AN: Wow it's been awhile for this one. I hope you all didn't give up on this story in that time (if you did I don't blame you). Unlike my other stories where I have a good idea about where they are headed, I'm completely clueless about where I want to go with this one. That and writers block is a bitch. Thanks again to Timmy Sparx for proof reading this. Alright, let's get on with the story shall we?

Someone Like You

It felt like the ride to the base was longer than it should have been. Fate figured it was because she was dreading how the conversation with her friends was going to turn out. She was thankful though for having some time to think about how she was going to word everything. That would make or break the conversation. Hayate would tear down any weak argument she threw at her so she couldn't afford to wing it. The car came to a halt, snapping Fate out of her thoughts. The three women walked towards the building in silence. It was slightly unnerving for Fate but this showed how serious Hayate was taking this matter. Vivio was just like a niece to the brunette commander. Family was something she never took for granted and she'd do anything for those in her family.

Hayate opened the door to her office allowing Fate to walk in first followed by Signum then herself.

"Hayate-chan! I thought you were at lunch?" Reinforce Zwei asked her master.

"Change of plans Rein-chan."

Reinforce Zwei noticed the serious manner in which her master answered and immediately shifted from her playful manner.

"Should I place all calls on hold?"

"Please. If they must speak with me it had better be a life or death matter."

"I understand."

Hayate turned to Fate. "Take a seat."

The brunette commander sat in her chair, which made her look a lot more intimidating than usual. Fate took a seat and wondered if Hayate was going to just lecture her about her decision. She waited patiently for Hayate to either begin her lecture or give her a chance to explain herself.

"I thought we agreed that this matter was going to take some thought."

"I realize that, but I didn't have the luxury to do so."

"Because of what happened last night?"

"Yes."

Hayate leaned back in her chair. "I want to hear your reasons behind your decision."

Fate nodded. Taking a deep breathe, she began by asking a question.

"Tell me Hayate, do you think Vivio is capable of making decisions for herself?"

Hayate seemed a bit surprised at the question but she decided to give her honest answer.

"I think she is."

"Why do you think that?"

Hayate took a moment to think of her reasons.

"She's not your ordinary girl and I don't mean because of how she was born. She's been through things that no child should. You two are very much a like in that aspect. These experiences don't just leave you. For better or for worse, these things stick with you and have a part in shaping who you are. Vivio knows more about the world than the kids she goes to school with. She may be a teenager but I think that shouldn't be a reason to think she isn't able to think for herself. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get there." Hayate chuckled. "You can't help but compare her to her mother."

Fate smiled sadly. Vivio did share many characteristics that Nanoha had. It was further proof that you didn't have to carry the genes of the person who raised you to be just like them. Fate couldn't help but compare herself to her adopted mother. Much like how Vivio developed some of Nanoha's characteristics, she'd done the same with Lindy.

"I agree with your assessment. It's the reason that I'm giving her a chance."

"Are you sure it's the right thing to do?"

"I've asked myself that a lot. Those what-ifs and self-doubt constantly gnawing at me, but…. Vivio may or may not actually be in love with me, but she is willing to prove that she is. She was willing to put her feelings out there without the guarantee that I'd take her seriously. I think she knows exactly how this could all end but that doesn't scare her. She just wants a chance."

"What about you? Are you sure you're completely okay with this?"

Fate smiled slightly. "I'd be lying if I said I was completely comfortable with it. She's only 16 after all, but I know my limits Hayate. I won't do anything recklessly. She's still an important person to me."

Hayate sighed. "What about Nanoha? You know she's not going to go for this. If her reaction from the party was any indication, she's not going to just let her daughter date you."

"I plan to talk to her."

"I fear for your safety."

Fate laughed nervously. "So do I, but if Vivio is serious about this then she needs Nanoha's permission to go ahead with it. I won't overstep my boundaries with Vivio if Nanoha forbids it."

"Vivio won't take that very well if she does."

"No but it's the only way to do it. Even if she wanted to do it in secret, I wouldn't be able to go through with it and I doubt that Nanoha would take it very well either. Things would end very badly."

"Badly for you." Hayate sighed once again. She couldn't deny the fact that even though the decision was made a lot faster than she thought, Fate had thought this out. She'd been afraid her blonde friend was jumping the gun on this matter, but she could see now that wasn't the case. "I promised I wouldn't judge the decision you came to and I stand by my word. If anything, I know this decision wasn't an easy thing to come to. I've got your back Fate."

"Thank you, Hayate."

Hayate looked at her watch. This meeting had taken most of her lunch time, but it was well worth it. This had given her some piece of mind and she was sure that Fate must had felt better knowing someone else supported her decision.

"What do you say I order us something? It's the least I can do for keeping you from eating."

Fate waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I'll stop by Lindy's and join her for dinner."

"Mooching of your mother?" Hayate teased.

Fate chuckled. "I think she'd be insulted if I didn't once in a while."

Fate stood up and decided it was time to go home and prepare for her visit to Lindy. Since she had so much vacation time, she definitely wanted to use some of it spending some time with her family. She could have a nice salad so she wouldn't spoil her appetite for Lindy's cooking. She waved good-bye to the two women and was about to walk out but bumped into someone.

"Ah, I'm sorr…" Fate stopped breathing. Before her was the last person she expected.

Nanoha looked equally as tongue tied as Fate.

"Fate-chan…."

"Nanoha…."

"Nanoha-chan!" Hayate jumped up from her seat. She hoped she could make this encounter less unpleasant for everyone involved. "Come in, come in!"

Nanoha was snapped out of her daze and looked in Hayate's direction.

"Umm, I've been trying to get through to you for a while now. I thought something might be wrong."

"Ah, nothing was wrong! I was just in a meeting."

Nanoha glanced Fate's way then back to Hayate.

"With who?"

"With Fate." Hayate answered without missing a beat.

"Oh. What was so important that no calls were allowed through?"

"Hayate is planning a surprise for Carim." Fate answered quickly. "She was running the idea by me and didn't want her surprise to accidently be discovered by anyone. I hope you can keep the secret."

"Sure." Nanoha answered hesitantly. There was definitely something more going on here but she had no proof of that. All she knew before coming to Hayate's office was that she'd seen a certain blonde walking with them. She would have thought nothing of the three women walking through the base but the serious atmosphere that surrounded the trio made her curious.

"I better get going." Fate waved once more to Hayate and Signum. She was about to walk out the door but stopped. Nanoha was right there. What better chance than to ask for that meeting she wanted. "Nanoha?"

"Yes?"

Fate hesitated. She was fearful of what she was going to ask but she kept reminding herself that this was the only way.

"Can we get together for coffee tomorrow?"

Nanoha tried not to look as startled as she felt. Fate was asking her out. Granted it was for coffee, but this was such a rare thing. The blonde Enforcer hadn't asked her out to do anything since she discovered she and Yuuno were dating. If anything, the blonde spent most of her time avoiding Nanoha. It'd hurt and it still did, but here she was, asking her to get together again.

"Okay, what time?"

"Does 8am sound good?"

"It's fine." Nanoha smiled slightly. Fate knew that she had a little bit of free time before she needed to be on the field to teach her classes. Fate was always considerate like that. There was a tug at her heart, thinking about how Fate use to always do little things like make her coffee in the mornings or cook her breakfast on her days off. All just so she'd get a good start to her morning. She missed those things now that she no longer had it.

"Okay, see you."

With that, Fate finally left Hayate's office. Nanoha couldn't help but watch as Fate disappeared down the hallway.

"Can I help you with something Nanoha-chan?"

Nanoha turned back to Hayate.

"It's nothing. I better get going to."

"Alright. See you later."

Nanoha waved before leaving. Hayate sighed. This situation between the Takamachi women and Fate was going to get worse before it got better.

"It will be alright." Signum spoke.

"I hope so; otherwise, I have a feeling Fate will be the one with the short end of the stick."

Signum couldn't help but agree with that assessment. If push came to shove, Fate would put not only Vivio's well-being, but Nanoha's before her own. The pink haired women could see Fate possibly sacrificing her friendships in order to make sure that Nanoha would have people to turn to if their situation got bad enough.

"We'll just have to make sure she doesn't let it get to that point."

"We definitely won't." Hayate agreed.

xxx

"For real?" an excited Rio asked.

"Yup!" Vivio was practically glowing. Her friends immediately noticed that she'd been in very good mood all morning. They'd already expected this seeing as she'd worked up the courage to finally confess to Fate. This though, was something else. Corona and Rio didn't hesitate to ask what had Vivo in such a good mood. Vivio was only too happy to reveal what had happened that night. Caro and Rio squealed in delight.

"I can't believe it! Congrats Viv!" Corona hugged her friend excitedly.

"We're so happy for you! I didn't think Fate-san would actually give you a chance. This is the best!" Rio joined in the group hug.

As the girls joined in joy at Vivio's accomplishment, there was one in their group who didn't share in their joy. Einhart simply sat off to the side looking blankly at her friends. It was something that wasn't unusual though. Einhart wasn't one to be very expressive; at least she wasn't now a days. When she and Vivio first struck up their friendship she certainly could remind everyone of a younger Fate but much like Fate, she was mellowed out and became more outgoing. Entering into her teenage years however, seemed to turn her into a more reserved person. It was probably all those teenage hormones affecting her already natural quiet self.

"Hey Ein-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Mama has me grounded for a week because of last night so I'm banned from making any calls or going anywhere. So I was hoping you could deliver something to Fate-chan for me?"

"….."

"Please?"

Einhart sighed. She never said no to anything Vivio asked of her. It always confused her as to why that was. She could easily shrug off anyone else and even Corona and Rio were denied things. Vivio though was special. Even as kids she had her coming and going and Einhart did nothing except go along for the ride. She'd though perhaps it was because of who she was descended from. Ingvalt had seen Olivie as someone very dear to him. Vivio may not be Olivie's direct descendant but it was close enough. Those feelings of her ancestor wanting to protect Olivie had made her want to protect Vivio. The younger girl though didn't need much protecting with how strong she already was, but that didn't stop Einhart.

"Okay."

Vivio broke away from Rio and Corona to give Einhart a hug of her own.

"Thanks Ein-chan."

Einhart was glad that no one could see how much she was blushing from the hug. It was something she was trying to get better about but lately she found herself doing more blushing and general daydreaming than she'd care to admit. Something was wrong with her. Maybe she was becoming ill.

xxx

Fate walked through into her apartment feeling a bit better about everything she'd decided on. Hayate had her back and her mother also supported her. What more could she ask for?

"Nanoha not Starlight Breaking me tomorrow?"

Fate had to chuckle. Nanoha Starlight Breaking her enemies into friendship had become a running joke among them. What wasn't funny though was the way those Starlight Breakers seemed to increase with power. Fate always felt like she got the better end of the deal since she only had to take it on once when Nanoha was just starting out. Nowadays it would seem like near suicide to try to take a blast head on. Vivio though knew exactly what one of those felt like. She too probably wouldn't wish the experience on anyone else. Fate sprawled out on her couch. It was still early in the afternoon and most of the people she knew were hard at work at the base. She almost wished she was one of them. These long vacations really weren't for her. Perhaps at one time she would've wished for more of them, but in her current situation, she would have preferred to have her normal week break. Rolling on her side, she reached for the remote and began flipping through the channels.

She'd never really been one for TV. Nothing really ever caught her eye. Nanoha loved drama's though and Vivio enjoyed them to some degree as well. The two would sometimes spend their evenings catching up on their favorite shows together. She couldn't help but wonder if the two still did that. It would be sad if they stopped enjoying something together. With the way they were arguing the other night though, it wouldn't be too farfetched to say they must not do a lot together anymore. Shaking off her train of thoughts, Fate went back to channel surfing before setting on a random action movie. With the sound of the TV being the only thing in the apartment, Fate drifted off to sleep.

A knock eventually brought her back from dreamland.

Rubbing her eyes, Fate sat up a bit confused at first. The knock came again.

"Coming." Fate yawned as she stood up. She couldn't help but wonder who was visiting her. It could be Hayate checking up on her or even Signum. She made a mental note to perhaps subtly tell them that they didn't need to keep a constant eye on her. She was fine.

Fate certainly hadn't expected Einhart to be standing at her door.

"Oh Ein-chan. This is certainly a surprise. Please come in."

Einhart shook her head. "I'm just here on a delivery."

"Delivery?"

Einhart held out an envelope. Fate took it and looked it over. She recognized the handwriting right away.

"From Vivio?"

Einhart nodded. "She is being punished for last night."

"Ah, so she told you."

"Yes."

Fate wasn't surprised that Vivio would share in the good news with her friends. She also wasn't surprised by the fact that Nanoha dealt swift punishment to her daughter. Not that Fate could blame her. Vivio had been out of line but she hoped that it wasn't too harsh of a punishment. It was obvious that emotions were running high with both of them and things could have gone a lot worse.

"What's her punishment?"

"She's grounded from all activities outside her home. She also can't make calls."

That explained the letter.

"I see. Do you know for how long?"

"A week."

A lean punishment considering it came from Nanoha.

"Thank you for delivering this."

"You're welcome."

"If you don't mind, can I ask a favor of you as well?"

"I don't see why not."

"If It's not too much trouble, can you stop by tomorrow morning? I'll have a note for Vivio as well and I was hoping you could deliver it for me." Fate would deliver it herself, but something told her Nanoha would be keeping a better eye on her daughter after tomorrow's meeting.

"I will stop by."

"Thank you Ein-chan."

Einhart nodded and turned to leave but stopped.

"It's true then."

"What is?" Fate asked confused.

"Giving Vivio a chance."

"Yes."

Einhart looked pensive.

"I see."

She said no more and left. Fate wondered what that was all about. Shrugging, she closed the door and returned to the couch. She opened the letter up and smiled a bit. It reminded her of the notes she use to pass around with her friends in school. The few times they got caught, they were forced to read in front of the class. That was embarrassing especially for her. Hayate didn't seem to mind as much and made a spectacle of herself when she'd been forced to read her own note. Chuckling she went back to reading the letter. Vivo explained how she wasn't allowed to make call or go anywhere for the week. It was just like Einhart had told her. Vivio added that if she needed to contact her, she'd do it via one of her friends. Well this certainly was one way to game the system. Nanoha couldn't prevent Vivio from asking her friends to pass notes or even make calls for her. At the end of the letter she signed it "Love, Vivio" but Fate could tell that the love part had been erased more than once. She could picture Vivio blushing as she erased and rewrote that part.

"How cute."

Fate placed the letter on her coffee table and wondered what she should write back. Deciding she should probably tell her about the coffee meeting with Nanoha, Fate went in search of some paper and a pen. Fate had a sneaking suspicion that Nanoha would definitely tell her daughter they'd be meeting. The last thing she wanted was for Vivio to misunderstand the situation so the more knew about what she was doing the better.

"Those two will be the death of me." Fate sighed as she began writing her letter.

xxx

Nanoha woke up extra early the next morning. She only had some toast and orange juice for breakfast before making something for Vivio. The teenager realized her mother was doing things a bit earlier than usual but couldn't figure out why. Curiosity got the better of her so she asked.

"You're in a hurry this morning. Do you have a meeting or something?"

"No…" Nanoha hesitated for a moment. She almost wanted to hide if from Vivio that she was meeting Fate but part of her wanted to rub it in her face too. She gave in to the latter. "I'm meeting Fate-chan for coffee."

There was this smug feeling of satisfaction when Vivio dropped her fork of eggs with a look of disbelief on her face. Nanoha turned away and headed for the door.

"I need to get going. Make sure you lock up before you leave."

Vivio was brought out of her stupor at the sound of the door closing. She took several deep breathes and calmed her racing thoughts. So her mother was meeting with Fate. That was no big deal right? Maybe they were going to talk about work or something. There was no reason to think they were meeting in a romantic sense.

"There's an explanation for this." Vivio thought to herself. "That's right. Fate-chan has to have a reason. I have to believe in her."

Fate said she'd give Vivio a chance and she wasn't the type of person who'd go back on her word. She never had before and there was no reason to think she'd start now. There was a reason she was meeting with her mother and she just had to be patient to find out what it was about. Having lost her appetite, she threw out the remains of her breakfast and cleaned up a bit before heading for school. She hoped her classes would keep her distracted enough until they got a free moment for one of her friends to call Fate.

xxx

Fate sat nervously outside the little café just outside the base. When she'd woken up that morning, she felt great like she was on top of the world. Einhart stopped by like she'd promised and her letter was handed off. Then she left her apartment and good feelings began to take a more gloomy turn. Her nerves, more than anything, were off the charts. Even speaking to Hayate hadn't made her feel this nervous. These nerves made her feel nauseous. It made her want to turn around and run away, but she kept pushing herself forward. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Nanoha could bring out these kinds of feelings from her. She reached the café and claimed a table for herself and Nanoha. The waitress asked for her order but she decided to wait until Nanoha got there before she got a drink.

She looked at her watch. It was almost time.

"Fate-chan…"

Fate swallowed the lump in her throat. She turned around to find Nanoha standing behind her.

"Nanoha…." Fate cleared her throat. "Have a seat." She motioned to the chair across from her.

Nanoha did so just as the waitress came back. They placed their orders and waited in silence for their drinks. Thoughts raced through both their minds. It'd been so long since the last time it was just them. They couldn't even think about what to talk about anymore unlike before when they'd be up for hours just talking about nothing.

"I hope this isn't inconveniencing you." Fate broke the ice.

"Oh, no it's not. And even if I was going to be a bit late, Vita-chan can cover for me."

"Not before chewing you out, I assume?"

Nanoha giggled. "Vita-chan means well."

Their coffee arrived shortly. Fate proceeded to drench her coffee in creamer and sugar. Nanoha was glad to see that something's hadn't changed. Fate's taste for overly sweet drinks came from Lindy. Even Chrono seemed to prefer his coffee and tea in the same manner. People would gawk at first once they got a look at just how much sugar was used in those drinks. When Fate lived with her, she'd make sure they were always stocked on sugar lest they run out and Fate would be left without being able to drink coffee or tea. It was one of the only times anyone would catch sight of a grumpy Fate.

"How are your classes going?"

"Well. There are some promising cadets but none at the same level as those four."

Fate chuckled. "They set the bar pretty high."

Teana, Subaru, Caro and Erio had been the only ones that had impressed Nanoha and it seemed that it would continue to be that way. If anything, a truly impress class wouldn't be seen until Vivio and her friends entered the TSAB in a few months. The age requirement to join had been raised in the years since she and Nanoha joined the TSAB. In her opinion it was a good thing. Kids shouldn't be the ones fighting intergalactic wars. They should be enjoying their youth to the fullest before committing themselves to something like that. Now that Vivio was sixteen though, she had the chance to begin training as a cadet along with her friends Corona and Rio. Strangely though, Einhart had yet to join even though she'd been eligible for two years. Maybe she'd been waiting for all her friends to be old enough so they'd go together.

"With Vivio joining soon, I think that will change." Nanoha commented.

Fate nodded in agreement.

"In terms of individual skills, I think Vivio and Einhart will stand out. Corona and Rio will be close on their heels though."

"All that training with Subaru and Nove has given them an edge." Nanoha took a sip of her drink. "They've been preparing for this for a while."

"Seeing as she has you to live up to, I think Vivio felt she needed all the prep time she could get."

It was true that whispers of Vivio joining had increased as her birthday approached. Everyone was expecting to see great things from the younger blonde including herself, but she kept her expectations far more grounded than everyone else. She, Nanoha, and Hayate only were able to become as famous as they were thanks to circumstance. They were there for some pretty big events in the history of the TSAB. The Jewel Seed Incident, The Book of Darkness Incident, and finally the JS Incident; these were the kinds of things someone had to face in order to gain the fame they did. She honestly hoped Vivio wouldn't have to go through more than she already did, but that may be asking for too much.

"Nyaha, I don't think she has to do as much as I did."

An almost comfortable silence settled between them. Fate hated that she was about to completely ruin that comfort between them, but if this small talk kept up, she'd never get the guts to say it before Nanoha had to leave for her class.

"Nanoha," She began. The auburn haired woman focused on her. "I called you here to tell you something important."

"What is it?" Nanoha felt a tension that wasn't there before. It worried her.

Fate took a deep breath and prayed to whoever was listening that Nanoha would not Starlight Breaker her on the spot. If she was going to she hoped she'd at least wait until they weren't near so many civilians. Fate looked Nanoha in the eyes. A look of utmost seriousness etched in her face.

"I'm giving Vivio a chance."

AN: I'm a horrible person for ending it there and you can tell me so in your reviews. What can I say? Cliffhangers. They're what I do. Anyway, this chapter was a bitch to finish but I did it. I somehow did it. After all the rewrites, fist shaking, and yelling at my computer for the last month. I must have seemed like a crazy person. Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Couldn't tell you when to expect the next chapter seeing as this one took what? Over a year? Geez that was a long time. I think my real problem is I don't know who Fate should end up with so I can't really write the story in the direction I want. Once I know who I think I can better plan out the path for the story to get there. I guess I'll just stew on the matter longer. Until next time!