A Stray New Life

Warnings: M-preg, past NCS, angst, hurt/comfort, violence

Chapter 01: The Beginning of The Beginning

A fist connected with his face and his head ricochet off the brick wall of the alley way. A foot connected to his ribs, but he kept his arms wrapped protectively around his abdomen shielding the life within. His whole body felt like it was bruised, but he wouldn't stop fighting. He knew he couldn't stop fighting.

Normally he wouldn't have even had to worry about getting out of a situation like this. He was more than capable of beating up a couple of lowlife thugs, but he had been distracted. He had been upset. Still, it wasn't a valid excuse except at the moment the thugs had jumped him the only thought on his mind had been to escape that place and protect the fragile life within him.

It had been a horrible relationship. He knew that now.

He had thought him self in love. Thought him self being taken care of. Thought him self being loved in return. He wasn't. He can see that now. It's amazing just how much he can see at the moment.

His bruised and bleeding face was pressed painfully against the alley wall and his arms were being wickedly wrenched behind his back.

This can't be happening. It can't be happening. He had to get away. He had to run. Fight. Claw. Spit. Scratch. ANYTHING!

"You little shit!" The large oaf restraining his throbbing arms pulled back and slammed him into the brick façade again. "I'll teach you to fight back, whore."

"Hold him still while I cut those pants off him."

No! He began to struggle again, which earned him little more than cruel laughter and a harsh yank on his bloody messy hair. How could he have let this happen?

He was running to get away from this type of thing. He was going to get away and start over. Get a job, rent a nice apartment; see a good obstetrician. He was going to get away from him.

Duo whistled to himself as he strolled down the darkened street on his way home. It had been a hard day on site and his body ached in a good way. It reminded him that he was alive, that he worked for a living.

Pausing in his melody, Duo flipped his braid over his shoulder and picked at the palm of his hand. Got it!

A rather large splinter was pulled from his callused skin. It's not that he didn't wear gloves it's just that he didn't like to wear them. They hindered his work. You can't do wonderful carpentry if you can't feel with your fingers.

He risked horrid splinters for his work and he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Besides, he got paid under the table; cash in full. Some say that the only things you can truly depend on in life are death and taxes. He had escaped death more times than he cared to count and he certainly wasn't going to let taxes get him down, if he could help it that is.

Harsh laughter followed by an enraged and weakened growl hit his ears from an alley turn off just ahead of him.

Curiosity got the better of Duo and he turned the corner to see two huge brutes of men laughing tauntingly at a shorter, restrained and bloody form.

Duo may not be a hero, but there were just some things he couldn't stand. And this scene just screamed, "Don't stand me!"

"Hey!" He yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing to him?!"

The two men stopped in their torture while their captive slumped against the brick he had been pushed into. "Get out of here! Mind your own damned business."

Duo bristled. These men didn't seem to realize who they were dealing with. "I'll only tell you this once. Step away from him and I won't have to kill you."

The thugs began to laugh and pointed mockingly at him. Yes, he knew he was shorter than a lot of men, but he also knew that he was taller than a lot of men too. He was also mean like a pit-bull and fast like a viper.

"I'm warning you. Step away from him and I won't have to thoroughly kick your asses." Duo flexed his hands. He was still wearing his work belt and he was readying himself to grab at his carpentry tools if indeed he needed them to defeat these assholes. Somehow he highly doubted it though.

"Go back to your mommy, shithead. Us men have to teach this little whore a lesson." They laughed at their own attempts at humor then turned back to their prey that had managed to twist himself around and lean his back against the wall.

Those bozos just didn't get the severity of their situation. Duo had no scruples about killing if he had to. You learned not to be gentle on those that viewed you as a victim when you grew up on the streets. "I warned you."

He was on them like a flash of lightning.

Knee to the stomach. Fist to the throat. Choke hold. Pressure point. It was over before it had really begun.

They underestimated their opponent and now they were sprawled painfully on the asphalt unconscious and bruised.

Duo wiped his hands on his jeans then turned toward their would-be victim.

His head was covered in messy chocolate brown hair made even messier with drying blood and dirt. Duo could see scrapes and heavy bruises on his legs and arms. He had slumped forward with his arms wrapped around his belly and his legs stretched out in front of him.

He looked fragile and broken, but the dim light in the alley showed toned muscles rippling through his arms and defined steel in his legs.

Shaking his head, Duo squatted in front of him and gave him a reassuring smile. "Hey, buddy. You doing ok? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?"

The stranger shook his head then lifted his gaze to look at his savior. Duo almost lost his balance when he saw his face.

His eyes were the deepest purest blue he had ever seen. Deep like the ocean, but cold as ice. His skin was tanned and covered in drying blood. A gash over his right eye was bleeding sluggishly and his lower lip had been split. His left cheek was turning black and his nose was a little bit bloody.

"I bet you've seen better days." The silent stranger let his brow crease in a scowl before he winced in pain and let his face relax. "I'm Duo Maxwell." The carpenter stuck his hand out slowly offering it in friendship.

Heero looked at the hand then back to his savior. He would have been raped then probably left for dead had this strange man not come into the alley. He wouldn't have been able to protect him self had it not been for him.

Clasping Duo's hand in a firm grip the stranger said, "Heero Yuy." He paused. "Thank you."

Duo let his new friend's hand go as he shrugged. "Nah, it was nothing. I can't resist a damsel in distress." He chuckled then rubbed the back of his neck when Heero's face grew into a fearsome glare meant to scorch like the fires of hell. "I'm just kidding!"

He got back to his feet and held out an assisting hand. "I'm actually pretty sure you could kick my ass if you tried."

Heero nodded. Good, he was honorable as well as half way intelligent. The dumb ones never last long. "I would have dealt with them my self, but they… took me by surprise."

Duo listened to the disbelieving and berating tone in his new friend's voice and could tell that Heero was not a man who could be easily startled by anything. "We all have our off days."

Heero looked at him with a strange expression then bent down to retrieve the bag that now held every worldly possession he had ever held dear. His whole life stuffed into a dirty green JanSport backpack.

"Were you headed home when they attacked you?"

His companion's voice broke him out of his suddenly depressing thoughts. "No, I… I don't have a home."

Duo looked at him. He was clutching the beat up backpack like a life raft. An idea began to formulate. He didn't know where this blue-eyed man came from or what he was running from, but he wasn't going to let unknowns stop him once he made a decision. "Good. You can stay with me then."

Heero halted mid step and stared at his savior with pinched eyebrows and confused eyes. "You don't even know me."

"Nope!" Duo smiled widely. "I don't, but you don't have anywhere to go and I have a spare bedroom. It works out perfectly."

"But I don't ha-"

"I didn't ask if you had any money did I?" Duo kept his bright smile on his face, lighting up the alley and blinding Heero with its optimism.

Heero looked back down at his backpack then pulled it closer to his belly.

It's true. He had no money, nowhere to go. He had runaway.

The man he thought he loved had been abusive on so many different levels it wasn't even funny. Everyday, he had been put down; sometimes beaten, sometimes coerced into willing giving him self, and sometimes raped without remorse. It had been hell.

A year, perhaps more had gone by since Heero finally realized that this wasn't love, but he didn't have the strength or motivation to get himself out… till three weeks ago.

That's when he had found out. Found out that he was pregnant. Heero knew what he would do if he found out, so he hid it, his morning sickness and exhaustion, till the opportune moment. He hid them thoroughly and well till he was able to pack away all of his belongings and steal as much cash as he could then climb down the fire escape and disappear into the night.

He had been panicked and jumpy. He was worried about himself, worried about his unborn child and had let his guard down.

A chill passed over him once again when that thought reminded him of how very close he had come to potentially losing his baby.

He knew stress, trauma, or any number of things could cause a miscarriage and he was scared to death that something might have happened to his baby. He not only owed his life to this stranger smiling kindly at him, but the life of his baby.

"Would you really take me in?"

Duo let his smile fade and become replaced with a serious expression. It looked so oddly out of place to Heero. "I'm perfectly serious. You are in need of a place to stay, at least for a little while. I'm not asking for anything in return, I just want to help. Call it my good deed for the day." His smile slid back up and Heero marveled at how effortless the transformation looked.

If it were just him, he would sleep on the streets and eat out of a garbage can, but it wasn't just him. "Alright. But if you try anything I will kill you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

A/N: That's the first chapter! Please Review!

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