Leon and Louise had been best friends forever. Even though he was now Receiver of Memory and she was only a low-ranking member on the Council, they remained as close as they had ever been.

"You've got to see this," Leon whispered to her one day as he walked her home from her job.

"What?" she asked, put off and amused by his enthusiasm. Wordlessly, he gestured for her to hold out her arms and as she did so, he grabbed them. At first, nothing changed for Louise, but then she thought she saw the trees flickering and changing in a way she couldn't describe…

"Receivers of Memory shall not share their training!" an intercom crackled to life and Leon pulled away from Louise awkwardly.

"Did you see it?" he asked softly as he stepped away from her.

"I think," she murmured back. "Something happened to the trees…"

From then on, Leon continued to sneak these moments in with Louise, showing her everything he learned in training. It was their little secret, done only under the cover of secrecy and night, in places where even the Community cameras could not find them. It wasn't always an easy thing, but with their combined wit and enthusiasm, anything was possible! The two of them began to relish these secret moments more than anything else, simply because it was so powerful and personal and private. But for Louise in particular, she began to fall in love with the world that Leon had discovered. She never failed to find joy and excitement in every memory he showed her, learning all about the world that used to exist before the Ruins. And Leon, of course, delighted in helping his very nearest and dearest friend make all of these amazing discoveries too!

But all of that came to an abrupt end when Leon came to Louise in the middle of the night looking absolutely terrified.

"Leon, what-?" Louise didn't even get to finish asking before Leon cut her off.

"The memories! The Community must get them back!"

The two of them spent the rest of the night debating the memories and their place within the Community.

"You know that's against the rules!" Louise insisted sternly, eyes flashing as she regarded Leon with distrust for the first time in her life.

"Of course not, but it still needs to happen!" Leon pleaded. Unlike her, he understood that true morality was not determined by law. But because she had not seen what he had, she could not comprehend the importance of his request. All she could do was stare at him in disbelief. But Leon was not going to give up that easily. Instead, he continued to passionately plead his case.

"You're on the Council! If anyone can lobby to make a change in the law, it's you!" he cried. In response, Louise's eyes widened.

"So that's why you came to me?" she hissed, the disbelief in her voice just as much as it was on her face. Leon was fast to realize his error.

"That's not the only reason and you know it!" he insisted. "You know it's also because you're my best friend and we agreed never to lie to each other!" But that plea was still not enough to change Louise's mind. For once, she put her foot down and remained firmly against Leon's plans.

"I'm not going to risk everything I've worked so hard to achieve on something as insane as this," she insisted, and that was the end of that.

Over the course of the next few months, the continued to grow apart. They still saw one another frequently, but the joy they used to feel began to turn to tension. There was always something awkward hanging in the air between them, even if Leon wasn't directly trying to get Louise to help him lobby for the memories to be released to the rest of the Community. Instead, even in moments where Leon managed to keep himself quiet, it was as if there was now a wall between the two of them. Once upon a time, that wall had surrounded them, acting like a fortress that kept them together and protected them from the outside world. Now, that wall was right between them. It was humiliating and uncomfortable and lonely.

But something did bring the pair together again, and it was something more wonderful and unexpected than either of them could've ever imagined. It all began when a Birthmother passed away during labor. It was a very rare thing to have happen and it forced the Community to quickly find an alternative. Deciding to choose a more unimportant woman (that is, one who would not be too sorely missed from her position) they summoned Louise to fill the gap until a new Birthmother could be appointed.

"You should be very proud indeed," a doctor once told the new Birthmother.

"I should?" Louise asked. The Birthing Center was nice, but she did not necessarily see this temporary change of status as a mark of pride.

"Didn't you know?" the doctor answered Louise's question with a question. "Surely you must've noticed how you've been treated better than any other Birthmother!" he cried and Louise had to admit, she had indeed noticed that she was treated to with more care than anyone else in the Center. That was not to say the other mothers were maltreated in favor of her, but she was indeed the most pampered of the lot, cared for the most closely and attended to the most quickly.

"I assumed that was just because I am a temporary," she admitted and the doctor nearly laughed.

"Oh no, madam," he said. "It is because you are carrying the child of the Receiver of Memory…" his voice turned reverent as he said this while Louise's eyes widened. Memories, some that were hers and some that weren't, filled her mind. Leon. This child that she was carrying was Leon's… An inexplicable joy filled her heart. It didn't quite make sense, but she felt beyond delighted to think that she was going to have a child with Leon! It was something she'd never even considered before, but now that it was happening, she felt like the happiest, luckiest woman alive and she would've have traded it for anything. Oh yes, she certainly felt proud now! Not just because she was carrying the child of the Receiver of Memory, but because she was carrying the child of Leon.

Nine months later, the child was born. A girl, named Rosemary. But no sooner had the baby been born than did Louise lose custody of her. Rosemary was taken away and given to her father instead.

"But don't worry," Leon promised Louise. "You can visit her whenever you want." The radiant smile on his face was mirrored on hers and, suddenly, they were closer than ever before, all past fights completely forgotten. Now, there was room only for good memories, old and new.

For the next 16 years, Leon and Louise raised Rosemary together and they were there for her ceremony when she took upon the mantle of the new Receiver of Memory. At the same time, Louise became the new Chief Elder.

"What a joyous night this is!" Leon cried merrily as he wrapped his arms around Louise and Rosemary. "One of my girls becoming the new Chief Elder and the other becoming the new Receiver of Memory!"

"Dad, you already knew this was happening!" Rosemary grumbled good-naturedly as she wiggled playfully out of her father's arms.

"We still couldn't be prouder or happier, my dear!" Louise laughed, reaching out to teasingly pinch her daughter's cheek.

"Ow! Mom!" Rosemary stuck her tongue out, but the smile in her eyes said it all and all Louise did was mirror the goofy expression. Leon, meanwhile, watched them both with happy tears sparkling in his pale blue eyes.

But only a few months later, those tears of joy turned into tears of the utmost sorrow. Rosemary had applied for Release.

"How could you?" Louise could barely even whisper as news of Rosemary's fate reached her ears.

"I… tried…" Leon sounded even more broken, unable to even look at Louise as he stood on the brink of a complete and utter breakdown.

"Well… Why didn't you TRY HARDER?!" As a total contrast to Leon, Louise began to rampage in her grief, collapsing into sobs as she pounded on Leon's chest and demanded to know why he hadn't done more, hadn't done better. Even though both of them had raised Rosemary, he spent far more time with her. Had he not seen the signs sooner?! Had he not tried to do more!? So how could he do this?! How could he just stand there like a broken man when Rosemary's death was ALL HIS FAULT?!

"Did you do nothing to try to stop it?! To try to stop HER?!" Louise continued to sob and scream. Leon, meanwhile, only stood there and let her attack, dearly wishing that it had been him who was Released instead.

Their relationship never got better after Rosemary's death. Instead, all those old wounds from 16 years prior were ripped back open, right alongside the new ones created by Rosemary's death. Leon and Louise cut each other out of their lives and in the rare event they had to speak, it was curt and formal. They only used each other's titles now. And this sort of guarded hostility carried on well after the Receiver of Memory got a new apprentice. This time, it was a boy named Jonas. But like his predecessor, his training was never completed.

"I thought I told you we couldn't afford another mistake," the Chief Elder growled as she and her guards apprehended the Receiver of Memory (who now went by the title of "the Giver"). The reason for the arrest was treason against the Community. The Giver had been at it again, trying to release the memories to the rest of the Community. This time, though, Jonas was the one doing the dirty work. But even if the Giver was not an active threat, the Chief Elder was willing to use any excuse she had to arrest him. Jonas would follow after soon enough…

Not too long after the Giver's arrest, Jonas was cut down. A pilot named Asher had been the one to do the deed.

"Good," the Chief Elder gave a mirthless smile as Jonas' death was announced to her. Now they could carry on with their trial against the Giver without worrying about Jonas breaching the Community's safety. But before him, a girl named Fiona was sentenced for Release. She had been an accomplice in Jonas' escape, so she had to be punished.

"You can stop this, you know," the Giver whispered to the Chief Elder as Fiona's Release "ceremony" began.

"If this bothers you, look away," she replied sharply, gesturing for the process to start. Jonas' father was going to be the one to give the injection.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then the Giver began to speak again.

"Her name was Rosemary… She was my daughter… I loved her…"

"Precision of language," the Chief Elder answered on reflex. She knew full well he was only trying to buy Fiona more time. Well, it wouldn't work.

"I couldn't be more precise," the Giver shot back, but this time, his words were almost laced with joy and peace instead of anger or grief. Then he continued to speak, giving a speech about the importance of love, and how a life without it was no life at all. During the speech, the Chief Elder felt something twisting inside her chest. Could it be that the Giver's words were so foul that they were making her sick? Or was it… something else?...

NO! No. It couldn't be that. It had to be the former. That was the only logical explanation. It couldn't be… Rosemary… Her daughter… Her little girl… No. No. No. It wasn't that. Surely, it wasn't that… It had to be something else. Because… because… this was all a trick! A lie!

"Love can turn to hate," the Chief Elder finally cut the Giver off. "You've seen the suffering it has caused!" And so have I, she added silently. "Now you want to bring that all back!" her eyes flashed accusingly.

"But if you could only see the possibility!" the Giver cried stubbornly. But he wasn't the only stubborn one in the room. Instead, the Chief Elder only rolled her eyes in response to his passionate cries. "We could choose better!"

"But we won't!" she spat back. "We never do!" And unfortunately, she wasn't wrong. But the Giver wasn't done yet. Instead, the two continued to argue while the Giver's eyes swept the Council, attempting to find any sympathy he could. There was none to be found. Especially not in the Chief Elder herself. Her eyes were the emptiest of all.

"Continue with the Release!" she cried suddenly, putting an immediate end to their petty games and arguments. Jonas' father, who had paused in order to listen to the argument, suddenly jumped in surprise, quickly reaching for his needle again. Fiona was in tears now, but they did not move the Chief Elder's heart of stone. Or at least, they weren't supposed to. But the second the needle touched Fiona's skin, everything changed. The Chief Elder could see it now. And she could feel it. She could feel it in the air, and within her heart. The very same one she thought was incapable of love anymore. Maybe her heart wasn't as stony as she had hoped…

As it turned out, Jonas was actually not dead. Instead, Asher had lied, helping Jonas rather than hindering him. This allowed Jonas to successfully escape the Community and cross the barrier that kept all the memories locked inside his own head. Once he set foot over that invisible line, it was all over. All the memories he had were instantly released back to the rest of the Community, good and bad. They were all back…

"Are you still against me?" the Giver asked a month later. Jonas was still missing and people were still adjusting to the memories, but life went on. For the most part. The Chief Elder was relying on the Giver now more than ever before. It was something she hated to admit, but she couldn't deny it. He was vital to helping everyone cope with the memories. For that, this man whom she had considered her mortal enemy was now working as her right hand. To say it was a jarring experience would've been a massive understatement.

"Perhaps," she answered, but her voice was not as frosty as usual.

"Good," he replied. She met his eyes, surprised by the lack of snark in his otherwise taunting remark. "If you had been on my side, I would've feared that you were not the same girl I used to know and love. You were always so hotheaded, stubborn, temperamental and defiant!"

"That wasn't me!" she shot back indignantly. "That was you! You were always getting us into trouble! Or trying to, at the very least!"

"Oh? And are you really so sure of that?" the Giver finally allowed a smile to stretch across his weathered face. The Chief Elder only frowned in reply, refusing to give him the dignity of a verbal answer. But the Giver was unphased and only continued to speak with her in the same light and serene tone he always liked to take, mostly because he knew it really got under her skin. That much had not changed between the two of them.

"You should know that the only reason I ever invited you along on any of my wild and crazy schemes at all was solely because I knew you'd never agree to it right away and I liked watching you worry about me," he said cheekily.

"You're awful!" the Chief Elder snapped in disgust.

"That was how I knew you loved me," the Giver replied, shrugging indifferently.

"Love?" she demanded softly, tone dropping and eyes narrowing. "Do you really think it was worth all the pain the memories brought back?"

"Yes," he replied, and there was so much conviction in his voice that, for once, she let the issue drop.

But even though the two were silent again, they did not part ways. Instead, they continued to stroll through the Community together. At least for a while. But after long enough, the Chief Elder felt compelled to break the endless silence.

"Well. I suppose I am glad to know that you love me again," she said, but she wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic… or honest.

"Again?" the Giver asked, coming to a halt so that he could look her in the eyes once more. "I never stopped." The Chief Elder suddenly felt a pang pierce through her heart and she swallowed uncomfortably as the Giver continued to stare at her with those intense eyes of his. The eyes she loved and hated. The eyes she could get lost in and the eyes that always got lost in her.

"But you stopped loving me," the Giver continued, breaking the silence once more. "I do not blame you, of course. But I did miss it. I missed you…" his deep and unfathomable eyes suddenly flickered with shyness, worry and insecurity. "If you would ever wish to at least consider being my friend again, I would be the happiest man alive. I know I have caused you an unspeakable amount of pain in the past and I accept full responsibility. Likewise, if you choose to never ever forgive me, I will accept that as well. I cannot blame you for hating me after all the terrible things I've done. Both to you, and everyone else in this Community. I've made many mistakes and I truly regret all the pain they caused you."

The Giver trailed off, patiently awaiting the Chief Elder's answer. Meanwhile, all she could do was stare. This was the moment she'd been waiting for since Rosemary's death all those years ago. This moment of complete and utter submission and apology… This was the moment she'd been waiting for all along. But now that it was here? It all felt so… hollow. Like it wasn't all that she thought it would be. Sure, she finally had that formal and proper apology from the Giver, but it did not fill that hole in her chest the way she thought it would. Instead, it only left her feeling empty. But her mind was screaming at her, reminding her how much power she held over the Giver's head. All she had to do was say no…

"Yes," she answered. "Yes. I will consider it…" and only a few seconds after she spoke these words, a smile spread across her lips. It was unbidden, but she could not hold it back. And a few seconds later, it was a smile that was mirrored on the Giver's face as well.

"Thank you, Louise," he murmured, opening his arms to hug her again after far too long apart.

"You're welcome, Leon," she replied, accepting his hug and breathing him in as they embraced for the first time in forever. He smelled like home.

"I'm sorry I blamed you for Rosemary's death," Louise said later that night, she and Leon dining together for the first time in decades.

"It's alright," Leon answered. "I did too. And you aren't exactly wrong either. I should've done more…" his eyes glazed over ruefully.

"But you were innocent!" she protested, pulling him back out of his stupor before it could even begin. "You did your best. I certainly wouldn't have known how to react either. In the end, she would've done this either way! She inherited your stubbornness after all," she paused to smile and he chuckled. It was a relief to know that despite all they'd been through, they could still laugh at and with one another.

"Of course I will always love and miss her, but she made her choice. Now we must make ours," Louise insisted. "Besides, I think I see some of her in Jonas," she admitted, suddenly looking down in shyness and shame. "I can see why he grew on you so much and, if he ever returns, perhaps you could introduce me to him. Your… son…"

"Our son," Leon corrected, and that was how Louise knew that all had been forgiven. She'd never felt better. It was her sweetest memory of all. But then again, wasn't he always? And one look into his mystic blue eyes let her know that he felt the exact same way.

AN: I read a headcanon that said that the Chief Elder was Rosemary's mother, so I just kind of took that headcanon and wrote a story about it. Hope the ship doesn't seem too crazy or unrealistic, but I actually quite like it, and even if the timing is a bit off, I think it could work canonically.