Author's Notes: I looked back on this fic recently and figured that it's been quite a while since there's been an update, and you all seem to like it. So, why not add a bit more to it?

I will say, those OCs I alluded to all those months ago? Probably not gonna show up, not in this story at least.

As soon as Monarch had gone to Kaiser to speak about his condition, Kaiser had been immediate and unwavering in his decision. Effective immediately, Monarch was grounded, in Kaiser's words; "For your own good."

It was the first time in Monarch's entire career of flying that he'd been grounded, and to be honest, the only thing that he really felt was relief. As much as he wanted to be back in the sky, he also knew that, as painful as it was to admit, he might end up doing more harm than good.

The eventual plan was to get him to a psychologist, but that ran headlong into reality pretty much immediately. Even a week following the Presidia Disaster, the sheer number of people who were wounded or trapped somewhere in the city was utterly staggering. Every single person who had any kind of medical training had their hands full, especially when considering that most of the professional doctors in Cascadia had been killed during the war.

In times like this, he'd normally go to his wingmen for comfort, but they'd still shown no signs of showing up. He missed Peter and Evelyn as though they were his siblings, and to an extent, they were. He still wasn't willing to give up hope that they had survived the Presidia Disaster, but nagging doubts were already starting to work their way into his mind.

The only person that he could really turn to was his ever-dependable partner and girlfriend, Robin "President" Kuo. So far, her injury sustained during the fight with Crimson One didn't seem to have any lasting impacts, but she was still under strict orders to keep resting.

And so that was exactly what they did, rested. Some of the engineers with the Independence Force had come through and constructed some ramshackled rooms from salvaged materials in some of the highway tunnels that weren't being used as runways. It was, without question, the worst Barracks that Monarch had ever stayed in, but they at least had clean water and a roof, and even power, at least some of the time.

He and Prez got one of the shoddier rooms, but he was grateful for the opportunity just to be away from the ominous orange glow that now made up the outside world. There was no escaping the constant lightning, however, and occasionally the thunder would crack just that little bit louder, causing him to jump in his seat.

That was what had just happened, a clap of thunder so loud and damning that he was momentarily convinced that it was all happening again, that the Federation had found their base and decided to finish Cascadia off for good. He shuddered and clutched his head, willing it to go away, to leave him alone.

"It's alright." Robin hastily said, at his side in a moment. She was always there to help him through the worst of it, and he was sure that without her, he'd have well and truly lost his mind. "I'm here for you, you're safe, just breathe."

He did as she said and let out a long, shaky breath. "…Thanks."

She silently nodded and firmly gripped his hand with her own. Slowly, he started to shake less and less, until he was finally still once more. "It's going to be okay. I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I know that it will be."

He listened closely to her voice, each word removing a weight from the pile that had been constantly weighing upon him. He wanted to say something back to her, knowing that his silence bothered her, but he just didn't know what to say.

After an awkwardly long time, he managed to scrape together some kind of reply. "Me neither."

Robin tried to hide it, but he could see a sense of disappointment flash behind her eyes, and immediately he felt anger at himself. Here she was, selflessly helping him in his darkest hour, and he couldn't even manage a few measly words?

"I…" He struggled with even that, just opening his mouth to speak felt like he was putting on a couple of Gees. "I'm sorry. I should… talk more."

Her gaze softened at his words. "Don't feel like you have to, I know that it's hard for you."

He nodded in gratitude and gripped her hand just a little bit tighter, as he momentarily became lost in thought. She'd done so much for him, and while he wasn't about to ignore what she'd said, he did want to say something, something that would make her feel better.

"I want to say something, for you." He said, working through each word carefully and deliberately. "What should I say?"

Robin looked surprised, and clearly a little excited, and instantly he felt just a tiny bit better. Seeing her smile was worth any amount of effort.

It didn't take her long to come up with what she wanted to hear. "Well… I know that we're mercenaries, but… I want to know your name. You already know mine, but since we're together… Even if I know that I can't say it out loud, I want to at least know it."

There was no other profession in the entire world where two people could fall in love without knowing each other's names, except for Mercenaries. A name to a Mercenary wasn't just something private to hold onto, it was a very real vulnerability, since any personal information like that tended to spread like wildfire, and from there could make its way to bounty hunters.

There was only one other person in the entire world, at least among the living, that knew Monarch's real name, and that was Kaiser. To the entire world he was Monarch, but to Pr- to Robin, he wanted to be more honest than that.

And so, he told her his real name.

Robin's smile couldn't possibly have been wider. "You know, somehow I expected something a little…"

Even with the effort it took to speak, he found the strength to make a guess. "More grand?"

"More local." She clarified. "I know you're from Cascadia so that was a bit of a surprise."

He shrugged, he had to give her that, it was a little unusual compared to the average names that kids got in Cascadia. "You and Kaiser are the only people in the world who know it."

Prez looked momentarily confused, before realization set in for her, and her expression softened once more. "…Nobody else?"

He nodded, betraying no emotion.

It hurt to see the smile disappear from her face, but he knew that she would have to learn that about him at some point. For a few years now, he had been alone in the world, but not anymore.

"Well, now you have me, and that's not changing, promise." She said, her tone firm and determinate.

She leaned in and brought him into a tight embrace, and he allowed himself to take comfort in having someone to love.