Please forgive any types this chapter may have! And it took slightly longer than I thought to put out. I've been quite busy lately so apologies for that.

Songs: 'Tyre Tracks And Broken Hearts', 'Long Over Due For A Miracle', 'When Children Rule The World', 'Annie Christmas', 'No Matter What'.

Disclaimer: I don't own GW nor Whistle Down The Wind

Scene 3 - Under the Bridge

Duo revved his motorcycle up as fast as it could go and sped down the empty road. With the wind on his face he blinked back angry, frustrated tears and tried to ignore the fact that his cheek was still smarting. When he was riding as fast as the wind, he almost forgot why it was he was close to crying and why it was his face was a mixture of black, blue and white skin. On his bike he finally felt free, like he was going somewhere, like he was going to be someone. It was the feeling he craved all the time. Even when he was doing it he wanted to have more. Nothing was enough when he knew he was going to go back to the one horse town he lived in, with the God fearing yokels who frowned whenever they heard Elvis on the radio and scolded anyone who copied his hip thrusting dancing. No. It wasn't enough. Why live life when really it was other people living it for you? And now that they had the state police swarming the place looking for an escaped killer things weren't good for the 'JDs' of the town which was why he was now heading for the Highway Bridge to meet Hilde instead of the bar or somewhere in the town like they usually did. It just wasn't safe for her any more, her being not pure white, or American.

That brought him to another problem he'd been trying to forget. Hilde. He'd promised to take her away and when he'd told her he would he had really meant it. That was the bizarre thing about it. When he was with her he wanted to be with her but when he wasn't...well that was when it really happened. When he wasn't with her he wanted Relena. He could never have her though and he knew it. He was going to pack up and leave one of these days and if Hilde came along for the ride then so be it, even though he would always much rather it was Relena.

In the dark of the night – though it was only leaving six -, Duo screamed. Why did he want her so much? He hated everything Relena stood for. Purity, God, the Goddamn town, goodness. Why was it then that everything breathing second he was with Hilde he wished it was her he was holding? It didn't make sense to him. Surely it couldn't just be because of how beautiful she was? He was certain he wasn't so shallow. It scared him to think that there might be a small part of him that wanted to conform to the society in which he lived and that had sparked his desire for the person who had embodied it. Well, not exactly. Relena, for all her religious enthusiasm, never looked down on anyone. She viewed all people as equal, regardless of what they looked like or where they came from. She was also a firm believer that there was good in everyone. It was evident in the way she walked, the way she spoke and the way she just looked at everything, like it was all beautiful because God had made it.

Oh, God, he wanted her so badly.

As he approached the bridge, he slowed his bike down and slowly brought it to a stop where Hilde was sitting waiting for him underneath it. Her face was cast up at the night sky as she admired the stars, twinkling in the black net like diamonds just discovered in a mine. Duo found his eyes wandering to the hem line of her skirt which was getting shorter by the day. The smooth skin of her thigh was clearly in view and he knew if her father or any other town member would happen to see it she would be chastised for it. But she wouldn't care. She would look at them with notable pity that they couldn't find anything better to do in their day than analyse some teenager girl's attire. Her kick ass attitude drove everyone else to insanity but to Duo it drove him wild – when he was with her. The weather was chilly and he wondered how on earth she couldn't be freezing with her legs on show like that and the only real protection from the cold being the leather jacket she wore.

Her blue eyes flicked on to his face and she frowned. Duo should have known that it would be the first thing she would notice about him. Unforunately there wasn't exactly much he could do to hide his face. Wearing a mask certainly wouldn't suit. She would have taken it off anyway.

"Run in with your dad?"

It wasn't exactly a question. She already knew the answer. The only person who had a one up on Duo Maxwell was Duo Maxwell senior. "You could say that. He wasn't exactly pleased when I down right refused to apply for a job in the factory and you know what happens when his temper flares: he finds himself a human punching bag in the form or me." He gingerly touched the bruise on his cheek and instantly regretted it. It stung like a bitch.

Hilde took his hands when he sat beside her and held them in her own. They were surprisingly warm. "I don't get why you don't just walk out. Seriously. Why do you go back there? Why don't you get out of here? In this Goddamn town it's just another aimless day."

"Another aimless night," Duo agreed.

"We'll go where I can get peroxide hair, and everywhere you'll have your neon lights." Hilde once again looked up to the sky, her eyes searching for something. "I've got a new life waiting and I can't wait to begin it. The thing that gets me down with being young in this down is there's no future in it. None at all. I want fine perfume-"

"And I want a blue Corvette. If there's a death slower than living here and now they haven't found it yet." He lowered Hilde's face so that it was just inches from his own, his eyes focused on hers. "You need a man that knows what you're really worth."

"I've already got him," She said, smiling. "In this life and the next."

Duo shrugged. "I don't give a damn about life after death, but I've gotta get some proof that there's a life after birth. Tire tracks and broken hearts, Hilde. That's all we're leaving behind. It doesn't matter what we're losing. The only thing that matters is what we're going to find."

Hilde grinned widely, repeating his words in her head. "I like that. 'Tyre tracks and broken hearts'. Let's get away from from the past. There's so many ways to stay hungry...so many ways to go fast. Here, the idea of a push up bra is as unholy as the anti-Christ and satin sheets are a luxury we could never afford."

"Things we couldn't afford? How about some real rich food instead of your basic dinners you get here."

"If we go, I want you by my side and you'll be all my own."

Duo looked away from her. "I know what I want half the time but I know that I don't wanna spend another minute alone."

Smirking, Hilde nestled her face into his chest and breathed in the scent of his cologne. "Those good girls never know what they're missing but us bad girls almost always do and what we're missing most are the real good times. I want them bad and I want them now. We were born going faster than the limits allow. If only we could get out. I want to so badly."

"Hey," Duo said, pushing her slightly. "Didn't I promise you I'd take you away from here? Didn't I? Well it's going to happen. Tomorrow night. I'll meet you right here at nine o'clock and we'll leave town together." He leaned forward another inch to meet her sweet lips and let his hand slip under her top and rest on the warm skin on her stomach.

She looked into his eyes, trying to see if there was some twinkle of a practical joke in them but couldn't see anything. "Really?", she asked, breathlessly amidst kisses. "Do you promise?"

Before Duo could answer, a truck horn bleeped at them loudly and he cursed. It was Earl's truck and he was obviously here for Hilde. He rolled his eyes at her and she shrugged apologetically. Earl slammed his door shut and marched up to the both of them, looking angry but at the same time frightened. "What the hell is wrong with you two? You especially Hilde. Don't you know they're laws? Even if they're wrong they shouldn't be broken. You should not be seen in public as close to a white boy as you are with Duo." His gaze softened on the two of them as he hated to rebuke them. "Look, you two need to be more careful. The people in this town hate change and anything that goes against what they're used to. You just...you just have to be careful. Please Duo, take Hilde home. She'll catch her death out here."

Nodding, Duo tossed her a helmet and they both mounted his bike. With a heavy heart, Earl watched them as they sped off down the road and he wondered how long they would be able to keep this up, especially with the state police roaming around everywhere trying to find that elusive killer. It seemed so strange to him. This was a safe haven and now it's gone and dangers on its way. Evil spread out like a stain and darkened all the day. Boundaries wouldn't protect them; locks and bolts wouldn't work the way they should. For the sake of all the children, Earl hoped they would track it down and boot it out for good. They said he killed and killed: no mercy, no remorse, no shame. They said he'd strike again: no dear, no hope, no end. The safe haven that Earl knew? He wished it could be brought back again.

He turned on the ignition of his truck and cranked up the radio, humming along to it as he drove along.

Relena, Brat and Baby walked back from the town with various groceries they'd been asked to pick up by their father. Relena kept a careful watch on her brother and sister as they skipped along with a bag of shopping being held up in both of their arms while Relena took two of the heavier of the bags with an arm for each. She hated trying to walk Brat and Baby back from the shops since they always seemed to walk just an inch too close to the traffic filled road for her liking. Her heart was practically in her mouth for the entire time, especially when it was already dark.

Her blue eyes saw Duo walking down the street with his hands stuffed in his pocket and his head bent down, watching the ground and not much else. She sensed a hint of gloom by his exterior and felt the need to say something to him, anything at all.

"Hey Duo!" She said as cheerily as she could. He looked up and saw her bright smile and returned it with a weak one of his own. "Aren't you going to the revival meeting?" Her father had told her that practically every town member was going to it and she was slightly surprised to see Duo hadn't bothered attending, but only slightly. It was the reason they had been entrusted to go to the store at such a dark hour, even though it was only approaching seven o'clock.

Duo cocked an eyebrow at her that told her exactly what he thought about some town revival meeting. "I was with Hilde but then she had to go home." He thought it over for a second and then asked, "Why ain't you at the meeting?"

"Because," Brat said, "We're going to see-" Relena hissed her name underneath her breath and she stalled. "Uh...I mean we're...umm...we can't tell you."

Frowing, Duo looked at Relena. "Why not? Why can't you tell me?"

"It's a secret!" Baby declared, looking proudly at Relena who felt like hitting herself. "Ain't it Relena. It's a secret and we can't tell you."

Relena smiled apologetically at him. "It's a little childish thing. You wouldn't get it. It was really nice talking to you." She walked on, indicating for her siblings to follow her and left Duo watching her retreat. "You two have got to be more careful. If we give away Jesus they'll kill him. Do you want to be responsible for his death?" They shook their heads. "I didn't think so."

They continued on their journey down the street when Brat saw some of her friends laughing together. Relena recognised them from when they had come over to the farm several times and knew that, inevitably, Brat was going to want to play with them before she had to be in for bedtime. Relena wasn't too sure this was such a good idea. After all, the whole town had been darkened by the rumour that a killer had headed their way and it was already dark.

"Can I go play?" Relena knew it was coming. Brat looked up at her pleadingly and Relena was torn. Should she or shouldn't she? "It'll only be for a few hours. I'll be back for curfew."

Sighing, Relena nodded. "Alright. You have my permission. But for heaven's sake don't be late home or you and I will never hear the end of it from dad."

"I won't," Brat smiled. "I promise."

Grinning, Brat ran after her friends, only looked back at Relena (who was now struggling with her third shopping bag) once. She knew that she should probably go back and help her sister and play sometime later but if she was to go home she might not be able to find her friends again since she had no idea where they were off to play. Relena's encouraging smile told her it would be alright and that they would manage so, her mind bated for a while, she ran faster until she'd caught up with the three girls and two boys that made up their little hang, only now the girl count had gone up one.

"Hey guys!" Brat said when she's caught up. The group of five smiled welcomely at her.

"I didn't know you were playing tonight, Brat," Said the eldest girl, Vikki. The children around her nodded enthusiastically. "We thought you had other things to do."

"I done them. Well, most of them. So now I'm allowed out to play."

"What were you doing?" Asked Clarence, always the skeptic even at such a young age. He was the same age and year as all the rest of his friends but still he seemed older.

Brat bit her lip and smiled secretly. "I can't tell you. It's a secret." The cries of outrage and pleads to know what followed her statement and she shook her head. She loved being the center of attention with her friends and this was just the way to be so. Childish curiosity was overtaking them all and even Clarence was begging to know her secret. Brat shrugged. It wouldn't hurt if just a few people knew. Besides, these were her friends. She could trust them. "Weellll...if you promise not to tell anyone..."

"We won't!" They all chorused.

"Fine. Well, we found Jesus in our barn. I know it sounds stupid and I know you won't believe me, but its true. It's really him. He has the marks on his hands from where the nails kept him to the cross and he's got the scratches on his head from the crown of thorns. I swear it, guys. It truly is him!"

Vikki looked to the left of her, where Louise was standing and frowned. "Can it be true?"

"Well what do you think?" She replied.

"Does he have those big blue eyes?" Vikki asked. "Maybe this is what everyones whispering about back in town."

Clarence folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Brat. "I bet its a pack of lies."

Giggling, Charity – the only black child in the group, said "Ibet he needs a bath." As as an afterthought she added, "Do you think he can drive? I mean, they do have cars now. But its great if he really is alive. We ought to dress up nice to go and see him!"

"Does he have a crown of thorns?" Winston asked. "That's the greatest story ever told."

"Jeez he must be hungry," Louise said. "And, Lord, must he be old! He could turn us all into angels, bless us with a kiss. Do you think he likes gumbo or Elvis? I mean, just imagine what would happen if all of this was true. All the kids would envy us."

"He could get my dad a job!" Said Clarence, letting his inner child take over now. "Or get my mom a dress."

Winston made glasses with his fingers and stared at all his friends. "We could make us all x-ray eyes!"

With a big grin, Brat calmed everyone down. "We should throw him a big party, seeing how its Christmas pretty soon. We'll get a clown and a bird that talks and a big birthday balloon."

"Can't he walk across water?" Louise asked. "He could walk across the lake, or draw water from the stone. Just thing of all the things we could to with a miracle all our own. Come to think of it, I think I saw him crawling through the bayou."

"That's a lie!" They all shouted.

Louise shook her blonde head furiously. "No, it was him!"

"Why'd you think he picked that barn?" Clarance asked, returning to his usual frown. "Where is exactly is he going? Where has he even been? I suppose if we've got Jesus on our side – if it is him at all – that'll make us awful strong." Looking at Brat, he said, "We've got to go and see him now!"

"No!" Brat said quickly. They all looked at her suspiciously and she smiled. "Maybe he should rest."

Almost smirking, Clarence said, "Let's go and get a bible. Give him a little test."

"I'll bet they'll try and hurt him. We'll do whatever it takes to protect him, right. He once saved us and now we'll save him. We're all he's got, for Heaven's sake. But think on the benefits for us. He'd stop the teachers hitting us and the grownups would act so bad. We'd get more toys and lots of love; more than we ever had. You guys are all saying we're long overdue for a miracle. Well, maybe this is it." Brat looked at her friends again. "We've got to keep this secret. We've gotta do this right. If we don't screw up we could save his life. Remember the bible story of the Nativity? Doves and kings and shepherds and wisemen came together, followed a star. They gathered down in a manger, coming from places so far away. We could be like them! Look around us. Midnight is clear cause we have our Saviour here. He's gonna guard each boy and girl. With him around there'll be no hunger or thirst, that last will be first. It'll be so great. All our greatest wishes will be granted. We should shout out and let innocence reign. All our prayers are finally answered; blessed and free of all pain."

"It's like a fairy story!" Vikki declared. "Towers of fire rise ever higher. Magical flags will be unfurled. The demons are gone and its the young now who are strong. We could rule the world!"

Knowing her friends were now fully convinced and believing her, Brat smiled. "This could be the night, tonight, when children rule the world. Come on. We should go and meet him."

Eager attitudes all round, the children raced each other excitedly to the Darlain farm, laughing and shouting just as their age allowed. However, things weren't smooth sailing as they thought. Waiting for them, or so it seemed, was Relena glaring darkly at Brat who recoiled from the unfamiliar look her sister was giving her. She couldn't quite believe it. They'd made a vow! Brat, Baby and herself had all swore to each other that they would never tell another soul, and yet here was her little sister with all her little friends, just assuming they could go in and see Jesus! Why, Brat had a lot of explaining to do.

"Just what are all of your friends doing here?" She demanded, her hands balled into fists on her hips.

Trying to be brave, Brat stepped forward to face her sister, feeling a little like a matyr. It wasn't fair if only their family could see Christ. He had to be shared with everyone. Well, almost everyone. Those who wouldn't persecute him, in other words. "Why shouldn't they be here! They have just as much right to see Jesus as we do!"

Relena looked at all the kids coolly and smiled ignorantly. "Jesus? Just what are you talking about, Brat?" She laughed in confusion. "There's not Jesus here. Have you been telling your friends little stories again?"

She felt a pang of guilt as the kid's looked at Brat like they had been betrayed. Brat stamped her foot indignantly. "I'm not making anything up and I'll prove it to you!" She ran to the barn and thrust the door open, smiling as the Man watched them all in curiosity to see what all the fuss was about. "See! I told you! He's sitting right there!"

"Brat!" Relena shouted, not quite believing her own sister had just sold out Jesus Christ for the sake of peer pressure. Her soul would go to hell for sure!

The younger girl rolled her eyes at her sister and shook her head. "We're children. Jesus always has a special place in his heart for children."

The Man looked from Relena to Brat and finally to all the other kids who'd arrived in the barn and were looking at him in awe. In theory, he knew he should be angry at the girl for giving up his location and telling her friends but on the other hand he could possibly use these children for his protection if the time came for it. After all, if they believed so strongly in him would they allow their parents to persecute him? He thought not. The power children had was something to behold, it could almost be as powerful as prayer itself. Yes, it could become very useful.

"Relena," the Man said, looking at her with his cobalt blue eyes almost gentle. "It's fine. What's a bunch of kids, huh? So long as they promise not to tell anyone I don't see a problem. I'm more than happy to meet with more of...my father's creations." He tried his best at a warm smile but his lips didn't quite make it. He hadn't smiled like that for years and it was almost too late to try now.

Brat stuck her tongue out at Relena and, with rather less satisfaction that she would have thought, Relena scowled at her darkly and look her place beside the Man where Brat had noticed she's been sitting a lot. Maybe it was a bit of jealously that Jesus seemed to prefer her to everyone else that had made her want to spite her sister so much, but whatever it was it seemed to be powerful. Trying to sound as gleeful as possible, she put on her smuggest face and said, "I guess you must not know the Bible well enough, but Jesus always had time for children to tell them stories."

"That's an idea!" Vikki said. "Please tell us a story sweet Jesus. The blind man!"

"The money lender!" Cried Brat.

"The story of Lazarus!" Winston shouted.

"Story! Story!" They chanted, over and over again.

The Man looked to Relena and ran a hand through his messy brown hair in frustration. "Shut up!" He yelled to them all, irritably. It seemed this plan wasn't going to be as simple as he'd originally thought. All the children looked at him in suprise and he felt a slight pang of guilt that vanished as soon as he knew what it was. "Now are you going to be quiet?" They nodded. "Good. Have you ever heard the story of old Annie?"

Clarence looked at him in confusion. "Is that in the Old Testament?"

"No..." replied the Man. "But it'll be in the next one. And its sort of a Christmas story too because...her name was Annie Christmas. She used to live in these parts, years and years ago when I was just your age. She was a big old girl, was Miss Annie. What a wonder she was. Three hundred pounds and six foot eight and that was only in her bare feet. She could drink and she could fight. She also had a curly black mustache. On the river she was easily the most famous female of that time and even more famously was that she was madly in love with a wild, gambling man called Charlie. But old Charlie? He never even noticed her at all until one day, and what a day that was! To prove to him she was tough and reckless she wore a very special necklace that held a bead for ever ear and nose she had bitten off. Or so it was told. She bit every man who ever did her wrong and kept adding beads until it was thirty feet long and the upshot was...the upshot...the upshot was that old Charlie was impressed and the next thing you know, they were married and what a wedding it was! The very next year she gave him a dozen sons all at once and they were giants! Before they were six, they were seven foot tall! They carried Annie on their shoulders like a prize and she was beaming like an angel."

Smiling at the children, Relena laughed, "An angel with a mustache. How charming!"

"And she always wore that special necklace ever since to remind her what it was that had made her love return her feelings." The children looked at him expectantly. "And that's the end, " he said, not knowing what else they wanted from him."

"But, what was the moral of the story?" Brat asked.

"The moral? Not all stories have to have morals. This one doesn't. Or if it does then I don't know it. So, you satisfied?"

"Well," said Charity, "not really. I wish there was some way for us to show how much we love you, Jesus." She thought for a second and went into her pocket, producing two things and handed then to the Man. "I've got a plastic flower so it will never die. I've got my Grandma's hankie if you ever need to cry."

Vikki looked around her and saw the other kids were looking for possessions they could give Christ. "I've got a pretty bracelet and a mirror. I'm never really going to need them. I'll give them all to you. I'll give you all I've got to give and I guess that's my good deed. I just want to stay beside you; you're the only love we'll need."

"I've got a great big sea shell," Louise said, giving it to the Man. "You put it in your ear then you can hear the ocean. It's like you're really there."

"I've got a glass of fire flies. They make amazing light!" added Clarence.

"I've got a four leaf clover. I'll bring it to you next time," promised Winston.

Relena looked at the man, smiling at the children's efforts and found that he was looking at her too but a strange look in his eyes she'd never seen in a man before. For some reason, she found her breath becoming more shallow than she'd ever known it before. It was the way his eyes were looking into her own; it felt like he was using his higher powers to read what she was thinking and she was ashamed that it wouldn't be anything holy in the slightest. She was thinking if his lips tasted as sweet as they looked.

"Kids," She said, her voice almost catching in her throat, "You all ought to be getting on your way now. It's getting later you and you all know how dangerous it is to walk alone at night. Brat, I want you to go in and see to Baby in the house. I'll be in soon."

She saw that her sister was about to protest but a stern look made her think twice. Slowly her friends filed out of the barn, muttering their goodbyes to the Man and he was returning them, trying to sound as genuine as possible. Finally they all left and they were alone once again, not for the first time and they both equally hoped it wasn't for the last. For a while neither of them said anything, but looked at each other, trying to suss out just what the other was thinking and, in Relena's case, trying to figure out if what she was feeling as unholy.

"Is there a particular reason you've got us alone?" the Man asked, breaking the silence.

Relena shook her head, letting her blonde hair tumble around her face. Gently, the Man tucked the loosed strands behind her ear and let his hand linger on his cheeks. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his warm hand. "Not really. But I gather there's only so much even Jesus can take from children." She opened her mouth to say something else but though against it.

Leaning closer, the Man asked, "What is it? You can tell me. Come on, Relena. You might never have a chance to tell me and then how will you feel? When you leave me tonight, there's a chance I won't be here tomorrow. It's a small one, but a chance all the same."

She turned her blue eyes up to his. "I'll never leave your side. I'll be the only love you need. No matter what they tell me. No matter what they do. No matter what they teach me, I know what I believe is true." Her fists clenched tightly and he put his hands on them to try and relax them again. But he couldn't. Her feelings were intense. It was clear in the way her voice was strained and trembling. "I can't deny what I believe, I can't be what I'm not. I know this loves forever and I know no matter what."

"Love?" the Man questioned, moving even closer to her.

"Of course," she replied. "We're told we must love Christ. I love you, just like I'm told."

"How do you love me?" He asked, his breathe now upon Relena's cheek and she found to her horror she was leaning in closer too.

"I don't know. But I don't think it's the way we're supposed to in the Bible."

At the very last moment, the Man sat back from her. He wasn't sure what made him do so. Maybe it was her naivety and the way she seemed desperate to believe he really was who he claimed to be. He thought really because it seemed he would be taking advantage of a girl who needed help in a way that no one else seemed able to provide except some divine power. Whatever it was, he wanted to hunt it down and rip it to shreds for as soon as he did, Relena looked at him in confusion and fled from the barn with out another word. He hoped she just needed some time to think about what may just be her teenage hormones acting up.

It made him wonder what had happened to him. At what point had he lost the guiltless, carefree attitude which he'd had all his life? Undoubtedly if he still had this he would have taken Relena in a minute, and more if he could. But no. He hadn't been able to. It would be a lie to say he hadn't wanted to but something inside of him had stopped him from doing anything. Her father was out even now and if he was so eager he could easily chase after her and take what he wanted from her. But he couldn't. He wanted her but he just couldn't. Unsure of what else to do, he picked up a kitten and held it to his chest.

Treize looked around at the locals who had turned up this meeting and made his face solemn. There had been no further leads on this criminal but it was only a matter of time. He cleared his throat and began to speak, enjoying the anticipation his words would bring. "No matter what the outrage, not matter what the crime. No matter where he's running, he's running out of time. This used to be a safe haven and now its gone. Because of this man danger is on its way to your town. It doesn't matter where he's hiding or how he's hurt. His evil had spread out like a stain and darkened all the day. One thing is certainly for sure. He's better dead than captured for in the whole spectrum of things, he's just a speck of dirt. I don't care what he's scheming or what he's got. If I find him- if we find him – we'll tear him limb from limb.

"My good people! You've got to prepared to wrestle with the devil in a heartbeat, and this man is as close to a devil as you get."

He stepped down from the podium on which he was standing and enjoyed the mass applause issued on his behalf. Finding this man was proving to be harder than he's ever though but he would find him. He would find him and kill him before he could hurt another person. This he swore to God himself.

End of Act One

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