Epilogue

Fate stared down at the gravestone before her as two workers lifted the old one with her name on it up to load into a truck. Before her now stood a new stone with a glossy cover engraved with her sister's name. The two people gave the woman a nod and got one in reply. Once the truck was started up and moved along its way, Fate took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I don't really know what to say," she began softly. The dirt was still slightly bare where the casket had been lowered, showing that the grave wasn't more than two months old. Small sprigs of grass were trying to peek through, though, and Fate felt herself become even sadder at the sight. "I know you're not the woman I met, but..." Taking another breath, she continued. "I still can't help but know that you would have ended up the same as her."

Kneeling down, Fate put a small group of flowers on the ground. "This makes it a little easier on me, since I can't see your other self anymore... I just wanted to say... I forgive you, Alicia. I don't know if it's because I'm here with Nanoha now, or if I could eventually come to terms that it was an accident... But I forgive you... I guess fate really has it out for us, huh, Sis? Nanoha can't live in your world, and you can't live in mine... I hope you two find each other in whatever afterlife people go to..." She stopped talking when she felt Nanoha's presence get closer to her. Standing up, she turned and smiled at her wife and daughter as they walked over.

"Fate-chan," Nanoha greeted with a smile. "I thought you'd be here when they changed the grave."

"Yeah," Fate agreed while accepting a hug from both girls. "It's a weird feeling... But I feel as if Alicia would understand, even if I speak to her in this world." Looking back down at the grave, she smiled fondly at it. "I'm going now, Sis... I'll come back later...Take care."

Nanoha took Fate's hand and walked with her while Vivio took the other hand. "So... What was I like over in the world you went to?"

Fate smiled. "Very nice."

"And me?" Vivio asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. "You said I was really young, right?"

Fate felt her spirits lift even more, knowing that the other Vivio was probably getting a whole new wardrobe now, courtesy of Hayate. "You were... cute."

"Cute?"

Fate brought up a monitor and showed Vivio a picture of her younger self with ice cream smeared all over her face. "Cute."

"Fate-mama!" Vivio tried to close down the monitor while Nanoha laughed at the sight. "Oh wow, I'd love to have a little Vivio again, she was so adorable back then!"

"Mama!"

Fate grinned as the two women in her life had a small argument over Vivio's maturity level. 'I hope all of you are making it okay over there.... My life is perfect again, thanks to all of you... I'll forever be in your debt.'

"Fate-mamaaaa!" Vivio called out, making the woman realize she had been left behind a little while they argued. "Come on, we'll be late meeting up with everyone!"

"Coming!" Fate jogged towards her family, feeling the warm wind brush past to gently rustle the flower petals on the grave behind her.

~Fin