Warrior Nun Season 3

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

They fell asleep on the sand. Nestled in each other's arms, sand underneath clothes and stuck to skin, they barely felt it. They only felt each other. The waves lulled them to sleep, along with their touch and the other's presence. It was so easy for their eyes to close, to submit to dreams.

The sun wakes them. Coming over the waves and bathing them in warm light, Beatrice is awoken by fingertips tracing her face, skittering over her brows and eyelids, over her nose and lips. When she opens her eyes, she looks into the face of Ava, smiling softly. She almost thinks it's still a dream, that this can't really be her, but it is. Beatrice will never forget it.

"I love you so much," Ava says, the words spilling out of her mouth like she can't hold them in any longer. Like she's been waiting for Beatrice to wake to say them.

"I love you," Beatrice returns. "You went away before I could say it."

Ava places a hand against Beatrice's face, holding her there. "I knew if I heard you say it, I wouldn't want to go. And I had to." Tears begin to fill her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bea."

"Don't, don't," Beatrice soothes, moving impossibly closer and tucking Ava's head into her chest. "I understand. Even if I don't want to, I understand. I'm sorry."

Ava sniffles, pulling back so she can look up at her. "Can we make a vow to never apologize to one another ever again?"

Beatrice smiles. "I'll add it to the list."

"You're gonna have quite a few to abide by, sister."

And the warrior just looks at her, soft and so content. "I'm no longer a sister."

Ava's brows furrow, and Beatrice runs a finger along the crease between them. "What?"

"I revoked my vows when you left. I couldn't hold to them."

"Why?"

"Because I knew that when you came back, you would become my new faith. I wouldn't wish to obey anyone but you. I would never be able to remain chaste having you." She plants a light kiss to her. "I will always be a Sister Warrior, just as you are the Warrior Nun, but I am yours entirely. Not God's, not the OCS's, yours, Ava."

Ava's bottom lip quivers as she smiles, taking Beatrice's face in both her hands. "If you say things like that to me, I don't know how I'm going to go on."

"I will say things like that to you every day. They're true."

Ava chuckles, kissing her deeply. "And I am yours, Bea. Forever. Anywhere."

Beatrice grins, holding Ava's wrists as she looks into her eyes, pupils dilated and reflecting the rising light of the sun. But as the words sink deeper, so does the realization.

Forever might only last a short time.

Whatever this holy war is, however it ends, it could end with the two of them. Only one standing. Or both no longer living. And as much as Beatrice wishes they could stay on this beach for an eternity, for the rest of their lives, she wishes more that the war was over so they have the prospect of bliss. So they can return to the Alps, and to the bar, and to the life they made together.

"We should head back to the Cat's Cradle," she says, not hiding the disappointment in her voice.

Ava sighs, rubbing her thumbs against Beatrice's cheeks. "We should." She kisses her lightly, then plants one on her nose. "This was everything I could have wished for."