Baby Mine
By: Lady DeathAngel
Warnings: none for now
A/N: Heh . . . yet another story that came out of nowhere. But I haven't written a purely Hilde and Duo story in a while so this could be a good thing. Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review. ^.~
It was raining outside. Pouring, thunder, lightning, the works. But that wasn't what woke her up. There was a cold, damp chill that permeated the small room she was sleeping in, but that didn't wake her up either. No, the thing that had woken her up was the sound she heard from the room right next to hers.
It wasn't loud at all. Not half as loud as the booming thunder sounding every few seconds. And yet it was enough to jerk her upright in her bed. It was nothing like the cold feeling she had that made her wish she'd worn pajama bottoms to bed. But it still sent a chill down her spine.
She didn't know how long she sat there in silence before it was broken again by a whimper and then a soft moan. She turned her gaze to the wall that separated her room and his and bit her lip. It was happening again. The nightmares had started all over again. She knew they never *really* went away, but for the past couple of weeks he'd slept soundly, when he'd slept at home at all.
She frowned. It was all that other woman's fault. What was her name again? Bethany or Barb? No, Bambi. It was Bambi. What a stupid name. But it totally fit the woman's personality. She had the brains of a brick and was about as deep as a puddle in a desert. And yet she'd managed to catch his attentions. Of course, she'd only been a fill in. A woman that he needed to keep the nightmares at bay.
Another moan made her draw her knees up to her chest and rest her forehead on them. She wanted to help. God did she want to help. But he wouldn't let her. He was her best friend. She told him everything, he knew all her habits and quirks and deep dark secrets. She knew all his habits and quirks and she even knew his secrets, but that didn't matter. Knowing and doing something to help were two completely different things and he only let her do one of them.
And yet, a part of her didn't want to be let in. A part of her didn't want to help. She was scared and she had a reason to be. Nothing got rid of the nightmares. His many girlfriends, their move to Earth . . . none of it had helped. She was scared that if she tried to help she'd fail too. And she didn't think either of them could stand that. She bit her lip and tried to block everything out. Tried to ignore the painful sensations that fluttered through her stomach at every sound he made. Nothing worked and soon she just gave up.
She didn't know how long she stayed huddled like that in her bed before the sounds stopped. A few seconds later she heard his door open and the close softly. She knew that he wouldn't go back to sleep. He'd walk around, turn on the tv or listen to the radio. Anything but fall to sleep. He couldn't stand sleeping.
It was funny because she prided herself on being tough as nails. She didn't cry, she didn't whine, and she could handle anything. Maybe it was because she'd been a soldier or maybe it was because of the way she'd been raised. Whatever it was, it prevented her from being the very thing she despised, a weepy, whiny, weak female. But she wasn't completely immune. And every night this happened she felt her heart being ripped and torn apart and she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She heard him shuffle around the living room and bent over her knees.
"Oh Duo." She whispered before squeezing her eyes shut.
And moments later tough as nails Hilde was weeping.
~*~
"Hey Hilde! Your boyfriend's on his way here!" Duo yelled, walking into the garage.
Hilde frowned and rolled herself out from underneath the car she was working on.
"What?" She asked.
Duo grinned and leaned over her.
"It's Chris. He's on his way here." He said, his voice laced with ill-hid glee and amusement.
Hilde groaned.
"Oh God . . . not again!" She sighed and stood up.
"I'm leaving." She said, walking out of the garage and heading in the direction of the office. "Tell him I'm on a vacation in Peru. Better yet, tell him I contracted a deadly disease in Peru, died, and now there's no reason for him to come around."
Duo laughed. "Like that'd stop him."
Hilde turned and propped her hands on her hips.
"I'm glad *you* think it's funny, but it's not! Chris is like a fly that won't go away."
"Aw," Duo said with a smile. "But he's a very cute fly, right?"
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You are horrible." She said, walking into the office and wiping her hands on her overalls.
He laughed and followed her.
"Come on Hil, it's not like he's really going to try anything anyway. He's marrying Liz, remember? You're just a dish on the side."
"You do wonders for a girl's ego Duo." She said drily over her shoulder.
"You're not the first to tell me that, but I think you're the first who didn't mean it."
She shook her head but was prevented from saying anything else by the ringing of the vid-phone.
She answered it two rings later.
"Heero? Wow! Hi!" She said, thoroughly shocked at seeing him.
"Hello." He replied. "Is Duo around?"
"I'm right here buddy!" Duo said, walking up behind Hilde and leaning over her shoulder to talk to Heero.
"So, how's it floatin'? You and the Princess gettin' along?"
Heero nodded. "We're getting along fine. But I have a favor to ask you."
"Oh yeah? Well, I must say it's a little sudden but I've always wanted to be a god father." Duo said with a wink.
Heero just stared at him while Hilde hid her grin behind her hands.
"Duo I assure you that Relena is not pregnant." Heero said finally, his cheeks tinted red. "This is much more important than that anyway."
Duo sighed. "Damn. And here I thought I was gonna get to spoil some little rascal rotten." He shrugged. "Oh well. That's life I guess. So, what's up?"
"We need you to help us out with a rescue mission."
Duo crossed his arms over his chest.
"Come on Heero, I told you I'm not doing the Preventer thing . . ."
"Your exact words, Duo, were that you would help us if we needed it. You said that we were bound to get in too deep someday and then we'd need your expertise and fighting prowess to bail us out."
Duo frowned. "I did not say that."
Hilde coughed delicately. Duo looked down at her with raised eyebrows. That cough had sounded decidedly like the word 'liar'.
"What was that?" He asked her.
She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Whatever do you mean? It's just awfully dry in here, that's all."
"Hmm . . ." He said, looking at her skeptically before turning back to the vid screen.
"Will you help us?" Heero asked.
Duo sighed but nodded. "Yeah I guess. What do you need me to do?"
"A terrorist threat was issued twenty-four hours ago. A small faction has targeted the Peace Anniversary this year. We aren't sure if it's a bluff or not, but Relena is going to be there along with many other important politicians. We won't take any chances. Une decided that a group of trained ex-soldiers should be present in case they're needed. She doesn't want just anyone though. We've already spoken with Quatre and Trowa and they agreed, Sally and Wufei didn't even need to be asked, and even Zechs and Noin said that if they are needed they'll help."
"So now it's just me, eh?" Duo said.
He scratched his chin before nodding.
"Yeah, I'll do it. The Peace Anniversary is on L-2 this year, right?"
He said it offhandedly but Hilde noticed the way his jaw tightened slightly as Heero nodded. She looked back at Heero and knew that he'd noticed it too.
"Okay, we'll be there." He said. "Yeah, you're coming too." He said, grinning at Hilde's shocked expression.
"Good." Heero said. "And it'll be nice seeing you again Duo." And then he was gone.
Both of them stared, wide-eyed at the blank vid screen.
"Wow." Hilde muttered.
"Wow is right." Duo replied.
They both shook themselves out of it though.
"Well, the Peace Anniversary is in a week." Duo said. "I say we start getting everything set up now."
Hilde nodded and turned to leave the office but stopped short and blanched.
"Oh no." She said under her breath. "He's here."
Duo turned, saw just who he was, and laughed. He gave her a none-too-gentle shove in Chris's direction and winked at her.
"Go on and have fun." He said. "I'll take care of things here."
She narrowed her eyes and glowered at him. She'd have hit him too if Chris hadn't gotten to the room right at that moment.
"Hilde! Hi!"
She sighed and turned with a small, weak smile.
"Hi Chris."
"Hey Chris buddy! Wish I could stay and chat longer but, you know, business is business so . . . I'll be seein' you guys later!"
Duo walked off whistling a happy tune and left Hilde to fend off one very persistent, not to mention *taken*, suitor.
'I'll kill him.' She thought as Chris moved closer to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. 'I'll kill him for this.'
He leaned in toward her.
"So I was thinking, you know, maybe tonight we could got to a movie, have a drink at my place . . ."
'Better yet I'll kill both of them and I'll start with Mr. Touchy-Feely right here.'
Poor, besotted Chris never knew what hit him.
~*~
Duo knew something was up when Hilde came out of the office with a thundercloud over her head and Chris limped out. He sighed. Maybe he should have warned the guy that Hilde really didn't like to be touched by men she didn't like. Hell, she'd barely been able to stand him touching her for a while. But as Chris clambered into his car and drove away, leaving a glaring, scowling Hilde in his wake, Duo couldn't help but think that maybe not telling him had been a good thing.
He walked up behind Hilde.
"So, you finally got rid of him did you?"
She turned her angry blue eyes up to his.
"Yes, no thanks to *you*."
Duo held up both hands in front of his body I-surrender fashion.
"Hey now, don't blame me. You coulda chased him off looong ago."
"I couldn't hit him for no reason." She said.
"And up until today he hadn't given you one? Jeez, what'd he do then, to make you finally haul off and hurt him?"
She flushed slightly and looked away.
"He was a little too close for comfort."
He grinned.
"Aw, little Hilde's blushing! Look, it's so *cute*."
She hit him in the stomach. He winced.
"Such violence." He muttered, shaking his head and then walking away.
"Well, I'm going to go let Mack know that we're leaving later this week for L-2, all right?"
She nodded and waved a hand nonchalantly at him.
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."
He walked toward Mack who was just getting out of his truck. His partner had already been there for half an hour, but Mack never had been known for his punctuality. Sure he had a great head for business and numbers, but he was never *ever* on time.
"Hey Mack, what's up?" Duo asked as he drew up next to him.
Mack shrugged. "Not much. You?"
"Well, actually I came to tell you that you'll be on your own for a while." He said.
Mack raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah?"
Duo nodded. "Yeah. Me and Hilde decided we'd go to L-2, check out the Peace Anniversary, take a little down time, you know."
Mack's smile was a little to knowing for Duo's tastes.
"Aha! We'd all wondered when you two'd wisen up and see what was right under your noses."
Duo frowned. "What are you talkin' about?"
"Don't play dumb." Mack said. "You and Hilde are going away to be alone together. It's obvious. Well, I'll man the fort so don't worry about it. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Duo stared at Mack in confusion as he walked away before the meaning of his words fully hit him.
"It's just a friendly vacation!" He yelled. "That's all!"
Mack just lifted a hand. Duo sighed. Great. Now everyone who knew Duo and Hilde would think the two of them had become a couple. It wasn't like Duo minded that everyone thought that he and Hilde were together, but they'd agreed before that they couldn't let any brief crushes or one night stands get in the way of their friendship and business relationship.
Of course, no matter how many people they told this, everyone still insisted that they were in love with one another and needed to wise up. And while Duo agreed that Hilde was a great girl, he just didn't feel *that* way about her and he wished that people would get a clue.
~^~
AN: Well, that's all I've written so far. I'll be working on it though. So please leave a review and tell me what you thought. ^.^