Log #7
UCPD Log: Feb-3-20XX, PM
Officers: F. Testarossa and N. Takamachi
Case File: Runaways, part 4 (Epilogue)
“Whoo hoo, Fate-chan!” Nanoha cheered despite the rough jerk as they pulled into the police station parking lot. “Two-fifty-eight, we made it!” Chief Grahem often assigned boring traffic duty for those who showed up late to work, especially the three o’clock afternoon shift, which no one had a real excuse to be late for.
"Although..." The brunette paused thoughtfully before she winced. "We might have broken a few speeding laws... you could get in trouble for that."
Scowling and shaking her head, Fate slammed the car door behind her and went over to Nanoha's side, opening the door and grabbing her partner's shirt collar, hauling her out. "Come on, Nanoha."
"Ow! Jeez..." Nanoha tugged slightly, but she wasn't nearly as pained as she wanted to seem. "What's gotten into you?"
"I got a call from your mother. She said to come by when we're done talking to the Chief. It's about the kids."
“…And just
when did you get this call?”
Fate raised an eyebrow. “When you had put your head out the window to play chicken with the traffic coming the opposite way.”
"I wasn't playing chicken!"
Fate rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she wants us to come over, and on top of that Hayate said that the Chief really wanted to talk to us. I'd rather clear the air now than wait."
“I bet you he’s going to say how even if it is to save innocents, we still need to adhere to the letter of the law because we’re the examples for people, et cetera,” Nanoha said as they walked in.
“A few more times, Nanoha, and I think that you can quote him verbatim.”
"I certainly hope so." Nanoha grinned. "He's been hounding me on this for years."
Fate sighed, shook her head, and led the way inside. Despite her partner's good cheer, she couldn't fight the sinking feeling that what Grahem wanted to say to them would not be good.
“Hey Signum,” Fate greeted the stately and tall sergeant at her desk. “Where’s your cousin?”
“Hayate and Yuuno got the day off,” Signum replied, glaring at her pile of paperwork that she had been signing. It was funny how Hayate, the street cop, was better at dealing with the necessity of paperwork than Signum, who clearly would rather be out tackling suspects to the pavement. The pink-haired woman had a mean tackle, Fate knew first-hand. The one time they had taught a self-defence class together Fate had been thrown onto the mat so hard she had cracked a rib. Signum had apologized for it while Nanoha and Hayate just laughed helplessly in the sidelines.
“How come
we didn’t get the day off?” Nanoha complained.
“You’re the troublemakers,” Signum said without sympathy. “You don’t reward bad behaviour.”
“I’m not the troublemaker, she is!” Fate protested weakly, not really meaning it.
"You're partnered to her, Testarossa." Signum finished signing one sheet, took a look at yet another complaint, and grimaced before checking to make sure her pen still had ink. "Therefore you're also considered a troublemaker."
"Aww, how sweet! Look, Fate-chan, the Chief is trying to set us up!"
"Then why did he pair off Hayate and Yuuno?" Fate grumbled.
“The Chief didn’t pair you two up, you chose the partnership yourselves.” Signum said matter-of-factly, then snorted. “And
someone has to look after Hayate.”
“Is that favouritism I sense, Sergeant Yagami?” Nanoha teased. Signum glared at her, but Fate didn’t join in the teasing. Nanoha’s previous words had brought that anxious knot of fear back into Fate’s stomach, and she clenched at her patrol hat tightly and cast a covert glance sideways at her partner.
Maybe we should stop coming into work together? Thank god there haven’t been any emergencies lately, if someone came to get me at my apartment and I wasn’t there…
"Anyway, Chief told me to wave you two in," Signum said. "Since you're on time for once, I'll do just that." As if to show, she lifted a hand and waved it in the general direction of Grahem's office.
“Funny,” Fate said dryly before tugging on Nanoha’s collar again. “Excuse us.”
“Testarossa! Takamachi!” The Chief shouted from his office.
“Coming, sir!” Fate winced at the amused expressions of their coworkers around the room and the teasing comments they called out before she dragged Nanoha into the Chief’s office and shut the door.
Nanoha grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck. "Why do you always do that?" she grumbled.
"Why do you always not move when I want you to?"
Grahem cleared his throat. "About the mission last night, ladies."
“Sir, we retrieved not only the two runaways reported earlier, but also two more children who were also part of Jail’s operation,” Fate said immediately. “We also learned that the boy Erio has intel on Jail’s specialized unit of assassins, and that—”
Grahem held up a hand, and Fate stopped, her heart sinking.
“That’s for later. But first off—”
“Here it comes,” Nanoha muttered.
“Pardon?”
“Um…nothing, sir.”
“As I was saying,” Grahem continued, furrowing his grey brows and staring at both of them with his sharp, clever eyes, “Last night’s mission—”
“Actually, it was this morning—”
“Ladies!” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Grahem sighed. “This morning’s mission has caused the police no end of trouble.”
There was a long, awkward silence. Finally, Nanoha sighed. "Because I blew something up?" she asked.
“The boat with the drug shipment was acceptable, although we lost a lot of potential evidence…but you see, the Scaglietti company is suing the police for the loss of their warehouse.” Grahem tapped an official court folder on his desk. “I had given you two permission to retrieve both children, not destroy half the wharf-front.”
“To be fair, sir,
we...well, I didn’t blow up the warehouse, one of Jail’s guards did.”
“The explosives were yours, so you’re going to have a hard time proving it.” Grahem looked grim. “I’m not going to leave you two out to dry on this, although I should, since you stepped beyond the acceptable range for your behaviour. But you two are smart enough to know that there are more players in this war than the cops and Jail’s organization, and most of them are waiting to support the winning side. Do you understand?”
Nanoha winced, then sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir." She didn't like how it sounded, but even she knew when it was a bad time to challenge Grahem.
Satisfied, Grahem took a deep breath. "There's also something else. Your...
behaviour last night concerns me."
This time, the partners exchanged a confused look.
Chief Grahem appeared to be visibly struggling with ways to begin his next sentence, but he sighed in frustration and said bluntly, “I’m concerned that your close relationship may be jeopardizing your objectivity.”
Mouth dry, Fate quickly jumped in. She’d have to go carefully, in case he was fishing and ended up with more information than he actually knew about before. “Sir, I apologize for my behaviour last night…I mean, this morning. I should have acted in a more professional manner, but—”
“You thought that we were all blown to pieces!” Nanoha said sharply. “You acted just like any other person!”
"Stay out of this, Takamachi." Grahem's voice left no room for argument. "In fact, why don't you go help Yagami with her paperwork? Last I saw her she was threatening to throw a pile of it at me."
Nanoha glared, but at the quiet look in the older man's eyes she relented. Shooting Fate one last concerned look, the brunette left, closing the door quietly behind her with a click.
Fate stared at Grahem, not exactly defiant but definitely serious. The Chief waved at a chair. “Have a seat, Testarossa.”
Fate sat, but she stayed on the edge of her seat.
Grahem picked up a pen and turned it over in his hand. “Testarossa, how long have you been with the force?”
Rhetorical question, Fate knew, but she answered it anyways. “Since I turned eighteen, sir.”
"And how long have you known Takamachi?"
Fate blinked, confused. "We met when we were fifteen, sir."
“I see. You joined up at this station while Takamachi transferred in when you were nineteen, correct?”
“Yes, sir.” Fate wanted to cry with relief. She could guess what question he was about to ask next, and while she didn’t have a great answer for it at least she had an answer, not like if he asked something slightly different.
“You two worked with other partners for nearly a year before the Night Sky case threw you two together after your partners were killed. Yet for that entire year, most reports said that you couldn’t stand Takamachi. Why did you two request to become partners then?”
“We worked together well on that case, sir.” That was the easy answer. Truthfully, Fate still hadn’t figured out all the reasons why she had proposed the partnership, and why Nanoha had accepted.
Grahem raised an eyebrow but his voice remained mild as he asked, “You co-signed Takamachi’s apartment lease.”
Fuck. She hadn’t thought that he would investigate that far. The Chief was finally taking action on this. Fate replied as calmly as she could, “Nanoha was having trouble paying the down payment, so I decided to help her out. I was living with my mom at the time, so I had the money to lend.”
Then Grahem dropped the bombshell.
"Let me ask you something Testarossa. Let's say last night, Takamachi didn't walk out of that explosion. Let's say it killed her. What would you have done?"
Fate took a breath. Then another. “Hayate would likely have had to sit there with me until morning, sir. Because I wouldn’t have left until I knew for certain that she was dead.”
Grahem gave Fate a long, slow look before he sighed. "Testarossa," he said quietly, "I don't appreciate it when one of my own cops lies to my face."
“I’m not lying to you, sir.” Well, Fate reasoned, she wasn’t
really. Not by much. Depending on which way the straw fell, after all. She wasn’t that little girl on the street thirteen years ago anymore, even if some part of her would always be.
Grahem lifted a brow, clearly not impressed. "Testarossa, did you ever wonder why I have a rule that partners aren't allowed to be intimate with each other?"
“We are not intimate with each other, sir, but please,” Fate said graciously, “I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.” That wasn’t a lie…sort of. Intimacy was relative...
Grahem gave Fate a look that clearly said he hadn't been born yesterday, but he appeased her. "I don't allow such things under my watch because when partners are intimate, often times they become dependent on each other. That becomes a liability, and a large problem, if one partner is killed under fire."
“I can’t imagine that anyone would be okay after their partner was killed, sir.” If she wasn’t so terrified, Fate might actually find this whole circling conversation/debate hilarious.
"Like you were last night?"
Too late, Fate realized she'd walked right into the old man's trap. She could understand now why he'd garnered such respect from Shiro.
“I
thought that she had been killed, sir.”
“And your behaviour?”
“Very upset, sir. But happily, Nanoha and the kids all survived, so my behaviour was inappropriate for that circumstance, sir.” God, Fate was starting to run out of ideas to try and change the flow of the conversation…
"Testarossa." Realizing she was panicking, Grahem softened his voice. "I'm not judging you. I'm not going to take anything away from you, or from Takamachi. I just want to understand exactly what kind of relationship you have with her, and what your feelings for her are."
Fate swallowed, and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants, wrinkling the ironed edge. “…We’re friends, sir. And…I don’t know.”
Grahem chuckled. "Well, haven't we all been there before."
She shifted in her seat, her expression tight. “I assure you, sir, that nothing inappropriate will happen between us. You can trust that we’ll do our duties properly.” Fate had known—she had known that she couldn’t have it both ways. And she would rather be the one by Nanoha’s side through danger and boredom than be separated from her during the important parts of their lives.
Grahem sighed. He knew that look; despite her best efforts, Fate's emotions could be read like an open book, especially in regards to her loved ones. "Testarossa, I'm not saying to distance yourself from Takamachi or treat her any differently than you have. I'm just concerned about what I saw last night." He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. "I made a promise to Shiro-san, and to Lindy-san, that I'd do my best to look after you two without showing favouritism."
“Yes, sir.”
He gave her a doubtful look, as if he didn’t believe that she’d take his words to heart. Fate glanced away, then returned his look. “Is that all, sir?”
Grahem sighed. He couldn't push her, he knew. Ultimately, what she did was out of his hands. All he could do was watch over her... and worry. "Yes, Testarossa, that's all. Go fetch Takamachi before she and Yagami conspire together to blow up the whole building."
Fate blinked. "Signum, sir?"
He chuckled. "She has a nasty streak."
Fate winced, remembering the self defence class. And from the way Chief Grahem smoothed his moustache as if trying to hide a smile, she bet that he remembered too.
“You two make one quick sweep then get off early. Just call in once you’re done.”
“Thank you, but wouldn’t that leave you short-handed until the evening shift?”
Grahem smiled satisfyingly. “I’ll send Yagami out, that should keep the dockside criminals quiet and Yagami happy.”
When Fate opened the Chief’s office door she heard Nanoha call out in nearly loving tones, “Fate-chan, Signum just got a new PSG1 sniper rifle!”
Fate and Grahem stood there for a moment.
“You were saying,” Fate muttered.
“Should I be more worried about Takamachi’s attachment to high-calibre weapons?” Grahem said mildly, but Fate knew that he was teasing her and she went red.
Fate sighed. "Sir, are you sure that's
all you wanted to say to me?"
Grahem chuckled, enjoying the whole little spectacle. Yes, he knew sometimes they were crazy cops, but hell, they were
his crazy cops. "Nope, Testarossa, we're all done here."
"If I never return, I want you to know Mom always thought highly of you."
He laughed, and Fate went over and put her hand on Nanoha’s shoulder. “Come on, Nanoha, we’re on patrol now.”
“Can you get me one for Christmas?” Nanoha asked, stars in her eyes. “An early Christmas present?”
“What do you need another gun for?!”
“But I don’t have a sniper rifle yet!”
Signum chuckled. "I'll have to check prices on it, okay?"
Nanoha's eyes lit up.
Fate groaned. “Come on,
White Devil. We have to go on patrol,” she gave Signum a dry glare. “And leave Sergeant Yagami to her paperwork.”
"I'm not complaining," Signum muttered.
"Well, I am." Fate grabbed Nanoha by the back of her neck. "Come on, you. We still have to stop by and visit your mother and Miyuki, remember?"
The routine patrol went by without fuss, and after signing off Fate drove towards Midori-ya. It amused her how people seemed to always jump whenever they saw a cop car pull into their parking lot. Of course, the ones who bolted had something to hide, and even though they had often come by while off duty Nanoha would undoubtedly jump out of the moving cruiser and chase down the runner. Fate had finally trained herself to stop freaking out whenever Nanoha did that and simply slow down the moment she noticed someone begin to run so that Nanoha wouldn’t crack her head open.
“Funny,” Nanoha frowned as they parked in the police reserved spot. “I only see Mom there.”
Fate frowned. "Maybe the kids are in the dojo with Miyuki?"
"Maybe, but that's weird. I know Mom said she found someone who could take them in, but I don't know why she's alone..." Nanoha got out of the car, concerned now.
“They—well, at least Erio and Caro—are still considered ‘evidence’ for our last case, we have to keep them close—”
“Calm down, Fate-chan,” Nanoha said wryly. “Chief Grahem called her already and they were discussing possibilities. Mom was looking around just in case for the short term. You don’t expect to put them in the station evidence room, do you?”
“Of course not!” Fate shut her door and walked over to the other side of the car. “It’s just…we still have to—to question them. What happened exactly a few days ago, stuff like that.”
"They still need to have a home." Nanoha sighed. "Apparently Erio's foster parents have been alerted to his whereabouts, so that won't be any fun. Still no sign of Caro's mother, and Megane's too sick to look after Lutecia."
"And Vivio?"
"No one's come forward to claim her yet. I'm starting to think maybe she's street born."
“Damn. Hello, Momoko-san,” Fate greeted as they walked into the warm bakery, the aroma of freshly baked pastries making both their stomachs growl simultaneously.
“Fate, Nanoha!” Momoko smiled at them and pulled out a slice of apple pie and a piece of sponge cake. “Your usuals?”
“Thanks,” smiled Fate. She always insisted on paying, and Momoko so far hadn’t managed to convince her otherwise. In retaliation, she always gave Fate a slice that appeared nearly three times as large as the other pieces. While Momoko rang up her change, Fate asked, “How are the kids today?”
"Erio and Lutecia are in the dojo with Miyuki." Seeing the look on Fate's face, Momoko chuckled. "Oh, let them be, Fate. Miyuki only has them started out on practice swords anyway, so they aren't about to take to the streets and go on a killing spree."
"And Caro and Vivio?" Nanoha asked, breezing by her partner before she could protest.
As if right on cue, a small pink head poked out from behind the kitchen wall. "Momoko-san, I think the brownies are done, but if you don't get in here soon Vivio's going to eat them..."
"Tattle!"
“That’s how they should be like,” Fate said quietly. “Just kids.”
Nanoha squeezed her hand. “But they’re not, Fate-chan. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t help them be, while understanding the other parts.”
Fate rotated two coins around in her fingers, thinking. “We’re off for the rest of the day,” she said suddenly. “I think that we should take them on a picnic to the park.”
Momoko smiled. "I'd say yes to that idea in a heartbeat, but Misato and her husband should be here any minute..."
Nanoha blinked. "Aunt Misato?" she asked. "Dad's sister?"
"Yes. You know she and Jeffrey never had children of their own after the accident, and when I mentioned the kids she expressed an interest in coming to see them."
Fate stiffened. “Why…why can’t they stay with you?” Immediately after saying that, she felt ashamed—there wasn’t any good reason for the kids to stay with Momoko, the rational part of her knew.
"Because," Momoko said patiently, "I'm linked to one of the people who got those children out of a bad organization. They wouldn’t be safe with me."
“Nor you with them,” Fate continued glumly. She hesitated, then said, “How about everyone comes over to my place for a dinner and some games, maybe? After you close the shop.”
"That would be best, I think." Momoko nodded. "Besides, it would give the kids a chance to get accustomed to Misato and Jeffery."
Nanoha blinked. "You haven't told them?"
"I said to them the truth, that there are some relatives of ours who are interested in taking them in. If they don't want to go, I can't force them."
“Hm,” Fate mumbled, then tugged on Nanoha’s arm. “We’ll see you tonight then, come on, Nanoha. You can help me with shopping for food and stuff.”
“But what about—” Momoko sighed, then smiled. “I’ll repack your treats to go.”
“Thanks, Momoko-san.” Fate bowed.
Outside, Fate unlocked their car and tucked the pastry box between their seats, starting the car rapidly. Nanoha was silent for the first part of their drive towards the nearest supermarket. After they crossed into the downtown district Nanoha cleared her throat.
“Fate-chan—”
“I know, it would never work…” Fate blurted out, her fingers clenched on the steering wheel. “I’m unmarried, for one thing, and I’ve got this high-risk job, and I’m only twenty-three…” She stopped her rambling to sigh deeply. “I know, it’s just…I want to get to know these kids.”
Nanoha blinked. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to make pasta or steak, but…okay?”
"I know it's stupid, I just..." Frustrated, Fate stopped for a red light. "I don't want them to think that I'm giving up on them."
Nanoha understood instantly, and she nodded sympathetically. "You mean what Lutecia-chan said to you before we went out on the mission?"
Silently, Fate nodded, then pressed the gas as the light turned green.
Taping the armrest on the door, Nanoha said carefully, “Fate-chan…getting to know the kids…showing them that you’re not giving up on them…those are both different from, well…becoming their
mom.”
Fate said nothing. Deciding she hadn't pushed too hard, Nanoha continued. "I mean, there's no problem with wanting to get to know them. I don't want to lose track of them any more than you do. But honestly, in terms of stability, I think Aunt Misato and Uncle Jeffrey can give them more than you or I.
The blonde sighed. "What's she like? Your aunt, I mean. I never met her."
"She isn't a bad person. She's actually extremely friendly and loving to people she knows, if a little reserved with strangers. When Dad and Onii-chan died, she and Uncle Jeffrey helped Mom keep the store afloat until things got straightened out."
Fate frowned. Something about this bothered her, though she couldn't put her finger on what. "Wasn't she a former spy?"
"Bodyguard," Nanoha corrected absently. "She and Dad used to do that kind of stuff together when they were young, until he fell in love with Mom while protecting her. I heard Aunt Misato's trying to find a way to move closer to us; she doesn't like it that Mom's usually alone, so the kids will be close by."
“Hm,” Fate grunted vaguely as they pulled into the supermarket parking lot. The place was packed with people, so with a small twinge of guilt Fate allowed Nanoha to talk her into parking in the police reserved spot.
“I hope Carim and Schach aren’t going to stop by during their routine patrol in this area.”
Nanoha replied, her tone mildly envious, “They’re part of the motor unit, so they’d probably bring their motorcycles right up to the entrance instead of parking in the parking lot.”
Fate laughed. She kept her tone teasing, but part of her waited anxiously as she asked, “Do you regret leaving the motor unit, after we partnered up?”
"I miss the speed and freedom." Nanoha shrugged. "At least with a motorcycle, I never had the risk of losing my license because I could just use the excuse that I was chasing someone."
“You losing your license had nothing to do with chasing someone, Nanoha.”
Her partner glared at her, pouting. “I thought that we agreed to wipe that incident from our memories? And then start over fresh?”
“Sure, three months later once you re-test,” Fate said cheerfully.
Grinning wickedly, Nanoha said in an innocent tone, “Then we can trade off driving on patrol, right?”
"I'd sooner let Lutecia drive."
Nanoha pouted. "Oh, come on!"
"Besides, you never answered my question." Absently, Fate went to one of the stocked items, browsing through her options as she tried to act like she didn't care whether or not Nanoha actually missed being part of the motor unit and regretted leaving it.
Suddenly, Nanoha glomped her from behind, bringing her lips shiver-inducingly close to Fate’s ear. “Why, Fate-chan,” she whispered breathily, “Are you fishing?”
“I’m
not fishing for information,” she denied vehemently.
Quickly, Nanoha giggled “Liar” and kissed Fate on the cheek before skipping off.
Scowling, Fate grabbed something off the shelf without bothering to even look at it and dropped it into the shopping cart before following after Nanoha. "You said your aunt wanted kids?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Always has." Nanoha spun around, walking backwards to talk to Fate. "She had an accident when she was working with Dad, though, so she can't have any of her own."
“Hm.” They made their way towards the dairy section while Nanoha rode on the side of the cart like an over-grown kid and Fate struggled to keep the cart moving straight. “You’ve always made her sound…kind of…” Fate struggled for the word. “…intense.”
"That's because she is, but she's really a very nice lady." Nanoha smiled at Fate. "The kids will like her. She'll see eye-to-eye with them on some things that are hard for you and I to swallow."
“Hm,” was all Fate would say to that, and they didn’t talk about it for the rest of their shopping trip.
***
Both of them being passable cooks, Fate and Nanoha managed to finish a full course meal for nine in Fate’s small kitchen, even if they had run over each other a few times during the cooking process. But it was with pride that Fate set the table around their finished dishes, placed on her kitchen table pushed up against the counter for more surface area. Nanoha had put a tablecloth over the table and counter to hide the slightly different heights, and overall it looked good.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it, honey!” Nanoha called loudly as she ran for the door.
“Don’t say things that can be misunderstood!” Fate yelled back.
Nanoha pouted before opening the door, a happy smile lighting up her face. "Mom!"
"Hi." With a soft chuckle, Momoko herded the four children into the house, and was delighted when Caro took Erio's hand and led him further inside, clearly wanting to explore while Lutecia and Vivio followed. "I know we're early, but the kids wanted to say hi."
"But what about the store?"
"Miyuki's got it. She's training someone else on how to make some of the recipes…anyway, she'll be fine."
Inside, Fate handed a handful of knives and forks to Lutecia and Vivio and some plates to Erio and Caro. “Help set the table first, then we’ll all do something fun, okay?”
Vivio's eyes lit up, and not for the first time Fate couldn't help noticing how they were mismatched; green and red, almost like Christmas lights. "Something fun?"
"Something very fun," Fate promised, and smiled at the clear excitement on the child's face, an expression that matched her young age.
***
An hour later, the doorbell rang again, interrupting their Monopoly game just as Lutecia finished building her second set Monopoly hotels and smirking at the groans from the other players. Momoko rose to answer the door, being the only one not actively playing.
There was the soft sound of voices, and as Momoko returned to the room with her guests, Fate and the children looked up.
Misato Ray was the spitting image of Miyuki, painting an interesting picture of what the girl would look like when she was older; her hair was long and straight as it fell down her back, her blue eyes both amused and calmly curious. Her husband, Jeffrey, was a good compliment to her slim figure: taller than her and more muscular, his gray hair cut short and a small beard and goatee, his brown eyes were warm despite his rough appearance.
Fate quickly rolled her turn, moved her piece then said to Nanoha, “Play for me for a sec.” She went over and shook hands with her new guests. “Misato-san, Jeffrey-san, welcome.”
"Fate-san." Misato's smile was friendly enough, but still reserved. "I still remember the first time Nanoha told me about you. Seems you've grown up a bit."
Fate nodded, then turned to Jeffrey, not sure what to expect; his handshake was firm, his smile friendly. Somehow, of the two, Fate suspected Jeffrey was a little more open.
“This looks wonderful, thanks for inviting us to your home,” Jeffrey grinned, smelling the aroma of the food appreciatively. “It’s certainly been a long trip here, hasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Misato agreed mildly, then Momoko engaged her in catching-up conversation as they entered the kitchen. Fate locked her door again, reluctantly uneasy.
She couldn’t help it; so far, she didn’t like Misato Ray very much at all.
"You're tense." Nanoha's voice was casual when she slid to Fate's side, but she could understand her partner's concern.
"I don't like it. She seems too..."
Too much like Mother. "Reserved."
"She is." Nanoha didn't bother denying it. "She always has been, but Mom thinks she and Uncle Jeffrey are the best fit for the kids right now."
Fate opened her mouth but they were interrupted. “Fate-san, Nanoha-san?” Erio poked his head out of the kitchen doorway. “Um…everyone is ready to eat now.”
Nanoha smiled and nodded at him. To Fate, she said softly, “We’ll talk about this later.”
Fate sighed and followed Nanoha into the kitchen. Maybe she was being paranoid, and perhaps she was once again associating too strongly with the kids; but for some reason, she just didn't like Misato.
“Fate, come sit!” Momoko beckoned her over to sit next to Nanoha. Fate smiled at that—until she noticed that it put her across the table from Misato.
Misato, of course, noticed and gave her sister-in-law an amused look, which Momoko pointedly ignored. Chuckling, the black-haired woman noticed none of the kids (with the exception of Vivio, who was already happily digging in) had relaxed, and decided to break the ice. "Where's Miyuki?"
Momoko chuckled. "On a date."
Nanoha choked on her drink, causing Jeffrey to whap her hard on the back.
“You said that she was at the shop!” Nanoha yelped.
“She is,” Momoko said with amusement.
“You mean he
is working at the shop now!”
“Oh?” Misato asked, a single eyebrow arching in mild curiosity. “Nanoha, do you know Miyuki’s young man?”
Fate couldn’t help blushing at the memory of that disastrous day. She coughed and said, “We’ve met before.”
“Oh, you as well?” Misato inclined her head, her blue eyes seeming open and relaxed but Fate could tell that something deeper lay underneath her controlled, content mask. The woman had lived through things, but she had made her peace long ago. Fate doubted that she could shake the woman no matter what she tried. Cutting her steak carefully, Misato commented, “Fate-san, you seem to be really close to my nieces.”
"Your claws are showing," Jeffrey commented mildly.
Misato simply gave him an amused look. Intrigued by the saying, Vivio tugged on his sleeve. "What's that mean?" she asked. Fate was stunned to see that despite their apparent disinterest—Caro and Erio had finally started eating, while Lutecia was trying to decipher whether or not the mass of food on her plate could actually fit in her stomach—the kids were listening.
"A saying related to women and cats." Jeffrey smiled easily at his wife's look. "I'll tell you kids about it when you're older, especially you, boy. You'll need it."
Erio blushed and showed an immense interest in his food.
After watching that exchange silently, Fate gave a twitchy half-smile when the attention turned back towards her. “We’re friends,” she said simply. “They’re all like family to me.” After a pause, Fate corrected herself, “Everyone here is like my family.”
“I see,” Misato said. “I am glad that Nanoha has such a caring friend.”
Nanoha snorted. "Caring? You should see her when we're on duty!"
"Only because the minute I look away, you want to blow something up!"
Misato snorted softly with laughter at that. "Must run in the Takamachi family."
“Your family sounds really cool!” Vivio piped up.
Misato smiled slightly. "I like it well enough. Don't ask me why he got into it, though." She gestured to Jeffrey.
He shrugged. "What can I say, her beauty charmed me."
Momoko snorted. "Weren't you two partners for the Hong Kong force?"
"Back in the dark, distant past."
Lutecia looked up for the first time. “Do you use guns, or katanas?”
Misato blinked, then smiled slowly. “It depends,” she said seriously.
"Depends on what?" Erio asked, just as curious.
"On the mission." Misato chuckled. "I remember once Shiro called me a traitor because I used a gun when we were still working together."
“Guns are nice,” Nanoha mumbled through her mouthful of food.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Momoko scolded, making Vivio and Caro giggle.
Nanoha nodded and swallowed. Even full grown, she still couldn't help but obey her mother.
"You two used to be cops?" Vivio asked curiously.
"Yep." Jeffrey and Misato shared a look. "After Shiro retired, I wanted to stay active somehow in the force.... and then one day this huge giant walks into my office and says he's my new partner."
“Why aren’t you in Hong Kong?” Erio asked. “Are you two visiting?”
Misato and Jeffrey didn’t share looks, or change expressions—but he took her hand under the table, Fate noted. She could see his suit sleeve wrinkle as his muscles shifted in his upper arm.
"We decided to move here, actually." Misato smirked at Momoko. "I need to keep an eye on my sister-in-law. I heard she's gotten into some trouble lately."
Momoko groaned. "Oh, you didn't--"
"Heard all about it," Jeffrey interrupted cheerfully. "Lindy called us with the details first thing. Took down two guys with a lamp and a frying pan, huh?"
The children turned awed gazes to Momoko.
“You know my mom?” Fate asked in amazement.
"Fate-san, I know everybody's mom." Misato grinned, the first clear sign of relaxation she'd shown since arriving.
“But Lindy is—” Fate cut herself off, smiling. “also the type to know everyone. Hey Nanoha, what kind of dessert did you get again?”
“Vanilla ice cream,” Nanoha replied promptly.
"I like chocolate," Vivio said eagerly, before the older children could stop her. "Do you have chocolate?"
Fate smiled. "In fact, I do." She looked at Caro, Lutecia, and Erio curiously.
Caro blushed slightly. "Strawberry?"
Erio sighed. "Same as her."
"I'll have chocolate," Lutecia muttered, soothed when Vivio squealed happily and snuggled against her.
Misato chuckled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“Why?” Vivio asked curiously.
A moment of tense silence zipped through the adults, before Jeffrey rose and smiled at the kids. “Come on, you guys were playing Monopoly before we got here, yeah?”
The kids gave Misato a look that was both curious and wary before following Jeffrey, leaving Momoko, Misato, Fate, and Nanoha alone.
Misato leaned back in her chair, propping her hands over her stomach and looking at Fate with a relaxed expression. “You don’t trust me.”
Fate winced. “That’s a strong word. I don’t like you.”
“That’s not as strong?” Momoko asked incredulously.
"It's better than saying I hate you," Fate replied.
Misato pondered it, then nodded. "True enough."
Nanoha and Momoko exchanged a look, but otherwise kept silent and said nothing.
“So you don’t want me to take care of the kids,” said Misato, keeping eye contact with Fate.
Hesitating, Fate lowered her head. “No.” She gripped the edge of the table. “I know that…that you can take care of them. But no, I don’t really want it.”
"Well, at least you're honest." Misato smiled slightly. "I always did admire that in a person." She glanced at Momoko. "Momoko, Nanoha, can you...?"
Momoko nodded and rose, grabbing Nanoha's arm and giving her a gentle tug. Reluctantly the woman followed her mother, leaving Misato and Fate alone.
Fate laced her fingers together, unconsciously adopting an interrogation pose. A twinkle of humour entered Misato’s eye, but something wary and dangerous woke in her gaze.
"I remember that pose," Misato murmured. "I take it you're the good cop of the duo?"
"That isn't the point." Bracing herself, Fate took a deep breath. "I mean no disrespect, Misato-san. You clearly care about your family a lot, and it's obvious that Momoko trusts you. But those kids—"
"Are broken." Misato's eyes gleamed with good humour when Fate stared at her. "I was a cop once too, Fate-san. I saw many of the things you see now. I'm no stranger to how the streets can make or break kids." Absently, she twisted her wedding ring. "It can make or break adults too, sometimes."
Daringly, Fate challenged, “You break adults.”
Cool eyes regarded her carefully, no trace of anger in those calm pools. “I broke adults, yes, in my time.” Misato folded her hands on the table. “But I believe that I can take care of those kids, understand them in a way that they need at this time.”
Fate frowned. "You think you know what they need?"
"I don't think." Misato shifted slightly in her seat. "You can't look after them. I know you do, but right now that's too dangerous, considering your line of work. You don't have the time, and you're still extremely young. Momoko would be more than happy to keep them, but four kids is too much, even for her."
"And what makes you better for them?"
The dark-haired woman smiled slightly. "Besides the obvious answers, Fate-san, I've been there before. I can understand, on some level, what they've gone through. What they need is someone who isn't directly linked to the case, but who can still relate to them."
“Hey,” they heard from the doorway. “Don’t we get a say in this?”
“Lutecia!” Caro sighed, then meekly entered the room at Fate’s stern look. The rest of the eavesdropping kids also trailed in.
“Where are the adults?” Fate raised an eyebrow.
“They’re arguing over different house rules for Monopoly,” Vivio said cheerfully. She turned to Misato. “Are we going to go live with you now?”
"If it's all right with Fate-san and the others." Misato worded her reply carefully, knowing the kids wouldn't like it if they felt they were being forced into something they had no say in.
Lutecia seemed to ponder this, then shrugged. To her, it hardly mattered as long as she was with her friends and Megane was still looked after while she was sick.
“But why can’t we stay with Nanoha-san?” Caro asked, holding onto Erio’s hand tightly.
“Her apartment isn’t big enough for all of you…and it could be dangerous, while they’re away at work.” Misato held up her hand to stall Erio and Lutecia’s protests. “I didn’t mean for
you, mostly—but what if you killed someone while defending yourselves? It would cause Nanoha and Fate-san lots of trouble if that happened in their apartment.”
“It’s Nanoha’s apartment,” Fate protested inanely.
Vivio frowned. "But you spend a lot of time there..."
Lutecia absently laid a hand on Vivio's head to quiet her as she, Caro, and Erio talked softly among themselves, clearly trying their best to weigh the pros and cons of their choices. In the doorway stood Nanoha, Momoko, and Jeffrey, watching; no one dared to say anything.
Fate felt her heart ache. Adults were supposed to be like this, she thought, not little kids who hadn't even started living.
When the doorbell rang, Fate nearly let out an audible sigh of relief but managed to swallow it last minute. “Excuse me.” She rose and hurried to the door.
“Ms. Testarossa?” One of her teenage neighbours from downstairs held out a plain manilla envelope. “Some dude asked me to give this to you.”
“Thanks,” Fate said, her eyes slightly narrowed. She debated waiting to open the envelope when she was inside her apartment and wearing gloves, but in the end she decided to rip open the flap. The moment she reached inside she knew what it was. “Who gave you these photos?” Fate asked, then looked down.
She felt her face drain of blood.
“…I dunno, some average looking guy,” the boy said, shrugging. “Can I go now?”
Fate bit her lip, but nodded. “Yeah, sure.” She waited for him to leave and shut her door behind herself, flipping through the stack of polaroids in the hallway light. Her breath came faster and faster with each one.
It was all of them, sitting around Fate’s table and counter. They were smiling, laughing, chatting…and in each photo, a sniper-scope sight was drawn over a different person’s face.
Vivio.
Caro.
Lutecia.
Erio.
Momoko.
Misato.
Jeffrey.
Nanoha.
The last photo had Fate in the scope sight, but also written on the image was,
Dear Fate…I hope you had a good dinner with your family. Send the kids my very best regards. It was unsigned, but Fate knew.
“Jail.”
Fate pulled out her phone and dialed for Chief Grahem. The moment she heard him pick up, Fate said, “Chief, please push through the foster care papers for Erio, Caro, Lutecia and Vivio as soon as you can. If you have time, can you also go over the adoption process with Misato-san?”
“Hm?” Grahem sounded surprised, but he didn’t waste time with babbling. “Sure, Testarossa. Just tell the Rays to come by the station tomorrow morning to pick up the final paperwork.”
“Thanks.” Fate hung up, closing her eyes.
She opened her door and walked in slowly, stuffing the photos in the envelope and tucking it into the inside pocket of her jacket. Taking a few breaths in the foyer, Fate finally entered the dining room, listening to the debates between the kids, with the occasional interjection from one of the adults.
“…I think that it would be safer for us,” Erio finished his last speech. Before Caro could counter, Fate interrupted.
“Erio has a point…we really should be thinking about what’s the best for all of you.” Fate patted Caro’s shoulder. “I’m sure that you guys can come visit us often.”
Misato’s brows rose, but she only said, “Alright then…we can all go to our house tonight, if that’s alright?” Lutecia, Erio and Vivio nodded; reluctantly, Caro joined in after a pause. Misato smiled at them. “But the night is still young—how about we all play another board game?”
In the mess of cheers and eager suggestions, Nanoha wiggled her way over to touch Fate’s shoulder. “You okay?” She asked quickly, keeping their conversation private. “Did something happen?”
The photos burned against Fate’s chest, the horror of the threat stealing Fate’s words for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and shook her head, walking over to the window in the kitchen. Fate stared out into the night, seeing the lights of apartment windows rising with the skyscrapers all around, casting secondary glows into her place.
“Everything’s fine.”
She pulled the binds shut, cutting out the light.
END LOG 2-3-20XX, PM
2010-01-29, 16:42
Artist
Finally, we did it!
)
Seems all that practice writing Precia paid off 
