AN: I do not own The Slayers, I just play in the sandbox.

"If we try to get there by tonight, we'll likely get caught in one helluva downpour." Lina commented as she surveyed the clouds, currently transitioning from an ominous grey to a stormy black, dampening the world so that even though it was only midafternoon it was already dark. She tried to keep her tone casual. As though it was no big deal. As though she wasn't in a hurry. Because she wasn't. Sure, it had been five years since she'd been home, but it wasn't as though she was in a hurry to get there. After all, if she had been, she would have been back ages ago!

Just keep telling yourself that, Lina.

"How far is it from here to Zefiel City?" Gourry asked as they walked through the village square.

"Several hours." Lina said, "And there's nothing really in between here and there. Or at least, there wasn't when I left. Though, that was five years ago I guess."

He inhaled, but even without his super senses she could smell the earthy scent of rain in the air. "We'll be walking away from the storm. If we hurry we could outrun it." He observed.

Lina laughed wryly, "Have you ever been caught in a storm in Zeferia? They move swiftly. Outrunning it is not an option."

He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, somehow managing to stem the dull ache that accompanied the knowledge that it would be another day before she got home. So what if they got there tomorrow morning? In a few months she wouldn't even remember the delay, "If you say so." He said, and she smiled as he slowly started to stroke her hair as he looked around, "Where should we eat? I'll pay."

"You've been very generous lately." She observed.

"Lina?" a young woman said, and Lina turned around and then broke into a grin as she recognized the young woman with unruly tight blonde curls.

"Kate!" Lina exclaimed as they rushed towards each other and embraced.

"We'd heard you were coming home!" Kate said as she pulled away and squeezed Lina's hands, "I was so scared you'd race through here and I'd miss you!"

Lina smiled, "I guess my folks got my letter then. Still, I'm surprised word got around."

Kate smiled nebulously as she pulled away and brushed her curls from her blue eyes, which rested on Gourry, spurring Lina to say, "Oh, Gourry, this is Kate, she was my best friend growing up. Kate, this is my partner, Gourry."

They shook hands as Kate cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Partner in what way?"

Lina blushed, reminded once again that she wasn't even sure what the answer was anymore. Ever since she had defeated Luke Shabranigdu, Gourry had been incredibly sweet. He'd started paying for her meals, as though they were dating. And he'd been more daring in his displays of physical affection. Yet if the conversation ever turned serious, he'd say something ridiculous that would kill the mood, leaving Lina confused and a bit frustrated. Gourry, meanwhile, took it in his regular stride as he replied, "I keep her out of trouble."

"Anyway," Lina cut in, "What are you doing in Vista?"

"Oh, a few years back a man from this village started business that kept taking him to Zefiel City, and we kept running into each other. And, well, you know how it goes. I'm a married woman now, with a baby even!"

"Wow!" Lina exclaimed as she shook her head, "It's strange to think that people my age are doing that."

Kate laughed, "Well, I guess when you've defeated Shabranigdu, my life does seem rather provincial."

Lina furrowed her eyebrows, "How did you know about that?"

"Everyone is talking about it!" Kate said, "It's incredible really! I mean Luna's kid sister went out into the world and had all of these heroic adventures and even took down Shabranigdu not once, but twice! It must have been extraordinary!"

Lina felt Gourry wrap an arm around her as she struggled with a mix of emotions as he said quietly, "Our friend died in the last battle with Shabranigdu."

Kate's mouth fell open in horror, "Oh, I didn't know. Oh damn, Lina, I'm sorry. I guess that was insensitive of me." She said as she rushed to put a hand on Lina's arm, "I guess it sounds wonderful and heroic unless you were there and lived through it and made the sacrifices."

"Can we talk about something else?" Lina asked.

"Sure, hell, why don't I take you home, and you can meet my daughter! And look at this sky! You'll never make it to Zefiel City tonight in this brewing storm. Hey, why don't I fix you a good dinner, and you can stay with me tonight? Alex won't mind."

Lina smiled. She may not have made it home, but it was okay because Zefiel City had expanded its borders with Kate's exodus. If she couldn't spend the evening with family, at least it would be with Kate. "Sounds good."

Kate's house was both a little larger and a lot nicer than Lina was expecting. It was certainly a step up from where she and Lina had grown up, and better than anything Lina ever hoped to own. "I'm home!" Kate called as she opened the door, "And we have company."

"Hey." A man holding a baby said as he came up to greet Kate with a kiss on the cheek before he looked at them and extended his hand, "Welcome, I'm Alex."

"This is my friend I was telling you about, Lina Inverse," Kate said, and Lina noticed Alex's eyes grow wide. "And her partner, Gourry Gabriev." Kate smiled a little and winked as if to say they weren't hiding anything from her, "They'll be staying with us tonight so they don't get caught in the storm on the way to Zefiel City."

"It is good to meet you!" he said with a genuineness that surprised Lina, who still always braced herself with the knowledge that if someone met her, they'd likely heard the bad stuff. Yet Alex was looking at them as though they were heroes. "Kate has told me some incredible stories."

"Just don't believe everything you hear, okay?" Lina said as she shook his hand.

"Can I?" Gourry asked as he reached his hands out for the baby.

"Sure." Alex said as he handed his daughter over, causing Gourry to grin widely as Lina shook her head.

"He loves babies." Lina said with a sigh, "He's a damn baby whisperer."

"It's a good skill to have." Kate said as she folded her arms in amusement.

"It's because his mind stop maturing when he was about your girl's age." Lina said.

"What's her name?" Gourry asked.

Kate smiled shyly. "Well, she was born around the time that word got round that Lina had defeated Shabranigdu again."

Lina's eyes widened, "Don't tell me…"

"So we decided to call her Lina."

Lina stared at Kate stunned as Gourry said, "Keep this up, and you'll cause Lina's head to grow too big for her shoulders!"

"Oh shut up!" Lina hissed.

"You can't hit me, I'm holding a baby!" he sang as he cuddled her closer.

"You'll have to put her down sometime!"

"Lina," Kate said quietly, "You're okay with it, are you?"

Lina smiled reassuringly, "You just surprised me. I'm honored, really! It's just, I knew since you were a girl you always like the name Flora, so…"

"Things change." Kate said.

"I'd best check in at work." Alex said as he gave Kate a wink, "I'll be home for dinner."

Alex bade his farewells, and Kate led them into the sitting room as Lina asked, "What does he do?"

"He maintains a network across Zeferia to send communication through the Vision spell." Kate said.

"Huh?" Lina said, "I mean, I know the Sorcerer's Guild uses it…"

"Alex saw a demand for it outside of the guild. In fact, he's going to send a message to Zefiel City that you will be home tomorrow so your folks will know to expect you."

"Can I talk to them?" Lina asked as she perked up a bit.

"Well, demand is so high, and trained sorcerers who want to do nothing but relay messages back and forth are difficult to find, all he can allow is brief messages. Fear not, my friend, you will see them tomorrow!"

"Is there a place I can wash up?" Gourry asked.

"Yes," Kate said as she directed Gourry to the bathroom and took her daughter back. Once he was gone Kate looked at Lina and asked, "What is going on between you two?"

Lina briefly thought about saying something flippant. But she needed to get it off her chest, "I don't know. One minute it seems as though he's going to propose, the next..." Lina's voice trailed off as she shook her head, "If he'd not stuck around for so long I'd wonder if he was toying with me. Perhaps it's for the best, though."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Because I'm not sure what I want to do right now." Lina explained, "I never thought there'd be a day when I got tired of traveling, but here I am. But then I'm only eighteen. My biggest achievements can't be behind me, can they? I mean, is all that's left is to just settle down and have babies? It's not exactly as if I can keep taking down Shabranigdu as some sort of signature act. I want to live a long life after all and if I keep going the way I have the chances of doing that will diminish." Lina sighed, "I guess when I set off I thought I'd go home and set up shop eventually, I just didn't know that between now and then I would have done such big things, and to just go home and settle down, well, I guess it seems like a waste."

"Hm," Kate said, "Well, for all you know there's something just around the corner."

Lina furrowed her brow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe you attracted some attention."

"That's what I'm scared of!" Lina said, "You have no idea the trouble I've attracted! The people who've tried to kill me…"

"Good attention." Kate said.

"Huh?" Lina replied.

"Lina, I don't think sitting at home and taking in laundry while minding the baby is ever something you're going to have to worry about." Kate said, "And it's not because you'll be dead, it's because you're going to do what you always do, fight the good fight, but in a different way."

Lina thought for a moment, "How do you know this?"

"I've known you for a long time," Kate said cryptically, "And I have my own intuition."

"It sounds a bit more than intuition." Lina countered.

"Does it?" Kate replied, "People like you don't stay rudderless long. There's always something to suck you in. That said, you deserve a break, so enjoy it while you have it. So tell me, what all have you been up to while I've been living my boring life?"

"Princess Amelia," the page said quietly as he handed her a note, breaking her from her reverie. The Winmyn festivities were always long and seemed to drag on endlessly, and she was thankful for the distraction. "A young man asked me to give this to you."

"Thank you." Amelia said as she took it and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She opened it and felt her heart race and the blood ran to her face, and then she looked around the temple, where people were sitting with a glazed eye look. If she left surely she would attract attention from people desperate for a distraction who would love the opportunity to speculate over why she was getting up and leaving. Still, given who had sent the missive, she just could not wait.

Lina had been right about storms in Zeferia moving swiftly. Soon a torrential downpour fell upon the town, and both were glad that they hadn't tried to push to Zefiel City that day. After spending the afternoon with Kate, and then having a pleasant dinner with Kate and Alex, Lina had gone off to take a bath while Gourry rocked the baby as Kate did the dishes, something obviously weighing on her mind, and he didn't have to wait too long to find out what. "If you're waiting for Lina to make a move, you're going to be waiting for a long time."

Gourry looked up from the baby, a bit surprised at Kate's directness, "Lina takes the lead in everything else."

Kate smiled knowingly, "She won't in this. All that time she spent training how to fight and cast a spell, no one was ever found the time to cram in something about navigating relationships with the opposite sex. Besides, she's always had this idea that she has to be so alluring that men would fall over themselves for her. It would be a blow to her pride to move first."

"I guess," Gourry said.

Kate sighed, "Look, I can tell she likes you. And if you don't feel the same, then you need to say something, now. Because there's a lot of speculation about the two of you in Zefiel City, and a lot of expectations."

"Expectations?" he repeated.

"Expectations that will make it very embarrassing if you don't feel the same. So you need to tell her now, before she gets home. It'll hurt like hell either way, but it will be worse if she finds out after."

Gourry rocked the baby for a moment and asked, "What's going on in Zefiel City?"

"I don't want to say too much to ruin the surprise." Kate said as she wiped her hands on her apron, "But Lina's a native born heroine of their kingdom now, and…"

"Lina's coming." He said as he heard her footsteps down the hall, and Kate silently turned back to the dishes as Gourry continued to rock the baby to sleep.

Lina shook her head as she walked in, "You're still rocking that baby?"

"I should set her down, let you have a break." Kate said as she walked over to take her daughter.

"I don't mind." Gourry said, though he got up from the rocking chair and stretched.

"I guess I should be hitting the sack." Lina said.

"Big day tomorrow." Kate said with a smile.

"Thank you for letting us stay with you." Gourry said.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Night." Lina said as she went down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

Gourry stopped a moment to allow Lina to get some distance ahead before he whispered to Kate, "You don't have to worry. Because she's my world. I just haven't had the time to tell her yet."

"Then make the time." Kate said.

Gourry walked into the guest room, where Lina was already curled up with a book. The rain pounded harshly against the windows, punctuated every so often by thunder. He never liked thunder storms, though Lina seemed unfazed. Granted, considering she grew up here, it was likely a fact of life she rarely gave much thought to. "It was good we ran into your friend." He said.

"I know." Lina said as she bit her lip pensively and he got the impression something was bothering her, even though she merely commented, "Saved us some money, too."

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just strange. I guess I always wanted people to see me as a hero, but now that they're looking at me like that and naming babies after me, well, I don't know what to think about it. Especially since I don't need anyone painting targets on my back."

"Do you think you'll be able to lay low forever?" he asked as he got into bed with her.

"Who said anything about laying low?" she asked.

"Well, you did run out of places you wanted to see and let me sort it out for once."

Lina's mouth dropped open and her face flushed, and he quickly put his hand over hers, "It doesn't mean anything, if you need some time to get your wind back and recover. Especially after what happened."

"Well what about you, and what you want?" she shot back, "I don't think I've ever seen a man with such a case of baby lust! Don't you want to find someone to settle down with?"

He shrugged, torn between the yearning to finally get things out in the open and his need to see Zefiel City before he did. But damn, it was getting harder to put her off, especially as she grew impatient, "It might get boring. And if I'm with you, then I'll never be bored."

"Gourry, tell me…"

He moved forward to gently kiss her on her forehead, "Hush." He said quietly as she sat, red faced with a fire in her eyes, yet, as he expected, too stunned to move, "It's a big day tomorrow. Rest now."

He took a deep breath and laid down and felt her gaze on him and decided that it was a good thing that they were getting to Zefiel City the next morning, because it was getting more and more obvious that the brakes he'd placed on their relationship were wearing thin.

Amelia raced into the garden and looked around wildly, still surprised that Zelgadis had actually come to Saillune. But where was he? The only person who seemed to be there was a young man with handsome enough features and brown hair. Given how Zel was, it was likely he was hiding. She continued to scan the gardens, but there was no one there but the man, she was sure of it! She looked at him again, more carefully this time as he said, "Amelia."

It was as though lightning struck her. It was Zel's voice! She took a longer look at the man, and her jaw dropped as she recognized the features, free of stones and a refreshing peach color. "Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked as she gazed upon his true face for the first time.

"I did it!" he said as he walked up to her and grabbed her hand.

"You found your cure!" she said as she hugged him, "But how?"

"That's a long story." He said, "Do you remember the promise we made?"

Amelia pulled out a ring she wore around a long chain that she kept hidden underneath her bodice, "I never took it off." She said as he shook his head in disbelief.

"That was about a year ago."

"I knew it wouldn't be just if we couldn't be together. I never doubted it!" Amelia said as she handed him the ring. "We'd better find a priest now before word gets around and someone objects."

"Your father won't be mad, will he?"

Amelia shrugged as she grabbed his hand, "Eloping is a time honored family tradition. Otherwise we'd be saddled with some stale diplomatic marriage. And there's been way too much talk of that lately! Better hurry, I'm rather valuable on the marriage market!"

"Amelia, you're sure, right? I mean, we've been apart for a year. I'm not even the same person I was, and you're not just doing this to get out of some political marriage?"

Amelia grabbed him and kissed him passionately and as she pulled away she whispered, "Could I kiss you like that if I just wanted out of some political marriage?"

He smiled as she continued, "And remember, I'm a Shrine Maiden and White Magic expert. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one. And my instincts are never wrong."

He squeezed her hand, "Then lead the way, my love."