Full Metal Panic 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Full Metal Panic, they all belong to Shoiuji Gatou and the creators of the anime & manga series.

Christmas Past

Melissa Mao smiled wryly as she prepared the Christmas packages for her parents, wrapping them carefully then stacking them up neatly. The black haired woman didn't even know if they'd open the gifts, but she felt she had to try. She soon picked them up and left her quarters, the half Asian walking down the halls of the Tuatha de Danaan at a brisk pace.

"Mao," the corporal running the vessel's post office nodded a greeting as he said, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Melissa nodded, passing the two packages over. "Route these through the standard mail drop," she instructed, "addressed and ready."

Because of Mithril's covert nature, mail to and from members of the organization had to be routed through various cover companies and letter drops. Mao's packages would be sent out on the next supply helicopter, be deposited in the country where Mao was fictionally working, and only then begin to travel to their recipients.

"Got it," he took them and paused as he remembered, "hold on a minute, something came in for you."

"Wasn't expecting anything..." Melissa blinked.

"Here you go," he handed the envelope over.

Melissa took it, feeling a moment of shock as she instantly recognized the hand writing on the front. 'Why would she contact me now?' she thought, quickly tucking the envelope away. "Thank you," she said, then turned to leave.

Back in her quarters Melissa sat at her desk, looking at the letter with the same sort of wariness one would look at a ticking bomb. 'Why break the silence,' she wondered as she got a small penknife out, 'after everything that happened?' Carefully she slit the envelope open, puling the paper within free before setting the envelope aside. She unfolded it and after a long moment of hesitation began to read.

"You need to take leave?" Mao's commanding officer Andrei Sergeivich Kalinin asked, the older man looking faintly surprised.

"I apologize for the suddenness of the request," Mao said grimly, standing at attention in front of his desk.

Kalinin nodded thoughtfully, "We're between missions, and after checking your file I noted you haven't taken vacation time recently." Pulling the correct paper work from his desk he asked, "How long do you need?"

Mao smiled grimly, "I suspect I'll only need a few days, a week on the outside."

"A week then," Kalinin nodded, "I'll expect you to rendervos with Sagara and Weber in Tokyo after that, to relieve Weber in our continued observing of Kaname Chidori."

"Understood sir," Mao nodded, "and thank you."

"Merry Christmas," Kalinin nodded as she left.

"You're actually taking some time off?" Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa asked later on, the white haired captain of the Tuatha de Danaan having stopped in to see her friend. The small, petite woman seemed almost a complete opposite to the hard drinking, tough Mao, but they got along fairly well.

"Not intentionally," Mao answered wryly as she sorted through items to go into her duffle bag, "but I haven't got a lot of choice." Unusually she wasn't in uniform, instead dressed in a man's shirt and blue jeans that hugged her slim, athletic form.

"It's not your parents...?" Tessa asked Mao worriedly from where she sat nearby, her grey eyes widening slightly in alarm.

"No, they're still not speaking with me," Mao answered her dryly. "You'd think that they'd be able to forgive a little thing like fleeing a arranged marriage and joining the army, but noooo..." she smirked.

"Then why are you taking leave?" Tessa frowned, her mind racing through various possibilities. She also felt a stab of disappointment, knowing she'd miss having Mao around to talk to over this difficult season.

Mao hesitated a moment, then mentally shrugged. Picking up the envelope from her desk she asked, "You remember I was dishonorably discharged from the US Marines?" When Tessa nodded Mao passed her the envelope, "Here's why."

"Alexandria Kinnaid," Tessa read then slid the letter out as she gave Mao a questioning looks. When Mao nodded Tessa unfolded the envelope and began to read. "You and she were lovers?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, when both of us were in the Marines," Mao nodded, putting two sets of civilian clothes into her bag.

"And you were dismissed for that?" Tessa looked honestly surprised at that. Mithril had a non discrimination policy, and to be frank she considered the idea of losing a fine soldier like Mao due to her sexuality to be foolish.

Mao shrugged, "Actually, I got canned because I stopped my superior officer when he tried to forcibly put the moves on Alex. I decked him, but when it came to trial Alex refused to speak up for me."

"I'm sorry," Tessa said quietly.

"I'm not," Mao said, "at that point I was glad to be gone."

"Any clue why she wants to see you?" Tessa asked thoughtfully. The letter had only said that she needed to see Mao badly, but nothing about why. Tessa was faintly surprised Mao would go to this woman on such short notice, that and, oddly, a bit jealous of the hold this Alex seemed to have on Mao.

"I'd like to think she wants to apologize, but I doubt it," Mao said, "Guess I'll just have to go and see."

Tessa paused a moment, silently considering the situation as well as the clearly mixed emotions her friend was having. "Would you like some company?" she offered shyly.

Mao looked at Tessa in surprise, "This probably isn't going to be fun."

"I don't have much to do," Tessa pointed out, "and besides, I could use a trip off the TDD." A smile, "Please?"

"Thanks," Mao smiled back, "you aren't going to get in trouble for this?"

"It'll be fine," Tessa waved that off.

"I absolutely forbid it," Commander Mardukas said as the older man hurried to keep up with Tessa, the ytounger woman on her way to the helicopter to the mainland.

"Forbid?" Tessa raised a eyebrow, now dressed in a stylish woman's business suit.

"Strongly urge against it," Richard Mardukas quickly rephrased.

"Better," Tessa nodded. She flashed him a gentle smile, "Things are slow right now, we're between crisises at the moment."

"But you're going with no escort," Richard switched tracks, "if our enemies find out your could be captured, or worse."

"I will have Mao with me," Tessa reminded him, "she's both a excellent armed and unarmed combattant."

"She'll also likely be a bit..." Richard paused, "distracted."

They entered a elevator, Tessa pressing the up button. "Have you been reading people's mail again?" she asked him with a frown.

Richard cleared his throat, "Our intelligence division must monitor communication to and from the Tuatha de Danaan..."

Tessa pinned him with a look and repeated, "Have you, not the intelligence division, been reading the mails?"

"I was concerned," Richard sighed as they reached the upper deck. The door opened with a hiss and they moved through the launch bay to the waiting helicopter as he said, "At least promise me you'll be careful."

"I will," Tessa promised as they reached the copter.

"Good luck," Richard saluted her.

"Ready to go?" Mao asked as she offered Tessa her hand.

"Thanks." Tessa smiled as she took it and was gently tugged in beside her. Turning in her seat as the roof hatch opened and the rotors started she called out to Richard, "Remember, no reading the mail!"

Feeling everyone in the hanger bay's eyes on him Richard pulled down his ever present submarine cap and sighed.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Mao asked as they rose into the winter skies.

"Not really," Tessa answered, shaking her head.

"Didn't think so," Mao grinned.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas Past

Part two

"Oh, Alex," Melissa Mao sounded disgusted as the half Asian woman moved a bit to shield Tessa with her body.

"Sorry about this, Mel," Alexandria Kinnaid said calmly, holding a pistol on them both from where she stood at the other side of the circular table. The blonde haired beauty was stunning, in a California girl sort of way, and it made the cruel glint in her eyes even more startling in comparison.

"Let me guess," Mao kept her hands up, the black haired woman deceptively calm, "you're working for Amalgam?"

Alex nodded, the café around them deserted as her armed companions finished driving out the customers into the snow outside, "They contacted me after I left the Marines, much like I've heard you were scouted by Mithril." A smile, "Ironic, no?"

"Hilarious," Mao said dryly.

"How can you do this?" Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa asked, the smaller woman peering from behind Mao, "I thought the two of you were..."

Alex laughed, "Spare me." A cruel smile, "Mel here was a good fuck back when we were Marines, nothing more. And now you're going to make me a great deal of money, when Amalgam squeezes Mao dry and I hand you over to Mr. Silver, Tessa."

"No way in hell," Mao said, kicking out at the table where they had begun this meeting so innocently. It slammed into Alex, stunning her as Mao lunged forward to grab at the other woman's gun.

Tessa drew her pistol a bit clumsily from beneath her casual clothes and turned to the startled Amalgam foot soldiers and fired, sending the men diving for cover. Speaking into a button on her shirt collar she shouted, "Go!"

From a sniper position across the street Kurtz Weber grinned, the blonde haired man pulling the trigger on his rifle. "Yes ma'am," he murmured as he pulled the trigger, dropping a soldier foolish enough to be out behind cover.

"Shit," Alex cursed as she fought for the gun, "you knew it was a trap?"

Mao punched her, sending blood splattering as she ripped the gun from Alex's hands, "No, but I'm not taking someone as important to me as Tessa along without a few precautions."

Bursting through a café window Sosuke Sagara dove in amid the Amalgam troops, his knife flashing as the combat suited teen went to work. His dark brown hair fell into his eyes as he ducked beneath desperate blows and lashed out with deadly efficiency, blood splattering the tile on the floor.

"Is that everyone?" Tessa asked, trying to keep any quiver from her voice.

From outside Kurtz swept the snowy streets, her eyes narrowed beneath the civilian clothes he wore for disguise. Not to mention the winter gear keeping him warm in his snow covered perch. "A few stragglers," he reported, "but I think Amalgam's calling it a night."

"So," Alex asked as she wiped blood from her face, standing with her few surviving troops, "what now?"

"I should kill you," Mao said dryly as she held her gun on them steadily, "we certainly can't hand you over to the police or the US military."

"Ready," Sosuke said calmly, his rifle freed from his back pack and ready to go.

"But it's nearly Christmas," Mao said after a moment, "so I think mercy is possible." She nodded to the door, "Get out of here while you can."

"You're kidding me," Alex blinked even as her and her men slowly began to edge towards the doors.

"Mao?" Tessa looked up at her in alarm as Alex and her surviving team bolted.

Mao gestured her to silence even as she used her radio, "Kurtz, you see them?"

"We're moving out," Kurtz agreed as he packed up his sniper gear, his teammates already prepared, "we'll follow them back to their hidey-holes and capture them there. Hopefully we'll get some additional leads on Amalgam this way."

"Don't do anything stupid," Mao added.

"I didn't know you cared," Kurtz said as he and his team raced across the rooftops.

"I don't," Mao shot back, "but filling out all the forms if you get yourself killed would be a pain in the ass."

"And here I was worried that you were being soft on a old friend," Tessa shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Nah, I'm just a evil old lady," Mao grinned back.

"Ma'am," Sosuke saluted, "request permission to join them?"

"Granted," Mao nodded, "and watch yourself. I'm pretty sure Chidori would be annoyed if you got yourself killed."

"Thank you," Sosuke said, moving off into the night.

Finally relaxing a bit Mao turned to Tessa, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Tessa puffed out a sigh at Sosuke leaving her without a word. Of course that was to be expected from the all business soldier, but it still hurt.

"Want me to talk to that blockhead?" Mao offered as they left the café, both women grabbing their thankfully undamaged coats before leaving.

"It's fine," Tessa shook her head. She smiled a bit sadly, "I understand that I can't change what sort of man Sosuke is."

The snow crunched beneath their boots as they walked down the street, away from the café and the violence that had happened there. "Are you in any hurry to go back to the TDD?" Mao asked, her breath showing in the winter air.

"Not really," Tessa smiled, "I received my family letter earlier this week. We rarely do more than that."

"Yeah, my family and I don't do much either," Mao understated. She looked down at Tessa, "How about you and I do our own, private celebration then?"

Tessa gave her a searching gaze then smiled once more, "I think I'd like that."

"Good, we'll go get dinner," Mao waved grandly, "get drunk and do kareoke."

"Gee, I almost wish I had been kidnaped," Tessa groaned.

"Don't be a stick in the mud," Mao laughed.

"I am not," Tessa stomped her foot.

"Ha, I bet you couldn't even keep up with me," Mao grinned.

"Oh really?" Tessa gave her a look, "we'll see about that."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Welcome back, Captain," Commander Mardukas said, the older man smiling as Tessa climbed out of the copter.

"Oooh," Tessa winced, "quiet, please."

"She's a little hung over," Mao said as she assisted Tessa down the steps to the deck.

"What happened?" Richard Mardukas demanded.

"I think it was the vodka shooters," Mao mused, "or maybe the Long Island ice teas that did it, I'm not sure."

"Why did you let...?" Mardukas started.

"Shhh," Tessa waved them to silence, her expression pained, "fight LATER."

"Sorry," Mao sighed.

"Oh, Richard?" Tessa said as they walked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Melissa Mao's room assignment is being changed," Tessa revealed, "she's moving in with me."

"What?" Mardukas blurted, stopping in surprise. Hurrying to catch up he demanded, "What happened?"

"Do you really want the details?" Mao smirked even as she took Tessa's hand.

"Ah, never mind," Mardukas blushed.

"Were you intending to seduce me last night?" Tessa asked softly as they walked on.

"I'd thought about it," Mao admitted, "as far back as that damned paint ball fight."

"Really?" Tessa looked surprised.

Mao smirked, "You're sexy when you're victorious."

Tessa blushed.

End

Notes: This is based on mostly my imagination, as well as the close friendship between the characters in FMP. The Wikipedia articles on FMP were also used for reference, as well as to refresh my memory on plot points. I may or may not go into detail on their night out later, as I'm pretty sure it would end up as a lemon-fic.


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Full Metal Panic, Humor, Romance