Disclaimer: Don't own you should know this by now… sigh I do own Hayden though…he is mine and only select few may use him I am the one who decides his fate. MWHAHAHA!!! cough Um, sorry 'bout that. Continue.
Author's Note: This is just a little fluffy deal, some angst possibly haven't decided yet. Two-shot, three at most. Jury's still out on the verdict. Reviews please, I always enjoy reviews! See ya then! bows elegantly
Daddy's Heart
He was in big trouble now, yep, very big trouble. The small boy stood staring at the broken glass and face down wooden frame that was currently in two pieces. He fidgeted back and forth on his tiny bare feet and jumped at the sound of footsteps in the hall to his left. His big Prussian blue eyes watered with unshed tears as he lifted his head up to see his dad come into the doorway. The boy's lower lip started to quiver at the questioning look on the bigger man's face. He instantly ran towards the adult and clamped onto his leg.
"I'm sorry, Daddy; I didn't mean to. It was an accident!" the child wailed as crocodile tears streamed down his chubby cheeks. He buried his face into the coarse denim of his jeans. He bowed his head as the man pulled back from him so he could knell down to his son's level. He tenderly lifted the boy's chin up to look him in the eyes.
"What happened, Hayden?" he asked quietly while he brushed the tears away with his thumbs. The boy sniffed loudly then rubbed his runny nose with his sleeve and hand.
"I was bouncing my ball and I kinda bounced it a little too hard and it hit the picture on the coffee table. I'm really sorry, Daddy, I swear it was an accident," he explained quickly then attacking his father. His small arms wrapped around his neck while his father's arms came around his tiny frame. He shook his head slowly as he picked him up into the air. He went over to the table and couch.
"It's alright; you didn't get glass in your feet did you? What about your hands?" he asked as he sat the boy down on the couch to see that he still held his head down away from his father's gaze. The child shook his head that he hadn't.
"I've told you not to bounce your ball in the house, haven't I?" Hayden nodded his head solemnly, silent tears still cascading down his face. He smirked at his son then started to pick up the pieces of glass and wood frame. He lifted his head as he heard the phone ringing. He looked back to the boy on the couch sitting quietly with a sniff every now and then.
"Go answer it," he added trying not to smile at the boy's perking ears, "but go around the couch so you don't step in the glass."
"What are you going to do to me, Daddy?"
"I haven't decided; now hurry and answer the phone," he did grin as he suddenly ran off to get the phone. For some reason that he couldn't possibly fathom, the boy loved to answer the phone and talk to complete strangers. He continued to pick the glass pieces up and carry them over to the trash can in the kitchenette at the other side of the room, all the while listening to his son's happy voice from the small side room where the phone was.
"Hello, Kurosaki resibents, who is this?" He heard his son asked, and chuckled at the mispronunciation of residents.
"Sex Monkeys, that's a really funny name mister, do you know that?" He froze in mid-step from the trash can to finish cleaning up the mess when he heard that name. He instantly ran back through the main room hitting his bare toe on the coffee table as he tried to avoid the glass in an after thought, muttering a curse.
"Hayden, give me the phone,"
"But Daddy, I gots to figure out who he wants first,"
"That's alright; I know who he wants,"
"But how?" he asked innocently.
"Don't worry about it, just hand me the phone and go play in your room. And stay away from the broken glass I haven't finished cleaning it up yet,"
"Okay, Daddy what ever you say," Hayden sighed completely forgetting that just a moment ago he had been distraught with guilt and grief for braking his father's picture. He handed him the phone as he drudged past the adult and down the hall.
"Zechs," he answered after standing in the doorway making sure that the boy did go to his room. He smirked with a shake of his head as Hayden slipped into his dad's room. He then went back to cleaning up the glass.
"Who was that?"
"That was my son if you must know. Why exactly are you calling me?"
"You're son, how the devil did that happen?"
"It's not brain science, Zechs, I had sex with a woman and she became pregnant," He stated flatly while balancing the phone between his shoulder and side of his head as he sat the photo and two pieces of frame on the table beside him. He made his way to the broom closet to grab the broom to sweep up the remaining shards of glass.
"Damn it that's not what…oh never mind,"
"What do you want, Zechs? You wouldn't have called me for a social visit,"
"Actually, that is why I'm calling. My sister wants you to join her and the rest of the crew at Quatre's manor in the Rockies of former America for Christmas,"
"Why didn't she call me herself?" he asked absently.
"Because she is currently in a meeting that intends to last a full three days so it seems, not to mention Lu thought it would be a good idea that I call you and ask instead of her. And it seems she was right. I don't know want she would've done had she been the one to find out the hard way that you have a son and wife. Do you realize that she has been here refusing all suitors because she believes that you will come back to get her?"
"Whoa, hang on one damn minute. Who ever said I had a wife? It sure as hell wasn't me. Yes, I've got a son, but that doesn't mean that I have a wife,"
"But…"
"No buts, Zechs, it's to complicated to explain so I won't. Suffice it to say that she is no longer a part of our lives and we are getting along just fine. Now, about Relena I am coming back to get her, and she already knows about Hayden. I've talked to her several times it was you who assumed that I hadn't been in touch with her all these years,"
"She's refused all of the suitors that has even remotely wanted to date her,"
"She doesn't want to date anyone right now and she definitely doesn't want to get married now. She has her career ahead of her, you would know this if you would listen to her once and awhile," he fumed angrily as he through the broom in the closet and slammed the door shut.
"How dare you lecture me on how to have a relationship with MY sister?"
"Don't even give me that, Zechs, because I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Just tell her that I will be there and I'll get in contact with Quatre to get the particulars of the location. Goodbye, Zechs, I am now officially hanging up on you," he pressed the end call button as he heard the sputters of the exasperating man on the other line. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath of air before opening his eyes again. He then put the phone back on the charger in the small room then began the process of heading towards his son, who conveniently had taken that opportunity to run to his own room and jump on his bed.
He grinned innocently up at the adult as his messy black locks continued to bounce with his sudden movements.
"Hey, Daddy," he chirped.
"Hey, Hayden," he muttered as he went over to the boy and sat down beside him. He buried his face into his hands as he propped his elbows on his knees. The small boy nudged him slightly to get his attention.
"He didn't sound like a very nice guy, Daddy," The adult chuckled as he looked over into the big blue eyes that he had inherited from his father.
"Well, how would you feel about going to Earth and seeing Relena and a few other friends of mine?" he asked.
"You mean I finally get to meet Ms. Lena, oh cool!" he exclaimed hopping from the bed and dancing around the room. He stopped instantly to look back to his dad.
"What about Christmas? Are we coming back here for it, we gots to have Christmas?"
"I have a feeling that we'll be having Christmas with everyone there. So we'll pack for a cold winter, okay?"
"How cold?" he asked arching an eyebrow with a hint of anticipation.
"Cold enough to see real snow," he answered with a grin.
"WOO-WHO!" The kid started to dance once again as his father laughed.
"When are we leaving?" he asked after flopping back on his bed. His small bare feet dangled over the edge still moving with energy.
"I don't know yet, I need to get a hold of Quatre and find out,"
"Go! Go!" Hayden exclaimed shoving at the man shoulder. He laughed once and got up slowly.
"Alright, I'm going, but in the mean time, I want you to start cleaning your room," he stated narrowing his eyes at his son.
"Aw, man!" he wined.
"Don't give me that, its retribution for breaking the picture frame. Hop to it," he scolded good-naturedly scuffing his hand through his son's hair.
"Dad," he wined as he swatted his hand.
"Clean," he ordered with a wave of his finger around the room before leaving it to use the phone. Hayden crinkled his nose as he looked around him at the clothes and toys scattered around the room's floor.
"Master Quatre, there's a young man on the phone wishing to talk with you. I believe he said that his name was Heero,"
Quatre snapped his head up to the door and one of his many Magunac Corp. friends. His eyes were wide as he nodded his head and lifted the receiver to his ear.
"Heero?" he answered.
"Hello, Quatre,"
"It really is you, I can't believe it," he grinned as he relaxed in his chair with a sigh. He listened to the man's cheerful laughter and had to grin himself.
"Yes, it's me. Listen, Zechs just called me about the Christmas get together at you manor in the Rocky Mountain range, I was just wondering when exactly everyone's planning to be there?"
"Zechs called you I thought Ms. Relena was going to?" he pondered out loud.
"He decided to just in case of any unexpected realizations that may come up,"
"What?"
"This is Zechs we're talking about, remember; which reminds me I'm bringing someone with me,"
"Now you're confusing me, Heero," he stated rubbing his forehead.
"Sorry, I'm bringing my son, Hayden, and before you even ask. Yes, Relena knows about him, she has talked to him several times over the years,"
"You have a son? How old is he?" Quatre asked a wide grin spread across his face.
"He turns seven Christmas Eve,"
Quatre could hear the pride in his friend's voice over the phone.
"Sounds like we'll have to have a birthday party and Christmas party for him; what kind of things does he like?"
"Oh no, that won't be necessary, Quatre. Everyone hasn't met him yet,"
"Every kid deserves to have a good birthday and Christmas, Heero. Will your wife be coming?" he asked innocently.
"I don't have a wife, my friend, it's just the two of us; has been for awhile now,"
"Oh I'm so sorry, Heero, I just assume. Well, that just means that it is a must that we have a party for the child. Now, what does he like and I'll spread the word around," he persisted.
"That's really not necessary, Quatre,"
"Oh yes, it is, besides if you don't tell me I'm sure Ms. Relena knows since you've already told me that they spoken several times," he grinned.
"I had almost forgotten that you weren't all gold and silver," Quatre heard his friend's sigh of defeat and grinned wider.
"He likes to draw; he plays with cars and planes. He's a typical little boy, at least as far as I can tell he is,"
"Excellent, so this year is exploring his likes and dislikes," He listened to Heero's chuckle.
"We'll keep this a surprise party, is that alright?"
"The kid's crazy for surprises,"
"Even better, well I believe everyone has planned for meeting up on the last of November and the first of December. Is that satisfactory?"
"It's perfect; I was planning on taking the whole month of December off anyway,"
"Where do you work if you don't mind my asking?"
"No, I don't mind, and I work for a construction company here on X-189942,"
"Wow, labor or designing?"
"Labor mostly, but I know the architect that we usually work for and depending on the customer he asks me to do the designing. I need to check up on Hayden to make sure he's cleaning his room. It was good to talk with you, Quatre,"
"Like wise, my friend; I'll see you around the first of December then?"
"Yeah,"
"Alright, till then. Goodbye,"
"I'll see ya,"
Quatre slowly lowered the phone to hang it up after the click of the line being disconnected echoed in his ear. He stopped in mid-movement and started dialing a number.
"Amid, cancel all of my appointments today, please. I need to make a few personal phone calls," he called out side his office door.
"Very well, Master Quatre!" the man from before returned but not coming to the doorway.
He brought the receiver up to his ear to hear Hilde's voice come across the line.
"Hilde Maxwell of Maxwell's Scrap and Machinery, how may I help you?"
"Hello, Hilde, is Duo around?" he asked.
"Quatre, yeah, hang on a minute. I think he's finishing up with a costumer,"
"Tell him to take his time, I'm in no hurry," he grinned.
"It's about time you got out of that meeting!"
"Hello, Brother," she stated calmly as she climbed out of the limo and made her way to the door followed by the tall man.
"Don't 'hello, Brother' me; why the hell didn't you tell me that you had been keeping in contact with Heero Yuy?"
"One, it's not Yuy now it's Kurosaki, and two why would I tell you that in the first place?" she answered as she made her way up to her in-home office still being followed by her brother.
"I called him today to inform him of the Christmas get together this year at Quatre's Rockies Manor, and what do you suppose that I find there?"
"A Go-Go dancer?" she chuckled as she plopped her briefcase on the top of her desk and started to rearrange the papers and put them in their proper places in her desk.
"Very funny, ha…ha…ha, no I didn't find a Go-Go dancer; I find a little boy by the name of Hayden. Do you know what he called me?"
"I can imagine," she chuckled to herself.
"I'm not going to even repeat it, but then I talk to Heero and find out that way that he and you have been talking for several years. Did you know that he doesn't have a wife and that he's been raising the brat by himself?"
"Hayden isn't a brat and yes I did know that he wasn't married. Now, he is coming isn't he?"
"He said that he would be getting in touch with Quatre to get the particulars of the meeting times and place,"
"Good, that means that we'll probably be having a small birthday party for him,"
"Heero!?"
"No, Hayden; his birthday is Christmas Eve, and if I know Quatre he'll want to throw a party for him and if he didn't I was going to,"
"Great," Zechs grumbled under his breath while he ran his fingers through his loose hair. Relena narrowed her eyes at her brother then went back to putting papers up and sitting down at her desk to do some last minute revising on a speech that she would be giving in the next few days.
"You might as well get used to it. Now that the guys have realized that Heero has a son I'm sure they'll want to get together more often and I am absolutely thrilled with the idea. It's been a long time since I've seen everyone together. This is going to be the best Christmas since I was little," she smiled absently. Zechs merely shook his head at his sister then headed back for the door to leave her to her work.
"Robin Hood and Little John running through the forest laughing back and fort with the other had to say…" Hayden sang merrily as he sat Indian-styled in front of the television watching the Disney version of 'Robin Hood'. Heero shook his head with a small grin as he washed dishes. He paused at the sound of knocking on his door; he arched an eyebrow then glanced over to his son to see that he hadn't heard it. He sighed relaxing slightly. He dried his hands as he made his way to it; he tossed the towel over his shoulder as he peered through the spy-hole. He inwardly groaned at the deformed sight before him. This is going to be a long day, he mused. He opened the door taking a last minute glance over his shoulder to his son who was still engrossed in the movie. He snapped his head back at the sound of a familiar excited voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.
"Duo, Hilde, I wasn't expecting you," he stated after looking from the elderly woman from down the hall to the two arrivals. The elderly woman smiled with unshed tears in her soft blue eyes.
"Well, I'll just leave you all to catch up on old times. Heero, if you need me to take care of little Hayden I would be glad to, don't hesitate to ask,"
"Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins, I will," Heero added absently still slightly reeling from the sudden appearance of old friends. Mrs. Jenkins left silently to go back down to her small apartment down the hall.
"Oh, Heero when we heard the news we just had to come by and see him first. Where is he?" Hilde gushed while she swept past the quiet tall man. Heero smirked at the pixie then stepped aside more to allow Duo into his home. The two looked at each for awhile then burst out laughing, they went into a manly sort of short hug.
"It's good to see you, Duo,"
"Likewise, Bud,"
Heero looked around at the sound of running feet and the tugging on his pants leg. He grinned at the anxious look in his son's eyes then bent down to pick him up. Duo closed the door behind him.
"Hayden, this is a couple old friends of mine, Duo and Hilde Maxwell. They'll be at the Christmas party,"
"Really?" he chirped excitedly instantly losing the anxiety from his eyes.
"Yeah, we thought we'd come by to see the little guy that stole our friend from us," Duo winked.
"Say what were you watching?" Hilde asked with a grin.
"Robin Hood, it's my favorite!" he smiled.
"Really, it's mine too. Let's go watch it while your dad and Duo talk k?" she added as Heero put him down. Hayden instantly clamped onto her hand and pulled her towards the television filling the room with laughter. Heero and Duo watched the two silently for a few seconds then Duo broke the companionable silence.
"So, we're throwing a party for the little guy," he muttered.
"This way," Heero stated leading him to his own room. Duo followed the two of them every now and then looking over their shoulders. Heero cracked the door to his room as Duo sat on the edge of the bed while Heero leaned up against the plain dresser. He crossed his arms across his chest absently.
"It was Quatre's idea; I'm sure though if Quatre hadn't thought of it Relena would have,"
"So, Relena does know about him?"
"Yeah, she knows; has for about as long as he's been alive,"
"He isn't hers, is he?"
"No, she's not his mother," He stated as he went over to the open window to stare out at the green grass and multicolored trees. It was the tail end of autumn but it had never felt like it. Soon, the artificial snow would start to fall, it surprised him how much a little boy could change a cold seasoned soldier, but Hayden had. He even missed the Earth sometimes, mostly around winter and autumn. The colony seemed even faker during those seasons.
"Who is?"
"She left us along time ago, Duo," he answered simply.
"Has Relena ever seen him?"
"Not long after he was first born she came to help me out a little bit, since then I've sent her pictures and she talked with him on the phone. The kid absolutely loves to talk on the phone, probably because his mother did,"
"What happened to her, Heero? Who was she really?" Duo continued.
"She was Relena's secretary," he answered quietly; he folded his hands as he leaned out the window.
"Sarah, but she…"
"Yeah,"
"Ah man I'm sorry,"
"Don't worry about it; we didn't love each other. It was just an infatuation and an itch to scratch,"
"What about Relena, weren't you two together?"
"No, we've never been together, that was just something that the rest of you imagined to keep you all occupied. Yes, we respected each other but we both knew that we had our own careers to uphold. I was working with Preventors as her bodyguard and she was growing in the political field. We understood it and kept it light. Once I finally gained enough humanity we became friends, that's all. It was after that when Sarah and I started messing around," Heero explained turning back around to face his friend.
"So, Relena holds no hard feelings?"
"Not that I know of; she's never hinted or otherwise that she did," he answered.
"Alright, so what does the kid like?" Duo asked changing the subject suddenly. He jumped from the bed with a clap and rub of his hands. He wiggled his eyebrows causing Heero to laugh out loud.
"It's best if I just show you his room so you can get an idea," he stated leading the way to the boy's room.
"Wow, the kid's got a very active imagination," Duo stated stepping into the room where the walls were covered with artwork that Hayden had drawn, and the shelves and toy chests covered with toy cars and airplanes.
"I gather he likes cars, airplanes, and drawing,"
"That's pretty much what I told Quatre when he asked," Heero stated plainly. The two men turned to the door at the sound of excited running small feet.
"Daddy, guess what?" Hayden grinned.
"What?"
"Ms. Hilde said that we could come visit her and Mr. Duo at their metal shop and see all the stuff that get to build. Isn't that cool!" he exclaimed then ran back to Hilde and Robin Hood.
"Did I fail to mention that he likes to build things," Heero absently mentioned.
"Like father like son," Duo grinned.
"Come on, before he gets any more suspicious than he already is," Heero added leading the way back to his son and Duo's wife.
She just couldn't believe it after almost seven years she would be seeing him in person again. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. She laughed as she packed her clothes in her suitcases she hadn't felt like this in a long time. She glanced around the room making sure that she had everything packed and ready to do when she spotted the photo album lying on her nightstand. She had forgotten to put it up last night; she went over to it and sat down on the edge of her bed. She opened it to have a wide smile on her face at the very first picture. It was one when Sarah had still been around; Heero was asleep on the bed with a baby boy lying asleep on his chest. Heero's hand was protectively holding him still.
"Hayden Allen/Ryo Kurosaki, born 206 on Saturday December 24. Christmas Eve was truly a wonderful endeavor that year." She read. She continued to turn pages that were lined with photographs of the boy as he grew older. She became so engrossed with the pictures that she never realized that her brother had come into the room behind her. She chuckled at the one that she paused on; Hayden was watching his father and was doing the exact same thing. Heero was bent over a sheet of blue architect paper drawing out the design and Hayden sat across from him drawing on a piece of paper. She didn't know who had taken the picture but it was one of her favorites without a doubt.
"So that's the brat,"
She jumped with a small squeak and snapped the album shut. She spun around to face her brother who had arched an eyebrow at her reaction.
"He's not a brat; he's the sweetest little boy in the world. You just don't have the knack with kids," she stated after calming her heart rate down and putting the album back in the nightstand drawer.
"I doubt that seriously with him growing up with Yuy as a father," Zechs grumbled.
"Brother, please don't start a fight the second you see him, he really has changed. He's the man that I always saw in his eyes during the war. The kind and gentle soul that just happened to covered with rough exterior of a beast," she pleaded as she did a final check to make sure she had everything then closed the suitcases up and latched them tight.
"I refuse to believe that until I see for myself," he added quietly. Relena rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm ready, you?" she chirped.
"Been waiting on you,"
"Sorry," she muttered as Zechs picked the two suitcases on the floor while she grabbed the smaller carryon that was on the bed.
"Are we there yet?" Hayden groaned from the back of the jeep.
"Not yet," Heero sighed patiently.
"When are we goin' to get there, Daddy?" he asked after turning his head towards the front seat. He had gotten bored after watching snow covered trees flash by him over and over again.
"It'll be another hour yet, son. Why don't you take a nap, I'm sure it'll be late when I finally manage to get you in bed tonight?"
"But I'm not… (yawn)…sleepy," he muttered as his eyelids became heavier and heavier.
"Alright, I just thought…" he paused at the soft snoring from behind him. He glanced in the rear view mirror to see his eyes shut and his head lying back against the seat. He chuckled softly and went back to paying closer attention to the road.
Relena laughed at the sight before her, Duo caught in one of Wu Fei's headlocks. She wasn't even sure how the fight had started but she was certain that it had been Duo who had thrown the initial first barb comment. She absently saw one of the hired servants go for the entrance hall; and went back to watching the fight grow to involve Trowa, her brother and Quatre.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad! Guys…" Duo managed but was cut off as the choke hold became tighter around his neck. His violet eyes bulged out of his head as he tried to get loose of the Chinese man's grip. His head suddenly jerked to the doorway at the sound of a small voice yelling his name excitedly. He thumped to the floor with an 'oomph'. He rubbed his chin absently as he looked back to the door to see his tall friend holding a small lump on his shoulders. He sat up on the floor with his own huge grin spread across his face.
"Squirt, I was wondering when you would show up! I see your ol' man took forever in getting here," he winked as the kid jumped from Heero's shoulders to land with an almost cat-like grace, Hayden was instantly in front of Duo with his arms wrapped around the man's neck.
"I didn't think we'd ever get here either, Uncle Duo, I even think Daddy got lost about an hour ago,"
"I did not, you just didn't know where we were," Heero countered as he made his way over to the large armchair where Relena was sitting. He settled on the arm of it watching his son chatter with Duo. He noticed the slightly shocked looks on the faces around them.
"Hayden,"
"Yeah," he answered not loosing a beat in his chatter about the latest nonsense to Duo.
"Come here a minute I want to introduce you to everyone," Heero stated, Hayden sprinted to his father. Heero turned him around to face everyone.
"You know Duo and Hilde,"
"Yep," his huge grin evident of his happiness.
"I'm Trowa Barton,"
"Quatre Raberba Winner,"
"Chang Wu Fei,"
Heero leaned forward with an evil grin on his face and whispered something in his son's ear. The gleam that lit Hayden's big blue eyes was pure glee; he clamped his hand over his mouth trying to contain his laughter. The boy looked to the tall white blond haired man that was hidden behind everyone with a sour look on his face.
"And you're Sex Monkeys!" Hayden laughed as he ran up to him. The room was instantly in roar with everyone's laughter. Hayden stood at Zechs' feet and looked up at him with an innocent grin on his still chubby face.
"Oh, Brother you have to admit…" Relena started, but stopped as her attempts to hold her own laughter failed miserably. She doubled over in her seat laughing and wiping her eyes free of her tears. She never realized that her head now rested on Heero's thigh or that the man in question had started to absently comb his fingers through her loose hair. She slowly began to regain her composure but didn't lift her head; she distantly noticed his hand but refused to acknowledge it. She was comfortable and liked the little thrill that the act sent down her spine. She watched Hayden dance around trying to make sure he had everyone right, but her smile dimmed slightly when he continued to jump around from guy to the next; she jerked her head up suddenly when Heero cleared his throat to get his son's attention.
"Hayden, come here a minute,"
"Okay, Daddy," he chirped happily as he scrambled to him.
"This is Relena," Heero stated motioning to the woman beside him. The look of pure joy and excitement that brightened the boy's face instantly put her in a better mood. She laughed as he suddenly was in her lap and hugging her neck tightly. He lifted his head swiftly to look her in the eyes.
"Did you know that Daddy has a picture of you the coffee table and on his dresser? But I accidentally broke the one on the coffee table before we left so we gots to get it fixed," Hayden jabbered excitedly.
"I knew he had one, but I didn't realize that he had another one," she stated glancing to him out of the corner of her eye. He merely grinned at her. Her attention was turned back to Hayden when he asked if she had been playing in the snow yet.
The group watched dazed at the scene before them. Heero sitting on the arm of the chair and Relena relaxing against the back of the chair with the little boy chattering on her lap; they looked like a family and a good one at that. They couldn't speak for the Hayden's incessant chatter and to be truthful none of them really wanted to. The spell that been put on them was so homey that they couldn't even dream of doing that. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end once Hayden slowed down by yawns after every other word and drooping eyelids.
"Come on, it's way past bedtime, mister," Heero stated picking him up easily and cradled him against his shoulder.
"Daddy, I don't wanna go to bed. Everyone will be gone tomorrow," Hayden whined sleepily.
"No they won't, squirt. They'll still be here, remember we're staying through Christmas?"
"Oh…yeah. Night, everybody," Hayden just barely managed to get out before he was out completely. The group smiled as the boy's soft snores followed him until Heero reached the top of the stairs.
"So, you three looked cozy sitting there," Hilde added once the small family was out of ear shot.
"What are you talking about?" Relena asked after dragging her gaze from the empty doorway.
"Oh come on, Rel, we saw the way you two would glance at each other. I think there's more then what meets the nonobservant eye," Duo stated with the agreeing nods of the rest of the crew minus her brother.
"I'm fond of Hayden, guys; for the first year and a half of his life I was helping take care of him. I love the little guy like he was my own," Relena stated turning her gaze away from them to the floor.
"Is he yours?" Zechs asked. He spotted her sad small smile before she looked him in the eyes.
"No, he's not," she replied, "I wish he was, but he's not."
"Who is the mother?" Trowa asked after a moment of questioning gazes from everyone.
"I'm not at liberty to…"
"Sarah Chambers was," Heero informed as he stepped back into the room. He leaned against the door frame.
"That didn't take long," Relena added trying to change the subject.
"Sarah Chambers!" Zechs exclaimed standing up straighter.
"Sh, not so loud, Brother, Hayden needs his sleep," Relena shushed him.
"Wasn't she your secretary for a couple of years? What ever happened to her?" Lucrezia asked innocently as she touched her husband's hand.
"Yes, she was," Relena mumbled as she turned her head away from everyone's stares.
"She died not long after Hayden was born, head on collision with a drunk driver," Heero informed as he made his way back to sitting on the arm of the chair where Relena sat.
"She had already asked me to come and help out with getting started. She wasn't ready for a baby wanted to continue to help me as my secretary, and…"
"I was still a little rough around the edges if you catch my meaning," Heero added suddenly standing to his feet again. He turned his back on the rest of the group listening to their explanations.
"Still 'Perfect Soldier' mode most of the time?" Hilde left the question open to get the full truth.
"I drank, Hilde, massively, there was more than one night that I came home so drunk that I couldn't remember my own name. Since Sarah was killed I haven't had a drop, it's a reminder that I wish I had never had to go through," he spun around to face them all again.
"I don't know how many times we argued because of my drinking habits, we had just gone through one of them before she left." He added with an absent chuckle.
"Oh, Heero, I'm so sorry,"
"For what, I wasn't the one driving, maybe if I had then she would still be around to take care of him and no one would have to worry about whether or not I was hurting any one else,"
"I don't think Sarah would have done any better of a job if she were in your shoes now," Relena stated as she came up to him. She started to reach out to touch his arm but held back from the loving reaction.
"So you loved Sarah?" Cathy put out.
"No, I didn't love her, I liked her, but I didn't love her. There's only been one person that I loved," he answered.
"Does Hayden know about all this?" Hilde asked.
"He knows that his mother's not coming back at first he didn't understand that she was dead and that she couldn't come back. Now, I think he's starting to understand it,"
"Have you ever told him about the war and your part in it?" Zechs suddenly asked.
"He's not old enough for that just yet. He does know about the war and that I fought, but that's all he knows, and that's all I want him to know right now. As I said he's not old enough that, yet,"
"So we don't continue this rather upsetting conversation why don't I ask what about what Hayden likes. What does he play with?" Cathy asked cheerfully as she smiled at everyone around her to see their agreeing faces. Heero chuckled softly.
"He likes to draw and build things,"
"He also likes to play with toy cars and airplanes. His room is full of them," Duo added.
"How do you know?" Relena asked with a grin on her face.
"We sort of dropped by after we found out Hayden and that Buddy had been raising him. We wanted to make sure they were both alive," Duo stated good naturedly causing everyone to laugh even Heero.
"I knew there was an underlying reason for your appearance besides wanting to know what he likes," he put in to have Duo's grin get wider than possible.
Zechs continued to watch the night progress, his eyes always watching Heero's reactions to questions and hearing his answers. Most of the times that he gave calm answers were when before he would have kept silent, maybe he had changed. The jury was still out, but he didn't think it would be out for much longer. He also kept watching his sister and him through out the night. He wasn't sure if they realized it yet, but they gotten so used to each other that whether they knew it or not they flirted in the open. Some times so open that Heero willingly tickled her at one point in time. This was truly going to be an interesting Christmas get together.
A distant clock began to chime one in the morning catching Quatre's attention when he yawned.
"Good grief look at the time, I hate to break away from this little part but I need some sleep. I'll see you all at breakfast," he stated getting up and heading towards the stairs and his bedroom.
"Good night, Quatre," Relena stated as the other began to stretch and make their own goodnights.
"I agree with Q-man I'm bushed," Duo yawned as he stood up and stretched. He winked at Heero as he passed him. They each began to follow Duo and Quatre's leads making their way upstairs until it was only Heero, Relena, and Zechs remaining. Zechs stood up to make his way over to Heero who stood up to face him.
Zechs put his hand out in form of a shake to his once enemy, he smirked as Heero paused to stare at it.
"Goodnight, Heero; I'll see you at breakfast," he stated trying not to chuckle at the evident shock on his face. Heero finally snapped out of it with a chuckle and took the hand shake as the sign of their long in coming peace treaty.
"Goodnight, Zechs," he answered. Zechs left the two of them alone in the now quiet room.
Heero turned to face a wet eyed Relena as she stood up to wrap her arms around his neck. He returned the embrace snugly. They stood there for a few more moment before Relena slowly leaned back to look him in the eyes. She grinned at him.
"I didn't think you two would ever come to a peaceful truce," she stated with a small laugh.
"I didn't think we would either, actually," he grinned.
"He's adorable, even more so in person than in pictures," she switched topics expectedly.
"I've offered the invitation to you several times to come by. You know you're always welcome,"
"I know, I guess I just didn't want to get to attached to him, I see that I've already failed that miserably. I keep a photo album of the pictures that you've sent me right next to my bed. I can't believe that he'll be seven this year. He's gotten so big," she stepped away from his warm embrace to wonder over to the window that was looking out over the dark sky and white snow of the expanse of mountains around them. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to protect herself unconsciously.
Heero admired the look of her honey hair gracefully lying on her white turtle neck sweater, and her still pristine looking jeans. She still amazed him that she could look as if she had just put those clothes on at 1 o'clock in the morning. He slowly stepped up behind her to bring his arms around to cross over just under her chin. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he kept his gaze on the snow outside as well.
"I don't want to hurt you or Hayden, Heero,"
"What brings this up?" he asked with a soft lift to his voice.
"I haven't been around Hayden and I already love him like he was my own. What if he gets to attached to me while we are here?"
"Lena, you're worry to much, if that happens we'll just have to deal with it when it comes. It wouldn't be a bad thing if that does happen, it'll give you an excuse to come around more and vice versa," he answered as he turned her around slowly to look her in the eyes.
"What about my work, your work?"
"You're not as busy as you used to be, you and I both know that. You've finally become just another politician that continues to hold peace together. I'm a construction worker, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the honest labor. I'm not your bodyguard any more; I'm not a soldier anymore,"
"Oh Heero," she muttered as she buried her face into his chest as his arms slid around to her back. She listened to him sigh as his fingers started to caress down her loose hair. They stood there staring out the window watching the fresh snow begin to fall silently.
End Chapter