Return

Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Characters so please don't sue me for borrowing them . . . The song is S.O.S by Good Charlotte, so like G-Wing it does not belong to me so please forgive me for borrowing them!!

It's not real . . . none of this is real! The voice echoed in her mind as she sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat trickled down her face as she stared around her at the darkness. The soft pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the window echoed once more in her mind as she took deep breaths trying to calm her racing heart. The sound of footsteps pounding against the floor caught her attention just as the door to the guest room slammed open and a hand reached out to flick on the light switch on the wall.

"Ami is something wrong?!" Sally's voice called out as the older woman pushed past Wufei to get inside the room, the Chinese man appeared frazzled as he scanned the room as if expecting something dangerous to come leaping out of non-existent shadows. Only then did she realize that she had screamed, Ami felt the blood rush to her face as she tried to explain away the feeling growing in her chest.

"I'm okay Auntie Sally . . . really . . . I am, it was just a dream and dreams can't hurt me." A smile bloomed across her face as she looked up into Sally's worried eyes. "Don't worry . . . I'm sorry if I woke you, I'll try not to disturb you anymore."

"It's okay Ami . . . don't be afraid to talk to us okay?" Sally smiled weakly as she reached out and touched Ami on the shoulder, "Wufei and I are just down the hall you know that right?"

"I know." She smiled again, "Don't worry about me Auntie Sally; I can take care of myself."

A sad look crossed Sally's face as she looked down at the young girl; it had always felt odd to her how well Ami took to things. The calm way in which she had accepted things as if none of it really mattered, she took things with an unusual amount of maturity for one so young. Tonight was no different. She even explained her nightmare the way an adult would to a young child. Strangest of all was Ami's eyes, Sally had never before seen a pair of eyes with such an intense gaze behind them, as if they were staring through you not at you.

"Is something wrong Aunt Sally?"

The question startled Sally out of her reprieve and she smiled down at the young child, "Nothing at all Ami . . . just get some rest, it's been a long day after all. We might even get a call from Heero tomorrow!"

At the mention of her father's name Ami turned her gaze towards the window and a blank look took over her face, "No . . . he's not coming back, him or mommy . . . ." She whispered softly as she stared at the beads of water forming against the outside of the window.

"What makes you think that?" Wufei's voice made Ami turn to look back at the Chinese man.

"Uncle Wufei?" Ami tilted her head to the side as she spoke.

"Heero and Duo are a lot stronger then anyone gives them credit for . . . even when Duo was posing as a man she was strong." Wufei walked over to Ami and reached out to touch her head. "Trust in your parents . . . theywill return for you."

"How do you know that Uncle Wufei?"

"Because . . . ," Wufei smiled slightly as he spoke, "Your parents are the moststubborn people I have ever known. And . . . they know what it means to be abandoned . . . they would never put their child through that."

A smile bloomed across the young girl's face and she reached out to give Wufei a hug.

"Thank you . . . Uncle Wufei."

As the two of them left the room Sally smiled at Wufei.

"What?" Wufei blinked feeling uncomfortable beneath her gaze.

"I think you're going to make a great father, Wufei . . . ." Sally sighed as she wrapped her arms around the Chinese man.

"Hmph . . . of course I am, what kind of person did you think I was?" Wufei sniffed returning her embrace, "Now if I could only slap the same amount of sense into Heero and Duo's head." Sally smiled at the words; she knew deep down that this man was more worried then angry at his two friends. Like she, Wufei only wanted to see a happy ending to this sad little tale of tragic lovers.

Is anybody listening?

Can they hear me when I call?

I'm shooting signals in the air

'Cause I need somebody's help

I can't make it on my own

So I'm giving up myself

Is anybody listening?

Listening . . .

Clouds passed by overhead as he stared up at the buildings seemingly floating above his head, in the back of his mind he knew he was fully capable of explaining the colonies rotational effects which made certain buildings look like they were upside down. For now . . . for now it was fun to just imagine that the buildings were floating among the clouds and not tied down by artificial gravity as he knew that they were.

"That one looks like a bunny!" The sound of her voice echoed in his mind as a hand appeared in his vision pointing at one of the clouds floating overhead.

"A bunny?" He laughed tilting his head to the side a bit as he spoke. "I don't see it."

"The one with the fluffy body, right there," The hand shook excitedly as she tried to point it out, "With the two buildings sticking out above it . . . see it? The buildings are the ears and the fluffy body is the bunny's body."

"But where's its head?" He asked with a chuckle, he spotted the cloud easily floating directly overhead casting a shadow down around the two of them.

"It's there!" She emphasized in a sulky voice.

"Really? I don't see it." He joked cheerfully.

"Liar!" She replied.

He felt rather then saw her sit upright and he flipped onto his stomach to see what was wrong. Lately it seemed as if his newfound friend was feeling sulkier and sulkier then before as if something was bothering her.

"What's wrong Duo?" He asked pushing himself onto his knees as he looked at her back.

A soft breeze pulled lightly at the long strands of hair which fell behind her.

"Nothing . . . ." She whispered softly as she got to her feet, "I'm just tired . . . maybe we should go home now."

He frowned slightly at her words, getting to his feet beside her. A feeling of dread filled his heart at the idea of going home though he didn't know why.

I've been stranded here and I'm miles away

Making signals hoping they'd save me

I lock myself inside these walls

'Cause out there I'm always wrong

I don't think I'm gonna make it

So while I'm sitting here

On the eve of my defeat

I'll write this letter and hope it saves me

"Go home? But . . . why?" He asked feeling as if his world was slowly crumbling beneath him. He didn't want to leave yet . . . he wanted to stay here forever with Duo!

"We can't stay here Heero . . . we have to go home!" She replied sternly turning to face him, her arms folded across her chest.

Somehow he felt that . . . if he went 'home' he would never see her again. He didn't want that to happen, he didn't want to leave without her.

"I . . . I don't want to go home! Please don't leave me again!" He cried out pulling her close to him, holding her tightly as if she were a cloud about to float away forever.

"Heero . . . ."

"Don't leave me again . . . I'm . . . I just want to stay here with you . . . forever." He whispered into her hair holding her close to him as if he was drowning and she was the only thing that was able to save him.

"Heero . . . I won't leave you . . . I promise . . . I'll always be there for you."

Is anybody listening?

Can they hear me when I call?

Shooting signals in the air

'Cause I need somebody's help

I can't make it on my own

So I'm giving up myself

Is anybody listening?

Listening . . .

I'm stuck in my own head and I'm oceans away

Would anybody notice if I chose to stay?

I'll send an SOS tonight

Wonder if I will survive

How in the hell did I get so far away this time

So now I'm sitting here

The time of my departure's near

I say a prayer

Please someone save me

"Heero . . . we can't stay here." Duo whispered softly as she pulled away from the embrace, tears formed on her face as she saw the look on his. That desperate look that made her heart feel as if it were melting.

"I don't want you to leave me again." He replied tears swelling up inside. "I'm not strong enough to . . . to . . . ." He stopped with a slight frown as he reached out for the memory but could not get a hold of it as readily as he wished to.

"Not strong enough for what . . . Heero?" She asked reaching out to cup her hands around his face.

"Not strong enough to . . . not strong enough to . . . ." Why couldn't he grasp that memory? Whenever he tried to reach out for it, it would slip out of his grip. "I . . . I can't remember . . . ." He looked up at Duo his eyes wide at the notion that he could not remember something. A pair of soft cobalt blue eyes stared back at him sadly.

"That's why we have to go home . . . ." She whispered, "I promise . . . I promise that I won't leave you again . . . I promise you Heero."

"Promise . . . me . . . ?"

"I promise . . . I swear that we'll go home together." She answered tenderly.

Is anybody listening?

Can they hear me when I call?

Shooting signals in the air

'Cause I need somebody's help

I can't make it on my own

So I'm giving up myself

Is anybody listening?

Listening

I'm lost here

I can't make it on my own

I don't wanna die alone

I'm so scared

Drowning now

Reaching out

Holding on to everything I know

Crying out

Dying now

Need some help

" . . . Shuttle 902, you are cleared to land . . . ."

"Roger that tower . . . Shuttle 902 coming in nice and smooth."

Familiar voices faded in around him as he opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling of a shuttlecraft, more importantly the shuttlecraft he had borrowed from Quatre's depot in order to find . . . .

Heero snapped upright ignoring the sudden spinning sensation which clouded his vision for the split second it took for him to realize he'd probably been asleep for quite a while. The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention and he looked up to see a pair of soft cobalt blue eyes staring down at him.

"You're finally awake." A smile spread across that oh-so-familiar face and he felt his heart skip a beat as he stared up at Duo. "We've reached Quatre's colony, the other's are already here, would you believe that?" Duo chuckled somewhat nervously, "Wufei, Sally, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, even Dorothy showed up to see us come in, Wufei and Sally brought their baby, I can't wait to see her, you said her name was Jade right? I hope she doesn't look like Wufei." Duo's face crinkled slightly as she spoke, "Relena, and even Noin and Zechs are making an un-expected visit."

Heero reached out to take hold of her arm stopping her tirade in mid-sentence as he pulled her down to him. Their lips closed the distance left between them as the two embraced the way lovers embraced each other after a long time apart.

"Ami should be there too . . . I wonder how she's doing . . . ." Duo whispered when they had finally pulled apart.

"Don't worry . . . I'm sure she's just going to be excited to see her mommy again."

"But . . . ." Heero placed his hand over her mouth to stop the words of doubt from springing forth.

"You are her mother, whatever you did before was to protect her, that's no different from what I probably would have done in your shoes." He replied sternly wiping away any doubt from her mind. "She needs you . . . I need you."

Duo smiled slightly at the words as she nodded pulling Heero's hand from her lips to hold it against her face.

"Promise?"

Heero returned the smile, pulling her close to give her a tender kiss against the forehead.

"I promise."

Is anybody listening?

Can you hear me when I call?

Shooting signals in the air

I need somebody's help

I can't make it on my own

So I'm giving up myself

Is anybody listening?