After Colony: Rebirth

000

This is a direct sequel to After Colony: Revelation. However, you can read this story without having read the first one. You may miss some details about the character of Phe, but if you can simply accept her character and actions, then you'll be fine. This is a piece primarily about Wufei and his own personal growth.

000

Wufei scowled and looked at his hands, noticing he missed a spot of grease near his wrist. While he didn't particularly mind his work, he often felt like he was perpetually scraping off layers of his skin in attempt to be clean after a day in the shop.

Spending years around mobile suits had made him quite accustomed to mechanical repair. Though there weren't many cars in Jasper's Cove, there were plenty of boats that seemed to need continuous fixing. He didn't necessarily need a job—what with Quatre's willingness to pay for most of his expenses—he just didn't like sitting around idly.

Besides, getting a job seemed to be a good enough excuse for the curious townsfolk when he signed a six month lease over at the Tranquil Inn's guest house.

For his first month, Wufei had been the talk of the town, even if was behind his back. He heard the whispers. There were all sorts of theories as to why he just showed up in the town and then decided to stay. Though he found it irritating, he never bothered trying to explain himself. He preferred that he was left alone.

As he turned and walked down the street towards Marty's he grimaced. Sitting in the middle of the side walk was a plastic skeleton that was supposed to be seated on a hay bale outside of the restaurant. He had been picking it up for the past three days.

Frown set firmly in place, he marched over and grabbed the thing by the leg and lifted it up. When he neared the restaurant, he set it down on its bale and placed a pumpkin on its hand to keep it from blowing away again.

"You know, you're the only one who cares enough to pick Louie up," said a voice from the doorway.

"It bothers me," he replied and turned around. "I swear, I will zip tie the damned thing tomorrow if I have to."

Pheona, or Phe, stood leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed and a brow raised. She shrugged. "Then I would just have to cut the zip tie at the end of the night to put him away. I can't leave him out or the local hooligans may get him. Marty would have my head if Louie went missing overnight."

He was still getting used to seeing—and talking to—her every day. He'd only been in town for about two months, but he had fallen into a routine.

In the morning, he would get up early and meditate. Sometimes it would be inside, sometimes on his back porch, and sometimes, it would be on the beach near his work. He would work until about eleven and the walk over to Marty's for lunch. Since he ordered the same thing every day, homemade crab cakes with coleslaw and fresh baked potato chips, she had taken to having it ready for him when he came in. The restaurant didn't open until eleven, so he was often he first customer of the day.

Wufei liked being the first one in. Phe usually sat with him and watched the news while wrapping silverware until another customer came in.

While it wasn't as if he wanted to monopolize her time, he simply didn't like the other customers. Or, more particularly, he didn't like it when some of the other male patrons came in and struck up a conversation with her. There was a voice in the back of his head that tried to explain to him why, exactly, it bothered him so much. But he staunchly squashed the subconscious speaker and convinced himself it was just because he couldn't be sure if they were threats to her safety.

That was all.

Wufei took a seat at his usual spot at the bar while Phe walked behind the counter to fill him a glass of Iced Tea. Once she had finished, she disappeared for a few moments to return with his warm plate.

Then the two sat in relative silence. Phe sat watching the news as she laid out napkins and silverware, wrapping them as she went. He only half listened to the news, knowing he wouldn't have much time after he had finished before he had to leave again. He only looked up when he heard the clinking of silverware next to him come to a stop.

"…Yes Nancy, it does appear that the two were victims of 'the Rapture.' They were a couple who ran week long programs for survival training in Oregon. Based upon the crime scene, it does seem that CSO neurochips were removed from the victims. Viewers be advised: the images you are about to see may be disturbing."

Wufei's jaw clenched as he saw cameras zoom in on the two corpses found laying in the woods. He supposed that they were a few days old and had been exposed to the elements before they were found. He glanced at Phe from the corner of his eye and saw her staring at the screen and absently running her thumb over a patch of hair on the left side of her skull.

"They'll be caught," he said and returned to his meal, disregarding the images on the screen. If he knew Quatre, and he felt relatively confident that he did, to a certain extent, then he knew that the Preventers had people working on tracking down the group known as the Rapture.

Still, he had to admit, he was relatively surprised he had not received a call to investigate. He was one of the closest ranking officers, after all. Why hadn't he received orders to reactivate his status and end his leave of absence?

Her hand quickly dropped to her lap and she sighed. She went back to rolling the silverware.

Wufei was not sure if she, or anyone else, knew of her involvement with CSO. All he could dig up on her was that she came over on a refugee boat with people who were displaced from Germany after the final battle. She had been under the care of a doctor who had listed her as a Jane Doe. There were so many affected by CSO that some countries, like the US, didn't have much problem accepting refugees from certain friendly countries so long as there were no obvious signs of threats.

And an unconscious woman with burns on half of her body and no memory of how she got them or who she was, was low on the threat list in their eyes.

He had yet to find the doctor who had brought her over and dropped her off in the small town of Jasper's Cove.

"Has anyone told you about the Halloween party?" Phe asked, changing the subject as she turned off the TV.

"No one's had to. I've seen the posters on every telephone pole in town," Wufei replied. He finished off his Iced-Tea and Phe stood to get him another, but he shook his head and she sat back down.

"They go a little crazy with it here. But, anyhow, you should go. Meet people. They even give out door prizes. After nine, it's adult only. Kids are sent home with sitters and the parents keep partying. I've heard it's a blast, if you like that sort of thing."

Wufei dug his wallet out of his coat and placed his cash on the counter. "You don't go?"

"No," Phe sighed, shaking her head. "Halloween… it isn't really my thing. Marty closes the place after six because everyone's gone for the evening. I stayed last year and did inventory. I think I'll do it again. No one will bother me if I'm here."

"Do people usually bother you?"

She was quiet for a few moments. Phe rolled up her sleeve and flashed the burn scars visible on her left arm. "I've had my fair share of 'monster' jokes throughout the past two years."

Wufei looked down at her arm then back up to her face, which was already turned away as she rolled her sleeve down again. He hadn't had the opportunity to ask before, but it seemed she had given him the perfect opening.

"What happened two years ago?"

Phe seemed surprised that he asked and she opened her mouth, but closed it again. "I don't know," she shrugged. She was uncomfortable, and he could tell. Perhaps he shouldn't have broached the subject so soon. "I woke up, I was on a boat and in pain. I woke up again, and I was here. That's pretty much it."

Wufei hummed but said no more.

"I'm off tomorrow. If you plan on coming in, just remember that Marty will be working and he won't have food ready for you." Phe took his payment and cashed him out. He was already at the door giving a haphazard wave when she finished. She always tried to give him his change, and he always left it.

000

The following day, Wufei did not get to go to lunch at his usual time (not that it mattered since he didn't plan on stopping at Marty's anyhow.) Instead, he had to hold his tongue while his boss, and son of the owner of McGlennen's Repair, shouted at him.

"Jesus, I asked for you to put in a purchase order, not find a new vendor," Jack McGlennen snapped, waving his hands at the boxes sitting on the dock. "We have a contract with Astor's!"

"They're obviously taking advantage of you," Wufei replied and crossed his arms. "The parts cost almost half as much as they charge—and almost a third if you'll take a referb piece. This vendor is more reliable."

"You don't get to make that decision! You're a repairman, not a partner. You seemed competent enough so I thought you could handle a simple purchase order. What the hell am I supposed to tell Astor's now? They're going to be wondering why we didn't place an order this month!" Jack was about ten years older than Wufei, and he certainly didn't mind treating Wufei like he was some sort of juvenile despite him being twenty four.

"I would recommend telling Astor's that you're trying out a new bid and that unless they're going to match their costs, you're going to take your business elsewhere. And I say this—" Wufei raised his voice a bit louder since the man started talking over him again "—because they are taking advantage of you. You want to buy the warehouse next door, correct? What you would save in a year on parts, the same exact parts, you could use as a down payment at the end of the year."

That seemed to be enough to get Jack to quiet. He still paced around a bit and then stopped, looking at the metal pieces in the boxes.

"Lennard is finishing with the last job. There's no more work for the day, clock out. I'll have to spend the day sorting this mess out."

Honestly, Wufei was thrilled that he was told to leave. He was certainly still getting used to having a 'boss' and he wasn't sure he cared for it. It had been a very long time since someone could tell him what to do. He thought he was much more competent than his fool of a boss.

He kept any would-be mutterings to himself as he started to walk back towards the little town. He had no idea what he would do to entertain himself for the rest of the day. He had already explored the two bookstores the town had to offer as well the dollar theater. He supposed if he wanted, he could take the day to go hike in the forest surrounding the town—but he would have preferred to have left at dawn for a productive day.

As he neared the main street, he crossed the road and decided to enter the grocery store. He had been putting off his shopping for nearly a week anyhow.

While he could cook well enough, Wufei didn't care to do it too much in his little guest house. The kitchen was small and the appliances were old. He didn't care for waste, so he bought very little at one time—milk, bread, some vegetables…He was just thinking of getting the ingredients for shrimp stir fry when he felt someone entering into his personal space.

"Hey there."

He turned to see a woman leaning against the side of the cooler he was staring into. He raised a brow and looked at her; he made it a point to look only at her face since she was wearing a very low cut shirt.

"The polite thing to say would be 'hi,'" she added with a smirk when he didn't answer.

He knew this woman. He couldn't think of her name, but he had seen her in the town before. She was usually with a group, typically with a man or two hanging from her arm, and quite loud. Phe had made it very clear that she didn't like this woman.

"Everyone says you're quiet, I guess that's true," the woman said, continuing to talk despite the look of boredom she was receiving. "I'm Lea. You've probably seen me around…."

She seemed to be waiting for any sign of recognition, but Wufei only hummed in response.

"Well, anyways, some friends and I are going to be at the Silver Spoon for drinks before hitting up the Halloween party. It's actually somewhat enjoyable when you have a buzz. You should come. Meet some new people besides Marty's crowd," Lea said and then fell silent, idly twirling her phone in her hands.

"I have plans," Wufei finally said when he grew tired of staring at the woman. She seemed intent of waiting for an answer and he was intent on finishing his shopping.

He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, as he went to go find the spices.

Wufei was surprised to find Phe standing down the aisle, scanning the shelves for something. When she spotted him, she seemed to start chuckling.

"Are spices funny?" He asked and reached over her for a small bottle.

Her smile only grew wider. "You know, you may be the first eligible man to have ever turned down Lea."

"Who says I'm 'eligible?'"

"Aren't you?" Phe asked with a raised brow.

He looked at her for a moment, dropping his container in to his basket. He shrugged. "For someone who doesn't like Halloween, you're certainly stocked up." Wufei nodded to her cart which was filled with bags of candy.

When Phe looked away and chuckled awkwardly, he noticed that there was a bit of red creeping up her neck and cheeks. She was blushing—well, he wasn't expecting that. It was an odd sight.

"I like sweet things, and spicy," she said and waved the three containers she was holding before placing them in her cart. "For some reason, I can only taste really strong flavors. When I find something I like, I have to stock up. Dark chocolates and caramels, those are my favorites."

Before he knew it, the two of them were walking down the aisle towards the checkout lines.

"Do you have a favorite candy?" Phe asked as they got into line. She let him go ahead of her since he had less in his basket.

Wufei frowned and shook his head. "I don't eat many sweets. Especially American sweets. I don't care for the taste."

"Huh," she replied thoughtfully, "where are you from? If you don't mind me asking…"

He contemplated hurrying his checkout to avoid a personal conversation, but he supposed that would defeat his whole purpose of staying in the town in the first place. He just hadn't thought that a grocery store would be the place he would start having a chitchat.

But… that was what normal people did, didn't they? And he was trying to be normal.

"I was born in the colonies. I lived there until about ten years ago."

"I hear space is beautiful," Phe commented and started to place her items on the belt.

Wufei clenched his jaw and nodded. He hated this. He wanted to grab her by her shoulders and shake her, shouting, 'you know all of this. Why don't you remember?'

But she didn't. Each day, Wufei had somewhat hoped that he would walk into Marty's and she would suddenly remember. He hoped that there would be a spark of recognition and she would remember sparring with him, or working on their gundams together. He had to face the facts though.

Edan was dead.

Pheona was the one who rose from the ashes.

"The usual, tomorrow?" Phe asked as he checked out and grabbed his bags from the belt.

He gave her a curt nod and bid her a good day before turning to briskly walk towards the door. He hardly noticed the cold glare that the woman named Lea was giving Phe. He also hardly noticed as Lea called two young boys away from their mother to whisper to them.

000

Phe was serious when she said Halloween was a big deal to the island. The kids had a half day (there was one small school on the island for the two-hundred-some kids who were in all twelve grades and kindergarten.) Some of them were already running around in their costumes—though they were mostly standing outside of the shops their parents owned and handing out candy to passerby's.

As much as he wanted to turn away the candy, the few kids who hadn't run away scared by his glare still managed to stuff wrapped goodies into his hands. His pockets were overflowing. It was annoying.

The bell dinged when he entered Marty's. It was closer to noon and there were a few more patrons than normal for the hour.

The first thing that Wufei noticed was that Marty was actually behind the bar, and not Phe. He slowly walked over to his usual seat and subtly observed the bar. He knew she was supposed to be in—she usually told him ahead of time when she was off. "No Phe today," Wufei commented.

"Eh? No… no Phe today," Marty replied. "Iced Tea, right?"

Wufei nodded and grabbed a menu, deciding to find something different if there wasn't something waiting for him.

"So, you're going to the Halloween party, ain't ya?"

000

Author's Notes: Let's see…. I think I started this story about two years go. I was in no rush to complete it, not really. To be honest, I mostly wrote it for myself. Gundam Wing is not a terribly popular category, and even less so if you are an author straying from the popular pairings. There was a contest a year or so ago for Gundam Wing fandom authors to write a piece for the anniversary of the series. I wrote a piece that was a snippet of Wufei's life at age thirty (not canon, of course, if you count Frozen Teardrop to be canon.) It was sort of 'fluffy', I suppose? He was having a conversation with his five year old daughter. This story more or less was inspired by that snippet.

By the time this story wraps up, it will be a short novel length story, I think. As a fair warning, this is 'romance' story, in a sense of speaking. However, as any of my other readers can tell you, I am not a romance author. When I write it, it is a very slow burn. I do not shove two people together and say, 'now kiss!' For the most part, this will be more of an… introspective piece from Wufei's narrative. It is a story about Wufei learning that there is a life for a soldier beyond the battlefield, if he can accept that he's earned it.

Thank you for reading, whoever you may be! I expect that perhaps five people will read this, and then it will disappear into the void of the Gundam Wing fandom, haha!

Ever Your Servant,

A.F