Timeline: After StrikerS, the same year.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just a few pics of Nanoha&Fate-chan together. :(

" " – words spoken outloud

Italics – thoughts

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all you (reviewing XD) readers out there! I know I said not to expect updates soon, but since everyone wants to know what happened to Nanoha, I think I should deliver!

If I got any facts wrong from the anime, please point it out in your review or PM me, thanks!

End of A/N

Cross the line

Chapter 2

"Nanoha!!!"

The blonde quickly made her way to the kitchen, ignoring the chilly stings on her stocking-clad feet when they made contact with the cold tiles.

As she got herself closer to the girl on the floor, Fate slowed her steps… half expecting the brunette to suddenly jump up and tackle her down with a happy "Nyahaha!"

Again the blonde Ace tried…

"Nanoha?"

No response.

With Fate now in close proximity, the blonde finally got the chance to observe the brunette. The stillness of the girl's body is genuine; Fate knew that from her experience as an Agent and Enforcer for the TSAB. This revelation shook Fate to the core. Nanoha's not moving… s-she's not moving!? What's going on here? Has there been an attack? An attempt on Nanoha's life!? Was she hurt? Was she drugged? Was she rap-

Fate had to literally smack herself to stop thinking such appalling thoughts. Her Agent instincts quickly kicked in and took over her as she scanned her surroundings and performed a powerful area scanning spell. After discovering that no one was in the apartment, Fate returned her full attention on the girl in front of her.

Although she was tempted to pull the brunette into her lap, Fate knew better than that, one has to make sure the victim wasn't critically hurt before they could be displaced or treated. But Fate wasn't simply following protocol this time; she did it because she truly cared about Nanoha's well-being and would take all precautions to make sure the brunette was alright.

Taking a second to calm herself, burgundy eyes once again took in Nanoha's lifeless body to scan for any visible injuries… any clues to help her to identify the cause of Nanoha's condition. Carefully examining her secret crush and her close surroundings, Fate noted several important details. There was neither blood nor signs of struggle. On the floor, there was a plastic salad bowl lying on its side, apparently knocked over – most likely by Nanoha herself, judging from the bruise on her left hand. But the most disturbing detail on the scene was Nanoha's position.

Nanoha was in a fetal position; her right hand clutched the chest area of her shirt tightly… resulting in many wrinkles on the white shirt. The left hand was outstretched… as if trying to reaching for something. The brown haired girl's right cheek was pressed hard against the cold floor tiles, and it was then that Fate saw Nanoha's face. Because of prior angle and lighting, Fate couldn't make out Nanoha's expression given her position… but she could now, and terror struck her heart.

Nanoha had a look of utmost agony on her face and then there was blood trickling from the corner of the unconscious girl's lips. Yes, Fate didn't notice it before, but she did now.

"Nanoha wake up! This is not funny! Please open your eyes Nanoha… you're scaring me!"

"Nanoha…" Fate whispered again in a weak and broken voice. As if a lightning had suddenly struck her, the blonde realized that the longer she stayed here, the more danger the brunette will be in. She really wanted to call Shamal and has the other blonde send a medical team to their position right away… but that would take too much time.

After murmuring a quick few words of assurance to the brunette (even though she couldn't hear her), Fate rushed to their living room and opened the large ceiling windows using the command console that controlled every aspect of their advanced home. Once the windows are open, Fate set a 5 minute automatic closing and lock timer.

Ready for takeoff… now let's get Nanoha to a hospital. Fate gave herself a mental kick and ran back to the kitchen.

"Auntie Hayate? Do you think Fate-mama will like this present?" Vivio asked tentatively as the cashier placed the pinkish-white stuffed toy bunny into a neat little present box before handing it over to the little one.

"I'm sure your mama will love it Vivio." Hayate said with an adoring smile. Great choice Vivio! Bunnies really are the best way to depict Nanoha and Fate. Hayate thought with a goofy grin. Wait, Vivio's still too young for that kind of stuff… I'm just reading too much into things.

"So Vivio… are you excited about seeing Fate-chan soon?"

"Un! Un! Vivio misses Fate-mama lots and lots!"

"That's great sweetie, because I'm sure your Fate-mama misses you a lot too."

"Do you think Fate-mama misses Nanoha-mama lots and lots too?"

"Of course sweetheart, Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan has always been inseparable and always will be." Hayate spoke in a soft tone as she thought about her dear friends. Nanoha… Fate… you two has always been the perfect couple in my eyes… even when you're both girls. I wonder…

"Yup! Yup! We are a happy, happy family!" Vivio's eyes were sparkling as the little girl thought about her caring, but at times strict, mothers.

I really hope the two of you can realize this child's dream Nanoha-chan… Fate-chan…

Even when she's in such a hurry, the blonde girl still remembered to wrap a warm blanket around the unconscious brunette. With Nanoha securely in her arms, the blonde Ace took off towards the orange sky. The evening sun was approaching the horizon, signaling the end of one day and soon, the beginning of another.

Please be ok Nanoha… because without you, there is no tomorrow for me.

Travelling at supersonic speeds, Fate knew she must have broken every regulation there is. She was flying over city limits. She was speeding. Hell, she shouldn't even be flying in the first place given the law imposed on her from the military. But Fate didn't care, for the first time in her life… she did not give a damn about laws, rules or whatever. Time was of the essence.

If it meant that Nanoha could be saved because of her actions right now, then Fate was willing to be court martial'ed or face whatever charges made against her. What am I thinking? Of course Nanoha will be saved, of course Nanoha will be fine! I have to focus…With two cartridges being loaded into Bardiche, Fate's barrier jacket shifted into Sonic Form, giving the Enforcer even more speed and agility.

As the world blurred by, Fate still managed to spot a large hospital near her left. The blonde made a sharp turn and performed a rapid descent. As her feet touched the ground, Fate heard gasps of shock and surprise from bystanders as well as a few wolf whistles (to her immense irritation). Without even taking an extra breath, the blonde stormed into the hospital with the brunette in her arms.

"Doctor! I need a doctor right away! I have a wounded TSAB officer with me!" The blonde screamed at the top of her lungs. She was about to scream again, but she no longer had any air left in her lungs and was having trouble breathing. Desperate and tired, the blonde was about to fire a few shoots from Bardiche to get the medical staff's attention but thankfully, a middle-aged woman made her way hastily towards the two Aces.

"What's going on here?"

"M-my…" Fate wanted to scream, she desperately wanted to tell this woman what she saw… but damn her lungs! Fate was tired, from her long trip… from her ultrasonic flying… from her immense mental stress. Fate couldn't speak a single coherent word. I have to tell this woman what I saw; tell her that it's serious. I have to tell her to do everything she can to save Nanoha, to take extra good care of Nanoha and that Nanoha's scared of needles. I have so much to say… The desperation and stress of not being able to get her thoughts and feelings across brought hot tears to her eyes.

As if she understood the blonde's silent thoughts, the woman yelled to the others near the reception to assemble an emergency team.

"Ok, ok… don't worry. We'll get your friend to an emergency room right away and perform a check up on her. You can take a deep breath and tell me what happened." The woman said soothingly.

In less than a minute, 2 female nurses rushed to their position with a wheeled hospital bed. Carefully, Fate released the brunette from her protective hold and helped the two nurses place Nanoha onto the bed.

Before Fate could say anything (not that she had the breath to), the nurses were already off with the unconscious brunette… leaving the blonde with the woman who gave the order. With the somewhat soothing thought that Nanoha was finally getting treatment, Fate collapsed onto a nearby bench. As if the situation had finally sunk into the blonde's numb mind, Fate began to sob uncontrollably.

A million what-ifs rushed through Fate's mind, scaring her… chocking her… shattering her. Her worst nightmare was unfolding before her. What if Nanoha never opened her eyes again? Fate's crying became even heavier at that wretched thought.

Carefully approaching the broken girl in front of her, the woman decided the best thing to do now was to introduce herself.

"My name is Helen Berlinetta; I work as the head of the nurses here. Can you tell me what happened? What you saw?"

Swallowing down whatever it was that was chocking her, Fate looked up and truly noticed the woman for the first time. Helen appeared to be in her mid-forties but still looked quite dazzling, shiny blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and soft hazel eyes. (A/N: think Helen Hunt!)

Even though she never met the woman, Fate felt strangely comfortable and relaxed in the woman's presence. Fate had some idea as to why. Ever since her abusive childhood came to an end and she was left motherless, Fate had developed a weird habit. Every time Fate met an older woman, she would mentally grade that woman's "mother-bility" on a scale from 1 to 10. This continued even after Lindy adopted her. Helen is definitely a 10… Argh now's really not the time to crave maternal attention…

Fate shook her head slightly to clear those irrelevant thoughts and turned her attention back to the woman.

"H-Hi, I'm Fate Harlaown. I was away for two months on a long haul mission and just got home thirty minutes ago. That was when I saw my friend unconscious in the kitchen… I really don't know what happened… So I rushed here."

Somehow, the name of the blonde girl in front her sounded strangely familiar to the mature woman…

"What did you say your friend's name was?" The head of nurses observed Fate again, this time noticing her Barrier Jacket and Device. Could it be?

"Huh? Oh! Right, the paperwork… My friend, her name is Takamachi Nanoha. Tactical instructor and…"

"Oh my! It really is you two!" The woman replied with a hint of shock followed by a solemn military salute.

Even though she was confused, Fate saluted back – although it was more of an automatic response.

"Uh… huh?"

"You didn't know this was a military hospital?"

"Nyahaha...!?" Fate coughed nervously, but the awkward laugh only reminded her more of the girl inside the emergency room. "I didn't really look where I was going actually…"

"I've heard a lot about you two… it's a pleasure to meet you. Although I wish it wasn't under these circumstances."

"Y-yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too. I-I think I have to contact my friends about this situation." Even after all these years, Fate's still not used to flattery and would blush every time anyone praised her.

"Of course, but I would suggest you to fill out the forms first. It's a standard procedure…"

"Ah, it's no trouble. Show me the way."

"This way please." Helen led Fate towards the reception and started to process the paperwork right away.

It was mostly general inquiries about the patient; previous medical records… allergies and so on. Just as they were about to fill out the last page of the forms. A nurse came running out and signaled Helen to the side, murmuring something Fate couldn't make out. But the blonde Ace did notice that Helen turned slightly pale after the nurse finished her quiet briefing. Uneasiness clutched Fate's heart while her limbs suddenly felt cold, as if her blood circulation stopped dead in its tracks.

"Ok, I'll get to it right away." Helen told the petite nurse who quickly returned to the ER room.

"What's going on?"

"Miss Harlaown, I'll get right to the point… your friend is in critical condition…"

"No…." Tears began to fill her vision again.

"Her chances are good if we perform surgery right away."

"S-surgery? You mean-"

"No, I meant a magical surgery; Miss Takamachi has suffered from a deteriorating Linker Core for some months now it appears. I'm sorry I don't have further information. The doctor will issue a detailed report later on for her family members."

"I… oh God... Nanoha…" Fate shut her eyes and swallowed her tears silently. "Is she in surgery now?"

"That is preciously the problem, this task involves significant risks… and we need an authorization signature from her family before we can do anything."

"But her family lives on another planet! Is a verbal authorization ok?"

"I'm sorry, but the law regulating medical safety requires a written authorization. Does Miss Takamachi have a spouse?"

"W-what? No! She's only 19 and she's SINGLE!" Fate said angrily.

"I-I'm sorry, I did not mean to intrude into her personal matters. Is her superior officer available?"

"No, I talked to Nanoha three days ago; she said her superior was on an inter-agency conference somewhere…"

"I see, then I'm afraid we cannot proceed with the surgery" Helen said in a mere whisper.

"But without surgery, is Nanoha going to be alright?" Panic started to stir within her.

"The doctor specifically stressed the importance of this surgery; without it, he believes her chances of surviving are…" Helen looked at Fate with a pained look.

"Please… tell me"

"Her chances are slim to none."

"No… no… Nanoha, please Miss Berlinetta! Please do something! Nanoha… I can't let her die! I can't allow it! I absolutely forbid it!" Fate's starting to lose it, murmuring incoherent syllables and other nonsense."

"Please, Miss Harlaown… calm down."

"How can I calm down?! The most important person in my life is about to DIE. All because of a stupid signature! I-" Fate clenched her fists, blood red eyes filled with murderous intent.

Looks like it leaves me with no other option, my career is over if I let this go through. But then again, I get to keep my life. Helen thought dryly.

"Miss Harlaown, please calm down. There is another way."

Thanks for reading, your reviews really support me and encourages me to continue.

PS. A lot of characters will be returning next chapter... expect more tears, angry shouts and some hard slapping!