. She was the one the Secretary General was now scrutinizing, and Croix just embarrassed her. Ursula was going to be the one publically shamed here.

Croix cleared her throat. "S-so I can explain this. This isn't…this isn't what it looks like…"

Ursula quickly huddled over. "Y-yes! Yes, we just…we couldn't really afford a nice dress at the moment. So we just…"

"You couldn't afford it?" The Secretary General said skeptically. "Couldn't afford to spend something on dress on your wedding day?"

Ursula shifted on her feet, and pushed her glasses up her nose. ""M-money's been…tight lately, so…we just…"

"For your wedding day."

"Yes."

"…Where everyone already left besides you two and seven assorted teenagers."

"T-they are my students."

"That you invited to your wedding."

"Y-you know how it is."

Oh god this was going so bad.

The Secretary General reached into her pocket and squinted at the invite. And Croix knew it was over. The whole plan relied on her not looking too closely at everything, because there was no way someone like her would miss all the obvious signs.

Croix reached over, took Ursula's hand in her own and softly brushed her thumb across her knuckles. She couldn't bring herself to speak, but she needed her to know she was sorry.

The Secretary General looked at the invite.

Then back up at Croix's guilt-ridden expression and Ursula's shaking poker face.

Then back down at the invite.

And then she tilted her head, confused. "But didn't we just approve a budget increase for Luna Nova?"

Ursula blinked. "What?"

"I swear I remember signing something off like that." The Secretary General said. "I would think that would reach your paycheck fast enough for you to get a nice dress, but…I guess they're taking their sweet time?"

"I…" Ursula turned to look at Croix, As though she had answers for her. "We…um. I guess…so?"

"…Huh." The Secretary General shrugged. "How strange. Well, I guess that's why you had to make due with a fake wedding dress then. I trust there are no more fireworks or anything similar?"

Ursula shot a dirty look over her shoulder. Akko flinched. Sucy sheepishly waved her hand. Ursula turned back. "No. I think that's…about it for our wedding surprises."

"I see." The Secretary General tapped her chin. "Well, as long as you're done launching fireworks inside, I think I'm going to go get another drink." She said, as she turned on her heels and left to the refreshment table on the other, less smoky side of the room.

…What just happened? Croix had no idea what to think right now. All she could really do was pull out a chair and sit down.

Amanda broke the silence with a barking laugh. "Ha! And here I thought this would be boring!"

Diana bitterly reached over and ran a hand over her now ruined tablecloths. "I suppose I'll have to Anna I lost one of these now." She groaned. "I swear, if I ever get married, none of you are invited to my wedding."

Amanda smirked. "Not even Akko? Wouldn't that make it really awkward?"

Akko nodded. "Yeah! And this was Sucy's potion! It wasn't all my fault! You really aren't going to let me come when you get married?"

Diana's eyes flicked between the two of them. "…I'll think about it." She decided at last. "As long as another disaster like this doesn't happen."

Sucy elbowed Akko. "Don't pin all this on me. This was your idea."

"No! This whole thing was Croix's idea! I just thought it could use more oomph! She said she needed to distract that lady, and I'm good at distractions!"

Croix opened her mouth to…she wasn't sure. Defend herself, say something grouchy, she couldn't say. But she didn't even get the chance to do that, not before Jasminka walked over with a bright smile, and placed a plate of cake in her lap without another word.

Seriously, what just happened?

She blankly watched the seven of them mill about, talking amongst each other again without a care. Even with everything that just happened, they just…kept on going, and included her. Maybe she wasn't entirely surprised, but she wasn't sure it was ever something she could get used to.

Croix glanced up when she felt a hand gently rub her shoulder. Ursula pulled out another chair and sat down next to her.

"…Are you okay, Croix?"

"Seriously?" Croix squinted. "You're asking if I'm okay? What about you? You're the one who just took the brunt of that woman's wrath. I don't know what's her deal, but…you were practically about to take the fall there."

Ursula's expression remained serious. "Of course I would." She stated. "I'm not just going to leave you to the wolves, Croix. I know how hard this is for you, and I wanted you to know I was there, even if it did go wrong."

Croix blinked. "It…did, didn't it?" She realized. "Pretty much everything went wrong that could've gone wrong did. Huh."

And when it did go wrong…she hadn't even thought of the Noir Rod, or the Claiomh Solais or any of the things she thought would be on her mind after another disastrous failure. Her gut instinct was to go to Ursula.

And she had been there to catch her, without a second thought. All the drama Croix had put her through, and she was still dedicated to remaining her rock. To fixing her and making her apart of this little family she had formed with her students.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ursula asked.

"…I…suppose I am." Croix shrugged. All she could do was focus on a cure Ursula didn't even have much interest in the first place. She took the fork in her hand and ate the cake the kid gave to her.

She just failed, and Ursula took the brunt for her, and now she was…fine. She failed, for another time in her life, and right after the fact, she was eating cake.

…Huh.

She glanced up at the sound of music. Constanze had pulled out a little handheld speaker, and started playing some chintzy, bouncy love song. Something to dance to. Amanda was bobbing her head. Lotte was whispering encouragements into Akko's ear. More than a few of the rest were tapping their toes.

"Looks like they're ready to have some fun." Ursula set a hand on Croix's leg. "You want to come join us?"

"…Maybe in a minute."

Ursula pursed her lips. "Well, if you need anything from me, I'll be right over there, okay? And Croix…?"

Croix set down her fork. Ursula rubbed the back of her neck, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"…Even if you can't convince her to give you any grant, I just want you to know, I'm…I'm glad we did this. I'm glad I got to see you having a good time, even if it did go…"

"To hell?" Croix finished. "…Honestly, I'll live. A-and…I'm glad we got to do this too. I just wanted to do right by you, and if you're…okay with how it turned out, then…I'm good."

Ursula smiled. That same dazzling performer smile that Croix fell in love with. "I don't think you could do wrong." In a quiet voice, she added one more thing. "I think I love you a bit too much for you to do it."

"I…" Another snippy comment was on the edge of Croix's tongue. Either that or something smart. "Yeah. I guess it seems like I love you too."

Or she could say something that was neither snippy nor intelligent, but in fact, completely stupid. Boy, she was a mess.

"I guess." Ursula giggled, clearly not at all offended in any way. "I hope you do come and join us, Croix. You're always going to have a place with them, whether you like it or not."

She turned on her heels and joined the students over with the music. Croix set her cake down on the table, and stood to her feet. Mostly because she was really running out of excuses here. She didn't think she had a single one left in her. And now she was torn between giving Ursula what she deserved, or what she wanted, or how much Croix actually knew of either of those things.

Because she wasn't an idiot. She knew what Ursula wanted from her. And Croix's heart told her what Ursula deserved from her. And sometimes, when Ursula smiled like that, when her mind instantly worried about humiliating her as opposed to her own failures, the two were the exact same thing.

And sometimes that was…frightening. To have them be the same. Because sometimes knowing exactly what Ursula wanted and what Ursula deserved left Croix wondering if she could ever live up to that, because she was still afraid to fall again.

…Except right now, after all of that, and seeing Ursula clap as the kids danced over there, that fear of falling seemed…

She was pulled from her thoughts when the Secretary General walked over, swishing a glass of champagne. "Well, Mrs. Callistis, you're an odd fellow, but I must say, you certainly know how to throw a unique reception. This is one for the books."

And no, Croix did not blush at her new surname. "…Why do you keep insisting on Mrs. Callistis? I said we were going to hyphenate it. Probably."

"I like that woman. I think she'll keep you honest."

Okay fine. Maybe now she did. "W-well…I…married her for reason. I…guess we make a pretty good team."

It was still strange to say out loud. And even stranger to respond to Mrs. Callistis like it was just her name. But she supposed after years of being afraid to be tied down to anything, it would have to be. One of those things she'd have to buck up and accept.

The Secretary General crossed her arms and frowned. "You know, I don't entirely approve of either of you, to be frank. But on the other hand…I've heard you've turned over a new leaf from an old friend, and if I couldn't see it before, seeing you two together makes it a bit easier, I think."

Croix couldn't do much more than just nod mechanically. She scanned the room for Ursula, and found her leaning against the wall, watching her students as ever. Constanze was still at her music player, and Jasminka and Amanda were happily chatting away. Lotte and Sucy had ducked into a corner with another slice of cake each.

And in front of them, Akko and Diana were dancing, a slightly stumbling, awkward, and childishly happy waltz. Smiling and laughing, red-faced and utterly oblivious. Diana barely even seemed to care that Akko's steps kept barely missing her toes, let alone that anyone was watching the two of them.

It must be nice to have something pure and simple like that. Two people not afraid to want or to second-guess themselves. Who didn't feel the need to linger on their mistakes, and instead seemed to just find happiness with each other.

Akko attempted to spin the other girl, only to cause herself to trip. Diana quickly caught her, and the two just laughed and twirled again. Akko managed to shoot off a quick smile towards Ursula, who beamed with pride.

It was an infectious expression.

"…Yeah." Croix turned back to the Secretary General. "She really does bring out the best in people."

The Secretary General hummed. "Well then, I hope you two stay together for many years, Meridies. I'm sure after a while married life will suit you just fine. And I'm sure I won't have to hear about any more of your schemes after today."

"I'm completely past that phase of my life, ma'am."

"I should hope so! Just think of what your new wife deserves, and I think you'll be just fine."

And to her credit, Croix did. She looked at Ursula over there, standing among her loved ones, and went through years of history in a second. All the things that had happened between them. All the things they said and the words they didn't.

She still thought Ursula deserved so much more than what she, or anyone really, could ever give her. And Croix's scheming mind went right back into the thoughts of the cure, and of packing up and leaving, and how much it seemed to hurt whenever she tried to help.

She needed to do what was best for Ursula.

Croix scratched the back of her neck, feeling her voice beginning to betray her once more. "Truth be told…there's a wedding present I could…really use."

A week after her 'wedding', Ursula sat alone in her apartment, finding she had little choice but to smile at her own rotten luck.

As disappointed as she was that Croix would simply leave right after the reception without a word, she wasn't all-together that surprised. Sure, she had so desperately wanted to convince Croix to stay, but it simply joined the ever-growing list of things they'd never see eye to eye on. She wished Croix would've at least mentioned where in the world she was leaving to, but in the end, she didn't even get that.

But for now, Ursula hoped Croix could find what she needed on her own, because she herself wasn't sure how to help give it to her anymore. She hoped, wherever she went, she'd be happy.

As for her, initially she planned to just spend the weekend in her office again, but she figured Akko and the others would be fine without her here for a measly two days. And besides that, there was one little souvenir from the wedding she had to take care of, one now hanging proudly on the wall where she could always see it.

A photo of their fake ceremony, with Croix placing the ring on her finger. Ursula finished straightening the frame, and placed her hands on her hips.

"It's nice, isn't it, Alcor?"

The old crow looked up from his preening on his perch. His expression was about as close to world-weary as a bird's can get.

"Don't give me that look." Ursula's fond smile turned a little more wry. "I barely get to see her at all nowadays, let alone when she's actually in such a good mood. If I can't get her to stay and make new happy memories, I might as well hold on to the ones I have, right?"

Alcor blinked, before returning his beak to his feathers indifferently. And sure, maybe he had a point. Honesty it was a bit…childish of her to keep, but she simply had to ask Constanze to print her out a copy to frame. The last time she had asked for a photo of Croix, all she got was a quip about mugshots.

But with this one…Even if everything about it had been staged, for someone else's benefit, Ursula knew a fake smile when she saw it, and Croix's was anything but. Plus there was her own self-indulgence. It was a really nice picture.

…Couldn't well keep it in her office though. She had no idea how to explain it if someone were to notice it and ask. Does she go more 'Oh we were married but we're split now' or does she actually say 'Oh yeah, we staged this to publically shame a government official into giving us a handout'?

She might've actually considered which option she liked better, when Alcor suddenly tensed, and his graying feathers ruffled. And then right after that, a knock on the door.

Ursula barely even opened the front door before Alcor flew past her shoulder, flapping furiously at the woman at the door. Between the flurry of feathers, the hands trying to defend themselves from said feathers, and her own disbelief, Ursula couldn't fully register just who it was that was at her door.

"C-Croix?"

Croix swatted at Alcor. "Ack! Sto- pft! Knock it off, you stupid bird!"

Ursula quickly shook off her surprise. "Alcor, stop it! Back inside, right now!"

Giving the woman one last flap to the face for good measure, Alcor begrudgingly flew back to his perch. And Ursula knew he was pretending not to notice her reprimanding glare. "Honestly, Alcor…you don't do that to people. And you remember Croix!"

"Yeah, no, I think that's the problem." Croix muttered as she brushed the feathers from her hair and her poncho as she strode past Ursula into her apartment.

Not that Ursula would ever stop her from visiting, but- "W-what…what are you doing here…? I thought you left."

Croix smiled wryly, but her expression quickly fell. Her hands slipped into her pockets, and she leaned against the counter. She looked…melancholic. However happy Ursula might've been to see her suddenly stopped mattering. Was Croix okay? What had stopped her from leaving? What could've possibly

Croix's eyes flicked upwards. "…Your apartment sucks."

Ursula blinked.

"E-excuse me?"

"Your apartment. I mean, no offense, but it's dingy, gross and completely beneath you. I don't know why you don't hate it."

"…Oh." Ursula said. Granted, it was one of those places where you get what you pay for, but it had enough room for her and Alcor, so she didn't typically have much complaint with her cheap little home. "I mean…I can't…really afford a better place at the moment, you know."

"…Yeah." Croix nodded. She reached into her pocket and tossed a small metal object in her direction. Ursula fumbled with it in her hands.

It was a small gold key, with a little tag attached to the ring. There was an address listed, along with the name of a realtor company she didn't recognize.

This was…the key to an apartment. Ursula's brows furrowed. "What is this?"

Croix shrugged, looking everywhere but at her. "A…favor I asked for. The Secretary General and I…we sort of got to discussing your living arrangements. And I thought you needed someplace better to live, something that actually suited you, and I managed to talk here into getting you…this."

"A…a n-new apartment…?"

"It's a great place. Right by that park not far from Luna Nova. You could walk to work every day, no problem. Top floor, two bedrooms, bathroom, rent controlled too! I honestly thought she was lying when she told me that, but it's true."

"Wait, did you manage to ask her for a grant and a new apartment…?"

Croix chuckled dryly. "No. I'm a bit a sweet-talker, Chariot, but even I'm not that good."

"But what about the grant?"

There was a long, pregnant pause.

"…What about it?"

And Ursula's breath was suddenly stolen from her.

Without that grant, Croix's research was at a dead-end. She had made the implication pretty clear. She could go out and publish theories and papers on Wagandea's disease all she wants, but without the money, it was up to the whim of the world if a cure would ever be made.

And Croix had given up what she always saw as her last avenue of redemption…to give her a new place to live?

Her jaw hung open at the key in her hand. She couldn't accept this. She couldn't let Croix give up on her dreams just for her sake. There was no way she deserved that.

But Croix glared at her before she could even utter a word. "And don't tell me you don't deserve it or something stupid like that, alright? Because I swear, I'll lose it, right here and now. And you know I will, because you've seen me do it."

"But…but Croix…" Ursula shook her head. "The grant you wanted, the…the cure you wanted. How can-"

Croix shrugged. "Yeah, that's just it. The cure I wanted. The entire point of the thing was for me to give back to you, but you never even wanted to fly again. You didn't want to go back to how things were, and you didn't want me to go living in the past. So…you know, so far all the things I've been doing for your sake was stuff you didn't want."

Ursula glanced down at the key once more, before

"Croix…all I've ever wanted was my friend back."

Croix glanced up. "Really?"

"Of course. I-"

But Croix roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Then for crying out loud, stop me already! Stop letting me step all over your life like this! You deserve way more than this after everything, and you won't even accept that! This whole time, I've just wanted to give you the life you deserve, and you keep settling!"

"But do you want to-"

"No!" Croix snapped. "No, no! This is about you right now! Tell me what you want! If you want me to stay, say the word!"

With Croix's hands already on her shoulders, Ursula leaned forward and planted her lips on Croix's own. Even if she didn't relish the feeling of having the most important person in the world pressed so firmly against her, she could still have melted when she felt the corners of Croix's lips pull upward underneath hers.

Ursula pulled away, and she could feel her heart beating in her chest like never before. Ecstatic and excited. While her voice was airy and low. "…I want you to stay."

"T-that's the second time you pulled that." Croix mumbled. "You're doing that on purpose."

"You don't give me enough chances, to be honest." Ursula smiled. "But if you're serious about not packing up and leaving again…"

"Look." Croix sighed. "The thing is, Chariot…I've never been that great at lying. So I'll be honest. I don't even think I can give you all the things I think you should have. I'm going to do everything I can to give back to you, and honestly, I think it's going to blow up in my face again and again, but…I still…want to try."

"This is your way of giving back to me." Ursula raised the key.

"This is a start. This is…barely enough, but I gotta start somewhere." Croix laughed to herself. "And I'm not a total supervillain, alright? Obviously I'm going to help you move and everything. And since I've…more or less blew through my savings I'm gonna have to find a job here to help out."

Ursula gasped as the realization finally, finally, set in. "You're…really staying, then? You're actually serious?"

She…she couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. She could go home every night, knowing Croix was waiting for her. Never have to wonder where she is or how she was doing. Be there for her whenever she needed her, and vice versa. Something she had dreamed about ever since she got her best friend back. She didn't know what to say.

"Like I said." Croix shrugged. "I'm not good at lying. I'm trying to be more honest nowadays."

Ursula giggled. "Well, considering what we did just last week…that's sort of ironic, isn't it?"

"Heh. Yeah…there is that." Croix scratched the back of her head. "But…I did create…one more problem for you…"

"And that is…?"

Croix took a deep breath, and her cheeks grew more and more red. "T-the thing is…the way I haggled to get this thing, it's…well, registered under a married couple. But if that's a problem…I could, maybe, find a way to get it to a single person, but…"

Between Croix's uncharacteristically sheepish tone, the childish way she was kicking her feet, and Ursula's own joy at everything that was happening, there was no stopping the laugh that escaped her lips. "It's never simple with you, is it, Croix?"

"Oh yeah, I'm a problem child alright." Croix cleared her throat. "S-so, I mean…I could either sweet-talk my way into fixing this, or…I'm not sure coming clean would be a good idea, because it's a nice place, in a really good spot, so…kinda...exclusive."

Ursula bit her bottom lip, the blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. "I suppose we…just have to take the hits as they come, right? If you're staying, then we can just…continue living this lie for a while longer."

"Yeah, well, it's either that or…um…" Croix groaned. "…Ah hell. I'm enough of a mess to do this whole thing out of order, aren't I? And without any actual…you know."

"Y-you know?" Ursula mouthed. "I…Croix, are you…?"

"I mean…I-I said I love you, right? Pretty sure I said that. And I don't know if this is the best thing for you, but…I hope you'll give me a chance to try."

And with that, and an anxious, dry laugh, Croix bent down on one knee. And with nothing else in her pocket to offer, she simply placed her hand over her heart.

"…Would you help me make an honest woman out of Mrs. Callistis?"

A.N. I'm a bit disappointed since Chariot's birthday was on the 20th and I missed it. But eh, life got in the way, that's why this took so long.

Since someone in the comments mentioned the old boy, I like to think the friend the Secretary General is referring to is Keith. No, he was not invited, because god, can you imagine inviting your parole officer to your fake wedding? That would be so awkward.

And Croix may be a bit of a liar, both to herself and to everyone else, but at least she's sticking with one that makes her happy. This was a fun three-shot to write. I hope you enjoyed reading it too!