Chapter 10

The next two days were the fastest Heero has ever had in his life. The Maxwells treated him as family and included him in a lot of family events. Heero was at first surprised by it all. His mother died when he was a baby and his father was away more often than around and his uncle Jay was more of a stranger than family. He had never experienced family gatherings like the way the Maxwells have. Board or card games at the kitchen table, arguments of which movie to watch each night. He had never had these sorts of experiences and was at first in a cultural shock during his first involvement but quickly gained his footing and enjoyed himself as he had never done before.

Duo had once again taken control of the house kitchen. He whipped up recipes as if he hadn't been out of the kitchen in months, and with each dish, Heero had became his taste-tester. Heero didn't mind. Each dish was delicious.

Duo was enthusiastically happy to be back home and pulled Heero all around town. They even stopped at the building that was his restaurant and stood next to Duo as he reminisced. Heero didn't know if he was going to reopen, he hoped he did, but he knew that any decision he made, his family was behind him.

Surprisingly, two days after his release from the hospital, Eric was standing behind the podium Sunday morning. Heero had never been to church before, but he knew his manners and didn't speak a word throughout the sermon. Duo sat next to him and was equally as quiet but he did pay attention to every word.

Eric stood up on the podium wearing his white and gold robes and cleared his throat.

"As you know, I had a heart attack this week," he said. "And against the judgement of my family, I am up here to talk to you about coincidence.

"What some people would call coincidence, I believe is God's plan. My nephew had been on a journey of self-discovery for a couple of years. Recently, he met a man on a journey of his own a day before my heart attack. Both men think it mere coincidence, but I call it careful planning.

"When the Twin Towers collapsed, seven people were never in the buildings. They survived the disaster that happened that day. One man was on the train going to work. Coincidence, or God's plan for them to survive because they were needed for something important.

"I'm not trying to sway you away from your opinions on the differences between coincidence or fate. That is not the reason I am up here today. Today, I want to say, that whatever the reason, God's plan or plain coincidence, we should thank God for the second chances we are given, because they are rare when given."

That had given Heero something to think about for the rest of the day. He knew more than anyone that second chances were rare, but he believed in coincidence more than fate. He did believe in second chances though, and would give anyone a second chance, except his father. He had given him plenty of chance but was shot down each time.

After church, the Maxwells held a barbeque for the whole family and friends. Quatre, Trowa and Hilde were as well. Heero learned that Hilde's husband was in the military was currently stationed in Afghanistan. He was due to return to the states in a few months, but she did hear from him at least once a week, or whenever his superiors allow him to call. She had started as a dispatcher for the police a month before after confirming her pregnancy.

"Yeah, celebrate now," said Hilde after a congratulatory hug from Duo, "But guess who'll I'll be calling at three o'clock in the morning with any weird craving I get?"

everyone laughed as Duo stammered. Duane put an arm around Duo's shoulders.

"Welcome to married life, bro," he said, which made everyone laughed harder.

"But I'm not even married to her!" he said.

"For the next nine months, you might as well be," said Duane as everyone continued to laugh.

"While we're on the subject of children, Trowa and I have an announcement," said Quatre with a mixture of seriousness and nervousness.

"You're adopting?!" asked Duo excited. Heero had learned that Quatre and Trowa had been trying to adopt for the last two years. Not even Quatre's influence in the corporate world had been enough to sway an agencies decision and Heero felt awful for the men. He could tell that both men would made excellent fathers if given the chance.

"No," said Quatre. "Sadly, we have not been able to adopt at all. But Trowa's sister, Catherine, has offered us the next best thing."

"What?" asked Helen.

"She's volunteered to be our surrogate and she's donated her eggs to us," said Trowa. "She's agreed to wave all parental rights to the baby."

"Even my sisters want to help," said Quatre. "Now there's a baby war between our families over who gets to carry the baby."

Everyone laughed as a phone rang. Heero pulled his out of his pocket and saw that it was Relena.

"Excuse me," he said walking back to the house as he answered the phone. "Yuy."

"Is that any way to greet your girlfriend when she has amazing news," she said.

"What is it, Relena?" he asked leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"We got the apartment!"

Heero gaped in surprise.

"Really? That's great, Relena. When do they want us to move in?"

"As soon as possible. I'm on my way to the Paris airport right now on the way to New York."

"You-You're coming home?" he said shocked. He thought he would have more time. It had only been a four days since she said that she was staying in France and she was heading back now. "Relena, I'm not in California right now..."

"Oh, I know," she said nonchalantly. He could hear the noise of an airport terminal in the background.

"You know?"

"Daddy told me you took a week off and it wasn't hard to figure it out from there. I am glad we got the apartment, though. I didn't think they would let us."

"Why?" asked Heero. He saw Duo peek in on him, and gave him an acknowledging nod.

"Food's ready," Duo whispered. "I'll save some for you."

"Thanks," Heero whispered back.

"Oh, because a lot of the residents are old school. They look down upon a couple living together that's not married or engaged, but I told them not to worry and that we were almost engaged!"

"W-What?"

"I saw the ring in your desk drawer. Not an original hiding place, Heero. I admit, I was terrified when I saw it, which was why I went to New York and then Paris, but after thinking it over, I realized I am ready to take the next step in our relationship."

"Relena, I have to ask you first."

"Well, ask me when I get here. I'll meet you in JFK tomorrow. I'll text you the flight and time. Bye."

Before Heero could say anything, she hung up. Heero looked at the phone in surprise. She was coming back and was just now telling him? Why was she acting like this? Because she was apprehensive about marriage? She could have just said no if he had ask, not travel halfway around the world to get away from him. Relena was a strong-willed woman and that was one of the reasons why he was dating her.

He shook his head. Now he was being paranoid now. There was no way she was avoiding him for anything else.

He left the hallway and walked back out of the house where the party was still in full swing. A few gave him curious looks after watching him leave to take the call, but he just nodded to say he was fine and they returned to their conversations. He found a seat empty next to Duo along with a plate of food, mostly salads since Heero wasn't a big meat eat, and a glass of lemonade.

"What's up?" he asked as Heero picked up the salad dressing.

"I have to go to New York by tomorrow," said Heero. "Relena's coming back."

"Oh," said Duo, disappointed. "I guess we won't be seeing each other again, then."

"I'm sorry, Duo. I don't want to leave like this, but I have to meet her."

Duo nodded. He still looked disappointed and it hurt Heero to see his new friend like this.

"When do you have to go?" he asked.

"Flight is at least twenty hours or so, I don't have to leave until morning. I can grab an early morning bus to New York."

"I see." Duo carefully folded his napkin and set it on the table. "The family would be sorry to see you go. They like you."

"I like them too. I'm sorry to be leaving like this."

Duo shook his head.

"No, it's all right. You have your own life. It's selfish to think that you'll up and leave it." He stood and turned to Heero. His eyes were strangely clouded and Heero shivered at the lack of emotion behind them. "I'll leave you to make your good-byes."

He turned and left back toward the house.

"Duo!" Heero called after him, but the brunet ignored him and entered the house.

XXXXXXX

Duo watched as Heero said good-bye to Helen as he got into the SUV with Duane. Helen gave him a hug and he hesitantly hugged back before handing her something. She nodded and stepped back as Hilde and Quatre said their farewells as well. Heero glanced up at the window where Duo was looking out from, as if sensing him, before turning to the car.

"You should say good-bye."

Duo turned around to see Eric standing behind him.

"What's the point?" said Duo. "I'm never going to see him again."

"I think that's the point." Eric walks over to the window and looks out. "You like him, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter. He has his life, and I have mine."

"Are you going to go off again?"

Duo shook his head.

"I don't know. I got some stuff to think over."

Both men paused for a moment as they heard the car pull away and fade into the distance.

"Did I ever tell you how my parents met?" said Eric.

"You mean Uncle Ellis and Grandma Sarah?" asked Duo in thought. It was known that Eric was the eldest but was only half brother to Duo's grandfather.

"He had came back home for a few weeks after a tour in England during World War II. She was organizing the victory garden at the local church. It amazed them that they grew up only five miles from each other and she was only a couple years his junior at school, which was why they never met until that moment. They had only known each other for two weeks before they decided to get married.

"Money was tight back then with the war going on and the nation just getting over the Depression. A lot of clothes and shoes were hand-me-downs. Even us Maxwells had to make do. The ceremony was small and their honeymoon was a weekend at the guest house before he had to go back on tour. They had planned to have a real honeymoon when he returned."

"But he never did?" said Duo. He knew that because Sarah had married Ellis's younger brother seven years after her first husband's death.

Eric shook his head.

"He died during an air raid in London, trying to get civilians into shelter two months after they married, a week after Sarah found herself pregnant with me. She had written him a letter telling him the news. It came back with his body, unopened."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Eric, but what exactly is the moral of this story?" asked Duo confused.

"I asked my mom why she married my dad after only knowing him for weeks, and she said love has no time limit. They only known each other a few weeks, but they've loved a life time. They had a chance at love and took it."

"Uncle Eric, as amazing as that story is, I don't think it applies here."

Eric smiled as he walked toward the door.

"Don't it?" he asked as he walked out the door.

TBC