I've finally figured out how to work with the gigantic plot holes in the old version of the story. And now that I have some other stories out of the way, I can fully focus on this one. Woop woop!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters.

For the heart I once had

Chapter 8

Aalia struggled to open heavy eyes and immediately squeezed them shut again when the bright overhead lights assaulted her vision. Her head was spinning, and her leg was throbbing faintly, but other than that she felt no pain. Her memory was hazy and she desperately tried to recall what had happened.

Trowa…

Her eyes shot wide open again and she struggled to sit up, only to end up being pushed back into the pillows by two strong, but gentle hands.

"Take it easy, Aalia." It was Quatre.

His face was pale, and his eyes dark with concern. There were shadows under his eyes, telling her that quite some time had passed since her arrival at the hospital, and that her brother hadn't slept a wink.

"Trowa…" she struggled to say, finding it hard to get her tongue to work enough for her to speak.

"He is still in surgery," Quatre said softly, while pushing back her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess…"

He lowered himself down on the edge of the bed and cradled her hand between his. The worried look in his eyes didn't ease and filled her with apprehension.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Why didn't you tell me you are pregnant?"

She lay blinking up at him, the words not yet registering. "I am what?"

"Pregnant," he said. "They discovered it when your blood results came back."

"Oh…" She tried to push herself up into a seated position again. "I… I didn't know…"

"You're still in the early stages so it's possible that you didn't notice anything yet."

And then it sank in. Pregnant! How was that possible? Well, she knew that of course, but it shouldn't be… She was on birth control! And Trowa…

Her vision blurred and she pressed a hand over her mouth as a sob tore from her throat. "Trowa…"

"He is going to be okay," Quatre assured her gently. "Hey, don't cry."

"I-I'm scared." How was she supposed to figure the situation out if Trowa… Oh God, the thought alone was devastating.

Quatre slipped his arms around her and held her. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

She sniffed and nodded, glad for his presence and support.

"You'll be fine." He pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You should get some more rest."

She wanted to shake her head, because she couldn't go to sleep without any news on Trowa's conditions. But her body was already betraying her. Quatre helped her settle back against the pillows, and he gave her a small smile.

"I've found records on Dunya," he said. "If you're feeling strong enough tomorrow, you can take a look at them."

Aalia felt her heartbeat speed up and her eyes widened. "Really?"

Quatre smiled and nodded. "I'll bring them with me. We could go through them together if you want."

"I'd like that."

Her eyes were already drooping, and before she knew it she was drifting off.

-x-x-x-

Trowa woke up, feeling horribly disoriented. His whole body hurt and it kind of felt felt like someone had hit him in the chest with a baseball bat. His head felt like it was going to split apart any second now… Where the hell was he? He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision, and looked around. He was in a hospital. Judging by the private room he was in, he probably had come out of surgery.

Slowly, the memories came flooding back. The assassin… Was Aalia okay? He couldn't remember anything beyond getting shot. His heartbeat accelerated, sending the heart monitor into a frenzy. He tried to sit up and groaned as his body protested against the sudden movement. The pain in his chest turned to agony. He fell back on the bed, gasping for air.

A nurse came rushing into the room, alarmed by the change in the equipment around him. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mister Barton! What are you trying to do?" She rushed to his bedside as he tried to sit up again. She pushed him back on the bed. "Stay down."

"Aalia…" he said. "Is she alright?"

"Miss Winner is fine," the nurse said urgently. "Lie down. The doctor will be here soon."

"I need to see her."

"I'll see if she is awake after the doctor has checked up on you," the nurse promised, and relief washed over her face when he ceased his struggling.

Trowa sagged back against the pillows. Aalia was okay… He closed his eyes and sighed, even though taking that deep breath caused his chest to explode with pain. She was alive.

His moving about had exhausted him, and he found himself fighting to remain conscious. It was difficult to keep his focus when the doctor came in to check his vitals. The nurse left and returned after the doctor was done.

She gave him a small smile. "You'll be moved to a different room soon, and then Miss Winner can come to visit you."

Satisfied with that knowledge, Trowa allowed himself to drift off.

-x-x-x-

Aalia nearly burst out of her room with excitement, as fast as the crutches would allow her, and hobbled through the hallway towards Trowa's room. She would be released from the hospital later that day, as the doctor foresaw no complications. Quatre was currently getting a room ready for her to stay in at his place, and she looked forward to spending time in his company.

But the very best thing was that Trowa had woken up and had asked for her. She clutched the crutches a little tighter and picked up her pace, eager to see him. Now that Quatre was away, she had all the time in the world to talk to Trowa in private. To tell him… She had to bite down on her lip, feeling a little uncertain.

She still had no idea how he felt about her, and she didn't want him to be with her because of a pregnancy. That wouldn't be the right reason. She halted by the door to his room, taking a deep breath to center herself. She could do this. For a short moment, she rested a hand against her belly. The idea that she was pregnant was still a bit foreign. She didn't feel any symptoms yet, so it was hard to wrap her head around it.

She grasped onto the door handle and opened the door, and found Trowa awake and staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on his face.

At the sound of the door opening, he turned his head, and a small smile broke out onto his face when he noticed it was her. "Aalia."

"Hey!"

She made her way over to his bed, intent to sink into the chair by his side, but he snatched her hand and pulled her towards him.

"Be careful!" she gasped in surprise as she settled on the side of the bed.

"I'm not allowed to sit up," he groused. "The nurse said she'd strap me down if I tried one more time."

A nervous chuckle escaped her and she brought a hand up to cup his cheek. "You shouldn't be so stubborn."

"Come here," he practically ordered.

She smiled and moved carefully, leaning over him to press her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Trowa didn't seem to care about being careful, as he slung his arms around her and pulled her in until she was pressed up against him. His mouth took hers again and this time the kiss lasted longer, and was full of relief and affection.

"I'm so glad you are okay," she said softly when she broke the kiss. "I was so scared when I found you in the living room."

He frowned. "I don't remember."

She carefully rested her head against his shoulder and settled against him. "Don't worry about it. It's something I want to forget about too."

He ran his hands through her hair, fingers tangling possessively in the blonde locks. "What happened to your leg?"

"He stabbed me," she said. "I killed him…"

He tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I'm sorry you had to go through that on your own."

She shook her head and propped herself up on her elbows. "No… Don't be."

"I shouldn't have left you on your own…" He cupped her cheek, his eyes reflecting with regret.

She moved in and rested her forehead against his. "We're both okay. You're not going to beat yourself up about this."

"Hmm." His lips twitched into a small smile.

"There is something else I need to tell you." The nerves exploded in her belly and her heartbeat accelerated. "I'm… I'm pregnant."

He froze, staring up at her with wide eyes. "What? How?"

"I don't know. I'm on birth control, but that obviously didn't work so well."

She tore her gaze away from his and tried to sit up. She didn't want to look at him while he was so shocked. It made her feel unsure of herself. And scared.

"So what will we do now?" she asked in a small voice.

Trowa tugged her back down and wrapped her up in his arms again, tucking her head under his chin. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

He didn't sound angry, so that was a relief.

"I'm scared," she admitted in a whisper, while squeezing her eyes shut.

He nuzzled her hair. "Aalia, will you look at me?"

She reluctantly lifted her head and met his gaze, and her vision started to swim when she saw the reassurance and affection reflecting in his eyes.

He caressed her cheek and slid his fingers into her hair, using his hold on it to pull her in for a gentle kiss. "We'll be okay. I promise."

The tears rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed, giving him a watery smile. "I love you."

His expression softened even more and he kissed her again. "I love you."

Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest with joy, and she buried her face in his shoulder, too overcome to speak. He was okay and he didn't want her to go anywhere. He loved her. She knew he would never lie about that.

His hands caressed over her back in a gentle manner, soothing the remaining tension in her body. They would be okay.

Someone cleared his throat in the doorway, causing Aalia to bolt up. She flushed a deep crimson when she saw Quatre standing in the doorway, but Trowa was relentless when she tried to sit up properly to ensure some distance. He pulled her close to him, claiming her as his in front of her brother. Despite the fact that she was a little embarrassed, she also felt happy. Complete.

And none was going to take that away from her again.

-x-x-x-

Mehmet Razouli was pacing in his cell. His plan had failed. He'd been moved to a maximum security facility after his contacting the assassin. And the assassin was dead. The little whore was still alive, and it was all thanks to that nameless bastard that thought he had any claim on her. Razouli's eyes narrowed with fury.

He'd have to make new arrangements, but it would be difficult to do it from his new prison cell. It would take time and he'd have to be patient. But wasn't that perfect?

Let them think they were safe… And then, when they thought he'd no longer bother them, he would strike…

-x-x-x-

"So, this is what I found."

Quatre moved to sit next to Aalia on the sofa in his study. He presented her with a tablet, and she curiously gazed at the screen.

"Wow… this is a lot," she said in amazement as she scrolled through the list of files.

"It is." Quatre's smile was warm. "Dunya and our mother… they were best friends."

"That…" She had to take a deep breath. "That's wonderful."

"There are pictures, letters…"

Aalia opened the file on the top of the list. "These are your findings?"

"Yes, I thought I'd summarize everything for you, and then you can go through each of the other files."

"Cool." She settled down to read, and felt her heart grow warm.

Dunya and Quaterine had been best friends since their childhood, and both had served as the maid of honor at each other's weddings. However tragedy had struck a couple of months after Dunya's wedding, as she and her husband got into a car accident that killed him and their unborn baby, leaving Dunya unable to have children afterwards.

Aalia's heart broke as she read about that devastating moment in her mother's life. Quaterine had grieved for her friend, and when she had turned out to be pregnant with twins, she and Zayeed had decided that they wanted Dunya to adopt the girl.

"How wonderful they were," Aalia said softly, gazing at Quatre through the tears that clung to her lashes. "To care so much for Dunya."

Quatre smiled and nodded. "They were."

"I wished I could have met Father." She rested her head against his shoulder, regret making her heart a little heavy.

She continued reading. Dunya had been deeply touched by her friend's offer. But after giving birth to the twins, Quaterine had died, leaving her friend devastated once more. Zayeed had not backed out of his promise and had insisted that Dunya adopt Aalia. Just two months after Quaterine's death, Dunya moved to L3, presumably to start working for the Barton foundation.

Aalia sighed as she finished reading. "I'm still curious about what she did for the Barton foundation exactly."

"Me too…" Quatre took the tablet from her. "Maybe Trowa can help you with that."

"Yeah…" She allowed a grin to break out. "It will be something for him to set his teeth into, ensuring that he doesn't move around too much while he recovers."

Quatre chuckled. "Good idea."

She smiled warmly and rested her hand on top of her belly for a moment. It was still hard for her to believe she was going to be a mother. This morning she had felt nauseous for the first time, and the queasiness hadn't eased as the day progressed. It was the first sure sign of her pregnancy, other than the blood test results from the hospital. She was a little apprehensive at the prospect of it all, but she knew Trowa would be there for her every step on the way.

It was something to hold on to and reassuring. She had a future and she was looking forward to it.

- End Chapter 8 -