Description: Pip takes a walk around L2 while reminiscing about the past.

Rating: T

Stuff: I own neither Gundam Wing nor Hellsing

Warnings: Language

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

I draped one arm over the younger man and used my other to muss his hair before I turned to the rest of the guys. "Alright, boys! It's little Mishka's first time off the dirtball. You guys gonna help 'im have a good time space-side?"

Dougal gave a boisterous, "Hell yeah! It's boozin' and bitches time!" Aidan elbowed him in the gut and gave him a stern look. It seemed that was enough to remind Dougal where they were and he gave me an apologetic look.

I just tried to ignore the whole exchange, moving my arm from Mishka's shoulders to place my palm on his back. I gave him a friendly push toward the rest of the guys. "You boys have fun now!" I gave a short wave and turned to head off on my own.

I mentally kicked myself. I shouldn't've brought the guys to L2. Now I was gonna have to deal with the pitying looks from yet another new member of the Wild Geese cus I was sure the rest of the guys would fill him in before the end of the night.

I admired the twinkling of the night lighting on the colony's slightly up-sloped distances. It had been nearly 10 years since I met her. I was unbearably young at the time. One of the 'rookies' in the group. I hadn't even realised it was love until 2 years later, when I heard she died.

Maríe was a year younger than me. Her small, petite frame made her seem weak or fragile, but her personality made her anything but. I loved running my fingers through her soft, flowing blonde hair. Cupping my hands around the rounded cheeks of her heart shaped face. I loved seeing laughter and joy sparkle in her startling violet eyes.

But I took her for granted. Because she was a whore.

The guys had wanted to 'make a man out of me' and took me to one of L2's renown brothels. The women of pleasure delighted in my blushing cheeks. The Matron was the one who introduced me to her. We didn't even sleep together that first night. Simply spent the night talking. Looking back, I think it was that morning when I fell for her. She thought I was still asleep and was sitting near the small window in her lavish room. Her eyes showed the pain of someone who had seen far too much in life.

I found myself visiting her as often as I could, though that generally ended up being only every few months. I was worried when I'd heard she ran away. I was heartbroken when I heard she'd been found dead. I was completely devastated when I heard she'd been pregnant.

One of the other women had stumbled upon her diary that had been left behind. In it had been written about how the Matron makes her charges abort pregnancies because it disrupts business. In it had been written how she didn't want to lose the baby.

In it had been written how the child was mine.

The police report filed when her body was found stated that she died during childbirth but didn't mention any child. However, no matter what I did or said, they refused to bother 'wasting resources' looking for one. The L2 police were convinced there was no way for a child that young to survive on the streets and that he was surely dead.

I continued my lonely meandering walk until something drew me from my reverie. Smoke. There was the scent of smoke in the air. I slowly wound my way through the streets to the source.

It was loud. The crowd of gawkers stood around with their cacophonous conversations while the deafening hum of the fans from the air scrubbers working double time pervaded everything. It was a building on fire. A church from the looks of it. Alliance troops were stationed around the structure, trying to keep order. Why would Alliance troops respond to a call about a burning building?

I watched with the rest of the crowd as one Alliance man dragged a young boy from the slowly crumbling building. The boy was soot covered and his clothes were singed in places but overall he seemed fine.

I really had no idea what the situation was, but I couldn't help but laugh when the little shit pulled an arm back and punched the Alliance man right in the groin, using the distraction to twist his arm free from his grasp. My laugh caught in my throat as the boy ran past me and we locked eyes. He had large, startling violet eyes. Eyes that showed the pain of someone who had seen far too much in life.

By the time my brain caught up the boy was long gone.

-x-

-Author's Note-

Thanks for reading!

This was meant to be the prologue for a longer story. I had started planning the whole thing out. Where exactly Hellsing fit into the GW world, how Duo and Pip would meet, etc. Only problem was, I couldn't come up with an actual plot. Had all this world and nothing for the characters to actually DO in it. -.- So this sat around in my WIP folder for months until I figured I'd just post it as a one-shot for now.

…I have never watched farther than the first two episodes of Hellsing, so I really have no idea how Pip is suppose to act. Sorry if he's OOC.

Based on a story request from animefangirl0219 for Pip Bernadotte to be Duo Maxwell's father.