"I wonder if any of them lived through that explosion," Naomi half wondered to herself and half hoped Lancer would chime in. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard with burning questions moments after they returned home.

"Probably." Lancer collapsed on her bed, flat on his back and sighed in relief.

Naomi's search of 'mythological woman in white with weird colored sword' came up with thousands of drawn images of fairies and fantasy female warriors that seared her already tired, burning eyes. Looking up legendary martial artists gave her a kaleidoscope of movie stars and historical figures that made her vision glaze over.

She wasn't familiar enough with history or mythologies to make educated guesses. There was no way she would find their true names like this. Maybe Lancer had a clue.

Naomi swiveled around but clamped down on her mouth before she could fire off a question. Lancer laid on top of the covers with his head propped up on the pillows. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slow and deep. She had never seen him sleep and had assumed he didn't need to. Apparently, even Servants needed their beauty sleep.

Her eyes roamed over him under the lamp light seeping from the nightstand. He was without a doubt a good-looking guy, and she was starting to like him more and more. Loyal. Trustworthy. He didn't seem to expect much from her as a Magus, but he still threw himself full heartedly into his role as her Servant. She respected his dedication and wanted to try and not hold him back. There were ideas brewing in the back of her head about ways she could use her newfound use of barrier runes. It was crazy that it had been able to block Caster's bomb. She expected it to crumble.

Naomi didn't want Lancer to catch her staring, so she got up to get ready for bed. Her head was starting to feel like it was floating up into the clouds from lack of sleep.

The shower pelted her back with delicious stinging heat and instantly relaxed her muscles. She relaxed a bit too much and winced from her ribs, front and back, letting her know they weren't happy. Berserker hadn't killed her thanks to Lancer, but he left a lasting sting. Naomi wouldn't bother healing the bruising. Nothing was really broken.

Hair dried and dressed in pajamas, she exited the bathroom, ready to crash for rest of the day. The shower had helped her calm down.

Caster, Simmons, or Fuller…she was still confused about that. Had managed to summon Servants and somehow had the true Berserker Servant. She didn't know if they stole control over Berserker or if they simply had him detained and ready to set loose like, well, a loose cannon.

With heavy feet she walked over to the side of the bed. Lancer was still passed out. His arm was flung over his head, and he was sprawled out, practically drooling on himself. A small smile tugged at her lips at how carefree he looked. She wasn't convinced he wasn't faking it, but she wasn't about to kick him out. The couch would do just fine for today.

He looked normal health wise, and she had already coaxed accelerated regeneration, but she worried if he had any internal wounds. He took a nasty hit for her when she flew into the wall. He hadn't mentioned anything when they got home and wasn't limping or showing signs of pain. The fact he was sleeping concerned her. She should use healing magic, just in case. Then she could go sleep on the couch.

She leaned over and hovered her spread hands over Lancer's chest. Her palms up with a quiet hum, draining her prana to seek out and mend hidden injuries.

Lancer grabbed her wrist without opening his eyes and pulled her down onto his chest. She gasped in surprise, and he slung an arm around her back, pinning her there.

Naomi's face lit up red. "I'm trying to heal your injuries here," she groused. "You're making that kind of hard."

He didn't respond or so much as twitch a muscle.

"I know you're awake," now she was getting annoyed. Naomi tried to pull away, but his arms were as impossible to budge as a wall.

"Give me a little reward after today, would ya?" He mumbled. "I want some thanks."

Cheeky bastard. Giving up in a tired flop, she let her cheek drop against his chest. Her whole body was throbbing from being beaten and bruised and her magic circuits were pulsing from overuse. Maybe she could just let everything be for a moment. Laying there, she could feel her magic circuits throb in time with her heart as her head rose and fell with Lancer's breathing. The position wasn't unpleasant.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Warmth encapsulated Naomi as the sun scattered through the closed blinds. She thought the heat was coming from the star in the sky until she became more lucid. Her sleep addled brain slowly recognized there was a body under her. One of Lancer's arms was draped over her back. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but damn her if it didn't feel nice. Really nice.

Too nice. She needed to get up. If there was some way to untangle from this mess and slip away before he noticed…

As if hearing her thoughts Lancer made a small, content sound and buried his nose into her nest of hair. She frowned. There was no way he was asleep.

Naomi shifted and tried to get up, but Lancer moved with her. He rolled over her, switching their positions and placing one hand on the back of her head and the other behind her back as he smothered her. The movement made the muscles around her ribs scream.

She made an unintelligible sound of annoyance against his shoulder.

"hmm?" Lancer asked lazily.

He was doing this on purpose to goad her on and she wasn't in the mood for it.

"Lapmher." Her irritation was muffled from his chest squishing her face.

He made another "hmm." Sound. This time lacking the upward climb in tone, sounding content.

Naomi's head started pounding the moment he flipped her over. She squeezed her eyes tight against the smothering, trying to abate the all-consuming headache.

At her lack of resistance Lancer open his hooded eyes and pulled back a little to look at her face.

She must have looked as bad as she felt because Lancer didn't tease her. He felt her forehead then silently stroked the top of her head. Her closed eyes relaxed as the menstruations helped calm her throbbing brain.

"I didn't know you were so submissive in bed. I have to admit I like this side of you."

He couldn't keep his stupid mouth shut for two seconds.

Naomi cracked her eyes open and glared at him. His hand stilled on top of her head.

"What a scary look." He seemed to be enjoying her annoyance.

She didn't budge but narrowed her eyes further. Not. In. The. Mood.

"Alright I'm going." Lancer got up, making the mattress sink then rise. "Coffee?"

Naomi dragged herself to the bathroom to get dressed. Every muscle screamed as if she had been through an intense workout. It was no wonder when she looked in the mirror and saw black and yellow bruises flowering on her arms and legs. She usually didn't bother with healing bruises, but this was ridiculous. Naomi started using healing magic to erase the damage. Her circuits flared and snapped, sending a bolt of pain through the base of her neck. Her eyes snapped shut and she leaned over the sink. The circuits sizzled and began pulsing.

It felt like something had broken. Or was dying for all she knew. Naomi knew next to nothing about how her magic circuits worked with the rest of her body. It was literally magic to her. The worst part was she didn't expend all that much prana earlier that day. It was significantly more than she was used to using, but it still shouldn't have taxed her system this badly. She really was a crappy magus.

Pulling her shirt on, she walked into the living room that saturated with the powerful and comforting scent of expresso. Lancer was sitting on the couch, in his casual clothes, and sipping a Coke.

A steaming cup of coffee covered in a thin layer of froth beaconed her on the counter. She picked it up and gingerly sat at the small bar.

Lancer's ponytail tied by his gold cuff was bunched up on the back of the couch. As if her mind had a personality of its own, it started imagining running her fingers through his hair. Her face turned beat red when she realized where her betraying imagination was going. She huffed and took too large a gulp of coffee that sent her into a coughing fit that made her ribs hurt worse.

Lancer looked back at her with a raised brow. "Is the coffee that bad?"

Naomi shook her head as tears pricked her eyes. She finished coughing and took a deep breath. "It went down the wrong way."

"Drink it slower then, Sheesh. It's not going anywhere."

Naomi cleared her throat and got up and joined him on the couch. If she was sitting next to him she couldn't ogle. Lancer scooted over and threw an arm over her shoulders and held the remote in his other hand. The TV flashed with breaking news.

The not so abandoned house with a cellar full of Servants was being covered. The headline suggested a gas leak led to an explosion that demolished the structure from the inside out. She honestly wouldn't have bat an eye if the entire property hand sunk fifty feet underground or turned into a field of lava. Even to her, the crater that was showing up on the news looked like a lot more than a gas leak.

It bothered her to not know what became of the strange, false Servants. There was no body count in the news, and if they had died there would be no bodies. They could be on the loose. There was no doubt Caster was still on the loose.

Naomi's mind drifted as she watched the news with Lancer. She was keenly aware of the fading barrier. If her circuits didn't recover before tomorrow, it would peter out into nothing and her extra mana detecting alarm system would go out.

The phone in her pocket buzzed. She fished it out and blanched at seeing the collar ID for a text through the cracked screen. Joan. Naomi should have blocked her number but hadn't thought to bother. She swiped up and read the text with a sinking feeling.

'Hi Sweetie, I'm sorry I never told you about my job. You never should have had to worry about Executors and similar war-like problems. I have always been trying to keep you away from the worst part of life. There's a reason magecraft hasn't decimated the non-mage population yet. Executors are necessary and it was the only job I knew how to do. There's a lot you don't know. About mages, me, and yourself, but now isn't the time'.

Dots at the bottom of phone screen spun. Joan was writing more. Naomi sank into the sofa.

"What's on the phone that's got you so bummed out?" Lancer craned his head over her shoulder to see what was making her heart rate spike.

He took one glance then went back to watching the TV. Naomi appreciated that he didn't comment. This was a family problem and she needed to deal with it.

Joan's next text came.

'There's no going back now. I've figured out who Edward is and where he's working. I'm going to invite him to meet me at Four Flags at nine o'clock on Wednesday. I want you to come too.'

"Oh my god, why?" Naomi groaned. Joan just couldn't let her handle the Grail War on her own. She was going to force her way in-between Naomi and the other Masters. It made her so angry that she wanted to chuck the phone that was already making her mad with the cracked screen right into the wall.

"What's Four Flags?" Lancer had snuck another look at the phone.

"An amusement park. It's closed during the winter." Irritation washed over her. "It'll be deserted."

Perfect setup for a Servant fight.

"Are you going to go?" Lancer inquired.

"I don't know." Maybe she should let them duke it out. Whatever. Less work for her. She really didn't' want to think about Joan right now. Doing so was making her more and more angry to the point she couldn't think straight.

The amusement park had gotten her thinking. "Do you want to take a break and do something fun?"

Lancer's eyes lit up. "Hmm? What do you have in mind?"

Lancer followed Naomi through the mall in his bright Hawaiian shirt.

His hands were in his pockets as he took in the busy building.

"Are you looking for clothes or something?" Lancer asked casually. "Or is this a date?"

Naomi stopped in her tracks, choking on her words. "It's not a date!"

She'd said it too loud and people had turned their heads, making her more embarrassed.

Lancer smirked at her reddened face. "I don't know. Taking me out to fun places. I think that counts as a what you call a date."

"I was just tired of sitting in the house." She turned quickly on her heels, wanting to get away from onlookers.

She bought a to-go meal at the food court and Lancer declined her offer to get him one as well. She then dragged her Servant into a sporting goods store.

He looked around at the paraphernalia with interest. There was a sign above his head with a painting of a rafter paddling down a roaring river. "What are we here for? Are we going kayaking?"

"It does involve water. Over here." She motioned for him to follow and led Lancer to an isle of fishing poles and tackle. "I don't know a lot about fishing supplies so go ahead and pick out a pole and hooks and whatever else."

Lancer's eyes lit up like a kid being presented a buffet of candy. "We're going fishing?"

Naomi folded her arms over her chest and worried she had read him wrong. "I…might have had another dream. Another memory of yours. You looked like you liked it…"

Maybe she should have asked if he even wanted to go fishing first.

Lancer broke out into a loud, hearty laugh. He held his head in his hand and threw back his head.

Lancer pulled her into a side hug. "I'm glad not all of the memories you have to see are bad."

Naomi's face flared from embarrassment, and she burned a hole in the fishing poles with her eyes so Lancer wouldn't be able to see her face.

"I'll pick something out," he released her and didn't spend much time choosing a pole and bait. Naomi paid for the items and they left the mall.

She parked her car at the edge of a public lake and took the plastic shopping bags out of the trunk.

Lancer made quick work of the packaging and fitted the pole with a fuzzy bait hook. Naomi plopped herself down in the grass with a styrofoam container and dug into her lunch slash dinner. The days were starting to get warmer but there was still a slight chill in the air. Her flimsy jacket kept her warm enough. Lancer sat down next to her and tossed his line into the water.

They sat in companionable silence as Naomi scarfed down her food. Lancer had recast and reeled in his line three times before she was finished. Setting the empty container aside, she sighed contently and leaned back on her hands. The lake was still aside from a small boat sitting idle in the distance.

"The container is still left." Lancer spoke while slowly reeling in the line.

"Haha. Funny," Naomi said drily and dropped on her back. She stretched her arms over her head and her shoulders produced a satisfying pop. "How did fishing become your hobby? Is it just a unanimous pastime for guys?"

The bait hook popped out of the water and droplets fell from the fanned ends. Lancer hummed to himself. "Probably. It's like hunting only it doesn't take as much concentration and fish don't scream your ear off." He threw the line out.

Wispy clouds hung against the blue canvas in the sky above. Naomi's head still felt a bit fuzzy from the last few days, but she was feeling much better.

The false Servants. Ones that shouldn't exist after the initial Servant summons for the Grail War…She wanted to know why they brought them into the world. It was possible Caster re-subjugated the Servants she had freed. She sincerely hoped they got away.

Naomi raised her arm into the air and splayed the back of her hand. Lancer's remaining two Command Seals shined down at her with a faint glow caused by the powerful magic coursing within them. Edward really had them backed into a corner. She needed to come up with a way to beat his Servant. Maybe they could lure Saber out separate from his Master. Not like that hadn't backfire with Rider.

"What kind of depressing thing are you thinking about to cause that face?" Lancer grabbed her suspended hand and hauled her up.

She blinked in surprise and was physically yanked from her thoughts.

"Scratch that. When's the last time you caught a fish?" Still holding onto her hand, he placed the pole in her fingers and took her other hand to press it against the fishing rod.

Naomi gripped the foam wrapped around the pole and held the reel handle. "When I was five? I think? My dad was into it for a bit and dragged me to the lake a few times."

Lancer leaned forward and rested his arms on his inner thighs. "I bet you can't catch another one."

She gave him a haughty look and started reeling in the line. Water rippled where the hook bait skittered under the surface. It broke out of the water, spinning wildly.

Lancer laughed. "Yep. You're hopeless. You'll never catch anything."

"What makes you think I would be an expert at this when I haven't touched a fishing pole in over twenty years?" She held the line in the reel with her thumb and pulled the pole over her shoulder. Chucking the gear forward, she released her thumb and the line flew into the water.

Lancer made an apprising sound. "Your casting arm is decent but lacking in strength. You're reeling it in too fast." He scooted close and put one hand above her outstretched one and the other directly over hers.

Naomi felt her heart rate pick up as his heat enveloped her. Lancer pulled the pole upward and set it back down in repeated smooth strokes while guiding her hand to crank the wheel at a steady pace. "This makes the fish think the bait is alive and something tasty."

Naomi could feel every tug of muscle in his arms brushing up against her as he made her move the fishing pole. For a corporal being he was surprisingly solid.

The reel met resistance on the next tug.

Her eyes snapped to the hidden end of the line, and she started pulling up on the pole.

"Looks like you're going to have beginner's luck." Lancer let go and Naomi began reeling in the catch.

Whatever it was it didn't want to let go. The rotating handle resisted any further cranking and yanking on the pole was proving tough. It felt like the fish was pulling back. With a loud plop the bait hook finally flew out of the water. A green, tangled, dripping mass flew at her face.

Lancer's hand flashed out and he caught it in his fist. He opened his hand which was now wet and covered in mud.

Naomi sighed and tried to will her pounding heart to calm down. "I caught weeds."

Lancer slapped his knee and guffawed. "I can't…believe…you caught weeds. Your face-" He broke out into more laugher.

Naomi's cheeks flared red. She plucked the line out of his hand and coaxed the gunk free with her fingers before throwing the mass back into the lake. She wiped her hands on the grass and passed the pole back to him. "I told you I suck at this."

Lancer re-casted the line with a toothy grin. "You're going to give up? Just like that?"

She shouldered over to him, determined to catch something. "Give me that."

"Oh-ho?" Lancer let her take the pole with a massive grin on his face.

The local church was quiet in the middle of the week. Naomi glared at it from inside her car. She had been sitting in the parking lot for twenty minutes debating going in or not.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh? Or are you being defiant toward your aunt?" Lancer's voice floated through her mind. He was in spirit form so she couldn't see him.

"Both." Naomi released her death grip on the steering wheel and sat back. "She's trying to force me to do what she wants by helping." She air quoted 'helping'. "I'm going to treat her like any other enemy Master. I'm not going to let her walk all over me anymore. I've had enough."

The last time she had been to the church, Edward told her Joan was a killer. It hadn't really sunk in until Joan said it herself.

Naomi's plan was to drag Edward with her to Four Flags as an ally. Instead of Joan beating up Edward, it would be Naomi and Edward fighting her. It wasn't fair, but she didn't care. Joan wasn't playing fair, either.

"You're not going to get anywhere sitting here. I can sense that Saber staring."

She sighed and pulled the car's door handle. "I know. Tell Gawain to creep somewhere else."

Naomi passed through the barrier that barred Servants from entry with any interference from Gawain. She swung the door open, and the familiar musty scent of the church assaulted her nose. She wandered around the corridors until she found exactly who she didn't and did want to see.

Roland gave her a too friendly smile. "Well, hello Naomi. This is the most I've seen you around here in years. Are you thinking of returning for Sundays?"

"I'm not interested in that." Naomi didn't want to talk to him more than necessary. She was almost as irritated with him as she was her aunt.

"I'm looking for Edward."

"Ah. He has an office down the hall. Go to the end and turn left, then it's the second door on your right. I hope you aren't considering joining the Mage Association after the War. Joan has worked hard to keep you safe from them"

"Who knows," Naomi clipped. "I'm an adult. I'll make my own decision." She turned on her heel and went down the hall.

The described door was ajar. With a slight push it swung inward, and Edward was right where the worker said he would be. Edward was sitting at an industrial metal desk that was covered in documents. He was leaned over a particular sheet of paper and so involved with the contents that he didn't immediately notice her.

Naomi cleared her throat and Edward's shock at seeing her amused Naomi.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked.

Edward crossed his arms. "Are you here to ask for sanctuary from the War?"

Naomi took that as a yes and shut the door behind her. "My stupid aunt is going to invite you to Four Flags. Has she been here already?"

"The Enforcer? No…why would she suggest that?" According to his puzzled face he was telling the truth.

"She's Assassin's Master."

Edward looked like he had just sucked on a lemon. "She's a Master?!"

"I thought you would have figured that out by now."

"That means she's the one who stole Assassin's and Lancer's relic. How couldn't I have seen that!" Edward almost roared in frustration and began pacing. "Of course. If you have Lancer then of course that means…How did I miss this?"

He was ranting to himself for being stupid but couldn't admit it out loud. Naomi was enjoying watching him implode on himself, but she didn't want to stand there forever.

"She plans to invite you to Four Flags and I'd bet anything that she means to fight your Servant. I want you to come with me so we can fight her together."

Edward paused and clutched his fists at his sides. "Why do you want me to help fight your aunt? You two are more likely to be a team and this is a trap for me to be double teamed."

"We are not a team I will never team up with her." Sure, Joan wanted to fight Edward to get the kid out of Naomi's way. Joan probably had a special vendetta against him since he was from the Mage Association. "I don't want her to beat you. I want to beat you. We're already…" It was difficult to get the word out, "allies. Right now. So lets go beat her Servant."

Edward started pacing again, then finally said, "Tell me about her Servant."