Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 50: Decisions and Repercussions
"Taliesin! Thank heavens you're alright," Dorothy cried with audible relief as she spun around to face the door as it opened. "I was so worried that Treize would do something stupid. I…"
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Harry asked softly as he sent Grimstar back to his bed on the hearth (never hearing the twin gasps of surprise from the two that had been shadowing him) while Wolfstar planted himself on the rug in front of the fireplace (well away from Grimstar) and watched Harry with amber eyes.
Dorothy glanced down at the floor as she placed her right hand protectively over her abdomen and Harry felt cold hands seize his heart as he waited for her to answer. After a moment she glanced back up and Harry could read the uncertainty and trepidation in her violet eyes even as she lifted her chin with stubborn determination.
"I didn't know for certain until this morning. I would have said something sooner but I wanted there to be no doubt that I was pregnant before I said anything. I planned to tell you right after I found out and went to look for you after I finished discussing the pregnancy with Dr. Winner. Unfortunately, Treize had overheard us and he confronted me shortly before I could find you and you showed up during the middle of our argument. I wasn't hiding it from you and I was going to tell you but I guess Treize told you first. That was not the way I wanted you to find out."
"What…? What are your feelings regarding the baby?" Harry inquired carefully as his eyes dropped to rest on her stomach, his voice hitching ever so slightly.
"I'm keeping him… or her," Dorothy defiantly declared as she lifted her chin higher yet and dared Harry to suggest otherwise. "I don't care what anyone says; I will not get rid of my… of our baby. What will you do? Are you going to push me away again? Order me to leave?"
"You aren't angry that I got you pregnant? You don't hate me for being so irresponsible?" Harry asked instead of answering her questions; his eyes still locked on her stomach as part of his brain remained focused on the baby that was growing in Dorothy's womb.
"In case you didn't notice you didn't actually do that alone, you know," Dorothy snorted as she dropped her hand and slowly crossed the room. "Are you angry?"
"I'm scared," Harry admitted in a bare whisper. "I'm terrified that you will walk out of my life with the baby and that I will never see you again."
"After all of the work I went through just to get you to stay in the same room with me, let alone talk to me?"
Harry laughed softly over the teasing exasperation he heard in her voice as he reached out hesitantly and placed his hand on her belly as she stopped right in front of him. The smile slid off his face a moment later as he finally looked up to meet Dorothy's gaze as he searched the depths of her violet eyes. After a moment, he reached up to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear before trailing the tips of his fingers down the back of her ear and along the back of her jaw.
"Did you mean what you told Treize earlier?"
"Which part?"
"When you said… when you told him that you loved me?"
"Yes," Dorothy stated as she leaned close and tenderly brushed a kiss across Harry's lips. "I love you, Taliesin."
Harry pulled back, his eyes darkening as he furrowed his brow and intently searched her eyes a second time. When he found only open honesty in her gaze, Harry closed his eyes and leaned forward to bury his nose against her neck as he struggled to accept what he'd just been told. All of his life he'd longed to hear someone, anyone, to say those words to him and he'd pretty much given up hope that he ever would hear them. And now… now he didn't know what to do or say and he had no idea what was expected of him in return.
"Taliesin…? Is something wrong?"
"Did you know that you are the first person to ever tell me they loved me?" Harry murmured in response. "I mean, I'm certain my mother and father told me they loved me all the time before they died but I have no memory of hearing them say the words. My godfather often told me that I was the son he never had but he never said he loved me; not even in any of the letters he sent me."
"I grew up hearing my relatives saying those words to each other while they constantly reminded me that I was unloved and unwanted. By the time I reached Hogwarts I had given up all hope of ever hearing them. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what love is. I understand the meaning of the word and what it's supposed to represent but I have no idea what it is to love or be loved. I know you didn't believe me when I told you I was a broken but that is what I am. I don't know if I can…"
"It's alright, Taliesin; I understand," Dorothy assured him as she pulled back this time. "It doesn't change the way I feel about you and I don't regret falling in love with you." She gave him another tender kiss before dropping her head down onto his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "What happens now?"
"That depends on you," Harry replied as he lifted Dorothy into his arms and carried her over to one of the couches and sat down on the arm so he wouldn't pinch his wings before settling her on his lap. "You could conceivably walk away right now and spend the next twelve years raising our… our child at which point he or she will need to return to Hogwarts to learn how to control his or her magic because I'm ninety percent certain that any child you bear of mine will be magical. You could stay here as you have been and we could raise the child together as best we can while going our separate ways. Or, you could stay here until the baby is born and leave him or her with me to raise, if you wish to leave."
"And what is it you wish to happen?" Dorothy demanded as she leaned away from Harry to glare at him over the fact that he seemed to be trying to push her away since none of the options he gave said anything about them staying together as a couple.
Harry stiffened and glanced away as a flush crept up the back of his neck and he mumbled out, "I would like to give our child my name."
The unexpected answer left Dorothy more than a little shell-shocked as she immediately stopped glaring and started gaping at Harry in pure confusion. Out in the hallway just outside the entrance to the tower; Harry's two shadows from earlier were equally shocked as they exchanged an incredulous look.
The silence dragged on for several long minutes before Dorothy pulled her scattered thoughts together enough to get clarification, "Are you saying you wish to name the baby Taliesin or was that your way of asking me to marry you?"
"I… I'm sorry, it was stupid of me," Harry muttered as he gently moved Dorothy off his lap before he stood up and backed away. "Just forget I said anything."
Harry turned away at that point in order to slink away and lick his wounded pride. He didn't make it very far though before Dorothy tackled him from behind, her arms wrapping around his waist to prevent him from leaving. Harry stumbled a few steps but managed to keep the two of them from crashing to the floor before he closed his eyes and leaned back into her embrace as he placed his arms over top of hers.
"Is that what you really want or is that what you think you have to do?" Dorothy asked after a few minutes.
"Do you remember when I told you that I don't play games; that I play for keeps?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with you answering the question?"
"It wasn't just a figure of speech, Dorothy. My magic formed a connection between us because you've willingly come to my bed each night I stayed in the castle and whether we made love or not, you slept beside me and the result is that my magic sees you as my wife," Harry explained hesitantly, the uncertainty he felt coloring his voice. "We aren't married and we could potentially marry other people but that won't change the bond I now have with you and the presence of that bond prevents me from forming a similar bond with another woman so long as we both live."
He paused a moment to gauge her reaction to that information before he continued, "To answer you question; what I want is to do what is right. In this case, that means I want you to be happy and for our child to have everything he or she needs. What you have to understand is that I don't have a choice in what happens because I am bound to you regardless of what you decide. For me there will be no other because my magic has already chosen you. However, I don't think it is fair of me to ask you to bind yourself to me in marriage simply because I am bound to you. Like I told you that night we were locked in my room, I am devoted to rebuilding an entire world that is on the verge of extinction and will have little time left for other pursuits for the foreseeable future."
"Don't be an idiot, Taliesin," Dorothy ordered in fond exasperation as she leaned forward to kiss the back of his neck. "I already told you that I understood that you have responsibilities and I would never dream of asking you to turn your back on those responsibilities. Besides, I really didn't care for the first three options you gave me as I have no intention of leaving or allowing you to push me away again."
Harry stepped away from her so that he could turn around to face her without smacking her in the face with a wing in order to search her face. Dorothy smiled at him as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as she stepped closer once more. Harry sighed and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her even closer. After a minute, he pulled back and kissed her forehead before dropping his chin to her shoulder as he simply held her close.
"Is Treize really your cousin?"
"In a round about way, yes; he's the illegitimate son of Ein Yuy (Heero Yuy's nephew and no, I'm not referring to your brother Heero) and Angelina Khushrenada (my aunt) so he is loosely related to me through Angelina's marriage to my Uncle Hundelt. Why do you ask?"
"I'm kicking him out of Hogwarts," Harry replied as he tensed his shoulders in response to the confirmation of the relationship between Treize and Dorothy. "Your grandfather might be a warmongering prick but Treize is just an asshole and I don't trust him not to hurt you or the baby. I came damn close to killing him earlier because he'd promised to make certain you aborted the baby."
"I don't care if you send him away. In fact, I'd be angry with you if you didn't send him away. I couldn't believe he had the audacity to order me around like some recalcitrant child. I also think that he has been in contact with my grandfather fairly recently. He said something about a marriage contract that grandfather is trying to arrange for me. If what he said is true, then my grandfather is either angrier with me than I thought he was or desperate to save the family fortune. I'm not worried though because I don't plan on honoring any marriage contract grandfather makes on my behalf without my approval."
"Have you spoken to your grandfather at all since I brought you here?"
"No. He made it perfectly clear that I was a disappointment to him when you told him that you were taking me with you and demanded that he surrender."
Harry hummed an acknowledgement under his breath as he relaxed now that he knew Dorothy wasn't going to be angry with him over the fact that he was kicking Treize out. He shivered a bit when Dorothy began kissing the side of his neck and moaned softly when she kissed her way to his ear a heartbeat later. He pulled back just enough so he could claim her lips with his in a passionate kiss and his wings rustled restlessly as he felt her fingers thread through his hair. They broke apart a moment later, both of them slightly out of breath.
"I love you, Taliesin," Dorothy softly proclaimed as she opened her eyes and met his gaze with violet eyes filled with desire and determination.
Harry's own eyes darkened further as her words eased an ache in his heart he hadn't known he had. Reaching up to cup her face with both hands, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, he echoed Dorothy's earlier question as he asked, "What happens now?"
"I suppose, that if you wish for our child to have your name, then we should probably sit down and make arrangements for the ceremony to be performed sometime within the next four or five months."
Harry's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the now smirking Dorothy for a moment before an answering smirk slid onto his face as he replied, "Is that your way of accepting my proposal or are you just telling me that you don't mind the possibility of having a daughter named Taliesin?"
Dorothy laughed softly as she dropped her head to Harry's shoulder while the two eavesdroppers both palmed their faces and shook their heads. Harry chuckled for a moment as well before he grew serious once more as he asked, "Are you certain that is what you want?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Heero and Duo are going to be impossibly smug once they hear the news," Harry moaned as he dropped his head on Dorothy's shoulder once more.
"I'm sure they'll behave if you remind them of the day they spent entertaining everyone in those nifty little costumes you gave them."
"Oi, Potter! Are you holding out on us?" Fred demanded from inside of his portrait.
"How dare you go about pranking people and not share a single detail!" George added with a mock glare.
"Did you at least use one of our products?" Fred asked eagerly as he leaned forward.
"Come on… don't leave us hanging!"
"Yeah, your love life is rather entertaining to watch but we want the goods on the pranks!"
"Man up, Harry; give us the details!"
Harry snorted as he glanced behind him to glare back at the portrait of the twins that he'd forgotten was hanging behind him since the two pranksters often spent their time pranking the other portraits in the castle now that they were no longer isolated within their apartment above their prank shop. He snorted a second time when the twins both got down on their knees and pleaded.
"Fine… I'll have Wolfstar play the video he took of the prank for you later," Harry agreed and he had to roll his eyes when the red headed pair jumped back up onto their feet and began dancing about inside of their painting before they disappeared off to who knows where to wreck havoc on the other portraits.
Dorothy opened her mouth to make a comment about the twins when Winky appeared with a soft crack. The little elf practically quivered in alarm when she saw Dorothy, twisting her little hands in nervousness as she bounced her gaze between Harry and the young woman.
"Easy, Winky," Harry soothed as he untangled himself from Dorothy and crouched down. "You aren't in any trouble and like I told you earlier you've done nothing wrong. Is there something you needed?"
"Nanny Sarutobi be calling for Winky to find Master Taliesin to ask if Master Taliesin will be coming to get little Master James soon or if Nanny Sarutobi should feed little Master James."
"Ah, I didn't realize it was so late. I will go get him right now," Harry replied as he stood up. "I'd like you to stay here and listen to what Dorothy has to tell you." He glanced over at Dorothy after saying that and found the seventeen year old giving him a puzzled look since he'd forgotten to tell her about Winky's fear that she'd been responsible for making her sick. "Winky was upset this morning because she feared she was making you sick with her cooking; that was why I was looking for you earlier when I came across you and Treize arguing. I think it will help put her mind at ease if you explain to her the reason why you've been sick for the last week or so since she has already figured out it that wasn't the stomach bug you originally told her it was."
Dorothy nodded in understanding as she gave the little elf a reassuring smile. Harry kissed her cheek and stepped into his room to grab a clean shirt to replace the ones he ruined before he headed towards the stairs leading up to the first floor nursery. Inside the nursery, he found all three of the nannies that he'd hired sitting in the rocking chairs they'd asked for, feeding a bottle of formula to one of the young magicals that had been born over the past three weeks.
"Good afternoon ladies, I apologize for taking longer than I originally planned," Harry intoned as he nodded to the three women. "I hope I didn't cause you any inconvenience."
"It was no trouble, Mr. Bard; watching over little James is never a difficult task. He's such a happy little baby," Ayame Sarutobi assured him as she gave him a smile in return. "I can only hope that my little one has such a pleasant disposition when she is born."
"If she is anything like her mother, I'm certain she will," Harry replied with a smile as he made his way to the crib where his son was currently waving his arms and legs about while blowing bubbles and making little grunting noises. Laughing softly at his son's antics, Harry lowered the front rail of the cot and scooped the little boy up into his arms and kissed his brow as he murmured a soft, "Hey there, little man."
He spent a few minutes changing James's diaper before washing his hands and mixing a bottle of formula for his son. Harry then said goodbye to the three nannies as he headed back down to the sitting room where a now giddy Winky was practically bouncing on her feet. Harry chuckled softly because he knew the little elf loved children and spent every free minute up in the nursery helping the nannies he'd hired.
Young Dobby was the same way and Harry swore sometimes that the little male elf was jealous that Winky had been chosen as the nursery elf while he'd been given the task of taking care of the snakes. The only reason Dobby didn't complain though was because he also was tasked with caring for the two young phoenixes (an honor in the eyes of any elf since even before the genocide of the magical world phoenixes had been quite rare creatures).
Feeling content for the first time since he'd come across a crying Winky that morning, Harry sat down on the couch beside Dorothy and tucked James into the crook of his elbow before offering the hungry babe the bottle he'd made. He smiled warmly at Dorothy when she curled into his side and crooned softly while tickling James's pajama clad feet (all of the babies spending ninety percent of their time in warm, footed pajamas to prevent the chill air of the castle getting them sick until Harry could figure out how to regulate the temperature throughout the entire castle).
Just outside of the entrance, the soft jingle of a cell phone ringing could be heard.
Heero watched Taliesin walk away in confusion because as far as he knew his honorary brother didn't have any children other than James; unless the wizard was referring to the remaining four clones that were due to be born over the next four weeks. As he watched, he saw Zechs and Duo slip out of the shadows and trail after Taliesin; Duo signaling that he'd keep an eye on the nineteen year old. Heero was half tempted to go with them but he needed to check on Quatre (Taliesin's earlier rage having greatly affected the empath) and make arrangements to get Treize out of the castle. The first thing he needed to do though was assign a pair of the Freedom Fighters to watch over Treize and another to search the man's room.
The first person he ran into happened to be Iria who had in turn been looking for Taliesin because Dorothy needed to speak with the wizard. Heero let her know that Taliesin was wandering about the castle and probably wouldn't be found until he wanted to be found and offered to pass along the message if he saw him first. Iria thanked him and disappeared a moment later and Heero continued on his way. He'd just about reached the ground floor when he saw Haddock coming up the stairs and he waited for the older pilot to draw even with him.
"Are you busy right now, Haddock?"
"I was actually looking for Taliesin; something spooked the critters out at the clinic just a short while ago and they're having a hard time calming them down. Obduro is doing what he can to help but he was quite agitated as well and he was muttering something about someone inciting magic's ire and a dragon rampaging but I couldn't make heads or tails of what he meant. What did you need?"
"Khushrenada went and pissed Taliesin off earlier," Heero explained as he frowned at the floor. "Taliesin wants him gone before sunset but in the mean time his things are to be searched for anything even remotely magical and he's to have a guard while he remains in the castle. I was hoping that you'd know where I could find Brian so I could get him to make arrangements for a couple of guys to keep an eye on Khushrenada and another couple to dig through his things."
"Brian's out patrolling the mountains with Patricia in Brimstar," Haddock replied. "I can take care of assigning the guards though if you can track down Taliesin and let him know he's needed down at the clinic."
"Taliesin might not want to be found right now but I'll see what I can do," Heero replied after a moment's consideration. "Khushrenada was in an empty room on the east side of the fourth floor beside the Library with Wufei when I last saw him. I don't expect him to be in any condition to fight but make certain whoever you send knows not to underestimate him and to not let him out of their sight."
"What exactly did the man do? I thought that he'd been actively avoiding Taliesin since the night of the tour."
"I don't exactly know and the only thing Taliesin would tell me is that the man threatened his unborn children so I assume he is referring to the babies that are due over the next month. I plan on asking Taliesin for more information once he's calmed down a bit more."
"Does Treize have a death wish? Are you certain Taliesin only wants Treize kicked out of Crystal Valley? If anything I would have thought he'd have skinned any idiot dumb enough to threaten his family alive. Nothing pisses Taliesin off more than threatening to harm his family."
"I don't know why Taliesin didn't kill him but he wasn't exactly gentle with him either and Taliesin already promised to kill the man if he isn't gone by sunset. You know what; have a bunch of the guys start patrolling the castle corridors after you send a pair to keep an eye on Khushrenada. Tell them to keep an eye out for Une too because she'll most likely throw a fit when she learns that Taliesin knocked the man about a bit."
"Sure thing, Heero."
Heero nodded and continued on his way to the main office on the ground floor where he'd been going over reports from the E.S.S.C. regarding the sporadic riots that had been breaking out across the globe with the other Gundam pilots before Quatre had dropped like a rock under the sudden onslaught of Taliesin's fury. Heero had immediately taken Duo and Wufei to find out what was happening and left Trowa to tend to the empath who they feared had gone into cardiac arrest in response to the severity of the wizard's negative emotions.
They'd had no idea where to even start searching at first and probably would have wasted precious minutes if not for the glimpse they'd gotten of Wolfstar tearing into the castle as if he was possessed. They had followed the shrunken suit straight to the magically barred door behind which they'd found a furious Taliesin covered in flames assaulting Treize. It had been Wolfstar that tracked down Taliesin a second time after the wizard had disappeared in a swirl of flames (that little stunt had been a shock to all three pilots that had witnessed it); something that had taken the sentient suit well over an hour to do with Heero and Duo dogging him every step of the way.
That he'd come face to face with Taliesin within seconds of arriving in the tower that Wolfstar had led him to had been a bit of a shock but not as much as the weariness that he'd seen in the older teen's eyes when he'd ordered Khushrenada's banishment. Not that Taliesin banishing the man was a surprise since anyone who knew Taliesin knew that the wizard couldn't stand the man. The surprising part was the almost casual way Taliesin had said that the man needed to sign a new confidentiality contract or Taliesin would kill him.
And the sheer rage Taliesin had radiated when he'd spoken of Treize threatening to kill his unborn children had vividly reminded Heero of the day they'd first learned that Wolfstar had been given a semblance of life and he'd asked Taliesin if he could undo whatever it was that he'd done to bring the suit to life. Or that day when he and Trowa had walked in on Taliesin and Dorothy fighting his Taliesin's office. Heero shivered at the memory of that cold rage that burned in the depths of Taliesin's mismatched eyes and thanked whatever deity was listening that that fury hadn't been directed at him for once.
As he arrived at the ground floor office that Taliesin had turned over to them once the older teen had moved his office up to the former Gryffindor Tower, Heero set aside his introspection and walked into the office. Inside, he found a pale and drawn Quatre holding a mug of tea as he sat curled up in a chair. Heero studied his fellow pilot critically and let out a small sigh of relief when the blonde looked up and gave him a small reassuring smile indicating that he was at least feeling better if not fully recovered. Trowa glanced over at him from where he'd been typing away on his laptop, a scowl on the green-eyed pilot's face, and Heero shook his head at the unasked question.
"What did you find out?" Quatre asked when Heero didn't immediately give them a report like he usually would. "Did you find out what happened to Taliesin? His emotions were all over the place once the rage had calmed. I felt a spike of sheer happiness followed by sheer terror after which I felt another wave of fury that was followed by apathy before he cut off all of his emotions completely."
"I don't exactly know. We found him up on the fourth floor sealed in a room with Khushrenada. Taliesin had him pinned to the wall and you could feel the magic pouring off of him. I don't know if Taliesin would have killed him if Wolfstar hadn't helped us break down the door at that point or not. We poured into the room and Taliesin dropped Khushrenada before he simply disappeared in a swirl of flames. Duo and I left Wufei to deal with Khushrenada while we chased after Wolfstar for over an hour as the wolf tracked Taliesin through the castle with Zechs joining us at some point."
"Did you find him?" Trowa asked as his scowl morphed into a concerned frown.
"Yeah… he wants Khushrenada out of here by sunset and under guard until he's gone. He also wants him to sign a more restrictive contract or…"
"Or what?" Quatre prompted when Heero trailed off.
"He's to sign the contract or Taliesin said he'd kill him," Heero finished with a frown of his own. "He wasn't in a blind rage when he said it either. I asked him what happened and all he told me before he walked away was that Khushrenada threatened to kill his unborn children. Duo and Zechs trailed off after him to keep an eye on him and I asked Haddock to arrange for a pair of guards to keep an eye on Khushrenada, another pair to search the man's room for anything the man shouldn't have, and to have a few of the guys patrol the castle in pairs at all times until the man is gone. We'll need to keep a close eye on Une until they're gone since she might snap when she hears that Taliesin threatened Khushrenada on top of slapping the man about."
"You'd think the man would know better than to threaten Taliesin's family," Trowa snorted in disgust as he shook his head. "Taliesin doesn't like it when people attack him but heaven help the stupid fool that attacks or harms his family or even suggests harming his family; it's the only time our little brother becomes completely unreasonable."
"You don't have to tell me," Heero muttered as he shivered in response to a memory of Taliesin in a fury. "Any way, I came to see if you're feeling up to tracking down our wayward wizard, Quatre. There are a number of people that are looking for him and while normally I'd brush them off, apparently the magical creatures are in a snit about something and even Obduro is having trouble calming them down."
"I'd love to help you but he completely cut me off from his emotions; I can't even tell if he is still in the castle right now," Quatre replied with a sigh. "Have you tried calling Duo or Zechs on their cell phones?"
Heero stared blankly at the blonde pilot for a full minute before he cursed under his breath and pulled out his cell phone to call Duo; he'd completely overlooked the fact that he could have called the pair to find out where Taliesin had gone after he'd walked off. After nearly four rings, the long haired pilot finally answered the phone.
"Maxwell here," Duo hissed in a soft whisper.
"What's your twenty? And are you still dogging our little brother's footsteps?"
"Da Wizard's Roost; our troublesome brother's here too."
"Tell Taliesin there's a ruckus down at the clinic and they need his help to calm the critters."
"I'll pass along da message."
"Thanks, Duo. Did you and Zechs find out anything more about what happened?"
"Not exactly but boy oh boy do I have a tale ta tell ya. Where are ya at? I'll come find ya after I see your message passed along ta Taliesin."
"Back in the office," Heero replied. "Don't leave Taliesin alone though."
"Zechs can shadow him for a while longer."
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit then."
Heero hung up the phone and stared at it for a long moment with furrowed brow as he tried to figure out what the former street rat could have possibly learned to evoke that kind of response from him. He shook his head a moment later and tucked the phone away to find both Quatre and Trowa watching him with expectant looks on their faces. Sighing, Heero ran a hand over his face before throwing himself into the nearest chair to wait for the arrival of Duo.
Duo grimaced as he ended the call and quietly snapped his phone shut before tucking it back into his pocket. He then reached up and pulled his baseball cap low as he stared at the floor for a moment before glancing over at Zechs who was watching him with amusement. Duo maturely stuck his tongue out at the older man which in turn had Zechs smirking as the older man knew exactly what was bothering the younger pilot.
"So, Hee-man asked ya ta deliver a message ta Taliesin," Duo casually announced in a low voice that wouldn't carry through the partially opened door leading into Harry's private rooms.
"Liar," Zechs countered just as softly. "He asked you to deliver the message and you agreed to do so before you so kindly volunteered me to keep an eye on our wayward wizard."
"Ah but if ya go deliver da message that will give ya a reason ta stick ta Taliesin's side and then I can go fill everyone else in on what we learned."
"You just want to go gossip; the sooner you get in there and deliver the message, the sooner you can scamper off to tittle-tattle like a little old biddy."
"He'll know I was eavesdroppin' though and I don't want ta spend another day bald," Duo whined.
"So you didn't mind being stuck in a blindingly green tutu?" Zechs countered with amusement.
"That's not da point!" Duo yelled only to clap his hands over his mouth in horror as his eyes bugged out and he swung around to stare at the open door in trepidation.
"Duo? Is that you out there?"
"Yeah, you're a hard man ta track down, kiddo," Duo laughed as he scrambled up onto his feet, quickly brushed the dust from his pants, and cast a brief glance in Zechs' direction as he pushed open the door. "Zechs and I were asked ta pass along a message for ya."
"I will pay you back for that," Zechs hissed in promise as he pushed away from where he'd been leaning against the wall.
Duo just laughed weakly as the two of them entered the tower to find Taliesin feeding James on the couch with Dorothy curled up beside him. Duo couldn't resist swinging his gaze between Taliesin and Dorothy several times with a huge grin spreading over his face until the moment he noticed Taliesin's eyes narrowing. Reaching up to flip the brim of his ball cap up as his grin turned sheepish.
"You said you had a message?"
"Ah… yeah," Duo quickly replied as he grew serious. "Heero called me ta ask me ta tell ya that Obduro is lookin' for ya because he needs your help calmin' down da fur-bags livin' at da clinic because they've gone berserk."
"You shouldn't insult the various creatures; many of them do understand English and they will take offense over the insult and attack you," Taliesin blandly declared as he gently freed the bottle from his son's mouth and lifted him up to burp him. "Dobby?"
"Master Taliesin called Dobby? Master Taliesin not angry any more?"
"I am in control of my emotions now, Dobby. I am still angry but the person I am angry with will be gone soon so there is nothing to worry about. Now, can you please find Obduro for me and ask him if he still needs my help calming the animals down?"
"Dobby go right now, Master Taliesin."
Duo watched the little elf pop away and mentally cursed himself for not thinking of asking one of the helpful little critters to deliver the message for him. He cringed when he noted Taliesin once again scrutinizing him before the older teen's attention was drawn to the baby in his arms as James let out a surprisingly loud burp. Duo sighed in relief at the same time as he laughed in appreciation of the little one's timing.
"Well, now that that's done; I'll be goin'! I've got a report ta finish," Duo declared as he tugged on the brim of his hat and began whistling nonchalantly as he headed back out of the tower.
"Alright. Thanks for passing me the message," Taliesin absently replied as he settled James back into his arms and gave the baby back his bottle. "When you finish gossiping about my love life with Heero let him know that I will dig out the contract before five o'clock and to have transportation for Treize ready to go. He'll then need to bring the dirt bag up to my office so that he can sign the contract and I can Obliviate any sensitive knowledge he has about me and the reserve. Une will need to go with him because I have no desire to deal with that wretched woman's attitude and we should probably plan to send Shelby with them as well."
"But… I… how did ya know I was listenin'?"
"You just told me," Taliesin dryly pointed out as he finally glanced up and half glared at Duo over his glasses.
"Ya sneaky little…"
"Says the pot to the kettle," Taliesin barked back with a laugh. "Oh, and take Zechs with you. I don't need a shadow. I don't plan on going anywhere."
Duo opened his mouth to respond only to close it when Dobby popped back into the room and he opted to slink off towards the door before Taliesin got it in his head to hex him for eavesdropping.
"Master Taliesin, Elder Obduro says the animals are fine now that Master Taliesin not be throwing about magic like a dragon on the rampage."
"Thank you, Dobby. Could you please make a late lunch for Dorothy and I?"
"Dobby can do that. What would Master Taliesin and Master Taliesin's Missus Dorothy like to eat?"
Duo paused in the doorway and watched as Taliesin turned to Dorothy instead of answering right away. Turning all the way around, the self-styled shinigami studied his little brother and noted the way he was interacting with Dorothy. As he watched he wondered why he had never noticed the taciturn wizard growing closer to the forceful blonde when it was so obvious now. Smiling, Duo grabbed hold of Zechs and pulled the man out of the tower with him as Taliesin's reply to the elf echoed in the empty hallway.
"Dorothy is going to require a special diet now that she is carrying my child. Please find Dr. Winner and ask her if she can provide you with a list of acceptable dishes. You are then free to put together an appropriate meal for both of us. In fact… maybe you should ask Dr. Winner if she would be willing to join us for lunch. I have a few questions I'd like to ask her."
As he walked through the corridors of the castle, Duo quietly reflected upon the changes that Taliesin had gone through over the past two years. He thought back to the first time he'd seen his little brother; fleeing across the sands with Heero in hot pursuit and saw again the hard look on his face as he stared down Deathscythe without any fear. He recalled again the haunted look in the kid's eyes when he'd spoken of the nightmares he'd been having after he'd killed the pilots when fighting the suits on the night they collected his things from the beachside cave.
The next memory was of finding the kid sleeping curled up inside of Trowa's Gundam after the New Edward's Base mission; the pint sized teen looking so small and vulnerable in the pilot's chair. Then there were several flashes of those first few days after he'd escaped from OZ's clutches that first time; the nightmares he'd suffered through and the pain that filled his eyes as he struggled to cope with what had happened. Looking at the wizard now, it was hard to believe that he was the same person as he had been back then.
"You're being awful quiet," Zechs commented, breaking Duo out of his thoughts. "What are you planning, Maxwell?"
"Nothing; I was just thinkin'."
"Well be a bit more careful will you? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself by pulling a muscle or potentially setting something on fire."
"Ah ha… funny man."
Zechs smirked but said nothing more as they reached the main staircase and headed down the stairs. It didn't take them long to reach the office at that point and Duo bounded forward to open the door and pulled up short as he nearly ran smack into Wufei who'd been opening the door from the other side (the young Asian having been prepared to go hunt Duo down because he was taking too long). Both of them jumped backwards in shock but only Duo cried out and clutched at his heart.
"Don't do that Wuff-man!" Duo gasped as he leaned against the door and reached up to ran a hand over his face.
"I thought I told you not to leave Taliesin alone?" Heero growled as he spun around to glare at Duo.
"I didn't."
"Oh? Then why is Zechs here with you and not keeping an eye on the trouble magnet?"
"That would be because Taliesin found himself a minder on his own," Zechs drawled as he pushed Duo into the room.
"Oy! I thought ya didn't gossip!?" Duo spluttered as he stumbled over his own feet.
"I never said I didn't gossip… I simply said the only reason why you wanted me to deliver the message to Taliesin was because you wanted to come down here and gossip. Besides, you lost the right to pass along what we learned when you dragged me into delivering the message with you just because you were frightened of winding up bald again when he learned you were eavesdropping on his private conversation. Then you went and blew it anyway by letting Taliesin trick you into admitting that you'd been listening in on his entire conversation."
"Will the two of you quit bickering and just tell us what happened?" Trowa barked as he threw one of the juggling balls he carried with him everywhere (a habit that had formed shortly after Taliesin began performing with him and Cathy when they were living with the circus) and beaned Duo in the back of the head.
"Oy! Cut it out! What da hell is this? Pick on Duo day!?"
"If you insist… now sit down and shut up so Zechs can tell us what the two of you learned," Heero ordered as he kicked Duo's legs out from under him.
Duo flopped backwards on the floor and groaned dramatically before he fell silent while everyone else laughed at him as Zechs and Wufei found a seat. Huffing in exasperation, Duo sat up and waved negligently in Zechs' direction to let the older man know he could start. This way I can honestly tell Taliesin that I wasn't da one gossipin' about his love life, Duo thought with a smirk as Zechs began speaking.
"Have any of you noticed anything strange about Taliesin's behavior over the past couple of months?" Zechs asked as he leaned back in his chair, propped his left ankle on his right knee, and crossed his arms as he glanced between the five Gundams.
"Of course we have," Heero replied without any hesitation. "He's been mooning over the children and he's absolutely smitten with little James."
"Uh-huh and did you know he's not been sleeping alone since the night that the two of you locked him in his room with Dorothy?" Zechs shot right back as he raised a hand and waggled a finger between Heero and Duo.
"We all know that he moved James into his room," Trowa pointed out.
"True… but da little squirt isn't da one warmin' da stubborn brat's bed every night," Duo chimed out as he dropped backwards onto the floor again and cushioned his head with both hands (completely unable to resist spreading a bit of gossip himself).
"What are you babbling about, Duo?" Wufei demanded as he frowned down at the childish pilot.
"He's referring to the fact that Dorothy has continued to spend each night with Taliesin of her own free will and the fact that Taliesin not only allows and accepts it, he encourages it," Zechs explained with a smile.
"What!?" Heero and Trowa both cried at the same time as they shot out of their chairs.
"It's true… and ya recall what Taliesin said about Treize threatenin' his unborn child? Well, it turns out that da fool was threatenin' da baby that Dorothy is carryin'," Duo sighed out as he sat up and glanced at Heero. "Taliesin confronted her da moment he found her in his tower; turns out he hadn't known about da babe until Treize threatened da babe."
"How exactly did that happen?" Quatre asked in confusion as he glanced between Zechs and Duo.
"Um… one of you want to explain the facts of life to our friend here," Zechs deadpanned as he snapped his head to the side to stare at his fellow blonde with disbelief.
"That's not what I meant," Quatre countered with a blush. "I meant, how is it that we didn't notice the two of them growing close? I knew they'd stopped fighting most the time and that Taliesin had stopped avoiding Dorothy but I had no idea that they were together or that they had a physical relationship."
"Taliesin didn't want Heero and Duo to grow all smug and think they'd been right to lock the two of them in a room together," Zechs dryly pointed out.
"How did Taliesin take the news that Dorothy's expecting?" Trowa inquired before Duo could open his mouth to respond to the dig.
"Pretty much what you'd expect; he was convinced that she'd leave him and take da child with her and when she made it clear that she was stayin', he proposed," Duo flippantly answered as Zechs replied, "He admitted to being scared and seemed to think that Dorothy would be angry with him and hate him."
"Did you just say he proposed to her?" Heero gasped as he glanced down at Duo.
"Will one of you please just tell us what the hell happened instead of stringing us along!?" Trowa growled in frustration.
"She accepted too," Duo added with a grin as he pulled his hat low over his face.
"They're engaged? He actually asked her to marry him and she accepted?" Quatre inquired incredulously as his elbow slipped off the arm of the chair and he nearly fell out of his chair as a result.
"What exactly did he say when he asked her? How did he go from trying to talk her into leaving to asking her to marry him in the first place?" Trowa demanded as he glanced between Zechs and Duo several times.
"It was actually rather confusing," Zechs admitted with a soft sigh. "He confronted her about the pregnancy and demanded to know why she hadn't told him sooner. Dorothy then explained that Dr. Winner had only just confirmed it earlier today and apparently Treize had overheard that conversation and confronted her about the pregnancy. Apparently, Taliesin had overheard part of that argument before his confrontation with Treize. It was at that point that Taliesin asked her how she felt about it and what she planned to do and she made it known she was keeping the baby. They talked for a while before Dorothy asked what would happen and that's when Taliesin tried to push her away…"
"No… he wasn't pushin' her away," Duo disagreed as he cut Zechs off. "He truly believed Dorothy would blame him for gettin' her pregnant and he was certain that she'd leave him and take da baby too. She threw him for a loop when she told him she loved him and then she asked him what he wanted ta happen. His response was that he wanted da baby ta have his name."
"He wanted to name the baby Taliesin?" Heero asked in disbelief. "What if it is a little girl?"
Duo and Zechs glanced at one another before they burst out laughing which in turn set Wufei and Quatre off a few minutes later. After a several minutes longer, the laughter died out until the office was filled with silence until Trowa broke it.
"That was a question I would have expected from Duo," Trowa remarked as he shook his head. "I doubt that was what Taliesin meant when he said that."
"You're right," Zechs stated with a soft sigh. "Dorothy asked him if he wanted to name the baby Taliesin or if that was his way of proposing and Taliesin immediately called himself stupid and told her to forget he said any thing. They talked a bit more and Taliesin's insecurity reared its head more than once before he asked Dorothy what happened next and her response was that if he was going to give the baby his name they'd have to set a date."
"How did Taliesin react?"
"He asked her if that meant she'd be willin' ta name their daughter Taliesin or if she was acceptin' his proposal," Duo barked out with a laugh. "They both shared a laugh over that and that was pretty much da end of da conversation. There was a bit in there about Treize bein' Dorothy's cousin by marriage and Dorothy bein' alright with Treize bein' kicked outta da castle but it was hard ta concentrate on that bit when I was still poleaxed by da fact that da kiddo had somehow managed ta get himself engaged without even askin' her proper like on top of da news that they'd been secretly knockin' boots all this time."
"You left out the part where he said something about how he didn't play games, he played for keeps and the bit about how he is bound to her through his magic and because of that she was already his wife in all but name," Zechs interjected making all five Gundam pilots snap their heads around (or up in Duo's case) to stare at him. "Don't glare at me; I'm just repeating what Taliesin said."
"What exactly did he say?" Heero demanded.
"Something about a bond forming because she kept returning to his bed each night instead of it being a one time thing and that the bond meant that his magic considers her his wife. He also told her they could still marry other people but that his magic would never be able to form that kind of bond with anyone else so long as they were both alive."
"Did he say what it meant in the long run?" Quatre asked with concern and curiosity.
"Not really," Duo replied with a negligent wave of his hand as he made himself comfortable on the floor once more. "He implied that he didn't have a choice in da matter because of da bond thing but he didn't actually sound too upset or sad about that. Dorothy didn't seem ta be bothered about it either."
"He really asked, she really accepted, and they're really engaged?" Trowa asked as he glanced up at the ceiling as if he could see through the stone to the tower where Taliesin was currently eating lunch with Dorothy and Iria.
"Yeah; he did, she did, and they are," Duo replied wistfully.
"Did you tell him that Obduro was looking for him?" Heero asked while the others digested Duo's affirmation.
"Yeah, he sent Dobby ta see if da centaur still needed him. Turns out da critters had calmed right down once Taliesin had calmed down. Something about them sensin' his anger through his magic or something."
The six of them discussed what they'd learned for another half hour before they scattered about the castle as they returned to their former tasks now that the matter with Taliesin had been cleared up.
Notes:
What's your twenty? – Trucker talk for 'What's your location?' It's also used by military or police personal.
AN: Wow, look at that... two updates in the same week! That hasn't happened in a LONG time. And don't I ever feel guilty for that. Anywho... hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days but I fully intend to update WWYR2 first since I am way behind on that story... stupid plot holes and vacationing muses. ~ Jenn
