AN: Holy crap, 99 reviews? You guys are the best and for being so awesome, I present to you chapter 3! It must've felt like you were waiting forever for this chapter to come. I hope you guys enjoy. I tried to make this chapter a little longer than the last one.

Also, I usually try to answer reviewer questions but since I take forever to write chapters for this story (Not to mention there is a ton of reviews to sort through), I'll be answering questions from reviews as they come as opposed to in the Author's Notes like I do with my other stories. I figure this will be more efficient and you get to have your questions answered sooner as opposed to three months later or whenever I finally get a chapter done. Alright so on with the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Someone Like You

Nanoha was standing before her. Head bowed, bangs covering her eyes. Her mouth was moving but no words came out. Fate knew though. She knew what the girl before her was saying, those words that played like a broken record.

"I'm sorry Fate-chan."

Nanoha began to walk away. Fate tried to yell for her to wait, but no sound came out. Her legs would not move. They felt heavy as lead, keeping her rooted to her spot. Yuuno was suddenly standing next to Nanoha. The two smiling at each other as they walked further and further away from the blonde who could do nothing but reach out to them. Her silent screams going unnoticed to everyone but her.

"No!"

Fate gasped as she rolled over causing her to fall to the floor. Her heart raced as she stared wide eyed at her living room ceiling. The sound of the fans rhythmic twirling helped her to relax herself if only a little. Why did she have to have that dream? Well, it more of a nightmare than anything else. Grimacing, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She gingerly rubbed the arm that broke her fall. It had been a bad idea to sleep on the couch after all, but the events of a few hours ago left her with barely any energy to make it back to her room.

Her day had been taxing enough as it was; her unexpected visitors did quite a number on her mental strain. After Nanoha and Vivio left, she still couldn't sleep even though her weary mind yearned for her to just lie down. She knew she'd dream of something she'd rather not think about, which is why she'd taken it upon herself to fix her front door. It would be better than bothering her landlord about it. Not like it wasn't easily repairable by her. The door had only been thrown off its hinges, so it was only a matter of screwing it back into the wall. Repairing it hadn't taken her as long as she'd thought which left her with only time to think. Again, this was something she didn't really want to do. Picking between the lesser of two evils, Fate decided it would be better to face whatever her dreams could throw at her. It probably wouldn't be any worse than what her thoughts would lead her to. She'd been right.

[Sir, transmission from Hayate-san.]

"Put her through." Her voice sounded a lot raspier than she thought it would. She cleared her throat hoping it would sound better.

"Fate-chan! Whoa, you look like crap."

"Gee, thanks." Fate ran a hand through her hair trying to tame her wild locks.

"Well, it's the truth. What happened? You were totally passed out after we you left you. Don't tell me you got up to drink more~" Hayate playfully speculated. Fate knew better though. Sometimes, Hayate's playful moods could be deceptive. The brunette didn't make commander just because she was a talented magician although it certainly didn't hurt to be known as one of the three aces.

If she had to guess, Hayate probably wasn't making this call just to make sure she wasn't horribly hung over. These "check-up" calls were happening more often than before. Maybe the brunette felt she had to watch out for her now since she'd felt she hadn't been there for the blonde Enforcer when the incident with Nanoha went down. Fate had already told everyone though that she had no ill feeling towards anyone for that….well except for the obvious turmoil she felt around Nanoha but that was a given. She would never force her friends to take sides on that issue which is why she'd chosen to keep her feeling to herself and dealt with the aftermath on her own.

Fate sighed. "No, I had some…unexpected visitors last night."

"Really? Who?"

There was a visible shift in Fate's posture. Hayate was quick to notice the blonde go rigid. Fate remained silent as she remembered the events of the previous night… or earlier that morning. However one wanted to look at it. That was enough to clue in Hayate on what possibly happened. Not a lot of people could cause that sort of reaction from Fate.

"I see. It went that bad?"

The blonde covered her face with one hand and leaned her head back against the couch.

"All things considering, it probably could've gone a lot worse. At least all Nanoha did was break down my front door."

"Well if she's in a bad mood today at least I know why now. I have the preemptive strike on her!"

"You sound like you're going into battle." Fate's said with a slight smile.

"Life is a battle field Fate-chan." Hayate answered sagely. Fate chose not to say anything about the saying being "love is a battle field" not "life is a battle field", although, that comparison wasn't too far off either. "How about having lunch with me later? We can talk more about this then. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to get to. I just wanted to make sure you weren't dying from a hangover."

"A hangover would be easier to deal with." Fate sighed. "But I'll take you up on your lunch offer. I'll see you then."

"Sounds good, I'll see you later Fate-chan."

The transmission cut off. Fate didn't move from her spot on the floor. She continued to look up at the ceiling. In the month or so since she'd moved into the apartment, she'd stayed in it a total of 5 times. More often than not, she'd be out doing her work as an Enforcer around the universe. Lately, she hadn't received a job that would keep her out for longer than a week mainly because her long overdue vacation hadn't been too far off so they didn't want to assign her something that was going to take up too much time for her to accomplish which was fine with her. After the last assignment that kept her away for six months, she was looking forward to a small break. That mission had been a godsend at the time though. Before she'd been sent on the long mission, she'd worked up the courage to finally confess her feeling to her childhood friend.

"Because that did me a lot of good."

The rejection of her feelings made her relive some dark emotions she hadn't felt since she was a little girl. Ironic really, that the person who caused those emotions had been the one who chased them away in the first place. Her jumbled feelings towards Nanoha were doing little to help.

She stilled loved Nanoha, but that love was a double edge sword that constantly wounded her whenever she was around the auburn haired girl. That time away though helped her gather her thoughts and feelings. She was hurt. There was no denying that, but she knew she couldn't and shouldn't use that as a reason to hurt Nanoha as well. If her friend didn't see her that way then she had to respect her feelings as well. Nanoha still wanted to be friends with her despite Fate's romantic feeling for her. Fate didn't want to lose everything they'd had up until then so she'd resigned herself to just being Nanoha's best friend. It'd be better than losing her completely.

At least that's what she'd thought. Then Yuuno came into the picture. It'd been far too much for Fate to take. Her feeling had already been rejected but then she had to stomach knowing Nanoha had accepted someone else's… there was no conceivable way she'd be okay with something like that. It was too cruel of Nanoha to think she'd be okay with that. This had given her the resolve she needed to move out of the place she'd called home for years.

Fate raised her head to look around her apartment. This wasn't her home. She wasn't sure if she could ever call it that. Burgundy eyes continued to roam, like it was the first time she was looking at the room.

There was very little in terms of decoration. Then again, she'd never been one for decorating. When she and Nanoha had moved into their…Nanoha's house, the auburn haired girl had taken it upon herself to fill their walls with things she thought would make Fate feel more at home. The blonde though hadn't really cared what went up on those empty walls. She only cared that Nanoha was there. That was her home. Together with the person she loved most. Sighing, Fate got up, the bones in her back popping as she stretched her cramped muscles. The couch really wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. It hadn't been properly broken in. Who knew if it ever would be?

"I better bathe. I still smell like a bar."

It was a good thing her vacation started the day before. There was no way she was in any condition to go to work. Not only because she drank enough to make herself feel slightly ill, but she was also running on very little sleep. Those two combined were the enemies all people. Fate lightly smacked her cheeks. She couldn't let this get to her. It wasn't the ideal start to her vacation but it wasn't a complete loss. It was rare enough to be given a week off, a month was like winning the lottery. Her current state shouldn't deter her from getting some much needed R&R.

"This shouldn't become a habit though. No more reckless drinking for me."

Fate took a long soothing bath. It did wonders for her aching muscles. Who knew so much stress could have this sort of effect on the body? It was as if she'd been working out all day. After her nice soak, she prepared herself to go out. Maybe she'd visit Arf while she was out. Lindy was watching out for her ever since…that day. At the time, her familiar had been practically living with Yuuno since they worked together at the Infinity Library. Fate hadn't minded since it was a great help to her to have someone her familiar could stay with when she was away on long missions.

Arf had felt the anguish Fate experienced when she'd discovered Nanoha's secret. In good faith, Arf could not continue living with the blonde man. Every time she was around him, she'd remember the crippling sadness Fate felt and knew she needed to do something about it. Fate tried to keep her familiar from quitting her work at the library, but Arf would have none of it.

"No! I can't work with the man that is causing Fate-chan so much pain! I refuse to betray you like that!"

The blonde smiled sadly at the memory. She'd quickly broken down into the arms of the dog woman. Such a simple act of loyalty had reduced her into a crying mess. The last time she'd cried like that was when she was nine years old. Back when Precia was using her for her own needs. Back before Nanoha had saved her….

Sometimes it felt like a curse that all her memories, the good and the bad, were filled with Nanoha.

"I shouldn't be thinking of her like that right now."

She shouldn't be, not after she'd promised to give Vivio a chance.

"Vivio…"

How was she going to handle that? Making a decision about what to do about the younger girl didn't exactly give her an idea about how she'd go about dealing with it. Fate had little to no experience on actually dating. Her only crush, her only love had been Nanoha and that didn't exactly end like she'd wanted. She was probably more of an expert on heartbreak than actual love. Still, she needed to try. There was nothing worse than having your feelings pushed aside and after having her own feelings rejected; it made her want to give Vivio a chance to have her feelings returned. Having a chance, having feelings acknowledged…it's been all she wanted when she confessed. There was no guarantee that she would feel the kind of love that Vivio wanted from her, but that obviously didn't deter the younger blonde. If anything, it seemed to make her want to try even more. That head strong part of her was definitely a Takamachi trait.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing."

There were so many risks involved with what she was doing, but she couldn't doubt herself now. She needed someone to talk to about this. Hayate wouldn't be a bad choice since they were going to be having lunch later. Still, she had a feeling the brunette was going to freak out once she revealed what she had decided. She sighed once again. Feelings always made things more complicated. People in general were complicated. Sometimes she wished there was some sort of manual for things like this.

-SomeoneLikeYou-

"Are you up yet? You're going to be late for school!" Nanoha yelled from the bottom of the stair case.

Nanoha was in a bad mood on this morning. She'd gotten very little sleep and to top it all off, Vivio had once again disobeyed her and gone to Fate. Nanoha bit her lip. It felt like last night was the first time she'd gotten a good look at the blonde woman in ages. Things between them had become more fractured thanks to her relationship with Yuuno. Ever since then, she'd avoided looking directly at Fate. It'd become too hard to look at the person she hurt so much. She'd driven Fate to the point of her not wanting to be around her. How could she have done that? Fate had always put her needs above anything else. She'd never denied Nanoha anything. Not even when she'd selfishly asked if she'd continue to be her best friend after she'd rejected the blonde's feelings.

"I'm a cruel woman." She whispered to herself.

Her thoughts broken when Vivio came bounding down the stairs. The younger girl's mood was in the complete opposite spectrum of her mother's. She may have gotten little sleep, but she'd obtained something she didn't think Fate would have never given her: a chance. That small glimmer of hope that she would be able to win the heart of the person she had feelings for since she was a little girl. It was enough to make her want to squeal like a little girl.

Nanoha watched her daughter walk into the kitchen with that extra pep in her step and wondered what had caused it. Her memory was all too eager to supply her with the images of the night before, of Vivio hovering over Fate on the couch. Irritation gnawed at her.

She quickly served Vivio her normal breakfast of cereal while she had some toast and coffee. Vivio immediately took notice that Yuuno was nowhere to be seen. Now that she thought about it, he'd been missing after she'd returned home with her mother. Vivio's eyes flickered towards her mother, curious to see if she'd taken notice of this too. If Yuuno's absence bothered her mother she didn't show it. Vivio herself hadn't thought much of it then and she certainly didn't now. Her morning was that much better without him around.

"You're coming straight home after school. No going to friends' houses. No going to the gym to train... no sneaking out to see Fate-chan either."

"What!" Vivio's good morning came crashing down far too quickly for her liking.

Nanoha gave her daughter a look that said she should know exactly why she was being punished.

"You know perfectly well why."

Vivio looked like she was about to retort but stopped herself. Nanoha raised an eyebrow at this. Usually, Vivio didn't stop her outbursts. If anything, things tended to degenerate into a shouting match between mother and daughter, much like what had happened the night before. She watched in odd fascination as Vivio held back any biting remarks.

"How long?"

Nanoha was not use to seeing her daughter so subdued. When was the last time they'd talked like this without needing to raise their voices?

"One week."

Nanoha could tell she was still struggling to keep herself from bursting out in indignant rage over her punishment. To her credit, Vivio did not give into her feelings of anger. Instead, Fate's words rang through her mind. Nanoha was her mother. Fate had scolded her for being so disrespectful to her. She had to admit, she never felt more ashamed of how she'd been acting towards her mother until Fate said something about it. As frustrating as it was, Vivio knew Fate had a point. She couldn't keep acting like a child, not if she was going to stand a chance at winning Fate's heart. Whatever issues she had with her mother and her boyfriend couldn't continue.

Even if she hated to do this, she had to be civil towards Yuuno. He had been the cause of most of her and her mother's arguments so in order to keep those to a minimum, the only logical thing to do was attempt some civility towards the man she once saw as an uncle. If Fate could somehow do it then she could too.

"Fine." She grumbled.

For a moment, Nanoha caught a glimpse of the child she'd once been. An image of a 10 year old Vivio briefly replaced the teenage one, a pout firmly in place for not getting her way, but smiling a moment later telling her mother how much she loved her. The image faded and Vivio was still sitting there, pout still in place, but no smile was directed at her.

"Can I still make calls?"

Nanoha contemplated this. It wouldn't be much of a punishment if she could still talk to her friends. She hoped her answer didn't set Vivio off.

"No, you can only do so if it's an emergency."

Her daughter remained silent.

"Fine." Was Vivio's eventual response. Nanoha was relieved that, for once, they wouldn't be fighting about anything.

"You better hurry or you'll be late for school."

Vivio nodded and finished her cereal as fast as she could. After placing her bowl in the sink, she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door. Nanoha watched from the window as Vivio left without so much as turning back to wave good bye to her. Again, the imagine of her daughter shifted to her younger self, waving good bye to her mother as she left for school.

"You are a great mother, Nanoha."

Startled, Nanoha looked behind her.

"Fate-chan?" she whispered. She could've sworn she'd just heard Fate's voice, but that was impossible. Fate wasn't there. She wasn't with her anymore. Her eyes drifted over to the chair that used to be Fate's. It'd never been removed from its spot at the table. It was probably one of the last things she and Vivio had agreed upon, albeit silently. They'd hoped that one day, its rightful owner would return. Nanoha felt it become harder to breathe the longer she looked at that empty spot.

In that moment, Fate's absence suddenly seemed much more evident.

-SomeoneLikeYou-

Fate sat at the booth of a little restaurant near the base. Hayate had sent her a message letting her know where to meet her. Evidently, Signum would be joining them as well. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the whole thing, but after her visit with Lindy, she felt slightly better about the course of action she'd decided to take.

"It's just a crush."

The blonde Enforcer recalled her mother saying. It wasn't like she hadn't considered this before. Teenagers weren't exactly known for their rationality with all the hormones their bodies were producing in order for their bodies to grow. She'd been there and hormones had been the bane of her existence. She knew from the kids around her that crushes came and went with little to no consequence. Dating was done for the sake of dating as opposed to any actual commitment from any party. On rare occasions, something more could actually come from these flings, but from what Fate saw, the majority of the time kids were just playing at love. Was Vivio also just playing at something she didn't understand?

"What if it's not?"

She'd asked. There was always the distinct possibility that the younger blonde wasn't just experience a crush. This could be the real deal. If it was then had she made the right choice to allow her feeling to flourish? She hated suddenly doubting her decision to give Vivio a chance.

"Then you do what is right."

Lindy had responded. The right thing…. How come that was the default answer? What a vague and completely unhelpful answer. Whenever she heard that phrase uttered she felt like screaming in frustration.

"How do I know I'm doing the right thing? How!"

Her mother then took her into her arms and held her tightly. Fate hugged her mother back. She'd never felt more at ease than when her mother gave her one of her hugs. The only thing better than Lindy's hugs had been Nanoha's, but she hadn't been getting any of those in a while.

"Fate… I trust whatever it is you've planned for Vivio. I know you and I know that you'd never do something that would harm that child. Even if it's unconventional, even if others may not understand…just know that I support you."

That unfaltering support…

Fate closed her eyes and smiled. What would she do without her mother? What would she do without that support? Steeling her resolve, she decided she was going to go into this with no regrets, but before she could do that, she needed to talk to Nanoha. That was one talk she was certainly not looking forward to, no matter how necessary it was. For now though, she better practice what she was going to say on Hayate and Signum. Those two, were her closest friends and confidants. She trusted they would be brutally honest with her. At least Signum would be for sure. Hayate….well she'd never been one to be overly serious, but when she was, you'd had better listen and listen well.

"Fate-chan!" Hayate waved enthusiastically as she and Signum approached.

"Testarossa." Signum greeted in her usual serious manner.

"Hey guys."

The two women seated themselves opposite of the blonde. A waitress came by and took their drink orders while they looked over the menu. While they waited for their drinks, Fate filled them in on what happened after they'd dropped her off from the bar.

"So Nanoha came in, guns blazing…."

"There was no blazing of any sort…" Fate began but Hayate ignored the blonde's attempts to keep the story grounded in reality.

"Demanding her daughter be released from your evil clutches..."

"I don't have evil clutches…" Fate tried again.

"But Vivio had already fallen under your spell with promises of candy…."

"Now you're just making me sound like a genuine pedophile." Fate said aggravated.

"Oh the innocent soul that has been caught in your web of evil!" Hayate wailed dramatically.

Fate looked over at Signum who seemed to be ignoring her master's antics.

"Can't you do something about her?"

"You can't win." Was Signum's simple answer. Sadly she was probably right.

"Hayate…." Fate whined.

"Haha, sorry Fate-chan, but you have to admit, my story is a lot more entertaining than your version."

"I wasn't trying to entertain anyone."

"Well I'm going to tell it my way."

"Please don't…" Fate could only imagine the horrors that kind of story would produce.

"Fine, party pooper, so anything else that happened?"

Fate hesitated. So far, she'd told them everything except the part about having told Vivio that she was giving her a chance.

"It's now or never."

"There is something else."

Hayate looked at her expectantly and although Signum didn't look like she was paying attention to her, Fate knew better by the way the pink haired woman's eyes stopped scanning the menu. The waitress came by and dropped of their drinks before heading off again to the other tables. Hayate brought her cup of tea to her lips at the moment Fate decided it would be a good idea to answer.

"I'm giving Vivio a chance."

Hayate instantly spit out her tea…right in Fate's face. The blonde blinked unsure if what had just happened had actually happened. By the look on Signum's face though, it probably did.

"C-come again?" Hayate coughed.

"I'm giving Vivio a chance."

This time, Hayate grabbed Signum's tea, drank it, and spit it in Fate's face again. This time the blonde didn't question whether her friend actually spit tea on her.

"My office. Now." Hayate's commanding voice left no room for Fate to argue. Fate cast a forlorn look at her menu. She had a feeling the last thing she was going to be doing in Hayate's office was eating a delicious lunch. She didn't have much time to dwell on it since Signum pulled her out of her booth and promptly lead her to their car. As the car door shut behind her, she wondered if Nanoha would be spitting a pink beam in her face instead of tea.

AN: Finally managed to finish this. I know there wasn't much humor in this chapter but I tried to make up for it with that last bit with Hayate. So, reviews are always appreciated. I do like hearing what your guys take is on how the story is developing. Till next time!