Sara turned to her fellow ragabash, eyes filled with hurt and anger. "You fucking whore!" she yelled in Mercy's face. "I knew about fucking Captain Donny America, but Rowan? And Viktor! Do you even care about me?"

The words cut deeper at Mercy's heart than any of the memories this place had recalled. "I love you, Sara!" Mercy sobbed. "Rowan asked for it but we haven't done anything since he left for Ireland... And Viktor? I never slept with him... Well... I never actually did anything... Ro was gone, Donny'd left me... I needed someone to hold me..."

Mercy reached out at hand to touch Sara's face but the icy steel in Sara's brown eyes made her hesitate. "Sara... Remember the night after Padraig's Gathering? And our new beds? Remodeling the pack house? I tried to save Viktor... And Ro's my brother and I will always give him what he asks for... But I love... I love you, Sara. Look at where we are! I left Winds and Ro fighting the other Spirals, and disobeyed Double-Aught's direct order because I couldn't live with myself if I left you here. I can't live at all without you, Sara..."

Teary blue eyes pled with unfeeling brown, and Mercy held her breath, hoping to get through to Sara. As though answering her prayers, she saw uncertainty flash across the Fury's face.

"I don't know if I can go back, Mercy... How can I accept the people who would murder Raven for speaking out, and Peter for wanting his child? Who would kill us both for what we've done? Who nearly destroyed you, and let Donny off with a light slap on the wrist? I can't believe that's what the Mother actually wants, Mercy..." Sara said, averting her eyes. "They deride you at every turn for loving, for believing that we shouldn't be fighting each other... Mercy... How do you keep doing it?"

Mercy reached out again, and this time, Sara did not glower at her or shake the hand away. She shifted slightly to sit next to Sara, and Mercy rested her head against Sara's shoulder, arm wrapping around Sara's waist. "Recently? It's been a combination of ignoring it, and the belief that it's the right thing to do... Doesn't hurt that I've been worrying about you more than anything else lately," Mercy replied quietly, her arm tightening around Sara. "I have to believe that for every Screechy Beak," she paused as the derogatory nickname drew a weak chuckle from her companion, "there's another Ro... And for every Konstantin, there's another Winds..." she continued quietly, shifting again and turning Sara's face to hers with a finger under her chin. "And for every Connor and Donny, there's another Mercy and Sara in the world... I don't want to be who I'd be if I didn't believe that... and I don't keep fighting for Konstantin, or Screechy Beak, or Connor, or Donny even... I keep going for Ro and Winds... and you, Sara," Mercy finished quietly, her breath warm against Sara's cheek.

Mercy scanned her lover's face from this close angle, and her heart lightened as she saw the conflicting emotions grow stronger. "I can't fight you, Sara. I can't live in a world where you are my enemy... So we go forward together, or we go back together..." she said, and smiled weakly as a thought occurred to her. "And I don't know about you, my love, but I don't want to be on the wrong side of Ro's broadsword..." she added, voicing the amusing thought with an equally weak chuckle.

They sat there in silence for what felt like almost an eternity, Mercy resting her head on Sara's shoulder again, and Sara leaning into Mercy for support.

Finally, Mercy could wait no longer. "So... Which way do we go?"

Belated Disclaimer: I do not own Werewolf: the Apocalypse. Sara belongs to Sake1. Mercy is of my own creation. Any other character names mentioned belong to their players in the Twin Cities Garou LARP known as Twin Cities: Last Stand.
Part 5 will be forthcoming. :D
~Slytherin Shaman