Beginnings II
Disclaimer: I don't own the G-Wing Characters so please don't sue me for borrowing them . . .
Her eyes gleamed darkly at him, he hadn't meant to strike such a deep cord but the words had left his lips before he could take them back. George braced himself for the inevitable storm, if there was one thing they never discussed, it was Ami's father. A hint of jealously entered his heart at the mere thought of the man, the one who had managed to do what he could not. Win the heart of Death itself. For all the years that George had known the 'boy' named Duo Maxwell, he had never been able to break past the barrier to reveal the truth beneath the façade.
When he had run into her again several years ago, she was at least eight months pregnant carrying a heavy bag of groceries from a beat up old pickup truck to a small motel room. Even after years of separation, and her drastic change in appearance there was no mistaking Duo, as soon as she looked up. Only one person in all his years had those kind of eyes, a deep cobalt blue with a slightly dark gleam to them that left a person with a chilled feeling after meeting them. When they were kids Duo's eyes had been labeled as the eyes of Death itself, and the nickname had stuck. The shock of seeing Duo after so long was nothing compared to the sight of Duo's enlarged belly.
"I doubt Heero will let you get away once you complete the mission." George replied coldly forcing himself to see the present and not the past.
"I know he won't." She whispered calmly her eyes hidden beneath the shadows of her bangs. "But then . . . I don't really have a choice in the matter do I, George?"
The sarcasm in her voice hit a nerve as he moved to stand in front of her; dark black eyes peered down to stare into those cobalt blues as he reached out to touch her long brown hair. The plan had to go as they had discussed it; even with the new developments they really had no choice in the matter. If Sara failed . . . if the two of them failed to complete this little mission it wasn't their lives they were playing with.
"Ami-chan means as much to me as she does to you Sara." He whispered softly. She pushed his hand away and got to her feet, she stood a good half-inch shorter then he but the look in her eyes spoke of murder. He wasn't talking to Sara anymore that had been the plan from the get-go. Sara could never make it past the guards he set up nor could she complete the mission as was required. For this particular mission they would have to ask Death for help . . . and none knew Death better then Duo Maxwell.
"Let's get this over with . . . I'm not getting any younger." She/He replied turning around, "You're going to have to help me . . . I've never actually braided my hair before."
The silence between the three of them was almost poetic in a sense, although Heero thought he'd be far more comfortable explaining things in his own room rather then in Sally and Wufei's. The two sat on the floor their feet folded neatly beneath them while Heero stood with his back against the wall. After the dinner he was far too excited to sit the way the other two were. After searching for three years he'd finally found her! In all the excitement, Wufei had brought him back down by demanding that Heero 'spill the beans' about what was going on. It had taken a while but he'd finally managed to spill what he knew and speculate the rest.
"Is there anything else you want me to elaborate on?" Heero sighed as he rubbed his forehead, after the night he'd had all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. He didn't think he would have a problem getting to sleep this time around. Wufei shook his head but Heero couldn't tell whether it was to clear the confusion in his mind or to deny his question. The look in Sally's face told a similar story, the two just couldn't begin to fathom what they'd just been told. And everyone thinks it would be easier if Duo actually explained all this?
"You mean after all these years he's . . . she's been lying to us?" Wufei spoke through gritted teeth his fists clinched in his lap. The anger of betrayal was heavy on his voice, out of all the Gundam Pilots Heero would have to say that Wufei would be the only one feeling this right about now. After all, a few weeks being stuck in the same cell as Duo could make anyone feel a little strange.
"Not really . . . we never questioned Duo's sexuality, we just assumed that she was a guy because she acted like one." To be truthful, Heero was surprised that Duo had managed to keep her secret as long as she had. She did, after all, often sleep in the men's quarters when she had traveled with Howard during the war.
"And what about the kid, is it really hers?" Wufei asked a slight grimace passing over his face. He obviously wasn't enjoying his new found peek into the private life of Duo Maxwell. Heero shrugged at the question, he didn't know . . . the last time he'd seen Duo . . . they hadn't really talked much. Of course . . . there was something oddly familiar about the little girl; the problem was Heero couldn't figure it out himself.
"I suppose it has to be, by the looks of things she had to have been born three years ago and that's right around the time Duo disappeared so we don't know what could have happened." Heero shrugged again, he wasn't too interested in the kid to be honest.
"It's hers there's no doubt about that, but I don't think she's George's kid. The differences are too many for that to be possible." Sally replied calmly. She looked over at Heero for a moment but didn't say anything, although an odd look did pass over her face when she did. Heero shrugged it off, the kid wasn't that important after all.
"I want to know more. First off, how long have you been keeping this little secret from the rest of us?" Wufei asked his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Not to offend you or anything Wufei, but back then you weren't exactly the best person to tell about Duo being a girl and all." Heero pointed out, "As for how long . . . I've known about this since the war. Duo never told me . . . I found out by accident, found him sleeping in my bed one night bleeding and I tried to help."
A slight smile appeared on Sally's face, she must know what he was talking about because she seemed to be biting off a laugh.
"Bleeding? From what?" Wufei asked frowning slightly.
"That's beside the point, Heero when was the last time you saw her?" Sally asked.
"Three years ago . . . she was walking out of the apartment I was sharing with Relena." Heero responded.
"And before that?"
"I saw her about two months before that . . . what's your point Sally?" Heero asked this time he was frowning at her abrupt change in questions.
"The time frame seems about right . . . ." Sally whispered more to herself then to the two of them. Wufei frowned as well, not really following Sally's line of reasoning as well as he had hoped to. Sally looked at the two of them, her eyes widening as she realized that the two of them could not see what she did. Men. She rolled her eyes and got to her feet, moving to stand in front of Heero her arms folded across her chest. "Did you ever have sex with her?"
Heero blinked, his face turning bright red in response to such a blunt question. "Once . . . why?"
"Did you use protection?" She replied calmly. Heero fidgeted at the question . . . to be terribly honest neither of them had thought about such a thing at the time. In fact they hadn't really been thinking at all. "Teenagers . . . don't tell me you don't see the connection!" She looked back and forth and sighed, Gundam Pilots they may have once been, the best of the best they once were but when it came to simple-everyday-human instincts the two were definitely lacking.
"Duo left two years after the war ended, kept most of his ties with a few of us but other then that he completely separated himself from everyone. After a long time, he comes back to see you every so often right?" Sally looked over at Heero who nodded slightly just barely following her line of thought. "And out of all that time you only did it with her once right?" Again he nodded his eyes taking on the beginnings of understanding. "Ami-chan is three years old or at least she will be soon enough right?"
"Sally . . . you don't think . . . you can't think that . . . ." Wufei shook his head as he spoke staring at Heero as if the man had suddenly grown a second head on his shoulders.
Sally smiled slightly as the two men finally saw what she had seen the moment she'd laid eyes on the little girl. She clapped Heero on the shoulders, her smile meant to warm, "Congratulations . . . it's a girl."
Heero blinked at her words, his mouth falling open in the most ridiculous way after a moment his mouth started flapping up and down muttering out stuttered protests. In his mind he remembered that moment from long ago, relived it as if it had happened just yesterday. "It . . . can't be Duo had his period that day!"
A.C. 198
The soft whisper of the cold breeze left his face feeling numb as he tugged his jacket tightly around him, glancing every so often down at his watch. The crowd in the park was nothing knew, even at this time of the season it seemed there was something that made people want to come out despite the chill. He heard that many found it romantic to walk in the frigid cold, but he truthfully couldn't see the delight in freezing ones ass off. Again he looked down at his watch and sighed, how much longer did he have to wait?
"This was all her idea, so why isn't she here damn it?" He couldn't help the irritation, being cold usually left him feeling edgy after a while. Sure he'd been happy when she called, had dropped everything and made his way down here as fast as he could but that didn't mean he was early. His eyes went to his watch for what seemed the umpteenth time before he got to his feet, she was at least thirty minutes late and that probably meant she wasn't coming. Just as he turned to leave a pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around his waist stopping him in his tracks. Heero didn't need to turn around to know that it was her; he recognized the feel of her against him and the distinct smell she always gave off.
"You're late." He replied remaining absolutely still.
"I'm sorry . . . ." Her voice was like silk whispering against his skin as she pressed her face into his back and rubbed her forehead against him.
"I was going to go home and have something warm to drink . . . ." He turned pulling himself from her grip so that he could stare into those deep blue-violet eyes of hers. A slight blush formed on her face, although if it was from the cold or something else he didn't know as he reached his hand out to her. "Want to come with me?" The look in her eyes could have melted him right there, that slight lift to her lips that showed more then she thought it did. A secret smile she showed only to him. Her hand fit easily into his as he led her towards his apartment, the cold air brushed against their faces but the fire that burned in their eyes stopped the cold from invading. Was this the reason that couples went out on those cold days? To defy the wind and the chill with the fire of their relationship?
Her hand felt warm as she stood behind him waiting for him to open the door to his apartment, she had passed by here a few times but never had the courage to go in. A sharp pain in her belly was the only thing killing this wonderful moment. As the door swung open a blast of warm air hit her like a wave as she was pulled into the apartment. She saw the image of a pristine kitchen, orderly and neat almost immaculate before her attention returned to Heero's face. His arms wrapped themselves around her waist pulling her close as his finger caressed the side of her cheek. Curious, her eyes turned towards the soft curves of Heero's lips, remembering the fire that those lips could light inside of her.
He moved slowly and she found herself following after him without even realizing it, entrapped by the sight of his lips and the warm feel of his arms around her. She didn't even notice when he led her into the bedroom. She could only remember the sensation of his lips as they pressed against hers. The feel of his hands against her suddenly bare chest, pinching at the sensitive nubs that were just starting to grow. Heero pulled back from the kiss and stared down at her chest in surprise.
"I stopped taking them . . . ." She whispered moving to cover the strangely painful things that had begun to grow where she had once been flat. A slight smile spread across Heero's face as he rubbed the tips of his fingers over the sensitive nubs.
"When did they start growing?" He asked fascinated by the sight of them growing hard between his two fingers. Duo shifted beneath his touch a moan escaping past her tightly clinched lips, a bead of bright red blood appeared on the corner of her mouth and Heero moved to lick it covering her mouth with his as he continued to play with the hard nubs of Duo's breasts.
"Ahh . . . Heer-o . . . don't . . . . Ahh!" Duo's moans sent shivers down his spine as he pushed her backwards into the bed. One hand rubbed at her breasts as the other moved to unbutton her jeans. Duo seemed to respond to the slightest touch the softest sensation. Heero paused when her hands stopped him from pulling down her panties. "Don't . . . I . . . I'm bleeding again, it'll stain the sheets if we do anything." The quiver in her voice made his heart race as he moved to hover above her.
"I don't care." He whispered leaning down to kiss her hard on the lips. They were swept away in a tide of passion that neither could have stopped but both knew was long in coming.
He didn't know how he did it; he only remembered that he had somehow gotten back to his room without having any other problems. As soon as he shut the door behind him the room began to spin as he slid to the hard ground covering his face with his hands. How could he have been so stupid? The rainy day when Duo had appeared outside his class, the look in her eyes when she found out he was sharing his apartment with Relena . . . . Everything came painfully back into focus for him when he knew why Duo had disappeared from the world for so long. Heero sighed shaking his head he should be angry at Duo for not telling him, for not telling anyone else about what was going on.
"Damn it Duo . . . why didn't you just tell me instead of walking away?!" Heero clinched his fists together feeling his anger bubbling just thinking about everything that had happened so far. The image of Duo's retreating back was still fresh in his mind but now . . . now it was occupied by the sight of green eyes and long brown hair. How could that child be his?
Heero sighed propping his elbows on the top of his knees as he stared up at the ceiling wondering what life would have been like if he'd been there for it all? Duo's pregnancy, Ami's birth . . . what would it have been like to be a father? It was a curiosity that Heero couldn't imagine after all, he'd never had a father and doubted that Dr. J counted as one. What did he know about children? It was a concept he'd never allowed himself to dwell on, having expected to die in the war or in some kind of bloody battle. Now that concept was coming true, something he never imagined being was suddenly thrust into his arms.
"Okay . . . I'll call you if anything else happens . . . yes – no – yes . . . okay then . . . . If I need any help, I'll call you okay?" Wufei sighed as he hung up the phone and looked up to see Sally standing in the doorway.
"Ready?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"As ready as I'll ever be. I wish we could tell Heero about this." Wufei replied getting to his feet, he reached over to the bed and picked up his jacket.
"I feel the same way Wufei, but you know as well as I do that we can't . . . he's got enough on his plate without adding to it." Sally replied softly as she helped him into his jacket, wrapping her arms around him. Wufei shook his head he understood what she was saying and a part of him agreed with what she was saying but . . . after last night he wished he didn't. A knock on their door alerted them to reality a lot sooner then he wished. "Let's get this over with."
He couldn't help but wonder . . . was it already too late? Would they honestly be able to put an end to a fifteen year old grudge before anyone got hurt? Sally put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her the questions still plaguing his mind.
"We'll do what we can but we can't promise anything . . . ." Sally reminded him with that stern voice of hers. Wufei nodded, he understood the role they played better then anyone else he just wished it didn't have to be this way.
"You're right we should get this over with." He replied calmly. He made a promise five years ago to a little girl that he would up hold the peace that everyone worked so hard to obtain. He would keep that promise even at the cost of an old friend.
Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this out, I've got summer classes and finals were a itch if you know what I mean! If you feel the story's lacking anything feel free to comment on it! I really appreciate everyone who has stuck to reading this story and hope that it's everything you wanted and more!