Crimson Tide was a deep-space luxury cruiser, a ship designed to travel long distances in outer space while providing its passengers and crew with something that resembled comfortable living conditions. Which, in microgravity, basically meant that it had state-of-the-art exercise facilities and meals didn't always come freeze-dried in aluminum foil packets. Additionally, some of the larger areas, like the galley, observation decks, and living quarters, were equipped with gravity generators that helped reduce the physical and emotional stress of microgravity on the ship's passengers.

It was better than early space exploration missions, at least, where the food was consistently awful and microgravity gave travelers persistent head colds and wreaked havoc on their bodies.

That didn't mean a whole lot to a prisoner, though. Heero wasn't allowed use of the gym and food—when it came—was reconstituted and awful. He was generally confined to an area of the ship that didn't have a gravity generator, and he was getting a little tired of having to sleep next to an air vent. Not that he was going to complain—he'd been in worse places longer.

The treatment was actually better than he'd expected, at least so far, especially since the ship's owner, Satoshi Kiba, wanted Heero dead. He was handcuffed and under constant supervision, but no one bothered him much. He even got a visitor from time to time, one whose predicament was nearly as precarious as his own.

Heero wasn't the only prisoner aboard Crimson Tide. He was just the only one in chains. The other, a raven-haired girl of eighteen or so, hadn't yet realized that she was trapped just as surely as he was.

At least he'd most likely be dead soon, and freedom came with death. Arielle wasn't nearly so lucky. If things continued along their present course, she'd be Kiba's slave for the rest of her life, long after the old man was dust.

It didn't seem fair. She wasn't a bad kid, really. Just a little—misguided. But she was brave enough to come and visit him without a chaperone—she had her translator tell the guards she was interrogating the prisoner on her grandfather's behalf—so Heero thought that maybe one day she'd find the guts to break away from Kiba and become her own person. He was counting on it, actually, which was why he dealt with her at all.

It could be awfully tedious some days, though. Heero was getting a little tired of recounting his surrender to the Red Fang, but Arielle seemed stuck on the idea.

"I don't understand," Arielle said for the umpteenth time. "You're a founding member of the Preventers. A former gundam pilot. Why did you just hand yourself over to Jacob and the others?"

"Don't make me say it again," Heero replied, smiling a little to show he wasn't really angry. "I couldn't let Brewer and his friends just walk away with my kid. She's—my kid. You don't just give someone to terrorists, not after you've watched over them since they were born. Come on now."

Okay, so maybe that was stretching things a little. Duo had been the one to do most of the watching-over, but Heero thought the point was still valid. And it wasn't like Arielle was likely to take that into account—she was a smart enough girl but, like a lot of teens, she didn't always look much past the surface of things.

"But still," Arielle protested, "Faith's life is worthless compared to your own. Her accomplishments are noteworthy, certainly, but she hasn't really done anything to prove herself."

"She's hardly had the chance to prove herself. She's only fifteen. Anyway, I think I'm a little past my prime at this point—otherwise I wouldn't have gotten caught like this. It makes sense for me to step down and let Faith have her chance," Heero replied. It was hard to keep the bristle out of his tone when Arielle called Faith worthless, and it wasn't just because Faith was his daughter. If she was really worthless, Kiba and the Red Fang wouldn't have gone through so much trouble in their attempts to get their hands on her. "What would your grandfather do if the tables were turned? Sacrifice you to save his own hide because you're young and inexperienced?"

It was Arielle's turn to bristle at that. Heero didn't particularly want to piss her off—at least not much—but he needed to make her think. Kiba was a demented old sociopath who wouldn't hesitate to throw either of his granddaughters under the bus if he thought it would help his cause. Heero wanted to make sure Arielle knew it, and knew that a responsible guardian would put the interests of their child first. He wanted Arielle to resent Kiba's iron grip on her life.

Heero took it as a good sign that the girl had learned to speak English behind her grandfather's back. If nothing else, it showed that she could think for herself, at least a little, and she was willing to go to great lengths when she wanted something badly enough.

"Of course he would use one of us to save face for the good of the company," Arielle said. "That's just good business. There's no room for morality or idealism in the business world."

Unfortunately for Heero, the girl was pretty much brainwashed to Kiba's teachings. It was going to take time—probably more time than he had—to make her start questioning her old way of thinking.

Still. He had to try. He wanted Kiba Hydroponics to go to pieces so the Red Fang would lose its financial backing and never have the means to harm anyone again. Brewer had been as good as his word, convincing Satoshi Kiba to accept Heero in Faith's place, but Heero wasn't sure Kiba or his granddaughters could be trusted.

"Is it really good business?" he asked. "How much longer do you think your grandfather's going to last? He has senile dementia and a bad heart, and nobody recovers from that. If it was really good business, it would be the other way around—he would be the one to sacrifice his own wellbeing for you, regardless of who's accomplished what."

Arielle studied her manicure. She seemed to be struggling with her temper. "That really isn't your concern, now, is it?" she asked. "Frankly, I think you should be more worried about what the Red Fang is going to do to you once we get where we're going."

"It doesn't matter," Heero replied. "I've been imprisoned before. I've been tortured before. I can't even count the number of times I've cheated death. Worrying won't make anything better."

"You aren't going to try escaping?"

He would if it came down to it, if he got even the barest hint that the Red Fang would continue to pursue Faith after they'd disposed of him. But Arielle didn't need to know that.

"I gave my word," Heero said. "As long as Faith is safe, I'll keep it. I don't care what your people do to me."

Arielle nodded briskly and undid her lap belt so she could leave. Something chinked against the bottom of the tabletop, probably one of her shoes. It looked like visiting hours were over, but Heero didn't mind. He'd take what he could get—much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, solitary confinement was as bad as torture in some ways.

"I'll have Kenji tell your guards to look after you," she said. "I'd hate if anything happened to you before we reach our destination. These little chats are—most enlightening."

"Hn," Heero murmured. The guards mostly ignored him; he suspected they were under orders not to cause any lasting harm, but he had no way of proving it. He stayed put while Arielle drifted out and waited for the door to close behind her.

Once she was gone, he swiped a hand under the table and found a bit of folded paper hovering in the air, held in place by the tabletop. He unfolded it and found, to his dismay, a heavy cross pendant made of steel with chocolate gold accents. The word "Faith" was stamped into the gold.

You owe me another story for this. Don't let the guards find it. Arielle had written. This place is boring with just Kenji and Grandfather for company.

Heero smiled, although he wasn't altogether pleased to see Faith's tracking device again. Brewer had confiscated it when he'd first come onboard, and Heero had been just as glad to see it gone. He didn't put it past Faith to come looking for him, putting herself in serious danger, as long as the pendant was in his possession.

He was stuck with it now, though. There wasn't any way to dispose of it without alerting his guards and getting Arielle in trouble, and he needed Arielle if his plan was going to work. He wrapped the pendant back up in the note and tucked it into his waistband where it couldn't drift away and catch anyone's attention.


"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

Faith pulled the covers over her head against the offending light in her eyes and groaned. Some people were entirely too cheerful at six in the morning.

"None of that," her mom said. "You promised you'd make breakfast with me since this is our last chance to cook together before you leave. Come on now. Up!"

"It's too early," Faith protested. "You said you weren't going in to the office today, so what's the rush?"

"The early bird gets the worm, Faith," her mom sing-songed in that creepy-cheerful tone. "If you aren't up in five minutes, I'm coming back with a bucket of ice water. Consider this payback for sneaking out again last night."

The woman was evil. No truly good-hearted person could say something so horrible with such a bright smile on her face. No matter what last month's public opinion polls said.

"I only got back an hour ago," Faith grumbled. Her mom knew she'd been out, so why deny it? It was better to try the sympathy card.

"And whose fault was that?" her mom asked. Her hands were on her hips now and the smile was gone. "You could have been home sleeping last night instead of sneaking around in the catacombs of an abandoned building. Don't give me that look. I know exactly where you've been going, Faith."

Faith could only frown. Her brain was too fuzzy from sleep—or lack thereof—to fully process that statement.

"How?" she asked lamely, when the silence started to stretch out between them. She'd always made it a point to leave well after everyone else was in bed, and security was so accustomed to seeing the Porsche come and go at odd hours that they didn't log it anymore. She'd also disabled the car's internal GPS system and removed a couple of external tracking bugs that weren't factory installations. So how had—

"I'm your mother!" her mom replied. The smile reappeared. "I've always wanted to say that."

Great, Faith thought sarcastically. Now, in addition to being a super-scary morning person, Mom's also developed psychic powers. That's just what I need.

"Fantastic," she muttered, sitting up and pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm glad you finally got your moment. I guess."

"Seriously, Fay, you're down to four minutes now. I already have the ice water ready," her mom said.

Of course she did. She was nothing if not thorough. Faith sighed and thumped her head back against the wall. Her hair, she could tell, was the kind of epic disaster that only a shower and some serious effort with the hairdryer would fix. And Faith didn't think her mom would wait that long.

"Four minutes," she agreed, pulling her hair into a frizzy, tangled ponytail that would at least keep it out of the way until she had time to deal with it. "French toast okay?"


"—well. Mr. Maxwell. Zachary? Dak! For the love of God, will you stop that infernal tapping! That is a desk, young man, not a drum kit."

Dak froze under the teacher's glare. He hadn't even realized he was doing it again. It just happened. His hands had minds of their own sometimes, and they tended to drum when he stopped paying attention to the rest of the world; now they clenched into fists and then slowly dropped down to his knees, hiding under his desk.

Dak wished he could join them.

Getting in trouble at school was, like, the opposite of getting in trouble at home. His parents never called him Zachary. His teachers never called him Dak. But they all used that impatient tone of voice, and they all—usually correctly—assumed his mind had been elsewhere.

"Sorry, Mrs. Maynard," he mumbled, feeling his face heat up when he realized the entire class was watching. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," she replied tartly. "Or you'll be up front, going over last night's homework for the class, where I can keep a better eye on you."

Dak nodded miserably and forced himself to sit still. He stared at the clock above Mrs. Maynard's head for the rest of class so it would at least look like he was paying attention.

He was the first one out of his seat when the bell rang and he darted out into the hall, hoping he could somehow speed up time if he sped up himself.

Too bad it doesn't really work that way, Dak thought ruefully as he slipped between a couple of upperclassmen on his way to physics.

"Dak?"

He stopped in his tracks, glancing back at the senior who'd recognized him. It was one of Fay's old friends, the guy who'd emptied out the school after performing an unauthorized experiment last semester.

"Hey," Dak said, stopping to talk out of deference to his sister. "It's Len, right? You were Faith's lab partner in chemistry."

"Yeah, that's me," Len replied. He turned back to his friend. "Cover for me, will you, Conrad? I've gotta talk to this guy."

"Whatever," Conrad muttered. "I'll tell Mr. B you forgot something in your room."

Len nodded and his friend stalked off. Dak waited impatiently, tapping his fingers against the cover of his binder as Len watched his friend walk out of earshot.

"How's Fay?" Len asked, gesturing for Dak to lead the way. "Have you heard anything lately?"

Dak shrugged. He wasn't supposed to talk about Faith—no one was. His dad wasn't sure who could be trusted anymore, and Dak was inclined to follow his dad's instincts on this one.

"She's okay, I guess," he replied awkwardly.

Len frowned. "I figured you'd be more excited than that since she's coming home today," he said. "What's up? You guys have a fight or something?"

Dak stepped on his own loose shoelace and dropped his binder as he stumbled. He grabbed for Len's jacket to keep himself from falling flat on his face. Len fell for it and tried to steady him. It looked like an accident, but Dak really wanted an excuse to get his hands on the idiot without getting himself in trouble with the hall monitors.

"Shut up!" Dak hissed, talking quietly so no one but Len could hear. "Do you want the whole colony to know she's coming back here? That's supposed to be a secret! How the hell did you find out about it, anyway?"

Len pushed Dak away, as calmly as if Dak really had stumbled on accident. If anyone noticed, they didn't make anything of it. Dak still couldn't relax, though. He grabbed his binder off the floor and brushed imaginary dust off of its plastic cover.

"It was partly my fault that Faith got kidnapped from the Preventer base in Brussels," Len said softly, unruffled by Dak's moodiness. "My dad's one of the agents assigned to her case. He told me about her trip, and he said I should watch out for her if I really wanted to make things up to everybody. Dad said Faith has been more trouble than usual lately, and it's got everyone concerned. I just wanted to let you know that you can count on me if you need anything."

Dak scowled. Len's answers were too easy, and he was way too calm for a guy claiming to be responsible for someone else's abduction. It was busting up Dak's anxious rhythm and he didn't like it.

"Look," he said. "This is all supposed to be confidential, classified information. No one can know she's here. I shouldn't even be discussing this with you right now—the only reason I am is because Fay told me you looked out for her while she was on Earth. I can't make any promises, Len."

"Right, right," Len said, waving one hand dismissively. "I get it. Like I said, buddy, I just thought I'd offer to help. That's all—you don't have to get all freaked out."

You'd freak out, too, if it was your family in this situation, Dak thought. Life is finally about to go back to normal for us, and I'm not letting anything screw that up.

"I appreciate the offer," Dak lied, trying to get rid of the guy. "I have to get to class now, Len. Buddy. So, uhm, later."

"Sure," Len agreed, apparently accepting Dak's lame-ass excuse. "See you around, Dak."

Dak rolled his eyes as he walked away, trying to find his rhythm again. It was only second period; he couldn't spend the rest of the day lost in a funk. Not when Faith was finally coming home.


"You're sure you packed everything you're going to need, Fay?" Relena asked as they got settled in the lounge to wait for Faith's flight. It was too late to be asking, really, since they couldn't exactly go back and retrieve anything, but Relena thought it seemed like the sort of thing a mother would say. She was still trying to get used to being a parent.

Faith rolled her eyes. "I'm sure, Mom," she replied. "Are you sure you're okay to come out here? I mean, you did spend all morning with your head in the toilet."

French toast had been a bad idea. It seemed that soymilk disagreed with Relena. Which was kind of ironic, since real dairy products disagreed with Faith.

"I'm fine, Faith," Relena said. "I don't know what happened this morning, honestly, but I feel better now."

Relena sat down and folded her hands in her lap, wondering if it would be inappropriate to ask someone for a cup of tea. There was coffee brewing in a pot in the corner, but the smell turned Relena's stomach and she didn't want to risk being sick again, especially not in public. She didn't know who to ask, though, since Lucy was on an errand, so she decided not to bother.

Faith paced nervously, prowling around the room and peering into the corners, no doubt checking for bugs. Relena was accustomed to flying out from military bases instead of commercial terminals. Faith wasn't, though, and she didn't seem comfortable on the base. She was tense and hyperalert, jumping when strangers spoke or anyone made a noise in the hall.

I can't blame her, though, after what she went through last time she came onto a base, Relena thought. Being abducted by the very people who were supposed to be looking after her…It's a wonder she took it as well as she did.

"Sorry," Relena murmured. "I was afraid you'd be uncomfortable here, but flying you out from a military base rather than a space harbor was one of Commander Une's stipulations. You know how difficult it was to even arrange this trip at all, Fay."

"Yeah," Faith agreed. Her eyes were hard, though, and it was obvious what Faith thought about those stipulations. Relena knew Faith didn't care for the Preventers, but she thought her daughter was giving them the short end of the stick.

"The Preventers are doing the best they can, Faith," Relena admonished gently. "Heero knew what he was getting into—he wrote that directive himself. There are people waiting for a transmission from him right now, Fay, and as soon as they hear anything—"

"They'll send someone to help him," Faith interrupted. "I've heard it. But there isn't going to be a transmission, Mom. You know what he told me when he left—it's in the official report, and I know you have a copy. Why would he say something like that if he was planning on coming back?"

Relena sighed. She couldn't blame Faith for having so little faith in her father—he'd been absent most of her life. She hadn't had time to learn to trust him, or to understand that he always prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.

"You just have to believe in him, dear," Relena said, digging in her purse for a tissue. She was getting better about crying, really, but sometimes it was just so hard—

"Sorry, Mom," Faith whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's just—nobody listens to me. Everybody's all optimistic, saying Dad's going to be back any day now, and it's just—I just—"

She broke off, and Relena could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek again, trying not to cry. Relena suppressed a smile—the girl was just too much like her father, always prepared for the worst.

"I get it," Relena replied. "You don't want to know how often he's said things like that to me, and it terrifies me every time. But he always comes back home in the end. He just likes to be pragmatic, that's all. It's up to us to be the hopeful ones."

Faith only nodded. Relena didn't expect a response, though, not until she'd calmed down a bit more. Faith rarely spoke when she was this upset, and it didn't take much to put her in a mood lately. But Relena thought she understood—Faith wanted so badly to be treated like an adult, and her emotional outbursts made her feel childish.

"The last time I saw your father, he was running for the stairs in Brussels so he could go find you," Relena said, closing her eyes as she told the story for the first time. She worked to keep her voice even so Faith could understand her. "The very last time I spoke to him, I told him I loved him. Do you know what he said to me?"

"What?" Faith whispered. She was perched on the edge of a chair, her eyes intently focused on Relena's. She looked so much like her father with that expression on her face…Relena sniffled. She couldn't help it.

"He said, 'I know,'" Relena replied, smiling.

Faith frowned. "Not that he loved you back?" she asked. "That was kind of crappy. But it does sound like Dad."

Relena chuckled and wiped another tear away. She took another calming breath. And another. Talking about this was harder than she'd expected.

"It does sound crappy to someone on the outside, doesn't it?" Relena asked, smiling through her tears. "But you don't know the whole story yet. Heero saves his I-love-yous until he gets home. He says it's so I'll know he has to come back to me, no matter what."

"Jeez," Faith muttered, apparently unable to come up with something snappy enough. "You two are so weird."

Lucy laughed from the doorway, startling both of them. "You should hear what Relena tells him when he does finally get home," she told Faith. "She puts her hands on her hips—just like this, Fay—and she says 'You better!' And the whole time, she's trying to give him this dirty look, but she's so glad to see him again that she just can't. It's the funniest thing. I swear, they've been married for sixteen years and they're still just as bad as they were when they were teenagers."

Faith's lips twitched—almost a smile, Relena thought—but she sobered quickly. It was better than Relena had seen in days, though. She was going to call it a victory.

"Anyway," Relena said, deciding not to comment on Lucy's assessment of her marriage, "That's how I know your father is going to do everything in his power to get home, Fay. He's never let me down before."

"There's a first time for everything," Faith replied sadly. "I don't believe in happy endings, Mom, not after everything that's happened to me lately. And I can't stand to get my hopes up anymore."

"For better or for worse, these things work themselves out," Relena said, trying to be comforting. "Now let's get you settled on that shuttle. There's a surprise waiting for you, and I really think you'll like it."

Faith almost-smiled again. "Oh, Mom, what is it now?" she asked. "You already gave me enough gift cards to replace my entire wardrobe. I'm going to be spoiled if you keep this up."

"I think you can handle it," Relena replied, grinning down at her daughter. "But this is it, I promise. Well. Unless you outgrow all your clothes again—call me if that happens and I'll send you another gift card."

Faith shook her head. "Like that's going to happen," she muttered. "But seriously, what is it this time?"

"Nope," Relena said, pleased that she'd managed to pull Faith out of her dark mood. "It won't be a surprise if I tell you, will it?"


Notes: Wow! I wasn't expecting such a huge response for Chapter 1! Thank you all so much! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this one finished-as you can hopefully see, chapters are a little longer than they were in Leap of Faith and it takes me more time to write and edit. I'm also job hunting right now and that, unfortunately, has to be a priority. I'm hoping Chapter 3 won't take quite as long to write, but I guess we'll see. Still. Two chapters in a month isn't bad, is it?

Oh, and if you're interested in something fun, check out the link at the bottom of my profile page. Somebody made a fanart-it's Selda! How cool is that? Hehe, I might make a Tumblr or something if I get any more pics, so I can put them all together somewhere. Neat! :D