A/N: Wow. This kinda took off and developed a life of its own. I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it thus far!
The NanoFate. It's coming. I promise.
As always, love it, hate it, let me know.
Used to be
-Two years ago-
Nanoha cupped her hands under the sink and dipped her head, splashing cool water over her brow and flushed cheeks.
Her mind replayed the night's events, and she squeezed her eyes shut. It happened. It just happened. She didn't mean for things to go this far, but they did.
Yunno had always been kind to her, and she hadn't thought anything of it when he had stopped by for a visit. She had been tired, and lonely, and maybe those factors had contributed to a hastily made decision in the dead of night. She knew he had always harbored feelings for her, in fact, he had made sure his feelings were known numerous times over the years, and after he had kissed her, things just happened.
She studied herself in the mirror, and her reflection stared back at her. Same face. Same eyes. Her heart wasn't racing, she didn't feel like she was walking on air. The scary part was, she didn't feel any different at all. It wasn't love. It was a mistake. It just happened.
But she knew better. These things do not just happen. She made a choice, and right now, it was certainly starting to look like a terrible one.
She wondered how long she could hide here in the bathroom, and then there were all the consequences she'd have to deal with in the morning. She would have to have conversations and discussions, and people were going to get hurt. She rapidly shook her head. No. She could deal with that tomorrow. For now, she could just get some sleep, and everything would seem so much clearer in the light of day.
She flicked off the light and opened the bathroom door as quietly as she could. She didn't want to risk waking the man in her bed, as that would require far more brain power than she currently possessed to deal with him right now, and froze in place, heart slamming to a stop against her ribcage.
Light from the hallway spilled through the open bedroom door, and for a second, Nanoha thought she was imagining things. Fate was here. Fate was home. Fate was glaring at the man in her bed…
No. Their bed.
Hidden in the dark for the briefest of moments, Nanoha could only watch the range of emotions flicker over the enforcer's face. First shock, and then confusion. The military issue duffel bag clenched in her left hand fell to the floor, and that's when Nanoha saw the damage. Fate was sporting dark bruises on her jaw and cheekbone, and field dressing adorned her left temple, the crisscrossing patterns underneath indicating stitches. There was an angry red gash over her right eye, and the hand that clenched the doorknob was wrapped in bandages.
Nanoha wanted to speak, tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Guilt rushed through her, and she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. She had been here, safe at home, doing these things, and Fate had been out there, trying not to die.
Dark eyes locked on hers, and she sucked in a breath. All the kindness, the gentleness, all the things that had made Fate who she was drained away, and Nanoha was shaken by the amount of hurt that remained. She took a step forward, wanting, no, needing to fix this. She wanted to run to Fate. To cry. To have Fate wrap her arms around her. To tell her that it was a mistake.
It just happened.
Yunno rolled over on the bed, and the hurt was gone, replaced by shades of anger Nanoha hadn't seen on her since she had met her years ago on a darkened street.
The blonde nodded slowly, as if she had come to some silent agreement, and picked up her bag. Within seconds, it was over, and Fate was gone.
Nanoha sank to her knees, pressing shaking hands to her mouth to stop the cries that threatened to tear from her throat. Her heart ached, and her eyes stung with tears. She couldn't understand why it hurt so bad, and why it twisted a hot knife in her gut to see Fate like that. She felt as though she had betrayed the enforcer's trust, and that was the most terrible sensation of them all.
It just happened.
Morning came, and any and all attempts to locate Fate were useless. She had vanished, and even Hayate had refused to divulge any information as to her whereabouts. Two days later, she had come home from work to find all of Fate's things gone, and nothing but a simple note on the counter. She had written that she was getting her own place, and that she wanted nothing more than for Nanoha to enjoy her newfound happiness.
She had crumpled the note in a shaking fist. For the first time in years, she had no idea what Fate was thinking, and she couldn't understand her actions.
She was just gone.
-The present-
"Nanoha."
The instructor jumped, startled out of her thoughts by the vice-captain beside her.
"Vita." she grinned sheepishly. "Thought you had errands this morning."
"I did." Vita muttered, blue eyes narrowing at the cadets scrambling around on the training ground. "Man, they're sloppy."
Nanoha winced as a particularly fresh faced recruit took a hit to the chest from a training drone, rolling to his feet and shaking himself off. "We all have to start somewhere."
"Anyway." Vita sighed, casting a sideways glance at the captain. "I was just wondering when you were going on break."
"Eh?"
The guardian shifted in place, crossing her arms. "Well. I had to go fetch Hayate this morning. She and Fate had a little too much fun last night."
At the sound of the blonde's name, Nanoha felt her heart flutter restlessly in her chest, though she kept her features devoid of emotion. "Oh?"
"Yeah." Vita replied. "Seems like Hayate had some paperwork to file this afternoon, and she's bringing Fate with her. In fact," she glanced at the screens before Nanoha, eyeing the running clock. "I'm supposed to meet them in the cafeteria in twenty minutes."
Nanoha felt a wild surge run through her. Fate would be here. It would be the first chance she had had in a very long time to see her again, face to face. What would she do? What would she say?
"So." Vita smirked, patting her on the shoulder. "Do with that what you will."
"Ready for this?" Hayate asked brightly, her grin a little too wide for Fate's liking as they stood before a wide set of double doors.
"Couldn't I just wait in the infirmary?" Fate tried weakly. "I'm only here to see Shamal. I don't know if I'm ready for…" she trailed off, gesturing with her hand.
Blue eyes narrowed sharply. "Were you always this anti-social?"
Fate frowned. "I'd hardly call it anti…"
But the door was opened, and she found herself being shoved through by the other mage. She stumbled a bit, catching her footing before she could make a total fool of herself in front of countless individuals and plastered a fake grin across her features. "What is it with you and all the violence lately?" she hissed between clenched teeth.
"It's the only thing you respond to sometimes." Hayate murmured back, eyes sweeping the crowded cafeteria. "Your kink. Not mine."
"What?"
"I said…"
"I heard you just fine!"
"Wow." Hayate replied breezily. "You're tense. You really need to get laid."
"That's it." Fate huffed, throwing her hands up into the air. "I'm going to the infirmary. Pull rank. Have me court martialed. Thrown in the brig. Don't care." She spun on her heels, fully intent on marching herself out before things got any worse, and plowed right into Signum. The knight steadied her quickly, clapping hands on her shoulders and righting her once more.
The blonde groaned.
"Another bad day, Testarossa?"
"You have no idea."
"Well," the pink haired woman declared cheerfully. "come have lunch with us! Best cure for a hangover!"
"Greasy cafeteria food?" she didn't look convinced.
"I meant good company, but hey…"
Fate allowed herself to be led to a small table near the corner of the room. She settled for just a coffee, thanks, and sipped the watered down sludge the military liked to pass off as coffee. She plopped down into a hard plastic chair and found herself flanked by Hayate and Vita, but something about the way the shorter vice-captain was grinning was starting to set her on edge.
Amongst idle conversation and bad jokes, Fate willed herself to relax. Maybe coming home wasn't as terrible as she had feared. For the most part, things had seemed to be completely normal, not counting the obvious absence of a certain…
"Fate-chan?"
She closed her eyes. Nothing could ever be that easy, could it?
"Nanoha." Vita acknowledged the ace with a nod. "Have a seat!"
As the enforcer struggled to mentally prepare herself for the first actual face to face meeting since the night she bolted off into the dark, a teasing voice cut through her thoughts. 'Before you ask, no, no you cannot make your coffee an Irish double.'
Fate quirked a brow in Hayate's direction as Nanoha pulled out the chair across from her.
'Hayate. You are starting to creep me out.'
'Whatever. You'd be lost without me.'
"I didn't expect to see you here." Nanoha smiled, so bright it hurt, and Fate had to drop her gaze. "Aren't you supposed to be on leave?"
"Post mission check-up." she replied coolly.
"Yeah," Hayate cut in. "Gotta make sure she didn't come back with any bizarre illness, or PTSD."
"The only PTSD I would get would be the result from spending too much time with you." Fate deadpanned.
"Oooh, Fate-chan, that's not what you were saying last night."
A blush sprang to the enforcer's cheeks and she almost dropped her mug. Beside Hayate, Signum cracked her knuckles and threw her a menacing glare.
Fate swallowed hard. She wasn't sure how much of Signum's threats were just teasing, and she really wasn't in the mood to find out.
Hayate ignored her discomfort. "Maybe I should take Fate to a strip club, you know, ease away some of the stresses of the job." she patted her girlfriend's arm. "What do you think?"
Signum snorted, and the blonde could swear her face was on fire.
Nanoha watched the exchange with a growing sense of confusion, eyes flicking between the two women in front of her. When had Hayate and Fate become that close? The three of them had always been good friends, but this was certainly new territory. Fate has always been quiet and reserved around people, even those she knew quite well, but she seemed different now as she laughed and joked around.
She knew that this was the first time she had been in such close proximity to the blonde in a very long time, and she'd rather not think about when she saw her last. From all outward appearances, it was the same Fate she remembered, not counting the faint scar at her left temple, only visible when she turned her head just right.
The instructor felt her hands clench into fists under the table. She had been injured? With all of the magic at their disposal, it was extremely rare to have any scars at all. She must have been hit pretty hard to…
Her heart sank. That night. The bandages.
"T...that is extremely unnecessary." the enforcer managed at last, definitely not liking the intense way Nanoha was looking at her right now, and she was really wishing she had never left the sanctuary of her apartment.
Nanoha snapped back to the conversation and realized that she had been openly staring. She dropped her gaze guiltily and shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable in her own skin. She wondered how many scars Fate had, and felt her blood run cold. She didn't know. She really didn't know. After years of sharing everything with the blonde, from wishes and dreams to fears, it terrified her to think that the person across from her was almost a total stranger now.
"No it's not." Hayate was saying with a mischievous grin. "I'll get you a lap dance and everything. You know, they let you pick out the one you like. Maybe you could get a nice tall brune..."
Fate stomped down on her commander's foot under the table. Hard. Hayate wisely chose to cut off her sentence, but retribution was swiftly delivered via Signum's hand, flicking out over Hayate and rapidly smacking the enforcer upside the back of the head.
Fate yelped, nearly face planting into the table.
'And you lecture me about violence, Fate-chan.'
Vita scowled. "Really, how old are all of you? This is embarrassing."
'This is your fault. Completely and totally YOUR fault.'
Hayate and Fate shared a look of utter contempt, and just when Nanoha thought that things couldn't possibly get any weirder, they both burst into laughter. Hayate threw an arm over Fate's shoulders and ruffled her bangs. "You need to come home more often."
"Yeah, well…" Burgundy locked onto slate blue from across the table for exactly three seconds (Nanoha knew, because she could swear her heart stopped) before darting away again. So close. She was just so close…
The alarm on her wristwatch blared, and the instructor abruptly rose to her feet, her face flushed. "Ah, I have to get back to my class. Their break is just about over."
"Have fun." Vita drawled. "Don't kill them before I get there."
Signum and Hayate both waved, while Fate decided that her coffee mug was far more interesting.
Nanoha paused for a moment, hovering warily as she tried to decide what, if anything, to say to the enforcer. Her tongue felt like lead, and her throat was suddenly impossibly dry, and the longer she stood there, the more awkward she felt. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and when Fate made no move to speak, she boldly took the plunge.
"Fate-chan. It was good to see you again."
The captain was quiet for a moment, warm eyes softening before she offered a crooked smile. "Yeah. Good luck."
The table fell silent as the brunette departed, and Fate was acutely aware that she was the center of attention. She took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee and sighed warily. "You all can stop staring now."
"Baby steps." Hayate replied with a nod. "I'm proud of you."
"Because I managed to say three words?"
"Well, they weren't the three words you should have said, but…"
"And we're done here." Fate interrupted, giving the Lieutenant Colonel a stern look as she rose from her chair. "I'm out. Behave yourself. Please."
Hayate rolled her eyes. "Now, I know that you know that I can promise no such thing."
Fate exchanged looks with Signum, who grinned broadly and draped an arm over Hayate's shoulders. "Don't worry, Testarossa. If she gets naughty, I'll spank her."
Hayate flushed a brilliant shade of red, and Fate looked no better, stuttering a jumbled goodbye and making a beeline for the door.
"You guys are terrible." Vita snickered. "I thought she was going to Flash Move for a second there."
"Speaking of terrible," Hayate replied, shaking off her embarrassment, "you're pretty damn sneaky."
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Vita huffed.
"So, it was pure coincidence that Nanoha showed up at just the right time?"
"Something like that."
"Oh Signum…" the commander sighed happily, dropping her head onto the knight's shoulder. "Our little baby is all grown up and orchestrating devious plots and schemes. Aren't you proud?"
The warrior blinked slowly. "…our what?"
Vita buried her face in her hands.
She was attracting a lot of attention, and she knew it. After the final bell rang and students began to pour forth from the high school's doors, Fate exited her car and leaned against the driver's side door, eyes peeled for the familiar mop of blonde hair. She adjusted her mirrored sunglasses, feeling a little self-conscious under all the stares she was receiving from the student body, male and female alike. She had come here on a whim after receiving a clean bill of health from Shamal, and had hoped the kid would be happy to see her. Fate hated feeling bored and restless, and with Nanoha's wedding looming over her head just a month away, she knew the odds of Hayate shipping her out were slim to none.
At last she spotted Vivio through the crowds, and couldn't help the wide grin that spread over her features.
'Hey. Need a ride?'
Her goddaughter perked up, and the return smile was instantaneous. She jogged across the lot and all but jumped into Fate's arms, like she had done when she was much smaller. The enforcer laughed, and affectionately ruffled her bangs. "You're not embarrassed to be seen with me?"
Vivio giggled. "Of course not. You must be the hottie all the girls were whispering about."
Fate lifted her gaze to a group of teenage girls standing near the door, pointing and giggling. "Huh." she muttered. "That is incredibly awkward."
"You should see some of the boys when mom drops me off."
Fate arched a brow. "Again. Awkward." Seemed to be the theme of the week for her, really.
"How is mom?" Vivio asked innocently as she moved around to the passenger side. "Does she know you're picking me up?"
"Ah." The enforcer shrugged lightly. "We're still, uh, not…" She rubbed the back of her neck, and tried to figure out how to word things in the best way possible. She wasn't sure exactly what Vivio thought, or what Nanoha might have told her. When she had moved out, Vivio had been fourteen. Fate had given her a highly condensed version of what had happened and why she was leaving, trying to limit her reasoning to, 'Your Nanoha-mama has a boyfriend. She needs space now.'
She couldn't even count the number of times Vivio had called her in tears, asking if she could come move in with her because she hated Yunno, or her mother was being mean, or any of the other reasons she had come up with as an angry teenager. It had made moving out all the harder, and Fate didn't think she would ever get over the guilt of leaving the girl behind. But with things as they were, and with her workload and deployments, there was no way she was set up to raise a child.
"It's alright. I'll call her then and let her know." Vivio replied brightly. "Maybe I could spend the day with you? If you're not busy?"
"If she says it's okay." she said with a grin, shifting the car into gear and guiding it out of the lot. "The last thing I want to do is step on her toes."
"Uh huh." Vivio huffed, digging through her bag for her cell phone. "Sometimes it's like you guys are divorced."
Fate cringed. Brutal honesty there. But thankfully, she was already dialing, and the enforcer did her best to ignore the conversation.
I feel like a deadbeat dad now…
She pushed such thoughts away and decided to concentrate on the road, sneaking the occasional glance at Vivio. She had grown up quickly, too quickly for Fate's liking, and had exhibited strong signs of a fierce independent streak, much like the woman who raised her. She was never afraid to speak her mind, something that could be quite scary when she was in a bad mood, and Fate knew that any person she decided to date would be in for an uphill battle.
But hearing her talk on the phone, and watching her play with the ends of her hair, the enforcer couldn't help but be reminded of the little five year old girl she had met so long ago. It hurt to be reminded that she had missed so much…
"She sounded surprised." the teenager said as she flipped her phone shut. "But she says she knows I'll be safe with you."
Nanoha hung up the phone, brows furrowed as she clenched the device in her hand.
"What's with the serious look?" Yunno questioned worriedly from his spot on the couch. "Is Vivio alright?"
"Hm?" Nanoha murmured. "Oh. Fate picked her up. She's spending the day with her."
"I didn't know that she was sticking around." the man replied neutrally. "Usually she's here and gone again."
"It looks like she may be staying for awhile this time."
Yunno nodded in response, but Nanoha was already lost back in her thoughts. He had always likened the blonde to a hurricane. Any mention of her name was enough to throw the two women of the house into a variable range of emotions, and they were almost never pleasant. It was enough to hurl the entire balance of the house into turmoil, and he couldn't even begin to count the number of fights Nanoha and Vivio had about someone who decided it was more important to drop everything and take off to the other side of the galaxy. He had never asked Nanoha about the nature of her relationship with the enforcer, and to be honest, he was almost afraid to. Every time she was brought up in conversation, or made a phone call to the house, Nanoha had this habit of withdrawing into herself, exactly the way she was doing right now…
"Hey," he tried, coming up behind Nanoha and placing his hands on his fiancée's shoulders. "Since we have some alone time…"
"Ah," Nanoha replied with a half-smile, ducking out of his hold. "I'm actually kind of tired, so…"
He frowned a bit, dropping his hands to his sides as she left the room. Hurricane Fate was about to make landfall.
"But he's sooooo boring." Vivio sighed, poking at her food with her spoon. "I don't know how mom puts up with him."
Fate arched a brow. "Well, when you love somebody…"
"Don't even." the teenager growled. "I know you loved her, and you were never boring. At least you could make mom smile."
The captain facefaulted, her fork halfway to her mouth. "W...what?" Did everyone know about her business?
"Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm stupid."
"Aw, honey." the blonde cut in quickly, her meal forgotten. "I never said you were stupid."
Vivio blinked quickly, and Fate could see the tears forming in her eyes. "Well, you were stupid for leaving."
These Takamachi women. They would be the death of her.
Fate reached across the table, taking the girl's hand in her own. "I wish it was that easy, but things happened." She frowned, reminded that soon, this wouldn't be her family anymore. Vivio eyed her expectantly. "Some things, some things are just out of my control."
The girl bit her bottom lip. "I suppose you couldn't just come home and beat him up?"
Fate chuckled at that, and decided not to answer. "You must get that from your mother."
Vivio blinked up at her curiously.
"The violence." Fate clarified. "That's how we became friends, you know."
"Through violence?"
The enforcer nodded. "Oh yeah. She was quite fond of shooting me."
The teenager looked doubtful. "No way."
"I'm serious." Fate laughed. "For a little while there, all we did was fight."
Vivio smirked. "So I guess nothing has changed then."
Russet eyes widened in shock. "Wow. And you used to be so sweet."
"Nanoha-mama says that all the time." Vivio grinned, not looking the least bit sorry. "So, what would we have to do to get her to shoot you again?"
"Funny."
Fate rubbed her eyes sleepily. It was getting late, and she still hadn't recovered from the night before with Hayate. The movie she had popped in was long since over, and the teenager was curled up beside her on the couch, sound asleep. Fate smoothed the hair out of Vivio's eyes and sighed quietly, not having the heart to wake her.
That only left one option.
With a defeated sigh she rose to her feet and moved into the kitchen, pulling open random drawers and pawing through them until she found what she was looking for, buried under miscellaneous gadgets she had yet to use. She brushed the cell phone off and tried to power it on, and wasn't surprised when it didn't respond. She couldn't even remember the last time she had used it, much less where the charger could be. She scowled, and tossed it back into the drawer. A com call would have to do.
With a wave of her hand she pulled up a screen, and dialed a number she knew by heart. After less than a minute the image blipped to life, and Nanoha was staring back at her.
"Fate-chan. Is everything okay?"
Fate grinned crookedly. "Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Vivio fell asleep, and I didn't want to wake her." A sudden bout of apprehension struck her, and her pulse began to race. Why was she so nervous? She shifted in place, and ran clammy palms over her pants. "So, since it's the weekend, I was thinking I could just bring her home in the morning, if that's alright."
Nanoha smiled. "Of course it is. I don't worry about her when she's with you."
"Thanks." The enforcer replied quickly, moving her hand to shut the screen down. "I'll have her home in the morning then."
"Wait, Fate-chan!"
The blonde froze, a sense of dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
"I was thinking, maybe," Nanoha murmured, dropping her gaze, "maybe we could talk. Tomorrow. Just us."
Fate swallowed hard. "I…I don't think…"
Slate blue eyes softened. "Please."
Fate sighed heavily, knowing all too well that it was too late to run now. She found herself nodding before she could process her actions, and desperately looked anywhere but at the brunette. "Alright." she agreed quietly.
"Thank you." Nanoha replied sweetly. "Good night, Fate-chan."
Words had left the enforcer completely. She nodded again and shut the screen down, letting out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding.
Great.
She moved back into the living room and paused in the doorway, warily pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut. Of all the stupid things she could have agreed to…
Vivio flopped over on the couch, stretching her legs out to fill the spot Fate had vacated. The enforcer sighed, and gathered the girl up into her arms like she had when she had been a child. She carried her into the bedroom and gently tucked her in, adjusting the pillows and pulling the covers up to her chin.
"I'm not little anymore." Vivio muttered drowsily, burrowing down into the comforter.
"I know." Fate replied gently. "Humor me, okay?"
But the teenager was already asleep.
Fate sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze dropping down to the hands folded in her lap. It was just a month. She just had to make it one month, and then things could go back to normal for her, whatever that was.
-Eighteen months ago-
Her eyelids felt so heavy, as if they were weighted down. She struggled to open them, brows furrowing at the sensation of itchy tape on her cheek, and her hands flopped uselessly at her sides.
The hell?
An unfamiliar ceiling greeted blurry vision, and quiet voices murmured somewhere off to her left. Her head was throbbing, and she could feel her heartbeat increase. Great. She was starting to panic. Panicking would get her nowhere.
Sucking in a shallow breath, she counted to ten. What was the last thing she remembered? Planet Eris. Good. Start there. Work her way up. She flexed her fingers slowly, experimentally, loosening stiff muscles and joints. That was a sign she had been here for a few days at least.
She groaned against the pounding in her head. Smugglers. She and Teana had been following smugglers, specializing in weapons devices and cybernetic parts.
She blinked rapidly, and the haze began to clear. She was definitely in a clinic or infirmary of some sort, and from the corner of her eye she could see her enforcer's uniform folded neatly on a chair, with Bardiche glittering on top of the pile under florescent lights.
Ginga. She and Teana had run into Ginga, who was on a mission of her own. She struggled to sit up, yanking on IV lines and tubes. She could remember a fierce battle in the smuggler's den, followed by a terrible weapons blast of some sort. And after that…
Nothing.
Her heart seized in her chest. Ginga. Teana. She had to know if they were alright. Shaking hands ripped the tape off of her forearm, yanking on the IV needle and pulling it out of her arm. Blood splattered across her lap and she bit back a curse. Stupid. She grabbed the sheet covering her form between her teeth and pulled on the seam, effectively ripping a strip off. Her vision blurred, but she shook her head roughly. No. She could rest later.
From the strip she fashioned a rather crude tourniquet, tying off her now bleeding arm. She patted at her face and head with both hands now, relieved to find everything intact and no bizarre wires, and swung her legs off the bed. The world spun, and she had to steady herself against the edge of the mattress.
Fate grit her teeth, bracing bare feet against the tile floor. Her legs wobbled numbly, and she had just pushed herself up to a standing position when a bay door slid open.
"Holy crap!"
There was a blur of movement, and right as her legs gave out Fate found herself being held up by her partner.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Teana growled. "You shouldn't be moving!"
The enforcer blinked at the other woman slowly. "I was coming to save you."
The redhead rolled her eyes and guided Fate back down on the bed. "Not necessary."
"Well, I can see that now." she groaned, her body aching in protest at all the movement.
"Frankly," Teana grumbled, catching Fate's legs behind the knees and lifting them back onto the mattress, "I'm surprised you can move at all. The doctor said you would be out for at least five days."
Fate dropped her head back on the pillow and pressed a hand to her eyes. "What happened?"
"Do you remember the cyborg leader?"
The captain nodded, dropping her hand as she struggled to sit up.
"Well, he didn't take too kindly to your request for disarmament. Ginga had him cornered, and he opted to self-destruct."
Russet eyes widened. "Is she alright?"
Teana grinned. "Thanks to you. You threw your stupid ass right in front of him and took the brunt of the explosion."
Fate blinked. "I got exploded?"
Her partner grimaced. "Well, grammatically, that's not even…"
The captain stared up at her blankly, and Teana resisted the urge to laugh. "Yes. Fine. You got exploded."
Fate nodded, seemingly satisfied with the revelation. "I feel pretty good, you know, for being exploded."
The redhead didn't share her enthusiasm, and held up her hand, thumb and pointer finger an inch apart. "We didn't think you'd make it. I was about this close to calling Nanoha."
Fate's eyes darkened. "We could do without that."
Teana regarded her for a long moment, and burst into laughter, clapping her hand over her mouth as she struggled to contain herself. She waved her free hand desperately in a gesture that she hoped meant no offence, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Fate cocked her head, eyes wide. "…the hell Teana?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." her partner wheezed, blinking back tears. "It's just so hard to take that kind of thing seriously when you look like that…"
"Like what?" the captain growled dangerously. "Give me a mirror."
Teana bit the inside of her cheek and handed the enforcer a small mirror off the surgeon's table, though her shoulders still shook.
Fate flipped it open and studied her reflection. No broken nose, no missing eye, still had all her teeth…
Wait.
Her jaw dropped open and she ran her fingertips over her brow.
"…what happened to my eyebrows?"
Teana lost it again, despite the fierce look her superior was giving her. "I'm so…sorry...Fate." she gasped.
"Singed right off." the captain sulked. "I look ridiculous."
"We...we could draw some back on?" Teana offered, holding a straight face for all of four seconds.
Fate glared at her a moment before dropping it and grinning sheepishly. "It is pretty funny. Signum would have enjoyed this."
Teana giggled and shook her head, gently patting her captain on the shoulder. It had been so touch and go for the past few days that it was a huge relief to laugh again, now that Fate was going to be okay. "Just please." she muttered with a lopsided grin. "Don't do that again. Nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry, Teana."
The bay door slid open again, and both women turned towards the sound.
"Ginga!" Fate called happily at the sight of the dark haired woman in the doorway. "You're alright!"
"Thanks to you." Her former partner replied, approaching the captain's bedside. "How are you feeling?"
The blonde puffed her cheeks out. "Little grumpy about the eyebrow thing, but…"
"Eyebrow thing?" Ginga leaned close, and pushed back Fate's bangs with a cool hand. Her lips quirked into a tiny grin. "Huh. Look at that."
Fate could feel her face turning pink. "Teana said she'd draw some on for me."
The redhead snickered behind her hand.
"Well, thank you again, Captain Harlaown." Ginga murmured softly. "How many times have you saved me now?"
"I didn't, I mean, it wasn't…"
But Ginga had already leaned closer still, and pressed her lips to Fate's forehead. "You're still cute, even without the eyebrows."
Fate blushed even darker, and Teana's jaw dropped. There was a mood. There was definitely a mood. That meant… "A...ah." the redhead stammered, gesturing towards the door. "I just remembered. I have things to do." On the other side of the country.
Fate looked at her quizzically, and Ginga simply smiled. "It's alright. I only had a minute anyway." She dropped her gaze back to the injured blonde. "Can I come back later?"
The enforcer stammered something out that she thought meant yes, and wondered just how hard she had gotten whacked in the head. After Ginga left, Fate turned her attention back to Teana. "That just happened, right? I mean, I didn't hallucinate that?"
Her partner sighed. "Just how often do you get hit in the head anyway?"
To be continued...
