Santa Clarita: Going Home

By Max

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

Note: My god, it feels good to write that disclaimer. I've been doing original and it's so much more stressful.

Note about the story: This story is set after Heero rescues Duo from the computer and other Heero follows Duo out into the 'real' world to get him back. So the Duo at the start of this story is over 600 years old and Heero was 19, I believe. Inconsistencies are entirely my fault and in the end I'm writing this for my own wellbeing and the hope that someone else will also enjoy it

Duo held the name plate with both hands, head tilted, lip swelling, one eye black. The placard had his prisoner number and then New York City Police Station 8732.

The office setting up the photo sneered. "You don't seem much like a god now, do you 'Dr.' Maxwell?"

Duo's lip twitched, the unswollen side attempting to lift in a smile. He blew at a bit of long bang laying over his eye, lifting it just a bit.

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe those pussies were afraid to arrest you."

Then she looked into the camera. Through the camera her prisoner's face was a skull, dark sockets and empty nose. The tangled brown braid a matted brown priest cowel. Boney fingers held the placard and as she tried to pull back, they held her head, holding her to the camera as those cold bones slipped through her hair to caress her scalp. Her scream muffled around folds of musty thick brown cloth that had pushed into her mouth.

Her hands grabbed at the air beside the camera, trying to get hold of anything more solid than the black empty eye staring at her through the camera lens. Death, sweet and sickly soaked into her and her own vomit filled her throat, plugged by the dark fabric.

Cool breeze brushed her ear and she heard, as if nature had spoken to her directly, "Do not make fun of the God of Death. Do not use pussies as a derogatory. You can call people garbanzo beans. Beans don't have feelings, well, not ones that matter."

She hit the floor with a twack, her skull on the cheap ass concrete floor.

Another officer rushed in, pistol drawn. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Ima just standin here holdin this here card thingy," Duo said, shaking the little card a bit. "I ain't moved, no sir, no how."

"Maggie," the man said, going to one knee, his pistol back in its holster. "Maggie are you alright?"

"Death!" she started sobbing, hands holding onto his arms. "He's the God of Death!"

"Now now," Chuck said, uncomfortable and giving Duo another accusing look.

Duo had his eyes wide, as angelic as he possibly could look after a bar brawl and bank robbery. "I bet she had a panic attack. You all got good insurance? You all shouldn't work folk so hard!"

She pointed her shaking finger at Duo and started to scream.

"I think she needs a sedative. I'm a doctor, you know."

"Shuddap," Chuck snapped. He stood up, looked at the footage in the camera, which showed a second of Duo standing there like nothing happened and that was it. "God, Maggie, there ain't nothing here. He ain't moved at all or did nothing."

"No, he was Death itself. Don't be a fucking garbanzo bean!"

Duo's lips twisted, which stung a bit due to the swelling. "She might need to see someone.. You know?"

"Shaddup you! Merle! Come finish this mugshot!"

Another man came in. He stared, curling his lower lip down with his thumb for a moment. "What da fuck?"

"Maggie fainted. Just do the mugshot and process this guy."

"Oh shit, Duo Maxwell! Hey, he's a doctor. Maybe he can help."

"He's a fucking prisoner, Merle," Chuck snapped.

"He's Death," Maggie wailed, swaying as Chuck got her to her feet. "I'm gonna puke!"

"Maybe it's the flu," Duo offered helpfully.

"Please turn to your left, Dr. Maxwell," Merle asked.

"Sure thing," Duo said, being very cooperative. "You play powerball?"

"Sometime," Merle said, "Don't you worry. I'm sure you'll post bond right away. What they say you did?"

"Well, there was a brawl, then I robbed a bank."

"You don't gotta incriminate yoself," Merle said, giving Duo the eye.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I got clarity now. You should play Powerball today. Pick yer birthday and yer wedding anniversary." Duo stepped down from the platform and move in the direction that Merle pointed.

"How you know I was married," Merle asked.

Duo shrugged. "Just a guess."

A few minutes later Duo was in the holding cell with Heero, who still wasn't talking to him.

They sat on the same bench. Duo grinned hopefully, the way he remembered grinning when he was fifteen/sixteen.

Heero's blue eyes narrowed, lips puckering up. "You're not my Duo."

"Never said I was," Duo said, lips tight and words distorted by his swollen lips. "But I used to be him and I still love you."

Heero scooted just a little farther away. "My Duo can't walk on water."

"I just didn't want to get wet!"

"You're only barely human."

"Human's over rated. But I have have an idea!" Duo stood up, stretched, made a face and got rid of all the bruising and swelling. He turned back to Heero, his grin his own, cocky and eyes dark purple and sparkling. "Come home with me, Heero. My Heero and family, they've built a ship. The plan is to go... just go. Heero and Martha think we can make Alpha Centauri, just leave this solar system and go. We'll find a new planet, start over."

Heero's face tightened and Duo's heart wanted to break. For there be tears gathering in Heero's eyes might as well be sobs. "But he's gone. I didn't find you fast enough and I'll never catch. I'll never be able to look into your eyes as my equal again. I don't care where we go what we do. You have a Heero. Can you, please, just give me a good dream and let me die here?"

"Oh Baby," Duo said, dropping to his knees, hands reaching for Heero's hands. "I have better idea. I was afraid to let young me out because I know how dangerous he fucking was, but my Heero built a safe place. Martha can pull out your Duo and you can be together. I want him to go to Wyoming, but there's no need for an arrest. You and he will be safe and can grow up together."

"Can.. can you pull young me out of me, so I don't have to live these years without you?"

Duo brushed a hand over Heero's short military hair. "I love you as you are, but yes, if that's what you want, Martha can do that."

"My Duo and I can grow up together?"

"Yeah."

"And when we're grown up, we'll be on our way to Alpha Centauri or some other planet? Will you still be part of my life?"

"I can and will be. So come with me?"

Heero nodded and reached for Duo's hand, holding it tightly. "It was fun robbing the bank."

"I always wanted to do that!" Duo stood up and pulled Heero with him, "Come meet our family!"

"Okay," Heero said, a single tear slipping free. "Will we be dying to get to this digital world?"

Duo backed up, both hands out, pulling Heero with him into a black nothingness. "Fuck no. Dying sucks."

"What about Relena? What about this world?"

"What about'em Heero? You don't want to be here without your Duo and he's too fucking dangerous to let into this world."

Heero nodded and stepped into the blackness.