Desert Antics

Disclaimer: I am still broke, still don't have a job, and still don't own any of the Gundam Wing characters.

Author's Note: This is first of a few angsty chapters. Therefore, if you are allergic to angst don't read. If you have made it this far in the story, I hope you are really enjoying it. I welcome all comments and suggestions.

Ch. 4

Rebecca was so happy as she laid down to sleep. Her day had gone wonderful and Sammy had a new home. She still didn't know who he had been talking about, but Duo and Heero had taken it as a good sign. The adoption papers were already done and Sammy was staying with them. Hilde and Joe had been so ecstatic for them and Duo couldn't quit talking to Sammy about all the things he would get to do. That was another thing, Sammy talked back. The kid that was so psychologically damaged he couldn't talk was giving Duo a run for his money. She kind of felt bad for Heero, the silent one, but she figured he could take it.

She had called Bob Nichols back to tell him that Sammy had been placed with a couple more suitable for his needs and he had gone ballistic. He kept demanding that Sammy was theirs and she was wrong. He also kept demanding to talk to Sammy. 'I wonder if I should warn Duo and Heero about him. He might be dangerous.' She still had not found any proof that he was dangerous, but she just knew it. Deep in her heart she knew Bob and Virginia Nichols were dangerous.

A sound from in the living room caught her attention. It was small and wouldn't have been noticed except that Rebecca had lived alone for six years. Six years with the only sound in the apartment coming from her. The only person that had a key was Joe and he would never use it unless she approved it prior to each use. Something about him not wanting to overstep his boundaries; Rebecca was pretty sure she had Hilde to thank for that one.

She listened intently as she heard the small noise again. She slowly and silently pushed the covers back. She was suddenly glad she had turned out all of the lights. Normally she leaves one on in the hallway just in case she gets up in the middle of the night. 'Shit, this isn't going to be good,' she quietly made her way to the bedroom door. She grabbed the metal baseball bat leaning against the dresser and stepped out into the hall. Her eyes were already adjusted to the dark and she saw a silhouette at her desk, going through her papers.

She quietly advanced and swung for all she was worth. Someone called out a warning and the person ducked just in time. She hit the lamp instead. The person stood up and she noticed they were almost a foot taller than her. "I don't know what the hell you want, but you have five seconds to get out or I'm going to hit a home run if you get my drift!" She couldn't see the person's face that well, but could swear it was a male. She could also swear he smiled as she was hit from behind.

Rebecca dropped to the floor as broken glass showered off her back. 'Why did I buy such big heavy lamps again?' Someone grabbed her nightshirt and hauled her up. She had dropped the bat, but decided she was not going to go without a fight. Hopefully, one of her neighbors would call the police, but she really doubted it. She swung out and her fist connected with the man's jaw. He stumbled back as the other figure swung her bat and it hit her side hard, she heard a small crack before she collapsed on an end table, effectively crushing it. Her right hand flew to her side and she was breathing hard, 'Agh…I think that was a rib or two.'

She climbed to her feet and swayed slightly as the bat struck her again, her right shoulder this time. "Ahhh!" Pain blinded her vision as another crack was heard. She fell to the floor as the bat came down on her left kneecap. The pain intensified and she screamed again. She was breathing heavy as the male figure stepped in front of the possible female figure wielding the bat. He leaned over her and fisted her shirt. He brought her up slightly and punched her. 'Maybe I should have taken up martial arts?'

The male figure spoke, "where is Sammy?"

Rebecca's breathing became labored as the pain grew, "what…what do you want with him?" She coughed and the pain in her chest worsened.

She finally got a good look at the man's face and saw that her attacker was Bob Nichols. His face was contorted in a sick fury and she knew they were going to kill her. "He holds the key. His whore of a mother was in charge of it, we just didn't think she was going to give it to him before we killed her. We tortured her for seven hours and she refused to tell us where it was. Then we saw Sammy and knew. That little shit wears it around his neck and has no clue what he has! If you had just given him to us then this wouldn't be necessary at all. It's just too bad for you that you decided to be a hero!"

"What key…?"

"Where is he!?"

Rebecca smiled at the rage, she was probably going to die; however, it seemed like retribution for Jess. She hadn't been able to save that little girl from her druggie father, but she was able to save Sammy. "He was adopted and taken off the colony hours ago. You won't find him!"

Bob Nichols punched her again, this time breaking her nose. "You're just a whore like that slut!" He pulled out a gun and shot her in the stomach twice. "You'll die soon enough! We'll find him, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. Let's go, Virginia!"

As they left Rebecca struggled to breathe, she knew she was going to die, but she had to warn them. She saw her cell phone lying carelessly on the floor next to her desk just two feet away. She turned, whimpering at the pain, and slowly crawled towards it, using her good arm to drag her along. She felt lightheaded at the blood loss and pain, but kept her goal in sight. She stretched her fingers out and brushed the phone. She stretched a little more and had it. Rebecca felt cold as she opened it and dialed her brother's number. He answered it and she almost cried with relief, "Joe…Joe, I need…to talk…to Heero."

"Baby, what's wrong!?"

"Joe…need to talk…Heero, now…"

She heard him screaming for Heero and it wasn't but a second later when he said, "talk."

"Heero…the Nichols are coming…Sammy has a key…they're going to kill…him…You have to leave now…Tell Joe…I love him…" Her last breath gone, the phone fell to the floor and her eyes closed.

As Joe took the phone from Heero and screamed for Rebecca to answer him, a figured silently moved through the chaos. Shinigami leaned down and caressed Rebecca's cheek. A mist seemed to rise and Rebecca looked down on her body. Tears flowed down her cheeks as Shinigami smiled, "do not worry, all will end as it should," and with that they were gone.

Joe watched as they took the body away and he cried. Hilde hugged him and knew that things would never be the same again. The apartment had been a wreck when they arrived along with the police. Joe had seen the blood streaks on the beige carpet and knew she was dead. His little sister, the only family that had stuck with him through a court battle when he was framed for the murder of a competitor, was gone. She was also the one that had introduced him to Hilde.

The police had said it was a burglary gone wrong. They had refused to listen regarding the phone call or the situation. It was as if they wanted the case closed quickly. Hilde was trying to be strong for her husband that seemed so weak, but her tears were falling as well. Heero, Duo, and Sammy were on a shuttle back to Earth, but Hilde knew they wouldn't be the same for a while either. Duo had managed to get a hold of Howard and arranged for them to tag along on a transport to Earth that was leaving within the hour.

The plan was to give Sammy a fake name for the time being and hide out where the best security in the universe was. The one that Heero, himself, had designed. The royal palace in Sanc. Relena was expecting them and Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei were to meet them there. Hilde hoped that Joe would never blame them or Sammy for losing his sister, but she knew that it could very possibly be too much to hope for.

Meanwhile on the shuttle to Earth, courtesy of the Sweepers, Duo was holding Sammy as he cried, "its my fault, she wa' so nice. Mommy like her lot. Why?"

Duo looked into his innocent eyes and shook his head, "honestly, I don't know why bad things happen. They just do and no matter how much we want to change them we just can't. She said you had a key, though, do you know what she was talking about?"

"No…My mommy gave me 'dis." He held up the locket for Duo to inspect. "Mommy sai' it was special. She say to keep no 'atter wat. Mommy say not to give to 'nyone." Duo couldn't see anyway to open it, but he did see an inscription written in the back. It was the old latin and from what he could remember roughly translated to, 'with all my love –Death.'

Duo smiled at him, "don't worry, sweetie, everything's going to be just fine. I promise we'll do everything we can to keep you safe. Why don't you try to take a nap before we get there?" Sammy smiled and curled up against Duo. Duo mouthed to Heero, 'what are we going to do?'

Heero leaned over Sammy and mouthed, 'be the best parents we can.' He then lightly kissed Duo and smiled. Duo decided that Heero's smile was infectious and he felt like they could take on the world. Too bad for them they didn't know they were taking on someone else's world too.

When they landed Heero carefully picked up Sammy without waking him up and helped Duo to his feet. As they made their way to the exit Heero wondered how Joe and Hilde were doing. He made a mental note to call once they were settled at Relena's. He also hoped Relena would understand his decision. She seemed to, but she was a politician afterall.

Flashback…

Heero waited as the secretary patched him through to Relena, "hey, Heero, it's been what…two weeks since we talked? How are you?"

"I'm good, but I need to ask you for a favor."

"You're asking me for a favor? What happened? Are you in prison and this is your one and only phone call? Is Duo alright?" She seemed genuinely concerned for him, but it threw him for a loop when she asked about Duo. He just stood their in shock for a second. "Come on, Heero, what's wrong?"

"Uh…Duo and I…we're sort of a…"

She smiled, "finally…I was about to blackmail Une into sending you two on a two week Hawaiian vacation under the pretense of a mission. You two have been sending signals to each other for years. We've all noticed and wondered when you two would. Took you long enough…So what can I help you with?"

Heero smirked, "that's not the reaction I was expecting, but thank you. We're trying to adopt a child from L2 and they need a reference. I was wondering if you might…"

"Of course I will, Heero. You and Duo have saved my life countless times and I have been trying to repay you guys for years. I know I looked like a love sick teenager when we were fifteen, but I just wanted you to be happy. I didn't care if it was with me or someone else. I just felt you deserved it. To tell you the truth, I'm glad it was Duo, though. I really think he's the only one that can put up with your one word sentences," she smiled in an effort to show she wasn't trying to offend him and he nodded. "So who do I need to call?"

End Flashback…

Duo said a quick word to the pilot, thanking him for the ride on the transport shuttle and then they left. As Heero kept a careful eye on Duo to make sure he didn't fall Sammy snuggled into the crook of his neck. Heero felt a warm sensation go through his chest and knew that he was happy. For the first time in his life he was truly happy. When they reached the bottom of the railing he saw Relena standing there waving. She gave Duo a warm hug and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh. 'Maybe this won't be so bad,' he thought.

Relena smiled as she saw the sleeping bundle in Heero's arms. "Oh, he is so cute…The others are just going to have a fit when they see him." Sammy moved slightly and whispered something in his sleep. "He just called you daddy. Oh, we have to spoil him while he's here." Heero wanted to groan at the giddy look in her eyes, all he wanted to do was find a quiet room and catch some sleep with his koi. "Now don't you roll your eyes at me, Heero, he's the only kid around that I can spoil. I don't have any nephews or nieces because my brother and Noin are "enjoying" the first few years of their marriage, so he's just going to have to do for now." She smiled at the sleeping boy.

Relena took on a more somber note and put her arm around Duo's waist, "I'm sorry about what happened. I wish you could be here under better circumstances." Duo nodded, "well, let's get going. I've got rooms set up for you guys. There's a smaller room that connects to the bedroom you guys will be staying in. I've taken the liberty of ordering some toys and such for Sammy. It should be set up by the time we reach home. Oh, the room that you two will be in is…uh…special."

"What do you mean by special?"

She couldn't face Duo as her face turned red with a blush, "it is soundproof, so that no one can hear what is going on inside. The material will still allow you to hear what is going on outside, though. My walls encompass the same material…It's a good way to hide…uh…certain visitors…that I don't want anyone to know about." Duo laughed as he realized Relena was talking about night visitors and she blushed harder. "Shut up…"