Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own the series, just the idea.

Rating: PG-13 to be safe for implied adult themes and actions. Don't like, don't read. No actual sexual description.

Pairings: BriDeu past, TerDeu present.

Note/Warning: Made up incident, character death implied/mentioned. Forgive lack of mechanical description. It's just a ficlet.

Summary: A look at the thoughts of Tereus when he becomes a couple with Deunan after the death of Briareous.

"You gonna fight for her?" The words were said with a bit of a twisted smile, Arges himself seeming to have decided on what the answer was before I could answer.

"No, I'm going to find someone. Someone whom I wish to protect." The words came naturally from my mouth, almost thoughtless. I thought for sure I would be able to get over the way you made me feel. How protective I wanted to be when it came to you.

But of course all of this was before the Ladon incident. Before what happened to Briareos, before the need that I watched grow in and change you. Now I have to wonder if we hadn't followed that stupid signal, if we hadn't let him go after Circe maybe he wouldn't have been ambushed by those undines. If we didn't let ourselves believe he was stronger than it turned out he was. I don't think I ever saw you scream and cry so much.

I keep blaming myself, thinking that if I had been there, if I had dragged you with me to his side we could kept that dragon of a cyborg from crushing him. If you could read my mind you would probably yell at me. I know he would.

You probably didn't know this, but as a bioroid with his DNA, I inherited more than just an understanding of him. I also inherited his memories. A few of them are even ones I'm sure you would wish I didn't know. It's how I know you so well.

I suppose I knew in a way, if this happened, that you would come to me. And I suppose in a way I wished for it.

"You know I can't stand it when we have to dress up!" Deunan's voice was edging on a growl as she accepted the long box from her best friend, her eyes as fierce as if she were on a battlefield. Already she had been dragged around from store to store and forced to pull on and slide off almost as many outfits as the years in her age. Quite frankly she was beginning to feel more and more hostile toward the bioroid that was putting her through this torture. "The trenches in North Africa were nothing compared to this!"

"Oh come on, Deunan. This isn't even that bad! I'm letting you wear a cover up!" Hitomi chuckled as she patted her friend's arm reassuringly. "Besides, a date with-"

"Please stop calling it that already!" Eyes downcast the blonde took an unsure step back, not wanting to face the facts.

"Why not? Isn't it?" The bioroid cocked her head to the side, trying to properly analyize the woman. The two were lovers, that much was certain. After all the physical familiarity was obvious, not to mention the convenience with which the two seemed to disappear at the same time.

"...it is. But it isn't. He's just my partner." She was dodging the words, almost as if the idea of being more than that was something that really seemed to hurt her.

Hitomi hummed quietly before dragging her to the shoe department.

I have these memories that aren't really mine. One of them really stands out.

It's you taking a bath after making love. Your skin is shining and you look so beautiful in the Egyptian sunlight even though we're laying in the middle of a half ruined building. I can even remember how when you stood that even that one tell tale scar on your lower belly looked surreal as you stepped out of the bath with it's cold dew water and walked to me. The sound of a machine gun went off in the distance, not close enough to bother us about moving camp. I remember licking along that line just the way that always made you seem to melt.

Your mouth was hot on mine, and all I could think was how damn lucky I was to have the sexiest woman in the world on my lap. You asked me later if I was upset that I couldn't get you pregnant. I told you I didn't care if we had a baby if you didn't. You just sighed and I knew then that you did care, that maybe because of me if we could have you would have wanted me to give in and impregnate you.

Except all of that wasn't with me.

Snapping metal cable and the satisfying crunch of armor beneath her lazer edged blade left Deunan almost giddy feeling. Always one for a good fight she shone on the battlefield in a way that made her heart soar. Nearby she could sense the movements of her partner, and she glanced over just in time to watch Tereus slide his own blade under the chest plating of another undine, popping the covered bolts and slipped the steel into the now exposed spine. The lights of the female cyborg dimmed before she suddenly flashedat her seams, exploding.

"TEREUS!" The blond rushed to the man's side, then gave a wry smile as he reached up to pull her close. She got up, pulling him to his feet with her momentum before the couple went back to back naturally, drawing their guns as they made certain the area was clear. More cyborgs, more rebels, and even more guns flashed around the duet. They moved as if in a ballet, him turning clockwise and her ducking under his gun to move behind him smoothly.

Around them shells clatter to the ground, sulfur and smoke float around their heads like a thin cloud as fire bucks out of the barrels. When the smoke finally clears, all that's standing still is them.

Remember the first night you came to me after he was gone?

You were trying to act like nothing was going on. Even when you climbed into my lap you pretended it wasn't happening. At least at first you did. Until our mouths met and you hold onto me as if your life depended on it. That's why we didn't have sex that night. Or the night after. I think you thought I was having a morality issue since I had a girlfriend at the time, but that wasn't it.

I think I could have been married and I still would have been able to make love to you, Deunan.

You cried in your sleep that night while I held you. I wanted to take away your pain so badly, but all I could do was hold you and kiss your cheeks.

"No." There is a humorous note in her voice as she stretches. The sheets feel cool to her after the heated activity they shared, and she didn't even have to consider what the answer to his question was.

"Why won't you change your answer?" Long fingers that Deunan knew were calloused from gun triggers and field combat carded through her hair as she lay beside him, bare side pressed to his equally bare front. Her eyes didn't need to look to the side to see his frown, instead she let a wry smile twist her lips as she sighed, eyes closing.

"Because I like the way it is now. It's perfect. I don't have to build a new room just so you can have another room to store stuff in."

A quiet huff escaped the long haired man as he leaned in to smell her skin, all honey and salt. "It won't be storage. It'll be an equipment room." Now he was arguing for the sake of arguing, but they both have always enjoyed this sort of banter.

"Like I said. A storage room." She was not about to be talked out of this.

"You're not being very giving." Tereus doesn't even feel an ounce of guilt as he slid his hand up the inside of her thigh as they continued to disagree.

I hope you can forgive me for the joy I feel because of his death some day.

I know I can't.