Title: Forgiven

Author: Karina

Rating: PG

Pairing: Heero Duo Wu Fei Zechs

Notes: Challenge 25. Baby Series 2 #28. Takes place immediately after Not Your Fault.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters from the series but the baby is mine.

Many thanks to Dulin for her work as beta.

Forgiven

Their touch had been a source of discomfort and cause to worry, that touch now offered reassurance. He felt upheld by their touch, protected and it was a feeling he had not known since the early days of his relationship with Treize. Later in their relationship he had begun to suspect what it was that Treize was keeping from him he had felt adrift, exposed. Alone. Adrift in confusion and fear.

He did not feel that he needed to forgive Chang the death of his lover. He knew only too well Treize had planned on dying if he felt there was no viable alternative. He had known it would come to him being bereft of the comfort that only Treize had seemed capable of making him accept. Others had tried, including Lucrezia but only Treize had succeeded in giving him what he could not describe satisfactorily. What was it about Treize that had made him the only one who could coax him to do the unthinkable?

No matter. That was then, this was now. He knew Treize would have found someone else and Chang need not suffer for that death. The war and Libra had been necessary to bring about peace but might they have found some future for themselves? If his lover was determined to die then so must he. That had been his thought.

Better to die than face the world without His strength to see through the aftermath.

Death denied him. Had he followed Treize there would be no child and he could never regret his son. He regretted the death of his lover and he ached for the loss of his wife. Did it matter no one understood what had driven him? In a letter to Relena he had said he did not care that no one would understand and that was a lie. He did care. He did not forever want to be the villain, but out of nightmare had come peace.

The price was worth it. He would pay it again if the need arose.

It did not matter that they could not forgive him. That they would see him as the brute. It mattered that God understood his reasons and in his heart he did believe in some higher being. Would not God have a greater compassion and capacity to forgive than mankind?

"Zechs?"

He did not want to emerge from the shelter of the blankets, but someone was pulling at his shoulder and another was brushing his hair from his face and behind him Yuy was pulling gently at his hair to force him to lift his face to them. He swallowed his pride and faced their accusation and Yuy's eyes were intensely blue.

"I understand your need. I forgive you."

Duo ran a hand lightly over his cheek, drawing his attention. "We all need forgiveness for what we have done in the bad times. I forgive you."

Chang turned his face and touched his lips to his forehead. "Forgiven."

End

Karina Robertson 2006