A/N: Hello to everyone who has joined this sequel story to Friends with Benefits. For those who have not read the original story in this series, I recommend you do so first. I changed the secondary tag from 'comedy' to 'drama' this time, since the second arc will be more focused on the emotional aspects of the characters' experiences. Also, the day count will most likely play a bigger part in this portion of story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

UNBREAKABLE

by : ~Nissanity~

Chapter 1 – Family Matters

~Day 1~

It was not the feeling of her presence, but the recognition of her absence, that caused Nanoha to reach into emptiness in the bed beside her. When her hand failed to find Fate's soft skin, her blue eyes fluttered open to discover the space previously occupied by her lover was now inexplicably vacant. With the white cotton sheet held up against her bare chest, Nanoha rose to a sitting position and stared across the void beside her in perplexity. She knew sunrise was not for another hour, and the alarm clock was set for thirty minutes after that.

Soft light emitted from the hallway and spilled under the gap of the closed bedroom door. Nanoha could also hear cabinets opening and closing in the kitchen, providing the answer to Fate's whereabouts that early morning. Once the aroma of brewed coffee had made its way to linger throughout the house, Nanoha moved the covers off her body and rose from the bed, her curiosity overriding any attempts to return to sleep that morning.

After retrieving her salmon-colored housecoat from the hook on the bathroom door, she made her way out of the bedroom and down the hallway. Just as she passed Vivio's bedroom, she could hear the faint sound of humming coming from the other end of the house. Rarely did Fate sing or hum in front of others, but Nanoha would occasionally have the pleasure of hearing a melody emitted from the husky-voiced woman.

"Good morning, Fate-chan," she said in the entrance of the dining room. To her surprise, she found Fate fully dressed in her Enforcer uniform. The black jacket and skirt were crisp and pristine from the care Nanoha had taken in ironing them. She looked good that morning. She always looked good in her uniform.

Fate looked away from the holographic screen in front of her. "Good morning, Nanoha. You're up early?"

Nanoha smiled back at her and exited the doorway. "Hmmm, I think that's my line."

Fate leaned back in her chair and waited until Nanoha had wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. She then hummed contently when she felt her kiss on her cheek.

"I was called in to work today," she said as Nanoha looked over her shoulder at the screen. "There was some sort of threat that came in overnight. They want the Enforcers on leave to provide extra security for the conference."

"Well, that explains why you're up so early," Nanoha replied when she noticed that Fate was to report for work at 5:30AM. "I'm going to steal some of your coffee, by the way."

"That's fine. I made plenty."

After entering the kitchen, Nanoha searched the sink for any dirty dishes that Fate might have used for breakfast that morning. Not finding any in sight, she retrieved a package of instant oatmeal from the cabinet and prepared it in the microwave. Once it was heated, she topped it with fresh blueberries and a few dashes of vanilla before returning to the dining room with it.

"Well, that answers that," Fate said when Nanoha placed the oatmeal directly in front of her. "I was wondering what you were heating up in there."

"I would have made you something better if I had more time, but you have to leave in a few minutes."

"You still spoil me," she replied after the first bite. "What am I going to do without you on my next mission?"

Nanoha attempted the best smile she could as she sat down at the table, pushing away any hint of sadness she felt with the thought of her leaving again. "You're going to take care of yourself, that's what. By the way, did you need a ride to work this morning?"

Fate tried to finish chewing before answering. "Teana offered to pick me up," she said. "She'll be here any minute, actually. Are you sure you don't want to try to get some more sleep this morning?"

"No, I really shouldn't. I've taken the past two weekends off and we have the conference today. There's a lot I need to do before work even starts."

"That's too bad. I guess things are back to normal for you, huh?"

"Well, that's not entirely true," Nanoha replied and leaned in Fate's direction. "Some things have gotten a lot better."

Fate smiled and returned the gesture, bringing her forehead to rest against Nanoha's. She studied the face so close to hers and noted the ocean blue eyes were now looking at her expectantly. She leaned in first, causing Nanoha to take a breath in anticipation. Their lips had nearly met when Fate received a sudden alert from Bardiche. She silently cursed it and pulled away, the atmosphere between them evaporating in an instant. Nanoha did her best to not sulk at the interruption.

"Teana's here."

"Okay. Don't worry about the dishes. I'll clean them up," Nanoha said.

Fate finished her oatmeal and coffee as quickly as she could before heading to the front entryway of their home. Just as she opened the door and took a step outside, Nanoha reached for her hand and pulled her back in to kiss her goodbye. Fate had to laugh a little at her misstep afterward.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha. I almost forgot."

"You did forget," she countered before letting her go again. "But that's alright. I don't mind reminding you."

"I appreciate it," Fate said as she began to walk into the darkness of the morning. "I'll see you at work."

"See you there, Fate-chan."

Nanoha sighed and took a sip of her coffee with her back pressed against the now closed front door. She then counted on her hand how days she had left with Fate before her next mission started - - the answer was four.

I'm used to this, though, she reminded herself. It's been this way for years now.

After stopping briefly outside of Vivio's door to ensure she was still asleep, Nanoha returned to her empty bedroom. The sight of the unmade bed looked tempting to return to, but her vision soon trailed over to the nightstand beside the bed. Raising Heart was pulsing white intermittently, signaling that Nanoha had a transmission of her own waiting for her.

"Did I need go in early, too?" she wondered out loud while crossing the room to retrieve her device.

Once she motioned for the ruby org to bring up her holographic screen, she was immediately greeted by the sight of her mother's paused face in a new video message. Nanoha's hand hovered mid-air as she searched for the timestamp on it, noticing that it arrived the previous evening while she and Fate had been in bed together. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, close to the original spot where she had filmed her confession video days prior. Her hands started to feel clammy from the sense of nervousness beginning to fill her.

Well, here goes nothing, she thought as she pressed the play button. In the video, her mother first cleared her throat and then waved several times to the camera before beginning to speak - -

"Hello, Nanoha. I'm sorry it took so long to respond to you. Your father and I were very busy at the cafe this weekend. I gave Miyuki your message congratulating her, and she said thank you. Alisa and Suzuka stopped by the cafe this weekend too, and they wanted to me to say hi to you and Fate for them. So, about the second part of your message you sent..."

Nanoha took a deep breath in an attempt to gather her courage, something her mother did simultaneously on the screen. She couldn't help but chuckle at the shared gesture afterward. She then had to wonder just how much she was turning into her mother every day.

"I will admit, it surprised us to hear of your preference for women. It's not something your father and I are against, of course. We both want you to be happy, more than anything else in the world. It's just that we've never heard you mention anything about it before. There really wasn't any doubt about it after your last message though, considering that we could see Fate laying naked behind you the whole time."

"W-What?" Nanoha stammered and hit the pause button in a panic. She turned back and forth repeatedly to where Fate would have been laying in bed that night. Sure enough, the camera angle would have picked up on that section of the bed behind her. She groaned loudly and hit the play button again. She then buried her head in her hands in sheer embarrassment.

"You didn't mention Fate's name in the video specifically," her mother went on to say, "but I can assume that you're choosing to pursue a relationship with her, correct?"

When Nanoha heard a heavy sigh come from the video, she pulled her hands away from her face to look at the screen again. She found that her mother now held a somewhat troubled expression, filling her with a sense of dread over what might be coming next.

"I don't know, Nanoha... I just don't know. I would be lying if I said it didn't concern me. You know our family loves and cares for Fate like one of our own. But you've also told me that she's gone on missions more often than she's home, and how hard that is on you and Vivio already. Are you sure you want add romance to that type of situation? Honestly, I don't want to see you end up in an unhappy relationship when you have other options to - "

"End transmission, Raising Heart."

Nanoha sat motionless on the edge of the bed, her mind now reeling and her stomach turning in knots. She knew her mother had no ill-will towards Fate, and that her words stemmed from a genuine concern for her daughter. But that didn't make the statements any easier to digest. She stared down at her hands that were now gripping the comforter so tightly, her knuckles were beginning to turn white. The thought of ending it with Fate, so soon after it had only just begun between them, was enough to bring bitter tears to her eyes.

I will never tell Fate-chan what my mother said, she resolved in her mind. This is the one thing she can never know.

oOOOo

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Fate began her journey with Teana on the empty roads of Cranagan towards their destination across town. Without Nanoha's presence to occupy her time and thoughts, she was able to revisit the incident with Ginga that had occurred the day before. It was the first time the two of them had ever had any sort of confrontation, and Fate now struggled with a way to make it right between them.

Teana observed her passenger shifting uncomfortably in the seat beside her. "Something wrong over there?" she asked.

"Have you talked to Ginga since yesterday?"

"No, but I did talk to Subaru. She said Ginga was pretty shut down after they left headquarters. She didn't really want to talk about what happened."

Fate could feel sadness and guilt welling up inside her. "I'll try talking to her today, if she'll let me. I want her to know that I'm not upset with her. I know I only reacted that way because Nanoha was involved."

"Hopefully she'll understand," Teana replied. "Everyone's emotions have just been running pretty high lately."

After arriving at headquarters, the two exited Teana's car and walked across the parking lot in silence. Fate looked to the sky and noticed a line of dark clouds approaching along the horizon. The air felt sticky and heavy that Monday morning, a stark contrast to the sunny weather she had enjoyed with Nanoha and her family that weekend.

The main lobby was a sea of black while the Enforcers waited for their security assignments that morning. Fate scanned the group twice, both times failing to see her blue-haired teammate anywhere among the crowd. When she spotted Hayate crossing the lobby, she jogged in her direction and flagged her down to speak to her.

"Good morning, Fate."

"Hey, Hayate. Good morning. I was just curious if you knew where Ginga is, by chance? We're about to receive our assignments for today and she's not here yet."

Hayate's expression immediately turned serious. "I'm sorry, Fate. Ginga was temporarily reassigned to desk work here at headquarters for now. After the incidents with you and Nanoha, the Council think it's best if she has some distance for a while."

"Distance?" Fate repeated in disbelief. "Is that really necessary?"

"It is from the Bureau's standpoint. At least until things calm down. The last thing we need is for an Enforcer to get hurt because of distractions like this."

Teana heard the entire conversation from a few feet away. "It's probably a good idea, honestly," she said to Fate. "It'll be tough without her around, but it could be dangerous with the way things are right now."

Fate tried to shake her head in frustration at herself and the situation, but Hayate placed a hand on her shoulder to try to reassure her. "Don't worry so much. It's nothing personal against her. Sometimes people just need time and space to get over things. It's not always a bad thing."

"Okay," Fate replied with reluctance. "But if you see her, will you at least tell her I'm sorry about what happened between us?"

Hayate grinned and slapped her on the shoulder in encouragement. "Not a problem, my friend! I'll be sure to do that."

oOOOo

Nanoha noticed the sky turning darker as the morning continued to drag on. Outside the numerous windows that lined the hallways of headquarters, she could see a layer of black clouds now completely overhead. It was a disappointing sight, considering how beautiful the weather had been that weekend. Everything had now turned almost ominous at the onset of the conference.

After exiting the elevators on the third floor, Nanoha entered the hallway in route to her office. To her surprise, she spotted Fate hovering in the air outside the nearest window, her back facing the building. Teana was stationed atop one of the building annexes beside her. Both looked bored and were chatting casually across the gap between them. Nanoha noticed Ginga's absence from their post, an unusual sight considering the three almost always worked together. She quickly brushed it off, figuring she must be assigned security somewhere else in the complex.

Nanoha then caught sight of Fate smiling in profile, and she couldn't help but stop and stare at the image. At that moment, she looked much younger than her current twenty-two years of age. It reminded her of simpler times they had shared, before the careers and children and other responsibilities had taken hold of their lives.

She opened up a telepathic channel, something the two of them rarely did together anymore. "I see you, Fate-chan," she teased from her spot at the window.

Fate immediately stopped talking to Teana and started looking to the ground beneath her. After a fruitless search, she shook her head and stared out in front of her. "That's not fair, Nanoha," she replied. "You can see me, but I can't see you."

"Oh, that's too bad. I'm appreciating my view, at least."

As Fate turned to face the building, Nanoha hid behind the window divider beside her, just out of her sight. "Your view of what?" Fate then asked, returning her vision in front of her again.

Nanoha peeked her head around the corner to look out the window again. "Of you," she continued, her voice now turning seductive. "You look really good in your Impulse Form, but I wouldn't mind seeing you in your True Sonic Form again. Maybe later tonight?"

The blood immediately rushed to Fate's face in response to the comment. The redness was clearly visible from inside the building, as was her eyes widening at the mention of her most revealing form. Nanoha couldn't help but giggle at the flustered expression she had just helped to create.

"I see you're having fun distracting our best Enforcer out there," came a voice from behind. Nanoha immediately closed the telepathic channel with Fate and spun around. She found Shamal looking out the window next to her with an amused expression on her face.

"H-Hey, Shamal! What's up? How's it going?"

"Oh, everything's fine. I just came up here to see if you had filled out that medical benefits form yet? I still haven't gotten it."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot to turn that in, didn't I?" Nanoha gestured for Shamal to follow her down the hallway. "It's still in my office."

"I know things were a little bit hectic for you last week," she mentioned as they walked. "I hope everything is going okay now, though?"

"Um-hmm. Things are much better," Nanoha replied. Once inside her office, she made her way to her desk and found the form buried under a few other pieces of paper. She was just about to hand it over when she noticed something wasn't entirely correct on it. Not anymore, at least.

"Something wrong?" Shamal asked her.

Nanoha placed the paper back on her desk and reached for a pen in the holder nearby. She first scribbled through the box next to the 'Single' status she had originally marked. She checked off the one below next to 'Domestic Partnership', and then wrote Fate T Harlaown in the designated line beside it.

Shamal's eyes scanned the document once it was in her hands. "Well, what do you know...?" she said affectionately.

"It's not that big of a deal," Nanoha said as she smiled and looked away to the floor. "It just seemed to make sense, you know?"

"It certainly does." When Nanoha's happy expression unexpectedly faded away, the sight did not escape the perceptive doctor. "Is something weighing on your mind, Nanoha?"

"Hmmm?" she replied distractedly, her thoughts now returning to the latest message from her mother. "Oh, it's nothing really. Maybe I'm just wishing that everyone else felt the same way you do."

"Someone doesn't approve of your relationship?"

Nanoha sighed a little. "It's my mother. She thinks that I shouldn't be with Fate-chan. She says it's hard enough already with how much she's gone."

"I see. Well, your mother is always going to worry about you. The best thing you can do is first figure out how you will handle this new relationship with Fate. Once you're sure of that, you can then reassure your mother."

"But I've already been going through this with her. For years now, in fact."

"It's going to be different now, though. Romance can change things quite a bit."

"I don't know... I doubt it will be all that different," Nanoha replied. She paused for a moment, then waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought entirely.

"Okay," was Shamal's only response to the stubborn woman in front of her. "So, I've got to meet Hayate here in a few minutes. I'll make sure to get your benefits information updated for you."

"Thank you, Shamal. I appreciate it."

Once the doctor had exited her office, Nanoha turned her attention to her work again and allowed herself to become completely immersed in it. And for the rest of her day after that, she purposely avoided any thoughts of the conversation she had just had with Shamal about Fate, as well the earlier video message from her mother.

oOOOo

The timer for the oven beeped loudly and Nanoha crossed the kitchen to turn it off. As she checked to make sure the dish inside was fully cooked, she took note of the time on the clock above the stove. Fate had not returned yet from work, having to provide added security for the important attendees at the conference. Even though she had been initially disappointed to hear that Fate would be staying late, she tried to remind herself that she was lucky she had time to spend with her at all before she left again on her next mission.

When she heard the front door open and then close again, Nanoha continued preparing dinner while she waited for Fate to find her. She heard her first stop to say hi to Vivio, who was busy doing her homework at the dining room table. Once she had made it to the kitchen, she crossed the room and nearly collapsed against Nanoha in front of the stove. Nanoha couldn't help but laugh in response when she nearly toppled over herself.

"I'm so tired," Fate groaned over her shoulder. "I was flying the whole time today. How was your day?"

"Not too bad. But it's a lot better now that you're home. You made it just in time for dinner."

"It looks great," Fate said as she pulled herself off of her. She retrieved the dinner plates from the cabinet to set the table for them. When she walked into the dining room, Nanoha could hear her ask Vivio to put her schoolbooks away so that they could eat. After a few minutes, she returned to help retrieve the food.

"I feel like the luckiest person in the world," she said suddenly. Nanoha turned to look at her across the room.

"You do?"

"I do. Dinners like this. Coming home and seeing Vivio. But mostly it's because I have you, Nanoha."

Nanoha found herself at a loss for words at Fate's declaration, and she now knew what it felt like to have her heart skip a beat. She also allowed the tears that she had been holding back all day to finally make their appearance. Fate smiled a little at the sight and crossed the room to hug her.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry," she told her in a gentle voice. "I just wanted you to know how happy you make me feel."

"I know," Nanoha replied, her voice muffled against Fate's jacket. "I'm really glad you said that." She then pulled away to wipe her eyes, not wanting to lose her composure completely in the middle of the kitchen. She handed Fate the salad bowl and bread before picking up the main dish herself.

In the dining room, they found Vivio waiting semi-patiently in her chair with an empty plate in front of her. Nanoha spooned a small portion of each dish to her first. She tried to hide her amusement at her daughter's disgusted face directed at the pile of steamed carrots in the corner.

"Eat them," her mother said. Vivio picked up her fork and begrudgingly pushed them around her plate. Nanoha retrieved the last of what was need for dinner and sat down in the chair beside Fate.

"How was training?" Fate asked her daughter.

"We learned about binds today!" she replied with excitement. "I'm not very good at them yet, though."

"Oh, yeah? I was about your age when I started learning them. It took me about three months to get them just right. I practiced on Arf a lot."

"What about you, Mama? How long did it take you?""

Nanoha smiled at thought. "Um... not too long. I used my first one on Fate-chan."

Fate leaned across the table as if to tell Vivio a secret. "She stole the technique from me," she said in a loud whisper. Vivio giggled when Nanoha slapped Fate playfully on the shoulder and pulled her back upright.

"Are you saying I cheated or something?" she asked. She shoved Fate in the shoulder, a gesture Fate returned even harder, nearly knocking Nanoha off her chair. They both laughed together, and soon were poking each other in the sides and finding different ways to tease each other.

Vivio watched her mothers' interactions carefully between her bites of food, noticing that as the dinner continued, the affectionate looks and touches they shared increased. After the third time she watched Fate tickle Nanoha, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you guys together now?" she asked, her tone completely serious.

The parents both stopped cold and stared at Vivio, her question now hanging heavily in the air between them all. Fate eventually shrugged at Nanoha and gestured with her head that she should be the one to tell Vivio. Nanoha poked her hard in the side one last time before turning her attention to her daughter again.

"Well... Yes, actually," her mother told her. "We are together now, as a couple."

"So that's why you guys have been kissing and stuff?"

"Um-hmm," Nanoha replied, her voice sounding increasingly tense. "We were doing that because we like each other very much."

Vivio merely nodded at the answer and returned her attention to her dinner again. Fate and Nanoha shared a cautious glance together, both unsure how they should read their daughter's reaction to the news.

"Are you okay with us being together, Vivio?" Fate eventually had to ask.

"Yep."

"You don't have any problems with it?"

"No, it's okay," the little girl replied. "I like how happy my Mamas are now."

Vivio's simple words of acceptance touched Nanoha immensely, more so than she ever could have ever expected. Fate leaned over to kiss Nanoha on the cheek and reached for her hand under the table, squeezing it once in encouragement. In those shared gestures and words with her family, Nanoha discovered that all the anxiousness she had endured earlier that day seemed to disappear entirely in the light of that perfect moment.

oOOOo

Nanoha said goodnight to Vivio one last time before closing the door to her bedroom behind her. She noticed the lights were already off in the rest of the house, a task Fate must have completed while she had been busy putting their daughter to bed. As she made her way down the hall towards her closed bedroom door, she noticed the sound of running water coming from somewhere inside. She entered her bedroom and heard the distinct sound of the tub filling in their attached bathroom. Even though the bed seemed tempting to crawl into after her long day, Nanoha found that the thought of a bath with Fate appealed to her even more.

Once inside the bathroom, she found the small room to be filled with steam. Fate was leaning her back against one side of the tub, her eyes closed and long blonde hair piled in a messy bun on her head. "I'm not safe from Nanoha anywhere," she smiled.

"Nope," Nanoha replied and started removing her uniform. Fate opened one eye to watch her first unbutton her blouse and then unzip her short blue skirt. After she had undressed completely, Fate turned off the faucets and sat up straighter to make room for her in the middle. She was surprised when Nanoha instead sat with her back against the opposite side of the tub.

"You didn't want to sit in front of me?"

Nanoha shook her head and reached into the water to retrieve one of Fate's legs. "If I did, I couldn't do this."

Fate sighed contently when she felt Nanoha begin to massage her calf muscle and the bottom of her foot. "That feels really, really good."

As Nanoha continued to move her hands along Fate's legs, she became lost in thought again over her mother's correspondence that morning. Fate noticed her unusual silence before she spotted Raising Heart resting against her chest.

"Has your mother sent you a message back yet?"

Nanoha nodded, somewhat amazed that she could sense what she was thinking about. "Yes, she did. She actually sent it last night, but I didn't get it until this morning."

"What did she say? Was she okay with you coming out to her?"

"Um-hmm, she was. She said that she and my dad were surprised at first, but that they're fine with it."

"That's good. Did she say anything else?"

Nanoha paused and debated where to take the conversation next. Her mother's doubt over the viability of their relationship had troubled her most of the day, but the last thing she wanted to do was drag Fate into the same depths of worry with her. She also didn't want her to feel attacked or unappreciated because of her mother's words, even if they were spoken with the best of intentions.

"She knows that we're together now," she said instead.

Fate racked her memory, trying to figure out how that was possible. "How did she find out?" she had to ask.

"My parents saw you naked in bed behind me."

"Shut up. No, they didn't."

Nanoha nodded her head earnestly. "They totally did. I swear."

"Oh, god..." Fated groaned and went limp against her side of the tub, letting her arms fall heavily into the water. "Now they probably think I seduced you or something."

"Nyahaha! Fate-chan... No one thinks you seduced me."

"Wait, why not?" Fate asked and stared back at her. "I could have seduced you, Nanoha. If I had really tried to, I mean."

Nanoha only grinned further at her and then sat up in the water. She then turned around completely and scooted back to sit in between her legs. Fate immediately raised her hands to start rubbing her shoulders, eliciting a small moan from her in return. Nanoha focused completely on her muscles unwinding under her firm but careful touch.

"Are you going to respond to the message tonight?" Fate then asked.

Nanoha reopened her eyes slowly and stared blankly at the water below her. She hadn't decided if she was up to sending a response yet, nor had she even considered what she might say to her mother to defend her relationship.

"I don't think so," she eventually replied. "I might wait a couple of days before I do."

"That's understandable."

Nanoha leaned backwards to relax against Fate completely. "I really don't want to worry about that right now. I just want to enjoy this time with you."

Fate wrapped her arms around her and placed small kisses along her shoulder. "Sounds good to me."

"By the way, Shamal knows that we're together."

"Oh, yeah? What did she have to say?"

"She was happy for us," Nanoha replied. "I'm sure she told Hayate, which means everybody at headquarters probably knows, too."

Fate chuckled at the thought. "Well, you know everyone at Velvet does for sure. I told Teana today, too. She said she wasn't surprised at all."

"And what about Ginga?"

Nanoha could feel Fate tense a little at the question. "Ginga was reassigned to desk work for a while. Hayate said the Council thinks she needs some distance from the situation with all of us."

"Oh..." Nanoha responded quietly. The sadness over the loss of her friend and teammate was painfully apparent in Fate's voice. "I'm sorry to hear that, Fate-chan."

"It's okay. Hopefully she'll be back soon."

"I hate to say it, but she probably won't be happy to hear that we're together now."

Fate sighed a little. "Maybe not. But that part doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?"

"No. In a perfect world, everyone would be supportive us and see what we see. But that won't always be the case."

Nanoha turned to face her. "So, what do we do about that?" she asked, her mind returning to her mother yet again.

"Well, there's not much we can do. We can't control what everyone thinks about our relationship. But no one can take away what we have together, either. I know in my heart that I'm meant to be with you, Nanoha. I'll always be yours, and no one will ever change the way I feel about you."

The confidence and sincerity in her words struck a nerve deep inside Nanoha, and it was in that moment she realized Fate truly felt no hesitation in her commitment and dedication to her. It almost seemed to come as natural to her as breathing itself. "You can be really romantic sometimes, you know that?" she whispered.

Fate smiled in return but said nothing, instead reaching up to touch her along her cheek at first. She moved her fingertips across her lips next before trailing them across her collarbones and down towards her stomach. Her eyes never left Nanoha's though, no matter where her hand moved across her soft skin.

Nanoha closed her eyes when Fate leaned in to kiss her, their parted lips beginning to moving together in sync. It felt more intimate than any kiss they had shared previously, leaving Nanoha feeling as if her emotions had almost been rubbed raw inside of her. She found herself wanting to simultaneously smile and cry the more she dissolved under Fate's touch. She finally had to pull away to catch her breath and to find her balance again.

"Why don't we go to bed?" she suggested when she noticed the bathwater had become tepid. Fate agreed to the idea and exited the bathtub after she did. They both took turns playfully drying each other off while standing on the rug in the middle of the floor. Fate eventually wrapped a towel around Nanoha before doing the same for herself.

It wasn't until they had exited the bathroom did they realize it was pouring down rain outside. Just as they made beside their bed, lightening flashed brightly outside their bedroom windows. A few seconds later, a loud crack of thunder followed suite. Fate flinched slightly in response to both.

"Is that going to bother you tonight?" Nanoha asked, referring to the electricity lingering in the air that Fate was sensitive to.

"It might, if the storm gets any worse."

"I won't keep you up then," she said as she removed her towel and turned off the light overhead. Fate laid down first in the middle of the bed so that Nanoha could come to rest against her. She was the first to surrender to her tiredness after the long day she had endured.

"This feels really good," she murmured, her voice already hazy.

"It does," Nanoha replied and nuzzled into her shoulder further. "I like it when we hold each other like this."

"By the way, I have to work again tomorrow," Fate then mentioned.

"Have they told you anything about your next mission?"

"Not yet," she replied. "They said they would tell us the details tomorrow morning."

Nanoha ran her fingers up and down Fate's arm. "I really wish you didn't have to leave again," she said quietly.

Fate reopened her eyes when she thought she heard a loneliness in Nanoha's voice that had never been present before. She searched for the words that might bring her comfort, but soon found herself coming up short. It wasn't that she was unable to speak like the few times before. She just didn't have anything to say that could help lessen the pain of her leaving.

Another flash of lightening struck outside, feeling like tiny pin pricks on Fate's skin. Between the thunderstorm and the sense of Nanoha's sadness, she knew she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. She surprised Nanoha by leaning down to kiss her again, the gesture replacing the ominous mood with a more passionate one. She eventually turned them both and came to rest on top of her.

"Fate-chan...?"

Fate held herself above her, gently pushing Nanoha's hair away from her face and running her hand along her cheek. "I wish I didn't have to go either," she said. "Let's just try to enjoy the time we have together until then."

Nanoha nodded and pulled her head into her shoulder. She could feel Fate begin to slowly move against her, and as her body responded, Nanoha felt the worry and angst that had consumed her that day now fading away. She clutched and pressed her fingers into Fate's shoulders with every shift and thrust they shared, catching glimpses of her above in the intermittent flashes of lightening through the window. As they continued to push each other closer to their limits, they both breathed hard and clung to each other desperately. They both wanted more, needed more from each other than they ever had before.

After their bodies were spent and they had succumbed to their exhaustion, they continued to hold on to each other. Fate fell asleep first, her lover's warmth and comfort enveloping her completely. Nanoha held her close and listened the sound of the rain, now coming down much lighter since the thunderstorm had passed. Just before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into her own peaceful sleep, she felt words being to surface from inside. They were ones she didn't even realize had been lying in wait.

"I love you..." she whispered that night. She froze immediately after the words had found their voice and left her mouth. She knew she had said those same three words hundreds of times before, even to the woman lying right next to her.

But now, for the first time in her life, they held a new and completely different meaning.

A/N: See you all soon ~Nissanity~