Used to be


-Two years ago-

Fate was in a hurry.

Her side of the room was in a complete state of disarray; the contents of her closet dumped out onto her side of the bed as she frantically shoved everything she couldn't bear to part with into a set of duffel bags strewn across the floor.

She was running out of time.

Perhaps it hadn't been wise to spend the past few days moping in that terrible excuse for a motel room, and maybe if she had just sucked up her pride and asked for some help, she wouldn't be here now, struggling alone to fit what remained of her life into some bags and a cardboard box.

She was always running out of time.

Bardiche's alarm function kicked in, and Fate swore under her breath. Ten minutes. Ten minutes until Nanoha came home, and God help her, she certainly didn't want to be here when that happened. Not bothering to fold any of the clothing or even remove them from their hangers, she hoisted up the pile and dumped it unceremoniously into the nearest box.

They would be wrinkled, and Nanoha would just give her that tiny little smile as she ironed out crisp little creases, her teasing lit audible even now because…

'Honestly, Fate-chan, you'd be so hopeless without me.'

Fate swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away the rapid sting, but it did little to ease the pressure building up in her chest. She tried to blot out the whispers and the guilt with a trip down to the car, slinging stuffed duffel bags into the backseat without so much as a pause, but the minute she was back in the bedroom she was back at square one.

Hopeless.

She was thankful for her lack of personal effects, save for some tiny knick knacks and art projects Vivio had given her over the years, and those had been tucked away first, wrapped with care and stored away safely under the haphazard heap of clothing and uniforms. The little things were next. The framed photos of her family, present and past, a necklace from her mother, pictures and letters from Erio and Caro…

Eight minutes.

Always always always.

She dropped to her knees at the bedside, fumbling behind the nightstand for the outlet her phone charger was plugged into. Why she bothered, she didn't know. She barely used the device, save for calling Nanoha when she was on Earth, and it wasn't like she was about to do that anytime soon. Fate finally wrangled the cord free, rapping her knuckles hard on the wall in the process. Biting back another curse, she withdrew her hand, wincing as she ran a thumb over scraped and bloodied skin.

'Aw, I told you to be more careful, Fate-chan. Come here, let's get you cleaned up and…'

Nope. Nope. Steady hands.

How had she done this before? It had been just her and Arf for so long, alone on this backwater lump of dirt and water. Before Lindy. Before Nanoha. Before she had a home. Now the prospect seemed almost terrifying. It seemed she had been so much stronger when she had been younger, and now she was going to have to teach herself how to do it all over again, to be alone. To be strong.

God, she needed a drink.

There was a world of happy people, somewhere far away from here, and this was proving to be far more difficult than Fate had ever imagined. As she started to push herself back up to her feet, she found herself eyelevel with the framed photograph of Nanoha and Vivio, taken so many years ago.

For the first time since she had undertaken this cowardly mission of erasing herself completely from this city, the enforcer faltered.

Their home, her very way of life, utterly destroyed in the sixty seconds she had stood in the doorway two nights ago. Her hands dropped to her sides and her gaze flickered over the bed.

Wrinkled clothes. Wrinkled sheets.

No. Don't go there.

Fate squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her jaw tight, but the pain had already settled down in her chest and she knew nothing would soothe it.

Six minutes.

It made no sense to hold onto things that would just torture her later, and she knew that too, but Fate snapped up the photograph in hands that were suddenly shaking anyway and tossed it into the box, folding the flaps up to seal away the contents. Her vision blurred, adding insult to injury, and as far as she was concerned, today ranked right up there with the rest of the worst possible days of her life.

She pulled open the nightstand drawer, reached way into the back, and fished out a small, inconspicuous notebook stuffed with old envelopes and bound with a length of black string. Knowing she was foolish, and knowing that this was the worst possible thing she could ever do to herself, she untied the knot and flipped directly to the center. Two long white hair ribbons, pressed between the pages for many years, folded as carefully and as neatly as the day Fate had tucked them in there met her gaze.

This. All of this. Her life, her family, even her career; it had all started with these ribbons.

As she trailed her fingertips over the silken lengths, she was suddenly hit with a rush of memories and emotions. For all of her powers and abilities, for all the people and the planets she had saved, what did any of that even mean if she couldn't even hold onto that which she held the most dear? All the things she never said, all the things she should have said, it all blurred together, and she knew the true meaning of regret.

After all, she had been so quick to fly across the universe at the drop of a hat, and she had taken for granted the fact that Nanoha would always be here, waiting. Now, she had nothing but a box and some duffel bags.

But the world spun on, with or without her, and time moved with it.

As the clock ticked down the final minutes and the last box had been packed, she tossed a dog eared note on the counter, crumpled from being wedged down into her pocket, little notebook tucked safely under one arm. She swept her gaze over her former home one last time, lingering on the folded square of paper. The letter she knew by heart, the words written so easily in careful neat print seemed so formal, so foreign, and hardly worthy of what Nanoha had given her for so long.

Three lines. Her name at the bottom. What had started so long ago over a battle for a jewel seed now ended with a scrap of paper. Had so much time really passed?

Nanoha wouldn't be happy, but she had hoped to be across the universe by then.

There, in the darkened hallway, hand on the doorknob, now that the adrenaline had started to fade and the blood pounding in her veins was no longer a deafening roar, she could almost hear Nanoha calling her name.

She pulled the door shut behind her, refusing to look back.

Sixty seconds.

Her worldly possessions, so meager now that she had crammed them all into her near nonexistent back seat didn't even seem to matter anymore, and as the car engine roared to life, she debated pitching it all into the nearest dumpster. Start over. Start fresh. Burn it all down. On the passenger seat beside her, the corner of a white ribbon poked out from aged pages, tempting her to stay.

Go back in. Wait for her. Just fix it. It will be okay.

Stay.

She gripped the steering wheel so tightly her scraped knuckles oozed blood, the pain jolting her back to reality. The sounds of a car off in the distance and rapidly approaching reminded her that she had made her choice, and so had Nanoha.

Her foot hit the gas pedal, the clock stopped, and suddenly she had all the time in the world.


When she cracked an eye open against the bright, intruding light of the rising sun, Nanoha's first thought was that everything was normal. Perfectly, wonderfully, normal.

The chest beneath her cheek rose and fell in a steady rhythm, almost as warm as the heartbeat contained within, barely audible, and the arms around her still tenderly cradled her protectively, possessively, maybe a little bit of both. A hand threaded through her hair, caressing her back, her neck, so soft that it almost lulled her back to sleep, but curiosity won over, and she began to stir. Shifting subtly against Fate's body, Nanoha felt a blush stain her cheeks at the realization that long, ridiculously shapely legs were entwined with her own, and russet eyes were now on her, studying her with a mix of confusion and quiet apprehension.

She was close. So very close. All Nanoha had to do was tilt her head up, lean forward just a few inches, and…

The hand stilled, and beneath her, Nanoha could feel Fate's body stiffen.

"Good morning." The enforcer's voice was a little raspy, low and husky. Judging from the dark circles and the bleariness of her eyes, it was obvious that only one of them had gotten any rest, and it was enough to put a rock in Nanoha's stomach.

Not ready to move, and certainly not ready to dissect the myriad of emotions that would come with leaving, Nanoha swallowed hard. "You didn't sleep, did you?"

"A little."

The brunette watched the flicker in dark eyes, the way Fate turned her head away, the tiny catch of her breath, and Nanoha knew better. "Liar."

Fate hummed quietly in response but provided no argument. Sleep had eluded her, and her silent vigil kept through the night left her with no energy to do so. She had spent hours in the dark, replaying conversations and memories over in her head, like a video feed she couldn't turn off, wondering how she would handle this when faced with their actions in the harsh light of day.

Knowing that this was it made it all the harder. This was the part where she kicked Nanoha out, the part where she had to push her away, the part where all the longings and feelings were shuttered away once more. But now? Looking at her now, so concerned and worried, hair disheveled, the adorable way her brows knitted together as she attempted a stern gaze, holding her so achingly close, it hurt.

What she wouldn't give for the ability to kiss away her doubts, to smooth away the worried lines in her forehead, wrap her up in her arms and never let go, because…

Vivio was getting to that age where cartoons and stuffed animals were no longer a viable source of entertainment. Sprawled on her stomach on the living room floor, knees bent, kicking her feet as she watched snippets of a concert from the latest idol, she looked nothing like the little girl Fate used to tuck into bed.

Feeling impossibly old, Fate leaned back into the couch with a sigh, checking the clock for the fourth time in fifteen minutes.

They were going to be late.

How Hayate had twisted Nanoha's arm into attending this benefit dinner she would never know, and she was even more confused as to how she had been coerced into going as well. She generally found such events to be stuffy, full of stodgy military generals that Hayate was forever trying to sweet talk in favor of more funding. The enforcer's free time was limited as it was, but of course, she was unable to say no to the two sets of puppy eyes thrown in her direction.

The sound of hurried footsteps came down the hall, and Fate pushed herself back up to her feet. Nanoha was cutting it close this time, and she was surprised they hadn't started receiving frantic phone calls from Hayate. "Vivio."

"Yeah, I know the rules." the girl replied without so much as a backwards glance, eyes still fixed on the television screen.

"Good, and if there's an emergency…"

"I know. You'll be here in like two seconds."

Fate caught the scent of faint perfume, flowery and light, and as she turned towards her friend to ask if she was ready to go, the words died on the tip of her tongue.

There, in a formal dark blue evening dress that seemed to hug every curve, Nanoha stole Fate's breath away. Her chestnut hair was down, a rarity to be sure, and spilled over her shoulders, catching the soft lighting of the room. The light eye shadow and the color of the dress only enhanced the warmth of her eyes, and a slit in the fabric that ended mid-thigh gave a hint of well- toned legs.

"Well?" the ace gave a little twirl for show. "What do you think of the dress?"

Fate blinked. Gorgeous? Stunning? Amazing? Suddenly she felt rather woozy, and chalked it up to lack of sleep. "Complicated." she murmured at last, as it was the only coherent thought left in her mind.

Nanoha pouted, hands on her hips in a gesture that gave the blonde flashbacks to their youth. "Fate-chan! You're supposed to tell me that I look beautiful!"

The enforcer started, suddenly reminded of all of the socially awkward faux pas she had worked so hard to try and avoid. Times like this left her feeling confused and wrung out, worried about right and wrong and all the tiny implications each word could have on someone else. It certainly didn't help that looking at Nanoha right now was causing a tightness in her chest that she wasn't comfortable with, and every second that she didn't speak only added to her growing anxiety. "I'm sorry. You look very pretty, Nanoha."

"Better." the brunette sighed, retrieving a small clutch from the coffee table. "Honestly Fate-chan, say what you're thinking the first time. You should know these things."

Vivio giggled and Fate frowned in response, old childhood insecurities long since buried rearing up once more.

But Nanoha knew these things, she knew that look, and she knew what the stiffening of Fate's posture and the squaring of her shoulders meant.

She smiled up at the blonde, mischief in her eyes. "Not that it matters how I look. I mean, I'm going to have the hottest date there, so I already win."

Fate's tension seemed to dip, curiosity winning out as she mentally flipped through the list of guests Hayate had prattled off earlier. General Kato? No, no, far too old. It certainly couldn't be Akiyama, that man was as large as an ox. Captain Ueda maybe? Brows creased. He was young and fairly good looking, but most definitely married. She resisted the urge to rub her temples. God, this was going to be a long night, and Nanoha was still smiling brightly up at her.

"Who's your date?"

The ace giggled. "Really, Fate-chan?"

"What?"

An arm wound through the enforcer's. "You should know these things by now."

Fate gave a start, drawn back to the here and now by the warm weight settled against her.

"Fate-chan?"

Fate could feel a dull throb beginning just above her eyes. Every day of her life lately felt like a terrible morning after, and she knew that for things to end, for both of them to get back to their lives, or at least what remained of them, it had to be this way. She had survived many things, and she would survive this, no matter how it felt now. Her voice shook, the words weak at best, but for her own sanity she plowed forward. "I think…I think it's time for you to go."

Nanoha's hands balled up in the fabric of Fate's shirt. "I..I…"

It was nearly an act of God that allowed the enforcer to release her hold on the woman still curled up against her, and she was dimly aware of the fact that time had slowed to a crawl. "Please. I…I can't."

Stay.

Blue eyes welled up.

'You should know these things by now.'

A clever trick, a coward's move.

The phantom lingering of a stolen kiss suddenly ached so strongly that Fate had to bite her tongue, a dizzying mix of copper and heat flooding her senses.

Remember how you held my hand?

Dark eyes screwed shut. She only wanted Nanoha to be happy, and that meant she had to do the seemingly impossible. Strong arms with a gentle but firm push on the brunette's shoulder finally separated them, and Fate couldn't remember ever feeling so cold.

Nanoha rose on shaky legs, and Fate refused to meet her eyes, afraid of breaking, afraid of crying, afraid of relenting to the hurt she knew she would find there.

Regret regret regret.

"Fate-chan…"

I never thought I was worthy of love.

"Go on." Fate replied quietly. "Vivio will wonder where you are."

Nanoha felt almost numb, robotically slipping on her shoes and casting one last forlorn glance back at the girl that had been her entire world for so long. The kind, caring Fate that she had known for practically her entire life was gone once more, and warm eyes had hardened back into the blank impassive wall from the night before.

They weren't going to be okay. They weren't going to be able to go back to the way they were before, and Nanoha knew it for sure now.

When she closed the front door behind her, leaning against the heavy wood, she waited anyway, sucking in a breath, hoping wishing wanting Fate to stop her. Each second that ticked by was a second that she shouldn't be here, but still she waited, counting everything from ceiling tiles to heartbeats, ignoring the sting in her eyes and the nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her to turn around.

Maybe break the door down.

There was only silence.


Lindy knew something was wrong by the way Arf shifted restlessly on the foot of the bed, growling and whining at things unseen. For a puppy as small as she was, she could certainly raise a ruckus, and the admiral snapped awake, shoving down the cold hand of fear that gripped her heart. The last time Arf had been so twitchy Lindy had gotten a call at three in the morning from Fate's partner. Though Teana's voice had remained calm and steady, the words explosion and unconscious had sent the older woman into a near panic.

Squinting blearily against the invading brightness as she flicked on the bedside lamp, Lindy steadied her breathing and reached down, gently shaking Fate's tiny familiar awake.

"Arf, I…"

A crash downstairs in the living room cut through the worry and fear, and Lindy was on her feet in seconds. No alarms sounded, no alerts from her device, but it was enough to jolt Arf awake, and before the admiral could stop her, the little familiar was tearing out into the hall and down the stairs. Her heartbeat quickening, Lindy followed her path, stopping at the bottom of the stairs when the sounds of a quiet laugh immediately soothed her nerves. The lights flickered on, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she caught sight of Fate, crouched down on the floor with Arf in her arms.

The puppy squirmed in her hold, licking her face from cheek to hairline, pulling a new round of giggles from the enforcer as she stroked the back of Arf's neck.

Lindy smiled affectionately at the sight, worries and anxieties melting away. "She missed you, you know."

"Mom." Dark eyes flickered guiltily in the admiral's direction at the sound and Fate rose to her feet, releasing the bundle of fur clutched to her chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…"

"It's alright." the older woman replied with a smile, crossing the room and pulling Fate into a hug. "Better late than never."

"Ah." Fate's cheeks tinted pink. "About that…"

"It's okay." Lindy replied gently, pulling back enough to run her fingers through Fate's disheveled bangs, frowning internally at the dark circles under her eyes and the lines of weariness at the corners. She looked exhausted, but it had to be more than that. She had seen Fate tired and dead on her feet, but this? She looked like she had been through the wringer and back, and as much as she loved seeing her daughter, she knew that a three a.m. visit meant that something was certainly wrong.

"It's not." the enforcer sighed, her voice thick. "I've been so wrapped up in my own head, and I just…" she trailed off, hands falling limply to her sides as her vision blurred. "Mom, I…"

The admiral said nothing, merely wrapping her arms around Fate again, knowing better than to push. Fate had always been one to find her own footing, and given time, it would come out. She had always kept to herself, especially when something was eating away at her, so she never took Fate's long absences as a slight. It had been an uphill battle to earn Fate's trust, and given everything she had been through as a child, it was no surprise she had been hesitant towards any signs of love or affection. All she could do, and all she had ever done was make sure that Fate knew that here, she would be safe, warm, and loved.

To see her like this broke Lindy's heart.

As her mother wrapped her arms around the blonde again, Fate allowed herself to be pulled in, burying her face into a warm shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was the two days she had gone without sleep, or if it was the comforting sounds of Lindy's gentle voice, but either way, for the first time in years, Fate broke down. Everything. Nanoha, leaving her home and Vivio, the stress and guilt, it all came out in a mess of choked sobs. Her breath hitched, her eyes burned, and every muscle ached, but it wouldn't stop. Clinging to the woman who had brought her in and had given her the chance at having a mother who loved her, she cried until she had nothing left but whimpers, the soothing hand on her back doing little to comfort her.

Fate didn't know what was worse, shoving her feelings down and avoiding Nanoha, or stealing those few slim moments to take the brunette in her arms. Now that she knew what it felt like, holding her, kissing her, suddenly living without it seemed impossible, and she wished she had never come home.

Lindy swallowed against the knot in her throat, hating the feeling of being so helpless. When the tears turned to quiet, shaky breaths, she guided the distraught enforcer to the long black couch against the wall. "Come on honey, let's sit you down, and I can get you something to drink, alright?"

Fate wanted to protest, to tell her to go back to bed, to apologize for waking up the house just because she couldn't sleep, but Lindy was already gone. Wordlessly Fate sagged down into the cushions, a hand clasped over her eyes, the guilt of probably worrying Lindy to death already gnawing at her. Immediately Arf was up in her lap, and the blonde gave her a crooked, tired smile. "That was stupid. I'm going to have a terrible headache now."

"You should have come to us sooner." Arf tried gently. "It's not good to hold it in like that."

Fate wearily pinched the bridge of her nose, scowling a bit at the tension that had stitched all of her muscles into knots. "I know."

The familiar in puppy form frowned up at her worriedly. "I could feel it, you know, all that sadness. It's never gone away, has it?"

Fate felt her eyes well up once more, and she quickly blinked back the tears, certainly not in the mood to start up again. "I'll be alright. I always am."

"Fate…"

Quiet footsteps drew their attention back to the doorway where Lindy appeared once more, a mug in her hands. "Here. It's not quite coffee, but…"

Fate accepted it gratefully, swallowing a mouthful of liquid before her eyebrows rose in surprise at the taste and the sudden bloom of warmth in her chest.

"It'll help you sleep." Lindy stated calmly, the corners of her mouth quirking up into a gentle smile. "Because if you think I'm letting you just walk out of here, you've got another thing coming."

"Should've known better." Fate replied with a tired chuckle. "Didn't take you for a spiced rum fan though."

The admiral waved her hand dismissively, seating herself beside the pair. "Just don't tell your brother. He likes to steal the good stuff."

The enforcer leaned back against the couch, eyelids already drooping. After she had all but kicked Nanoha out of her apartment, she had been a hot mess. Torn between the urge to flee and the hurt she knew it would cause, she had opted to stay after all. After two days and sleepless nights she had come to the conclusion that she would just have to ride it out. She just wanted to see Nanoha happy, and that meant she was going to have to shove everything down and try to be happy for her. There was no way she could simply return to just ignoring her, not after how badly it had hurt her in the first place, and abandoning Nanoha and Vivio just because she didn't get what she wanted now seemed selfish. So she would go the wedding. She would smile and nod. After it was all over, she could go back to just doing her job, and go back to being on her own.

Fingers gently brushed the hair back out of her eyes, and Fate swallowed hard. "I don't think I need to tell you what's wrong."

"I've got a pretty good idea." Lindy replied softly. "Something about a blue eyed girl, I'd imagine."

"You always know everything." Fate murmured quietly.

"As a mother, it's my job."

Fate tilted her head to gaze at the admiral, a tiny knot of fear swelling in her chest. "So, you're not mad?"

"Hm?" Lindy blinked back at her, confused. "About what, sweetheart?"

Fate buried a hand into Arf's fur, suddenly feeling like an awkward, confused ten year old all over again. "A-about Nanoha." the enforcer visibly stiffened. "And the way I feel about her."

"Oh honey, of course not. I've known that you've loved her since you were twelve."

Fate flushed red at that, dark eyes wide. "W…what?"

"Oh dear." Lindy laughed quietly, reaching over and gently scratching the familiar's exposed tummy. "I thought it was pretty obvious, even if you didn't realize it yourself. For the longest time, I thought she felt the same way. I was rather surprised to see she was getting married."

Arf let out a contented little growl, and Fate shook her head at her playful antics. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us."

"Have you told her?"

The enforcer's mouth drew into a tight line. "I did."

Lindy's brows knitted together, her heart clenching up in sympathy. Knowing Fate as she did, she knew that couldn't have been easy, and the rejection must have been even harder. "Are you leaving again then?"

Fate let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Not right away. Not until it's over, at least. I don't want to lose her as a friend too." With that, she finished off the last of her rum, hoping that some decent sleep wouldn't be too far behind. "As long as she's happy. That's all that matters."

Her mother gave her an affectionate smile, draping an arm across her shoulders and giving her a tiny squeeze. "You're a good kid, you know that? Always have been."

Fate could feel her cheeks coloring up again. "Thanks mom."

"And you know that I love you."

Fate could only stutter, her blush growing darker, and Lindy couldn't help but grin.

"So then, now that we have all the fun stuff out of the way, what's this I've been hearing about Inspector Nakajima?"

The blonde froze, immediately tensing up. "What?"

The older woman arched a brow, still grinning. "Don't what me."

"Ah…" Fate slouched a little, grimacing.

"Yeah. Admiral, remember? I have eyes and ears all over the known universe."

"And parts unknown, I'm sure."

"Indeed." Lindy agreed with a serene nod. "So?"

Fate knotted her fingers together, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. "She's a friend."

"A friend…"

"Sort of."

"Sort of…"

Fate let out a defeated sigh. Well. There was no point in even bothering to hide it now, but the topic of Ginga was always a difficult one. She dropped her gaze, opting to stare at the hands clenched in her lap. "She was there when I needed someone."

Lindy took a sip of her drink, studying the enforcer's reaction. Was there something more to this? She couldn't see Fate just jumping into a relationship, as that was definitely more Nanoha's forte. "She's a nice girl." she said after a pause. "Smart. Good head on her shoulders."

"She's very kind." Fate murmured. "Maybe, under different circumstances…"

Aha. There it was. "Honey, what are you going to do? I mean, after this is all over?" The words, the thoughts, the fear that Fate would be alone forever worried her near senseless. So loyal and blind was Fate in her love that Lindy worried she would carry this torch for Nanoha forever. And Nanoha? What was that girl doing? Momoko had revealed her doubts about Nanoha's choice to get married, but the ace was single minded. Once she set her sights on a goal, she charged through until it was completed. Lindy had always been so sure that there was something growing between Fate and Nanoha, and she had been waiting to see how it developed. But this, with Yuuno? Completely out of left field.

Fate tipped her head back. "There was a time when I thought I couldn't love anyone, like, I was defective. Another failed experiment."

Arf whimpered in her lap, and Fate immediately soothed her, eyes still downcast. "But you, and Chrono, and Nanoha, you all changed that."

Lindy tightened the arm she had tucked around the blonde, a wordless sign of understanding.

Fate exhaled shakily. "Now I almost wish I could turn it off. It will probably be a long time before I even think about anyone else that way."

"You deserve to be happy too." Lindy replied quietly. "You have more than earned it."

"I know. But with her…" Fate trailed off, eyes growing misty. "With Nanoha, I felt like maybe I wouldn't die alone." she swallowed hard. "How do I replace that?"

"Time." Lindy sighed. "Lots and lots of time. It lessens the pain a little bit each day, and before you realize it, you've let it all go."

"What about you?" Fate questioned with a frown. "I worry about you, being all alone. What about your happiness?"

"But I'm not alone." Lindy countered. "I have you, and Chrono."

"Hey!" Arf cried, bright eyes snapping upwards.

"And Arf, of course." The admiral laughed. "As long as I have the three of you, I'm not alone. So maybe do your poor old mother a favor, and visit a little more?"

"I will. I promise." Fate replied quickly. "I'm sorry for worrying you so much."

"Comes with the territory." Lindy chuckled. "Now how about you get some rest? You look exhausted."

Fate stifled a yawn. "No kidding. It's been a long couple of days. Weeks. Years. I don't even know anymore."

"Then come on." Lindy said, pushing herself up to her feet. "I'll set you up in your old room, and in the morning, I'll cook you some breakfast."

Fate's brows rose. "Is that such a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

The enforcer laughed. "You cook enough for an army. It's just the three of us."

Lindy grinned. "Then I guess you'll have to eat for an army. We can take pictures and show Chrono what he's missing."

"It's scary how good she is at the guilt trip." Fate mumbled under her breath to the familiar tucked under her arm as she rose.

"I heard that!"


-Three days later-

"Hey, stop sulking, will you?" Hayate muttered grumpily, winding an arm through Signum's and allowing the knight to assist her up the stairs of Fate's apartment building. "This is for their own good, I promise."

"This is a bad idea." Signum grumbled, quirking a brow at the quick even steps Hayate took, even in heels. It was almost impossible to believe this woman had once lost the use of her legs, but old habits died hard, and still the knight found herself fighting off the urge to scoop the petite woman up and carry her.

"Got a better one?" the brunette huffed as Signum swung the lobby door open, allowing the commander first entry.

"Yes. Let them be. They will sort it out on their own."

Hayate threw her a tiny glare at that. "We've let them be for about fifteen years. Look how that turned out."

Signum let out a world weary sigh and Hayate stopped in her tracks, tugging on the warrior's arm to halt her as well. "Stop worrying. It will be fine! I mean, really, what could possibly go wrong?"

Signum fixed her with a dead eyed stare. "You really want me to answer that?"

"Look." Hayate tried again, flashing her companion a disarming smile. "I will take full responsibility. All you have to do is stand there and look intimidating."

Signum hadn't budged, stock still and unblinking.

"Exactly!" Hayate beamed. "Just like that! Perfect!"

A brow quirked, but before Signum could retort, Hayate reached up and grabbed the woman by the collar of her shirt, tugging her down a few inches and kissing her soundly.

Even after spending so much time with Hayate, the little things she did still surprised the hell out of Signum, and had she been a lesser person, she might have blushed.

"No more arguments?"

Signum sighed again.

"Good." Hayate released her collar, and resumed her march towards Fate's door.

Signum did as she was told, arms crossed, her features fixed in an impassive stare, though the scuttling on the other side of the door when Hayate knocked made her want to laugh aloud. Fate was no fool, and if she knew what was good for her, she would pretend to not be home.

"Fate." Hayate called, her voice echoing down the quiet hall. "I know you're in there. Open up already!"

Silence.

"Fate-chan." The brunette tried again. "I will break the security lock. Don't think I can't, or won't."

More silence.

The corners of Signum's mouth twitched up into a smirk.

"Not a word." Hayate grumbled under her breath, eyes screwing shut in deep thought.

The knight faltered. She had seen that look. That look, right there, was a bad look.

"Stripper-gram for Captain Harlaown!" Hayate's voice boomed down the hall. "Fate T. Harlaown, come and meet the girl of your dreams! All nude, all the time!"

The scuttling turned to rapid movements, and from the confines of Fate's apartment, Signum could pick out the sounds of things breaking. For a second, the brief, fleeting confines of that tiny sliver of time, the warrior almost, almost asked which one of them was supposed to be the stripper. But experience and the flat out fact that she knew better kept her mouth shut.

The door was thrown open and Fate appeared, looking frazzled and panicked. "Are you out of your mind? Hayate, my neighbors!"

As if on cue, a door down the hall creaked open, and a woman that Signum placed to be at about a hundred and three peeked her head out. "Fate dear? Are you alright? Do I need to call the police?"

Fate's face flushed crimson, and she poked her head out with a nervous wave. "N-no, Misses Hagashi. It's just a dumb prank."

"Fate is the police." Hayate whispered with a conspiratorial wink up to Signum.

"Are you sure?" the elderly woman questioned, eyeing the tall, pink haired guardian warily.

"I'm sure." Fate replied, her voice cracking. Her eyes snapped back to Hayate, her mouth a thin taunt line. "Fine. You win."

"Always do." Hayate breezed, moving past Fate and entering the apartment, the knight not far behind. "Hey, did you see that Signum? That nice old lady though you were a stripper."

Signum sighed as Fate slammed the door.


Notes!

So sorry for the long wait. I managed to catch a terrible case of pneumonia and spent a few weeks in bed trying to get back on my feet. With Final Fantasy X/X2 coming out, I will do my very best to update quicker but um, yeah. XD

And with that out of the way kiddos, we're gonna do something a bit different today. After all of that angst, something fun needs to happen, yeah? Through some discussions with a reader, I have decided to tack on an extra little parody bit, to bring some sunshine back to the depressing turns this story has taken. So, here we have an 'alternate' take of the beginning of the fic where Fate and Nanoha are waking up after angst filled cuddles. To bitsofme, this is completely your fault. Thank you for the fun idea!

The following is completely ridiculous and has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the story.

Did I mention ridiculous?

Angst filled cuddles. Good lord. I need to stop torturing those two.

-Alternate Cut-

Nanoha was comfortable. With a contented sigh, she burrowed deeper into the pillowy warmth beneath her cheek, the arms around her filling her with a sense of fuzzy love and protection that was almost enough to lure her back into a deep sleep. But something, something felt a bit…off.

Drowsily she ran down a mental check list of her surroundings. Fate's apartment? She groggily cracked an eye open, the dim layout of sparse furniture coming back to her from the night before. Check. Fate? The aforementioned arms and delightful space between the enforcer's shoulder and the swell of her breasts in which she was nestled confirmed that Fate had not vanished. She shifted her legs, feeling a curvaceous, shapely thigh tucked between her own and grinned sleepily at the discovery. Excellent. Check. Did she work today? What day was it? Not that it mattered, as the sun had yet to fully rise. Screw it. Check.

So then…

A bright flash filled the room, and two things happened. First, Fate, always on the alert, bolted straight upright with a gasp. Nanoha, a second slower due to surprise and having been half blinded, followed suite, promptly clocking Fate in the chin with her flailing hand.

Fate let out a string of curses not heard since the 'incident' on the far side of planet Drayeria, also known as Unadministered World number 4387. Fate didn't talk about planet Drayeria, and she certainly didn't talk about the terrible things that occurred there, mainly because she would be laughed right out of the armed forces. Long story short, she had spent approximately two weeks after said 'incident' sobbing and washing her long, luxurious blonde locks until she was sure they would all fall out. Teana, to her credit, never once said, 'Hey, do you remember that time when that nest of giant neon green spiders exploded and all the thousands of hatchlings totally crawled all up in your hair?' Instead, Teana, blessed, sweet girl that she was, had R&D develop the most portable kick ass version of a flame thrower ever made, and kept said weapon on her person at all times. She now thoroughly torched each and every cave before entry, and Fate could finally stop picking through her hair for hours each morning in dread and fear.

Bless that girl.

But Teana wasn't here, and Fate was sure she had just lost a couple of teeth.

"This has got to be the weirdest foreplay I have ever seen."

Fate and Nanoha snapped their heads towards the intruder's voice in unison, and had Hayate not been certain that she was about five seconds away from death, she would have laughed.

It had started innocently enough you know. After watching Fate trudge around the city like a broken, wounded puppy, Hayate had taken it upon herself to fix things. That was her, yup, the fixer. Always prepared to help out a frustrated, forever angsting, in desperate need of a 'good lay' friend. Her eyes darted between the pair. Or friends.

But now? What had started as a goofy attempt to get Fate out of the dark hole of her apartment was now descending into madness. She smoothly pocketed the digital camera out of fear of its utter destruction, because even when faced with a fiery death by the hands of the White Devil, she wasn't about to give up that damn good snapshot.

Fate was moving first, the corner of her eye twitching, and suddenly the White Devil was the least of her worries. Hayate opened her mouth, half tempted to make a crack about Fate's couch being the Lost Logia of sexual deviation, but thought better of it when she saw the enforcer reaching for Bardiche. Hayate squinted in the half light. Was Fate…was Fate bleeding?

She laughed nervously, shuffling back several steps. Wow. She had never known Nanoha to throw such a mean right hook, and judging by the way the Ace of aces was staring at her, she was about to experience it firsthand.

"So, uh, yeah. I'll uh, be on my way then…" Hayate tried weakly, gesturing at the door with a timid wave of her hand. "Just, uh, carry on. Pretend I was never here."

Fate wiped the trail of blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, eyeing the liquid darkly. "Oh, come on now Hayate. Going so soon?"

"There's…this…thing…" Hayate nearly whimpered.

Oh God. She was going to die.

"Really?" Nanoha questioned, her tone so sweet and saccharine the commander's blood ran cold. "Because, I for one would love to know what was so important that you felt the need to interrupt the first Fate-chan cuddles I've gotten in over two years."

Fate turned to gaze at her friend, her eyes softening. "Nanoha…"

"Fate-chan?" There was a tiny beat before the brunette zeroed in on the trickle of blood, and her breath fluttered out in a gasp. "Oh no, you're hurt!" In seconds Nanoha had whipped a ridiculously pink handkerchief out of nowhere and was gently dabbing at the corner of Fate's mouth. "You know I can't stand seeing you hurt…"

Fate took Nanoha's hand in her own, all thought of violence promptly forgotten. "I'm alright, as long as I'm with you."

"Fate-chan…"

"Nanoha…"

And Hayate? Hayate coughed into her fist. "Uh…guys?"

But there was no response. She may as well have been invisible at that point.

The commander looked at Fate, then Nanoha, and back to Fate. "Right, then…" she muttered under her breath. They were lost now in bubbly shoujo sparkling love, and she knew when to bail. She slipped out the door, gently easing it shut behind her, and let out a deep breath.

She hadn't expected to find Nanoha here of all places, and had she known, she would have thought twice about barging in. So much for her information relay network. Maybe she was starting to get rusty? Not that it mattered in the end, because she was under the firm belief that if those two would just shut the hell up and have sex already, the world would be a better place for all of them.

Shaking off her near death experience as she made her way down the stairs, she fished out her camera with a triumphant grin. Oh, she was going to make a mint with these prints, because all those young little cadets among the ranks would shell out just about anything to get a glimpse of the all-stars in such an intimate position. Maybe she could go through her collection of 'will they won't they' snapshots and make a calendar.

Her brows creased in thought. Seriously though, what the hell was up with Fate's couch?


Like it, hate it, feel like punching me in the mouth?

You know what to do.