A/N: Ouch. Has it really been this long? -gets pelted by vegetables-

I guess that should be my answer, shouldn't it? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! My life is currently taking so many twists and turns that I've barely had any time at all to write. With cramming for finals, finishing projects, and my mother being in the hospital, I've had too many things on my plate. And Squirt really hasn't made things easier. But, anyway, I tried to make this chapter a bit more interesting. And I'm sorry to say that the angst in this story and the dark themes will get a lot worse before it gets better. But there will be a happy ending, so don't worry about that. This is actually a fairly long chapter. My longest Nanoha chapter to date, actually. So, I apologize profusely! I hope you enjoy this.

“Why do I have to fly over every town up and down the line?
I'll die in the clouds above
and you that I defend, I do not love.

I wake up, it's a bad dream,
No one on my side,
I was fighting but I just feel too tiredto be fighting,
Guess I'm not the fighting kind.

Where will I meet my fate?
Baby I'm a man, I was born to hate.
And when will I meet my end?
In a better time you could be my friend.

I wake up, it's a bad dream,
No one on my side,
I was fighting but I just feel too tired to be fighting,
Guess I'm not the fighting kind.

Wouldn't mind itif you were by my side,
But you're long gone,
yeah you're long gone now…

Where do we go?
I don't even know,
My strange old face,
And I'm thinking about those days,
And I'm thinking about those days.

I wake up, it's a bad dream,
No one on my side,
I was fighting but I just feel too tiredto be fighting,
Guess I'm not the fighting kind.
Wouldn't mind itif you were by my side,
But you're long gone, yeah you're long gone now.”
-A Bad Dream, by Keane (Great song; you should definitely listen to it whenever you get the chance.)

She had been alone for a long time.

This was one of the thoughts that haunted Fate Testarossa’s mind. She had forgotten what it had been like to talk to someone frequently; she had forgotten what it felt like to wake up knowing that there was someone out there who cared about her, however faint that affection might be. She had forgotten how comforting it was to be able to touch someone whom she knew wouldn’t hurt her. The ability to trust was something she had long since learned to forsake. She had learned to live for herself only, to think only about the things that would affect her.

She had forgotten what it was like to worry about someone’s wellbeing and happiness, had forgotten the sensation of losing control. She had long since learned to forgo her desire for a sense of security. She no longer despaired at the thought of being chased by those who would forever wish her harm, nor did she feel fear at the thought of having to fight for her own freedom. Once she had obtained that which she had wanted during her darkest of moments, she had learned an invaluable lesson that she would never forget.

To remain free was a constant struggle. She would fight for her capability to breathe for the rest of her life and it would never end. But she had not focused on that thought; she had simply lived, her heart shrouded in darkness, her thoughts teetering on the brink between sanity and insanity. But there was a part of her that continued walking forward, the part of her that walked with courage as deep as despair, which clung desperately to the remains of the life she had once lived.

That part of her was the only thing left of the old Fate Testarossa. The only part that had not been destroyed, that had not been killed slowly by the man named Jail Scaglietti. That old Fate had been killed slowly; she had been suffocated and drained of the will to live, to the extent that she had once tried to kill herself. She still remembered the feel of those glass shards against her wrists; she still remembered the stabbing sensation that always came when she was strapped to that steel table. She remembered the feel of the cold metal rings around her neck and arms and chest and legs, and the one they always put inside her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue when she was strapped to the steel chair.

Fate Testarossa feared remembering more than many things. But the one thing she feared above all else was forgetting.

And she had forgotten many, many things.

The girl she carried had her arms wrapped around her neck in an attempt to feel as though she weren’t going to fall any time within the next few seconds. Fate trained her eyes straight ahead even though she was sorely tempted to look at Nanoha’s face. It was such delightful fun to tease the other girl, especially since she became flustered so easily. Normally, she would’ve felt amusement at the other girl’s nervousness, but this time she only felt indifference, and instead, she focused on looking back to make sure the men weren’t following them.

“Are they following us?”

Fate’s lips twitched. Sometimes, it felt as though the other girl could read her thoughts like an open book.

“Not yet.”

The brown haired girl in her arms shifted back, taking deep, shaky breaths as she looked around them. Before long, the girl was grinning foolishly, almost as if having discovered something amazing. Fate felt a tiny twitch of annoyance in her stomach. She thought about how easy it would be to taint the innocence of the girl in her arms. Her stomach twisted painfully and she gritted her teeth. She suddenly felt horribly warped and dirty.

“Flying is…exhilarating…” Nanoha breathed, loosing almost all of her fear of falling. “Do you do this often, Testarossa?”

Fate looked at the girl and their eyes met. Her own eyes bore into slate blue, transfixed with how they seemed to glow. The other girl’s cheeks colored almost reflexively and her gaze was immediately directed towards something else.

“No, I don’t. It’s rather easy to attract attention to yourself while travelling in the cities. Or do you think I have some kind of superpower that allows me to turn invisible at will?”

Her voice was teasing, her smile crooked, her burgundy eyes shining with mischief. She could feel Nanoha’s glare coming before the girl had even directed the intensity of its gaze towards her.

“Well, you never really know with you…” A defensive hiss, passionate and poisonous all at the same time.

Fate hummed with a delighted smile in Nanoha’s direction before reaching down with her mouth and nibbling the corner of Nanoha’s ear. The girl let out a choked whining sound before wriggling around in her arms.

“You…! Wait until I can defend myself…!”

“Against me?” Fate nearly scoffed. “I’d appreciate it if you refrained from lying to yourself like that. It makes me feel bad.”

“…It’s because of you that everything’s happened to me!”

Fate smiled coldly. It would have been so easy to say that it wasn’t her fault any of this had happened. It would have been so easy to blame Alicia Testarossa for everything that had happened. Because if Alicia Testarossa had not died when she was eight, Precia Testarossa would not have created her with the help of Jail Scaglietti. If Alicia Testarossa had not died, she would not have been created, Precia Testarossa would not have obsessed with the possibility of bringing her back to life, and would not have tried to obtain the Lost Logia. If Alicia Testarossa had not died, and Precia Testarossa had not done any of those things, Yuuno Scrya would have never gone to retrieve the Lost Logia, and in turn, he would have never given Raising Heart to Nanoha and nothing would have ever turned out the way it had.

It would have been so easy to blame it all on a dead child. But she didn’t.

“Indeed it is.”

By the time they arrived at the outskirts of the city they had originally escaped from, the sun was sinking in the horizon. Fate landed at the top of a parking garage and dropped Nanoha. The brown haired girl stretched and sighed as she resigned herself to follow Fate to yet another car she would somehow jolt awake and drive to wherever it was she was going to take her. Once in the passenger’s seat, Nanoha buckled her seatbelt and prepared herself for another long drive.

However, this drive proved to be much shorter than the first. In fifteen minutes they were pulling onto a street that seemed way too lively and full of happy drunks to be the place Fate had meant to take her. And yet the blonde continued driving down the street, seemingly headed towards a bar at the end of the street where most of the noise seemed to be coming from. Her burgundy eyed captor parked the car a few yards away in a miraculously empty parking space and slid out of the car. Nanoha reluctantly got out of the car, a feeling in the pit of her stomach making her feel extremely shy and out of place.

Fate’s nose twitched and those intense eyes focused on her face.

“You’re scared.”

It was a statement. Nothing more, nothing less. No emotions to be shown.

“I am.” She admitted, knowing it would be futile to try and hide it from the blonde.

“Why?”

Nanoha looked away and said, “It may be my first time at a bar, but it’s definitely not my first time getting harassed by drunkards. I’m not looking forward to this…”

She jumped as a hand was placed upon her shoulder.

“You won’t have to be scared of that.”

And the hidden promise underneath the folds of that charming voice made her look up. But before she could say anything, the blonde girl had begun walking towards the bar. Nanoha gazed at Fate’s confident stride, and after a moment, she set off after her.

Takamachi Nanoha felt as though she were a deer caught in the headlights of a car driving at 80 mph. Her sense of discomfort could only increase as she watched the mass of writhing bodies on the dance floor. She stepped closer to Fate, thoroughly uncomfortable with the things that were going on around her. She was not at all comfortable watching other people slide against each other. She could almost hear Fate laughing at her for being such a prude.

But instead, the other girl took her hand and said, “Come on.”

She was led around the dance floor and dragged to a door at the other end of the room. The door led them to some stairs, which, after being climbed, led them both to another door. Fate did not bother knocking and simply wrenched it open and showed herself inside. Nanoha followed her, not keen on being left out in a dark hallway alone. Fate closed the door behind them.

“Arf.” Fate called, keeping her voice as calm and soft as it always was.

There was a soft growling in response. Nanoha took a step back, eyebrows narrowing in alarm. Fate took a step forward.

“It’s me.” She said.

And suddenly, in a flash of red fur, a big dog…wolf…thing…jumped Fate. The blonde was shoved backwards from the impact, and she heaved as the breath was knocked out of her. Nanoha gaped as the dog…wolf…thing…transformed into a young woman before her very eyes.

“Fate-chan!”

Fate…chan…?

Nanoha’s left eye twitched.

“Arf.”

And the blonde girl sounded genuinely happy to see her. After a few moments of being hugged, Fate pulled back from the embrace and looked at the other girl’s face. Arf gave her a wolfish grin.

“And I’m guessing the mighty hunter needs the help of one such as I.” Her voice was playfully smug.

Fate flashed her a wicked smile. Nanoha felt her heart skip a beat.

“I suppose even I must bow down to someone sometime.”

“Is it the TSAB? Or is it Hayate and her little group ofWolkenritter?”

Fate was instantly serious. Her eyes darkened.

“No, it’s not them. Those men have come chasing me again.”

“Would this have anything to do with her?” Arf asked, jabbing a finger in Nanoha’s direction. “I told you not to go chasing her around.”

Fate suddenly glared at Arf. She turned to Nanoha.

“Wait for me downstairs.”

“But-”

“Hurry up!”

Nanoha flinched but glared back at Fate. She yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind her. Furiously, she walked downstairs and took a seat next to a couple caught up in each other. She muttered to herself, irritated at her captor, outraged at the unfairness of it all. She was suddenly elbowed in the stomach. She glared at the couple beside her, stood up, and walked over to another seat. This one was beside the door that led to the stairs. It had just recently been vacated by a couple of guys that had been drinking intensely moments prior.

And speak of the devil. One was walking up to her.

“Hey.” He drawled out, apparently trying to act smooth. “Wanna dance?”

Nanoha sighed at her horrid stroke of luck.

“No thanks.” She said, attempting a smile.

The guy was too drunk to notice that it looked more like a grimace.

“Can I buy you a drink, then?”

“I don’t really drink…”

The guy laughed and sat down beside her, leaning towards her while grinning like an idiot. Nanoha looked anywhere but at him. If she ignored him, he had to go away.

“You’re pretty hot…”

She shook her head and stood up. She walked through the door and started heading up the stairs. If Fate wanted to talk, she’d cover her eyes and shut her eyes, but she wasn’t going to stay there while an idiot tried to pick her up. But before she could actually start, the guy grabbed her arm and pushed her back against the door. She let out a muffled cry.

“Don’t be like that…”

A hand crept up her thigh. Her heart beat madly in her chest and she struggled, her hand curling up into a fist and striking the guy in the face. Her face suddenly jerked to the side and a stinging sensation spread across the right side of her face. She let out a scream that was quickly muffled by the guy’s free hand. The sound of a zipper being slid reached her ears. Her panic increased her struggling.

“Hands off.”

Fate’s fist shot out of nowhere socking the guy straight in the face. He whirled around clumsily and sent a badly aimed kicked towards her stomach. The blonde dodged backwards, grabbed his leg and flipped him around. He landed on his face, and kicked out wildly, accidentally catching Nanoha’s own legs and tripping her up. Fate pulled the man up by his hair and smashed his face against the floor. She drew him up to his feet and glared at his bloody face.

“Do you think it’s fun to force yourself on other people?”

He moaned and shook his head. Fate’s hands trembled. She shoved him back.

“Get out before I change my mind.”

The air crackled with electricity as the young man dragged himself away from the enraged blonde. Nanoha trembled on the floor, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as her numbed brain attempted to process what had almost happened. Her eyes tentatively looked up at Fate’s back, taking in her stiff posture and clenched fists. She reached out with her own hand and grabbed one of Fate’s fists. At first, the skin felt hot under her fingers and a stinging sensation spread across her whole arm. But then the hand relaxed and unclenched and Nanoha was able to take it in her own.

“…Thank you.”

She stood up and looked into unreadable eyes of burgundy.

“…Nanoha…” The girl trailed off.

The brown haired girl nearly flinched under the intensity of that gaze. Her heart jumpstarted again. And again, she asked herself why, oh why, was she acting like a hormonal teenager?

“…Yes?”

“Your hand is sweaty. It’s rather unpleasant.”

And the brown haired girl could not help but squeeze Fate’s hand a lot tighter than necessary.

Her first instinct had been to hit the guy so hard his teeth would be knocked out.

Her second instinct had been to get him away from Nanoha.

Her third instinct had been to want him dead.

But there had been something in the back of her mind, a nagging voice that told her it would not be wise to kill someone at a bar when laying low. That did not stop her from being extremely angry. That did not stop her from smashing his face against the floor. And she probably would’ve continued doing it had it not been against their best interests.

And she had felt furious. But once those fingers touched her hand, her anger had evaporated, because she had remembered the words the brown haired girl had told her only minutes prior.

“…it’s definitely not my first time getting harassed by drunkards. I’m not looking forward to this.”

Instead, she had felt an emotion she had not felt for a very long time.

And when the time came that she knew the other girl was waiting for her to say something, she said the only thing she could think of saying at the time, when what she truly wanted to say was that Nanoha’s hand was warm.

And she had not felt that kind of warmth in a very long time.

A few minutes later found Nanoha sitting on the edge of a bed inside a bedroom within the bar across the hall from Arf’s office. Inside said bedroom within the bar across the hall from Arf’s office there was also a very bored blonde kidnapper. This kidnapper was messing around with the TV inside said bedroom within the bar across the hall from Arf’s office. And the constant click of the channel being changed was driving Nanoha crazy.

“Would you please…just… stop?” Nanoha asked, lying on her back while watching the burgundy eyed girl sitting on the couch within said bedroom.

“Convince me.” Her infuriating blonde captor replied.

Nanoha sent a well-aimed pillow at Fate’s head. It struck the blonde across the face and knocked the remote out of her hand.

Almost immediately, Nanoha felt a chill run up her spine, although she felt a pang of satisfaction at having actually hit the other girl.

“…You’ll regret that, Takamachi.”

Nanoha jumped out of the bed and grabbed at the other pillow for defense as the blonde girl moved to pick up the pillow she had just been struck with. In the blink of an eye, Fate was behind Nanoha slamming the pillow forcefully against the back of her head. The brown haired girl stumbled forward and clumsily swung her pillow back at Fate. But the blonde devil wasn’t there. Instead, she felt herself trip as she walked backwards and suddenly her back was against the bed, her legs tangled in the bed sheets.

“You’ve convinced me.”

And she was suddenly extremely nervous at the way Fate was staring at her.

Something dark and incredibly sensual ran across her captor’s face, and Nanoha’s skin suddenly started to prickle. She couldn’t move as Fate leaned down, two hands placed on either side of her face. Her mouth was dry as she felt something press against the crook of her neck. Small, soft kisses against her skin and a hand that was slowly running down her side to flit under her shirt. She couldn’t help the small whimper that escaped her throat.

And it was that absolutely infuriating chuckle, that obvious smile against her skin, the way her own hands gripped the bed sheets tightly as she lay against the bed, that made her shove the blonde away with all the force she could muster. Fate sat on the bed, the look in her eyes not dying down, the crooked smile on her face not fading.

“What’s wrong, Nanoha?You seemed to be enjoying yourself back there.”

Nanoha glared at the blonde, her heart suddenly wrenching painfully in her chest. It was in the way Fate had said her name, in the way her eyes said everything and nothing at the same time. It was in the way her eyes hid her emotions from the outside world. And for the first time, Fate had slipped, and those eyes were tormented with the need to say the things that lay deep within her heart.

“Nanoha…”

She suddenly couldn’t bear it. She tossed herself at Fate, her heart shattering, her eyes full of tears, and she was sobbing before she knew what was happening.

She had never felt so agonized by confusion or so torn apart by hatred and a sense of affection she did not want to feel. She had never felt such despair, nor had she ever wanted to scream until her voice was gone. She felt like a little girl, and she wanted to know. But she didn’t know what it was that she wanted to remember.

Remember.

And she would not calm down, even as she saw Fate’s taken aback expression, nor did she calm down when a tentative hand brushed her hair. She did not flinch when the blonde shoved her away and proceeded to smash her fist against the mirror repeatedly.

Remember the lonely eyes and the innocent expression.

It was only when the other girl shut the lights off and drew her into her arms that she calmed down from her fit of hysteria, because she couldn’t see Fate’s eyes and the anguish that lay within. And it was there, huddled up against Fate that she fell asleep, wishing a wish that was not her own to wish.

The floor was cold. It was frozen against her skin as she lay there in a crumpled heap.

She could not see where she was, could not see anything through the darkness. Pitch black. A never ending abyss of darkness.

And it was cold as she laid there, her cheek against the floor, one of her arms twisted at an odd angle. Bruises lined her skin and there were dark circles under her eyes. They stared out blankly, glazed over as the mind behind them was lost within memories.

It was hard to breathe. The air seemed thick like syrup, hard to inhale and exhale. Again she was that child in the cold darkness, her heart beating erratically in her chest, her eyes flickering from side to side in paranoia. It was too dark. It was too hard to breathe. She wanted nothing more than to get out of that bedroom, wanted nothing more than to turn on the lights and wrap her arms around herself. She was remembering too many things and they invaded her heart like a bad dream. A nightmare from which she could not wake up.

She was a little girl again, inside a steel room with memories that were not her own to remember, and a life that was given to her by the woman that would never come to love her. She was a little girl again, wrapped around herself, forced to sit in a chair for days without food or water. She was a little girl again, being numbed of the senses, devoid of the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch; a torture unlike any other. She was a little girl again, her skin being pricked by needles, being watched from afar by a man who took a sadistic pleasure in watching her scream. She was a little girl again, inside a steel cage, tearing at the bars without even jarring them.

She was a little girl again, shouting for someone to help her even when she knew no one would come save her.

She was numb to the cold and indifferent to the darkness. Her heart ached as she remembered and her blood ran cold as she heard footsteps outside the room. The air suddenly became thick and hard to breathe. The silence was suddenly broken.

“No…no…don’t make her forget…Please…”

The girl slumped on the floor like a broken doll was having a rabid dream.

“Don’t make her forget…Please…please…”

‘Why should she have to remember for your sake? She wants to forget. Stop being so selfish.’

“Please…! Please! Nanoha…Nanoha! No…please!”

Dead eyes were full of tears and they slid down porcelain cheeks as the mind remembered. The mind remembered the promise at the bridge.

“Please, Nanoha! Don’t! Don’t make her forget me!”

‘Shut up. Take her back to the cells.’

‘Yes sir.’

“Nanoha…! Nanoha…! Don’t forget me…Nanoha!”

She was a little girl again, begging not to be forgotten.

Takamachi Nanoha woke up to the sound of the bed shifting. It was dawn now and the soft sunlight filtered through the window curtains. Her shirt was stained with blood that was not her own. She looked up to find Fate Testarossa sitting in a chair, her right hand caked with blood. Dark, heavy circles were present below her eyelids. She was staring quietly at the window, her face an unreadable mask. Nanoha felt her heart wrench violently as she remembered the anguish in those eyes.

She stood from the bed and walked over to the other girl, a sudden need overwhelming her. She reached out with her hand and her fingers encircled the wrist of the girl that she now realized might not be who and what she appeared to be. The burgundy eyed girl did not look up, nor did she move. She remained in an almost trance-like state as Nanoha pulled her out of the chair and led her to the bathroom. She placed Fate’s hand under the water faucet and let the water run down the hand, washing away the blood.

Fate did not flinch at the sudden cold contact, nor did she wince in pain at having her cuts handled. She remained there, unnaturally quiet, watching Nanoha as she searched for bandages to wrap her hand within. Nanoha had the feeling that she was being studied, and she felt oddly self conscious as she helped Fate.

“I’m sorry.”

Fate stared back at her.

“For what?” The girl asked, making a sound for the first time since the night before.

“I don’t know what came over me last night…I…”

“It’s fine. Don’t do it again.”

Nanoha stared at her, her left eyebrow twitching. She finished applying the bandages and moved back a little.

“You aren’t very good with people, are you?”

“Of course I am.” Fate replied in a deadpanned voice, “How do you think I obtained all of those enemies?”

Nanoha’s nose twitched and she could not help but smile at the other girl’s attempt at humor. Fate smiled back at her, and even though it did not reach her eyes, Nanoha felt it was a warm smile. Her stomach did a somersault.

Uneasily, she began to ask, “Why do you-?”

But suddenly, the room began to shake and a rumbling sound reached their ears. Fate stood up, alarm crossing her features and she tugged Nanoha along with her to the hall. Nanoha had not noticed when Fate had grabbed her little golden triangle from the top of the table in their bedroom, but the girl now had it in her hands and was hurrying to transform. A growling sound attracted her attention towards Arf’s office where the girl was now a wolf again and running towards Fate.

“Where?” The girl asked.

“The roof.” Arf responded, and they both turned to the flight of stairs at the end of the hallway.

They were out of sight before Nanoha could ask what was going on. She sighed and twitched in irritation before running after them. After a few flights of stairs, Nanoha reached the door to the roof, by which time she was already panting and out of breath. Another massive roar reached her ears. Whatever was going on through that door certainly had something to do with magic.

She pulled the door open and ran outside only to come face to face with an incoming barrage of magical power.

Before she could blink, she was pulled out of the way by a very ticked off Fate.

“Why can’t you just stay out of trouble?” The burgundy eyed girl snarled as she dropped her a little ways off from the door.

Nanoha glared at her. “Why can’t you tell me what’s going on?”

They glared at each other before a coughing noise drew their attention to a brown haired girl standing on the very edge of the roof. Arf was floating above the ground pitted against another wolf. The stranger grinned at Fate maliciously.

“Well, well. Who might this be?”

Fate glared at the girl and stepped in front of Nanoha.

“No one you should concern yourself with.” She snapped, her eyes glinting dangerously.

“Do you actually care about this one, Testarossa?”

“What business is it of yours?”

The brown haired stranger smirked and looked straight at Nanoha.

“I’m Yagami Hayate. Would you by any chance be the kidnapped Takamachi Nanoha?”

Fate hid her from view.

“Again, what business is it of yours?”

“Nothing. I’d just like to know who it is I’m going to kidnap before I do it.”

And quite suddenly, Nanoha was picked off the ground by a woman with pink hair and blue eyes. Fate whirled around, muttering something. A flash of light invaded Nanoha vision and Fate had disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Nanoha was dropped again. She landed on her knees, eliciting a sharp cry from her lips.

“Be careful when rescuing me, you idiot!” She shouted at Fate, who was currently in single combat with the girl that had attempted to take her.

“Shut up and be grateful!” Fate shouted back, forcing the other girl to retreat to where Hayate stood.

“You’ve gotten better, Testarossa.” The girl said, holding up her weapon in case Fate tried something else.

“You were never a match for me anyway, Signum.” Fate replied holding Bardiche firmly in her hands. “Where’s Vita? Is she still sleeping in her cradle?”

Just then, a young girl with red hair crashed into the ground before them. She held up a hammer in her hands, and shooting Fate a powerful glare, turned back to her opponent. A girl with blue hair landed nimbly beside Fate. She grinned at her and Nanoha watched as Fate’s eyebrow rose.

“And Teana?”

The girl pointed to the roof of the building beside theirs. Fate turned back to Hayate. The brown haired girl’s expression was a glare, one that sent chills up Nanoha’s spine.

“Prepare yourself, Testarossa.”

But before anyone could move, a voice rang out clearly through the air.

“You have been surrounded. By order of Jail Scaglietti, all of you are under arrest.”

And quite suddenly, Yuuno and Chrono were standing in the middle of the battlefield, and enforcers were stationed on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Chrono looked Fate straight in the eyes.

“Fate Testarossa, you are under arrest for the murder of countless people, for the complete destruction of one of the TSAB’s main laboratories, for trespassing in the TSAB’s main headquarters, for the kidnapping of Takamachi Nanoha, and for the attempted murder of Jail Scaglietti.”

Fate took a few steps back and drew Nanoha closer to her.

“For some reason, I don’t think that last one should be a crime.”

Yuuno glared at her.

“It is.”

A/N: Hmm...I'm trying to finish this Christmas fic by tomorrow, but if it's not posted by then...heh, late Christmas fluff! Thanks for reading!

:nudges reader towards review button:

Food for the writer's mind! Also, I'll try to update Melody as soon as I can. I'm currently undergoing a writer's block for S h a t t e r e d, but not to worry. I'll get over it soon. By the way, these fics WILL get finished. Just thought I'd let you know. I'm not one to quit. I just have to...think for a long time sometimes. Heh.

Cheers!