"Keep moving." Vire ordered, waving the neuralizer.

Duo still carried Jazz as they walked quickly through the hanger. He felt the boy's hand go to the back of his head and touch the ragged ends of his hair. Jazz's eyes were filled with tears.

"Oh Pops..." Jazz whispered sadly.

"It's okay." Duo smiled at his son. "It'll grow back." He was baffled as to why Vire had demanded he cut off his braid; it didn't make sense. But then again, he had quickly reasoned that he was dealing with someone who didn't seem to have it all together. And when that someone was waving a weapon at his little boy, suddenly a hunk of hair no longer seemed very important. Vire could have said "Cut off your hand." and Duo would have immediately obeyed.

He got a feeling it had been a test. If Vire had read Heero's book he knew how important Duo's braid had been to him. It wasn't just about hair; he wore it as a tribute to his foster mother. Each night Sister Helen had brushed it out and rebraided it for him. By continuing to do so himself he kept her alive in his memory and heart. But, he wondered, had Vire really expected him to refuse? To put hair over Jazz?

Large aircraft loomed around them. While the transporters worked well enough on either Dera or Seta, one had yet to be designed that could take someone between the two worlds. Although it was being worked on, Heero had assured him. In fact, someone was probably even tinkering with the idea of making one that would transport people and goods between Dera, Seta, Earth, and the Colonies. But until that happened, interplanet travel still happened the old fashioned way, by ship.

"We'll reach my vessel soon." Vire was saying. "A week on Seta and you'll both be returned here alive and well."

"He says he's going to sterilize us." Jazz blurted out. "So I can't ever had any kids of my own and you can't have any more either! And he wants to make us forget something, but I don't know what."

"WHAT?" Duo was furious. "Just what kind of fruit-cake are you, anyway? You have some DEEP issues, pal." Keeping his tone the same, he began speaking in Japanese, making it sound like he was still insulting Vire.

Duo had learned the language as a child, and he and Heero had taught it to Jazz. It had just been something fun to do, to help pass the time on the long journey to Dera. Now he was grateful they had done so.

"I'm going to set you down in a minute." Duo was really saying, gesturing angrily at the Tren. "When I do I want you to run as fast as you can back toward the transporter. Go home, find Ojisan and don't leave his side. No arguing about this; it's our only chance."

"I'm warning you..." Vire's face was flushed.

Duo put his son down on the floor next to him and his leg snaked out, hooking Vire's from under him. "NOW JAZZ!" he yelled.

The boy took off toward the transporter while Duo grappled with the Tren. The American was younger and stronger, but Vire still had a grip on the neuralizer. His finger squeezed on a button and Duo slumped to the floor of the hanger.

Vire stood up, breathing heavily. "That was foolish, Jason. Right now your father is only stunned. I had the setting low." He pushed a switch on the side. "It's on maximum now, child. My next blast will kill him. Come out now; he risked his life to save you, be brave enough to return the favor."

There was no response.

"Very well." Vire shrugged, leaning over Duo. "Live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you caused your own father's death." He put the neuralizer to Duo's head.

It seemed a shame to kill him. Oddly enough he had gained respect for the other man. The way he had grabbed the knife away from Vire instantly and sawed off his beloved braid. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the boy. What a waste. His finger pressed against the button.

A blast filled the hanger, and Vire jerked, falling to the floor next to Duo. Crimson blood flowed around them both.

Heero, still holding the smoking gun, ran to Duo's side, Jazz at his heels. Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa were close behind.

"Duo? Baby, can you hear me?" Heero lifted his maclen's head onto his lap and stroked his cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Jazz..." Duo muttered.

"He's right here. He got to the transporter just as we were coming out. We traced the records from Vire's office." Heero kissed his forehead. "It's over, Duo."

Jazz was staring at Vire, hatred on his small face. "He killed Linra's parents." the boy said softly. "He told me so. But I don't know why."

Trowa felt Vire's neck. "He's not dead yet. Should I call for aid or leave him to bleed to death?"

To their surprise, Jazz replied. "Call for aid. I like his mom. She'd be sad if he died."

"He doesn't deserve to live but I want him to stay alive long enough to tell me why he did this, and why he killed Sheld and Marti." Heero hissed. "Then I don't care what happens to him. As long as I'm the one causing it to happen."

He lifted Duo into a sitting position gently. "Don't try and move a lot yet. Even at a low setting you're going to be woozy for a while."

"When we saw your hair we thought you were dead." Quatre touched the cropped end. "Why did you cut it off?"

"Vire told him he had to." Jazz explained. "He said that he'd hurt me if Pops didn't."

"Did he? Hurt you?" Heero asked sharply.

"Naw, but I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday."

"Son of a... give me that gun, Heero. I owe him a bullet or two." Duo growled. "Don't worry, I won't kill him."

Heero handed his maclen the gun and Duo fired at Vire's leg, smiling as the man jerked. "That felt good. Starve my kid, will you?" He fired another shot into Vire's other leg. "And that, you bastard, is for my hair!"

Heero took the gun back, chuckling. "If you hadn't shot him for that I would have."

The transporter chimed as paramedics entered the hanger.

The group stood back and watched them put Vire onto a stretcher, and Duo forcefully stated that he was okay and did not need to be treated himself.

Wufei was on his hand phone, speaking to Denea. "Yes, everyone's fine. Duo's lost about 20lbs of hair and Jazz is hungry but they're both okay. Huh? Sure. Just a moment." He handed the phone to Jazz.

"Jazz, are you okay?" Linra asked her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We got the guy who killed your parents. It was Tren Vire. He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Vire killed my parents? Why?" Her voice broke. "What did they ever do to him?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. Ojisan shot him. They're taking him to the hospital now."

"I was worried. I missed you a lot. So did Lali. She wouldn't smile for me at all."

"I missed you too. We'll be home real soon."

He handed the phone back to Wufei.

"So you're serious about that girl, huh?" Wufei teased.

Jazz narrowed his eyes. "Yup. What about Denea? You serious about her?"

"Denea and I are friends." Wufei said stiffly.

"She thinks you're cute. She said so."

"Oh lord, he's at it again." Heero whispered in Duo's ear.

"Hey, it worked last time." Duo whispered back. "Our son the matchmaker."

"And what do you mean you're serious about Linra?" Duo blurted out, his son's comment finally registering. "You're eight years old! You're too young to be serious about anything."

Heero nodded. "Your father is almost twenty-eight and he's never been serious about anything yet." His maclen made a face at him.

"Come on, let's go home now." Duo started to walk toward the transporter, then stopped, kneeling down on the floor next to Jazz.

"I want you to know something. You're about the bravest kid on any world. I am so proud of you for how you've handled this."

Jazz shrugged. "I knew you guys would find me. I told that idiot that, that when my dads got hold of him he was going to be sorry he was ever born."

Heero lifted the boy up and hugged him tightly. "You better believe it. No one messes with our Jazz and gets away with it."

They headed for home.

"Tren Liea just called me." Heero spoke from the doorway of the bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"Vire didn't survive the surgery. He's gone."

Duo sat down on the foot of the bed. "I wish I could have made him suffer more. But more than that, I wish I knew WHY. He wanted Jazz to forget something, probably his caravan memories, but no one knows why it was so important to him."

"It's possible we never will." Heero sat down next to him. "That had to be the same reason he killed Sheld and Marti, to keep her from presenting her report. But whatever his secret was died with him."

"How's Liea?"

"As well as can be expected. She's gone into seclusion, and she'll be taking his ashes back to Seta with her."

They were quiet for a minute. "Jazz seems okay. I was worried this was going to mess him up, but he seems more angry than afraid. He offered to cut his own hair off to make me feel better."

Heero ran his hand through Duo's newly shortened hair. They'd managed to even it up a little bit, but he still looked naked without it.

"I was so afraid I'd lost both of you." the Japanese man admitted. "I don't think I could have gone on."

Duo pushed him back on the bed. "You never have to. Do you remember when we were five against the world?"

Heero nodded.

"We still are. Just in a different combination now. You and me and Jazz and Linra and Rosie. We're your family now, koi. You can't lose us. No matter what."

One month later:

"So Quatre and Trowa are headed home tomorrow." Denea said softly.

"Their lives are there. They've promised to return for visits as often as they can, but there was no chance at all they would stay."

"And you?"

"I've been offered a position at Jazz's school teaching Earth and Colony history. I've accepted the offer. I'm looking forward to teaching the little devil again." She heard him laugh. "And he thought he could get away from me that easily."

"It sounds like you'll be happy here."

"It's possible." He was silent for a moment, then she felt something brush against her cheek. "It's possible I could be a lot happier. That depends on a stubborn woman."

She turned her head away. "You're insane."

"It's the Maxwell influence. It's contagious."

"Wufei... they don't think I'm ever going to see again."

"Then you'll need someone to be your eyes."

"Just what I've always wanted, to be a burden on someone." she snapped.

She felt arms encircle her, pulling her onto a lap. She tried to struggle but she was held fast. "Watch your mouth. No one calls the woman I love a burden."

She reached out her fingers, finding his face. "I made a promise to myself years ago never to fall in love again."

"I made myself the same promise. I'm rather happy to be a liar. What about you?"

"We'll drive each other mad!"

A chuckle. She felt his hand brush over her leg. "Hopefully."

"I don't want to love you!"

"Well, for what it's worth I didn't want to love you, either!"

His hand moved higher and she hissed out a breath. "But I do. So you better not let me down, Chang."

"I won't." His mouth was hot on hers, demanding. "I pledge to describe for you all the beauty in the world. I pledge to hold you in my heart closer than anyone else. I pledge to love you until the end of time."

"You only need to do one." She said between kissing him back.

"I like to cover all the bases." he explained. "Woman, do you know where your hand is right now?"

"I may be blind, Chang, but I can still feel." She laughed and wiggled her fingers. "I pledge to always try and take you by surprise."

"And I pledge," He pushed her back down on the couch. "To take you any way I can, as often as I can."

"Promises, promises."

They say that hindsight is always 20/20

Liea stood outside of her house, staring up at the sky.

I suppose that is true, for who realizes their mistakes until after they are made?

And with you, my son, I made more than I could ever repent in 100 lifetimes.

I did not love your father; he had no love for me. We wed for politics. We had a child for politics.

A child I did not want to love. I did not expect to love.

I suppose I thought you wouldn't feel the lack. Elemaran had the means to provide you with anything money could by. I thought you would be content with that.

But that look in your eyes when I came to visit, when I left, it broke my heart each time. Maybe that's why I didn't come to visit often, for you made leaving so difficult.

I was unable to stop myself from loving you. So I tried to make sure you wouldn't love me. I thought you wouldn't miss me so much if you hated me. But now, now when I stand here, knowing that I will never see you again, now I repent how desperately unhappy we made you.

My son, I cannot change time. If I could I would have kept you by my side always, raised you with a mother's undying love, the love I always felt for you.

All that I can give you now is this. Your freedom.

You are dead, my son. To me, to Seta, to Dera. You exist only in memory.

Dead men are free.

I do not know what your secret was, a secret that you killed to keep, but I know the power of such secrets for I would kill to keep the one I carry now.

Fly away, Vire. Fly free, go where you will, so long as it is far, far from here.

And fly with my love. A love given far too briefly and far too late.

Mother