This fic is partially inspired by "The Saga of Shirou's Summons" by Pallan Minerva, who also helped dramatically fix it up. Please make sure to check out his work!

Enkidu faced another day at Chaldea the same as any other, wandering the halls with a smile on their face. There were many things about their new home brought them joy: the smooth glass of the outer rooms that overlooked the near-constant blizzard which raged around the observatory: the sensation of snow crunching under their feet as they wandered out into said blizzard. As they were from the Middle East, they had never seen a land so wrapped in the white flakes. They always found amusement in the little ways that modern humans integrated technology into aspects of their everyday lives, like automatic doors and the small game consoles that a few of the staff sunk their free time into. If the situation weren't quite so dire, with the battle with Solomon looming on the horizon, they'd have loved to continue living this way forever, just enjoying the little ways that society had changed. Though, some more plants would certainly be nice. Their body still remembered getting to revisit the Cedar Forest in Mesopotamia, even if they hadn't been in the pilot seat, and the sterile metal environment of Chaldea was a far cry from that lush atmosphere.

While on most days they would simply go wherever their whims took them, today was a little more notable than usual. There had been a tension in the air all day, something they could feel as the hairs on their artificial body stood on end. A gentle murmur filled part of the facility, growing louder as they approached one of the common areas near the FATE System's Summoning Chamber. Never one to avoid a crowd, they quickly immersed themselves in the small talk that came standard in this sort of situation. Looking around the room, they caught glimpses of various servants they recognized among the dozens of other Heroic Spirits that made up the majority of Chaldea's population.

The youngest version of Medusa (who still preferred to be called Ana) sat on a couch on the other side of the room, polishing her weapon, pretending to not be interested in what was going on, but occasionally sneaking peeks towards the chamber when they thought no one was looking. Every once in awhile she would catch the eye of her Rider self, and look away blushing, obviously still feeling shy about her older version. It was rather cute, and brought a smile to their face. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh's older self was wandering in the general area, pretending not to be interested with his face buried in a tablet. As they watched, he finished the one he was working through, and wrote a quick response on another tablet he pulled from his gate. Though he wasn't looking their way at the moment, he was little better than Ana, glancing over at Enkidu surreptitiously.

'He really should stop pretending that he doesn't care, you should have seen the way that he spoke to me when we were in the singularity.' Kingu's smug tone rung in their mind, poking fun at the golden king.

You certainly aren't wrong. Though, it makes me glad that no matter how he matures, Gil is still Gil, right down to his thick-headedness. Their response to Kingu's provocation was cheerful, much to his annoyance.

'Maybe if you weren't so saccharine and accepting, you'd have already gotten through to him then.'

All things with time, neither of us is going anywhere anytime soon.

The familiar feeling of magical power charging the air brought them back to reality, a clear message to the perceptive being that someone had answered their master's call. Others in the crowd quickly noticed as well, an air of curiosity rising. There were a number of superstitions from some of the Servants who had been in Chaldea for a long time as to how to tell who would be summoned, and even if they were a bit ridiculous at times, it was a fun way for the crowd to pass the time until the true identity of the new ally was revealed. It could be based on who was last summoned, who Gudako hoped to summon, or even a number of rather… odd rituals that a servant might perform hoping to get a friend they had known in life.

As time dragged on, and more and more magical power saturated the air, it became quite a mystery as to just who could end up being summoned. Enkidu had been told that they took quite a while to arrive when it was their turn, and some servants had even taken to figuring out a sort of ranking system based on it. The FATE System used electricity to power much of it's mysteries, so if the summoning process dragged on, the facility was engineered to cut the power to non-essential functions to secure the summoning of the Heroic Spirits vital to their missions or allow them to empower their Noble Phantasms in case of an emergency.

With a final pull, the main lights of the facility cut, replaced with the faint orange glow of emergency lights. A hush drew over the crowd as the servants collectively listened in to hear what exactly was going on in the room. Servants normally announced themselves upon summoning, so the silence was uncharacteristic, and Enkidu began to grow slightly concerned as to what might be going on in the room. As they went to knock, they heard their master call out, asking if the servant was alright. The room returned to silence again, Enkidu adjusting their hearing to listen as closely as they could, hearing a sharp intake of breath before a ear-splitting cry burst out.

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

Having been fully tuned in to the room, Enkidu stumbled back, ears ringing as they attempted to figure out what the unbearably loud noise was. Out of the corner of their eye, they noticed Gilgamesh dropping all pretense of not caring, a haunted look in his eyes as he grit his teeth hard, the Gate of Babylon quickly opening up behind him as he shoved his way through the crowd towards the door. The strange cry appeared to have some sort of minor stunning effect on most servants in the area, as few were reacting with any sort of urgency. They could hear something bustling down the halls however, and as they focused that way, they could sense Gorgon's divine energy quickly rushing through the facility.

'Enkidu, it's her. Get with that golden bastard and prepare for war. When we were in the Singularity, when she was at full strength, even my full power as the Chain of Heaven barely stopped her for a few minutes. If we can't beat her back before that point, we'll lose Chaldea just like we lost Uruk.'

Finally coming out of their daze, Enkidu quickly rushed to the king's side, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a fierce look. "This is not the time for us to be concerned with appearances, agreed?" The response was a curt nod, and Gilgamesh readied his ax to cut through the door, both of them armed to the teeth, ready to unleash a rain of destruction as soon as their master's safety was secured.

As they finished readying their weapons, Ana approached them from behind, shivering with fear but with Harpe ready to bear. Gilgamesh took his ax to the door, cleaving it like a hot knife through butter, and the trio stepped inside, surveying the room. Nearly fully shrouded in darkness, the room appeared as if a bomb had gone off, with much of the summoning equipment damaged, and Gudako not immediately in sight. Frustrated, Gilgamesh opened up his Gates further, covering the room with a cold golden light, but what awaited them on the other side of the room was not something any of the three were quite ready to take in.

The Femme Fatale herself, Beast II, was calmly seated on the other side of the room with Gudako in a tight hug against her bosom.

As Enkidu tried to make sense of the situation, a loud crash from behind was the only warning they received as Gorgon came flying through the remains of the door and barreled into the group, knocking them around like bowling pins as she came to a stop, similarly confused. Enkidu, pulling away from the wall that had become quite friendly with their face, watched a range of emotions slide across Gilgamesh's face as he almost told off the giant woman before stopping himself and recomposing himself for the situation at hand.

The Goddess, who still had their master in her arms, indicated that if she had been in the mood to fight, they would have known. While she did not give off any signs of aggression, waves of power still radiated from her body, and her opaque silver hair peacefully flowed in the breeze of her own making. Her tattoos and eyes both glowed with ambient power, however the look of rage and confusion that had made them so terrifying in Babylonia had instead been replaced with compassion.

The woman rose up, gently setting Gudako aside, and turned to face the group, to mixed reaction. Enkidu watched as Gilgamesh grew continuously more enraged, furious that this Beast continued to harass everything he had worked to protect. With their master now out of the line of fire, an oppressive amount of Gates opened, all with magical implements of the deadliest order charged and ready to fire in an instant. Ana had shrunk to the back of the group, clearly unprepared for the sensation of facing that which had killed her once before head on. Enkidu could not see Gorgon, but could certainly feel the intensity of the magical blasts that she had readied, fully charged with the highest level of divinity Gorgon could muster from her body.

They were not sure what to think. Kingu's presence in their mind was telling them that something was off about Tiamat, which when combined with her lack of aggression was making Enkidu seriously second guess whether or not they should attack her. As these thoughts percolated in their head, Tiamat turned again to Gudako, letting out a small sigh. The master responded in kind, stepping forward and calling her servants' attention to her.

"King Gilgamesh, Gorgon, please stand down. I know this all seems pretty intense, it is for me as well, but I'm starting to get a handle on my emotional link with her, and I don't think she wants to harm us."

Gilgamesh glared daggers at her, but she continued on without looking at him.

"I didn't know if this would ever actually happen, but summoning her wasn't something entirely unexpected. If you guys will give me a moment to cast this spell, I think I can show you what I mean." The young woman focused on her connection with the four servants, sharing a memory with them.

A black ocean spread out before them as far as the eye can see, leaving Enkidu shocked to the core at the state of the world that they had once called their own. Lahmu soared in the sky above, some breaking off from the pack to attack the Chaldean forces, only to be shot out of the sky by Quetzcoatl. Tiamat loomed in the distance, her body covered in thick black and red seals. A thick cloud of Lahmu created a protective barrier around their mother, but mysteriously, a cry from Tiamat sent them away as Gudako approached the sealed Goddess.

"Laaaa..." A cry that could only be described as pain escaped Tiamat, her eyes breaking away from Gudako to stare up at the skies, filled with the winged creatures meant to replace humanity. In that moment, Gudako realized that Tiamat's cries were a lament, sadness over the lost lives of her children, even as new ones are born from them. Sealed for so long, Tiamat's control over her own powers had been lost, and she watched helplessly as the Chaos Tide spread from her and consumed the world she had once helped shape. Returning to look at Gudako, a pleading look entered the Goddess's eyes, and Chaldea's sole master knew that there was only one way to free her from this torment.

'But I thought… she didn't…. what did I almost do….?' Worry quietly entered Kingu's tone, the revelation that Tiamat never wanted to replace the humans making him second guess his very purpose.

We were always a tool, Kingu. I was just as capable of doing those deeds as you, in a different time.

As the memory spell ends, Enkidu once again stumbled, coming back into control of their body. Looking over to Gilgamesh in concern, they foundd the man almost not breathing, and rushed over to him, shaking him out of the memory-induced trance, the familiar touch of a friend bringing the king to his senses. A haunted look once again in his eyes, Gilgamesh looked at Tiamat and scowled, his gates still open, but weapons no longer ready to burst.

The king turned to their master, speaking with a certain level of frustration.

"I may have been proud of what you accomplished in the moment, master, but that does not change that nearly all of the people I value the most died and turned into those abominations, especially... her. Do not show me memories of those days again unless you wish to owe me a high debt."

His growls made the young Master flinch with every word. Gudako returned his gaze with a look of deep sadness and shame. Enkidu decided that they needed to talk with Gil about this later. It was obvious he had been bottling up his emotions on the topic for a long time.

"I'm sorry, King Gilgamesh, it was the only way I could think to make my point real to you all."

Gudako took a moment to herself, looking down and clenching her fists before continuing.

"She… she meant a lot to me too… Even then, I couldn't just burn Tiamat. Too many of the servants I've met have been like her, full of hate, or frustration, and I just… I can't abandon any of you. I've lost too many people that matter to not give someone a chance to redeem themselves." A hopeful look entered her eyes, her kind nature coming to the forefront.

Still standing close to each other, Gilgamesh looked over at Enkidu, making eye contact before holding his nose in his hands, exhausted by his often ridiculous master. The king stepped forward, drawing Tiamat's attention, as he began.

"If that is how you feel, Fujimaru, I can grant you this boon for now. However, something must be done for the people of Uruk, nonetheless. If she truly has reformed, then I demand her aid in using her Authority, whatever minimal amount of it she can access in this servant container, to help revive the land of Uruk. The Chaos Tide left innumerable scars on my land, and in order for Mesopotamia to be the bed of civilization it is meant to be, we must return it to its former glory."

Gudako's eyes turned next to Enkidu, who gave her a small smile, before walking over to the goddess, her purple eyes lingering on them with a sense of fondness.

"Though I never got the chance to know you personally, Mother Tiamat, I have the memories of someone who did, and he..."

Enkidu felt caught in the wave of nostalgia and associated emotions that came with Kingu's memories of his Mother. They took a deep breath before continuing.

"He longed for your birth... and when his dream came true, and you had him killed at the hands of your Lahmu, his pain was unimaginable. If... if what Master says is true, then perhaps you cannot be entirely to blame. If she accepts you... then I suppose I can't do much else but accept you as well."

They did their best to give a warm smile to the former Beast. She responded in kind, cupping their cheek and singing a small note of compassion to them. Somehow... that felt like enough.

The room allowed Enkidu and Tiamat their moment, before they turned back to face the group, where Enkidu noticed that Ana had made her way over to Gudako. Holding onto the taller girl's shoulder as they both sat, and still slightly shaking from the power of the Goddess, the girl sat quietly, still coming down from the mindset of re-entering a losing battle with a goddess who had brutally killed her before. Gorgon took note of her younger self's reaction and drew the room's attention to her instead, finally closing her wings and allowing her snakes to relax from their attacking stance.

"Tiamat, I cannot judge you. Even if I hadn't ever shared in your authority, I too lost myself in hatred. For decades after I ate my sisters in cold blood, I slew heroes for no better reason than my own bloodlust. Even now, I… I still feel the urges from time to time."

Carefully pursing her lips, her eyes glowed and a shiver ran down her tail as she worked to oppress her class's hateful nature, but she was able to get herself back on track.

"It was not until I was given clarity through Kibisis, the Noble Phantasm of that man, that I finally gained a sense of who I was again, and allowed him to kill me. I see too much of myself in your story, and therefore, I hope that you too can find the peace that I have in Chaldea."

Gorgon entered a momentary reverie, possibly imagining the memories she'd made since coming to Chaldea. Taking a moment to look over at Gudako with a smirk, she proceeded on.

"While she can be rather frustrating, there's no better master than ours to help you find forgiveness and a future."

Enkidu felt the sudden motion from behind them as Tiamat came forward, catching Gorgon in a hug of her own, to the shock of the snake-haired woman. After a bit of struggling from surprise, she gave in and allowed the other Goddess to comfort her, pointedly looking away from their master to avoid giving her the satisfaction of seeing her blush.

Chuckling at the scenes unfolding in front of her, Gudako stood up and smiled. "Well, I suppose that answers that. Do you think that Tiamat qualifies for Grand Mom?"

Quick little Author's Note! I make no promises as to when this will update again, I have a lot on my plate between composing music, streaming, school, and the like. But, this will be more fluffy as time goes on, so as long as I keep enjoying writing it, we shall continue! Please review, like, and again, don't forget to check out "Saga of Shirou's Summons" by Pallan Minerva!