Disclaimers: I don't own anything.
Author's Note. Here it is, Part 3 of Love and Agony. Hope you all like it. It takes place after Duo's wounds have healed. He and Hilde are still very much in love.
Love and Agony
Part 3
Chapter One
Duo gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Literally, hundreds of scars marred what was once the smooth skin of his chest and back. It had been months since Duo had been kidnapped and tortured, but he still remembered the feel of the lash slicing into his skin. His wounds had healed long ago, but he couldn't forget the pain, he'd never forget.
He brushed his hand along one of the long, thin scars caused by the whip that had been used on him. He closed his eyes, and in his mind he saw Natalie standing before him, smiling her venomous grin, as she enjoyed the pain she inflicted on him. Her laugh cut into him like a knife, as he remembered her, the way her eyes flashed with rage as she brought the lash against his chest, ripping the flesh away.
Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he remembered her last minutes. She had just slashed his wrists open. Duo remembered that he was sure he was about to die, that he hoped Hilde would forgive him for dying. Natalie had stepped away from him, dropping her knife to the ground.
He had looked up at her, not knowing what to expect, as the blood flowed from his wrists. She ran around him to the winch, lowering him to the ground. He just lay there, completely exhausted. When she came back around to face him, Duo had seen a gun in her hand.
Then she began talking. "Your friends should get here soon."
"What?" Duo had asked, just barely able to talk.
"They're coming. I left a trail so obvious that any idiot could follow it." She leaned closer to him. "I'm afraid, I'm done with you. Hurting you, just isn't fun anymore. If you happen to survive, Duo Maxwell, don't think that your suffering will end. My sister will hurt you so bad, she'll make you wish you were dead."
She had stepped back away from him, and lifted the gun. For a moment, Duo had thought she might shoot him. But then she had raised the gun to her own head. An instant later a loud bang echoed throughout the room, and she slumped forward, the gun still in her hand.
Duo hadn't told his friends or Hilde about Natalie's last sentence. He didn't want them to worry. He knew that if he had told Heero or the others, that they would want to stay. But he couldn't live his life in fear of a threat that may never come.
He opened his eyes and looked at himself again. It had been months since any of that had happened, and still no new threats had been made. There had been no mysterious notes outside his door, no strange phone calls or anything. Nothing had happened, and Duo was thankful for that.
Duo turned away from the mirror, and walked into his bedroom. Quickly, he dressed then walked to the kitchen. Hilde stood by the stove, cooking. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Good morning." He said, kissing the back of her neck.
"Morning." She replied. "How do you want your eggs?"
"Any way you make them is fine, Baby." He reluctantly pulled his hands away from her and sat at the table.
"Then, scrambled it is." She said, as she went back to her cooking.
A few minutes later, both Duo and Hilde were eating their breakfast. Duo couldn't take his eyes off her. He loved watching her, no matter what she was doing. Her every move captivated him. She was an angel, his angel. If he had it his way, they would be together forever.
"Why are you staring?" She asked, smiling at him.
"I was just so enthralled by your beauty that I couldn't take my eyes off of you." He replied, smiling back at his lovely angel.
She blushed and looked away. "Oh stop." She giggled.
Duo remembered the plan he had for that night. A romantic dinner for two, some time alone. All he had to do was get her out of the house for a couple hours. Luckily, Howard was willing to help him with that. "So," Duo got up, finished with his food. "Howard told me that you're going to drive him to the Shopping District, since his car broke down."
"Yeah. He said that he needed to pick up something. It shouldn't take more than a few hours."
Duo smiled, glad that he was going to be able to get the house ready for the special evening he had planned. "Well, I should be getting to work. Those appliances won't fix themselves you know."
"Have a good day." Hilde replied as Duo gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
He went to the warehouse, but he wasn't really intending to do any work today. He just needed Hilde to think he was. Howard was waiting just inside. "Okay. You just have to keep her away until tonight."
"Shouldn't be a problem. I do have something to pick up, and I told my friend that I needed to keep someone busy for a while, so he's going to conveniently lose my package for a few hours." Howard, said as he pushed his sunglasses up.
"Good. Everything's going great." Duo replied, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. He hoped it would all turn out as good as he hoped.
Chapter Two
Hilde was tired. If she had known how long it would take Howard to pick up that package, she never would have agreed to drive him. It was a two-hour drive to get to the pick-up station it was sent to. She couldn't understand why it hadn't been sent to the station that was five minutes from his house and a lot closer to Duo's.
Then when they got there, they were told that it had been accidentally sent to another station. That was another three hours to drive there. And of course, that station had no record of a package for Howard. So they drove back to the first station. Then they waited around for three hours while they searched for the package.
At around noon, Howard went to go get some take-out. Hilde had thanked him, although she would rather have been at home, having lunch with Duo.
By the time she got back home, after taking Howard back to his place, Hilde was in a bad mood. She was surprised to see Duo waiting outside for her. He looked nervous about something, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Something wrong?" She asked, while she walked. Even though she was in a bad mood, that didn't mean she had to snap at Duo.
"I, uh, I have a surprise for you." He smiled as he took hold of her hand. "Close your eyes."
"Really Duo, I'm not in the mood for this." She said, trying to get past him.
He blocked her path. "Please. Just close your eyes."
She smiled, seeing that gleam in his eye. She wondered what he could possibly have to show her. "Okay." She replied, giving in.
Hilde closed her eyes. She felt Duo take hold of her hand and lead her into the house. There was a strange fragrance in the air, something she thought she should recognize. She could hear soft music playing in the background.
"Okay. Open your eyes." Duo said, letting go of her hand.
She opened them quickly, not knowing what to expect. The sight before her, instantly made her bad mood disappear. Roses, hundreds of red roses filled the living room. They were in vases along the floor, in arrangements around the room. A path of rose petals led to the kitchen table. On the table, was a candlelight dinner. Candles sat along the kitchen counter, illuminating the room.
Hilde put her hands to her mouth as she gasped in delight. It was so beautiful, all those flowers, and the flickering of candles that left dancing shadows along the walls.
"Do you like it?" Duo asked, his face filled with hope.
"It's beautiful. But how . . ." She began, but Duo didn't let her finish.
"It cost a bit to get all those roses. They're not real cheap you know. But money doesn't matter as long as you're happy." He smiled and grasped her hand once again. He led her over to the table.
She smiled as he pulled her seat out for her. She giggled as she watched him. Duo never acted like this. Usually, he was playful and energetic. But now, he was being so sweet, so attentive.
He served dinner for her. She looked down at her plate, wondering if Duo had cooked it. Hopefully he hadn't, since she knew he was a terrible cook. This food actually looked edible though. "Did you make this?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't offend him.
"No." He replied as he sat across from her. "I hired someone to cook for us for tonight. I know you can't stand my cooking. Hell, I can't stand it." He laughed, and she laughed along with him.
"So, why did you go to all this trouble?" She asked, picking up her napkin and laying it across her lap.
She could see him blushing as he spoke. "We've been together for a while now, and I haven't really done anything special for you. I just thought that you deserved to have a special night."
Dinner was delicious. Afterwards, Duo cleared the table. He refused to let her help in any way, saying that it was her night off. She just sat at the table, listening to the soft sounds of the music coming from the stereo.
Duo held his hand out to her. "May I have the honor of this dance?" He asked, bowing slightly.
Hilde giggled as she took his hand in hers. She had never seen Duo acting like this. He was being so gentlemanly, so unlike the carefree Duo Maxwell that she knew.
They danced slowly. Hilde just enjoyed the feel of Duo's hands on her lower back as they moved to the music. She draped her arms around his neck, staring up into his beautiful blue eyes.
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He whispered.
Hilde could feel herself blushing, but didn't take her eyes away from his. "I love you, Duo Maxwell." She replied.
She saw the happiness in his eyes as he spoke. "I love you too, Baby."
Hilde pulled him closer to her, pressing her lips to his. Time seemed to stop as they explored each other's mouth with their tongues. Hilde no longer heard the music, no longer knew anything but the feel of Duo's lips, the taste of his mouth, the touch of his hands against her.
She didn't even realize that they had gone to Duo's room, until they pulled away from each other, feeling a need to breathe. Hilde's body ached to be near him, and she quickly pulled him back in for another kiss. His hands fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, while hers tugged at the T-shirt that was tucked in his pants.
They broke the kiss again, just long enough for Hilde to pull Duo's shirt over his head. She ran her hands along his bare skin, loving the feel of him. She could feel the scars, but she didn't care about them. Once Duo was finished with the buttons of her blouse, he pushed it off her shoulders and down her arms. It slipped to the floor by her feet.
They were moving again, and her legs hit Duo's bed. She sat on it, pulling Duo down along with her. Her hands were undoing his belt, unzipping his pants. He slid out of them quickly, also getting rid of his shoes and socks, while he helped Hilde out of her skirt.
He pulled away from her and stared deeply into her eyes. "You sure you want to do this?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied, and she pulled him back down to her. She wanted Duo more than anything, wanted to feel him inside of her. She had never been so sure of anything in her life.
Chapter Three
Hilde awoke, her arms wrapped around the man she loved. Her head rested on his chest. She never wanted to leave that bed, but knew that she would have to eventually.
She remembered every detail of their wonderful night together. The way he had decorated the house with those roses, the candlelight dinner, it had all been perfect. Then, they had made love for the first time. Of course, since she was a virgin, it was quite painful when he first entered her. It felt as if she were being split in two, and she couldn't keep her tears away, couldn't stop from crying out.
When she had looked up at Duo, she had seen him crying along with her. He was sorry for the pain he had caused her, and repeated an apology many times over. But as he continued to push himself in and out of her, slowly at first, the pain had lessened, and eventually the pleasure she felt was wonderful. She never thought that anything could feel so good, and she had told that to Duo.
Hilde lifted her head from Duo's chest. She looked at his sleeping form. He was so wonderful. His long, silky hair surrounded his head. Hilde remembered undoing his braid sometime last night, but couldn't be sure of when. She traced her fingers over his jaw, along the side of his face. Gently, she brushed his bangs away from his eyes. He was so handsome, the cutest guy she had ever met.
She watched as his eyes opened, locking onto hers after a few seconds. He smiled at her. "Good morning." She said.
"Morning." He replied and pulled her into his arms. Her body was still a little sore from last night, and she unintentionally let out a hiss of pain. He looked at her, concerned. "I'm sorry. Maybe we shouldn't have done that yet." He looked away from her, as if he was ashamed that he had caused her any pain.
"No. It was wonderful. I'm a little sore now, but that will go away." She hooked a finger under his chin and brought his gaze back to her eyes. "I love you Duo. I'm glad we made love last night."
"Aw Hilde, I love you too. I just hate the fact that I hurt you."
"It would have happened eventually. You couldn't have prevented it." She replied. She pulled one of Duo's sheets around her as she stood. She looked back at the bed and saw the blood stain on it. She could feel the sticky blood on the inside of her thighs. She smiled down at Duo. "I'm going to go take a shower. Then, we can change your sheets."
"Why don't I join you?" Duo replied, as he got up and pulled the sheet away from her. "No need to be shy around me, Baby. I've already seen you naked."
She laughed and pulled him into another kiss. "Well, come on then." She said, pulling him toward the bathroom.
The shower ended with Hilde against a wall and Duo behind her, pushing himself once again inside of her. She enjoyed every moment of it, the feel of him inside of her, the pleasure he caused her with his every move. After they had both reached their climax, repeatedly for Hilde, they got cleaned up once again.
"You okay, Baby?" Duo asked as he rubbed a towel over Hilde's body.
"You don't have to ask me that after every time we make love." She replied. "I'm fine."
"That was the first time I asked." He grinned.
"I know you, Duo. You'd ask every time."
"Maybe, but only because I care about you." He wrapped the towel around her.
"And I appreciate it, really I do. But I'll be fine. You don't have to worry." She turned to him, and ran her fingers through his long hair. "I'm going to get dressed." She sighed as she took her hand away. She hated leaving his side, even for a minute.
Chapter Four
The weeks passed quickly for Duo, turning into months. He had Hilde, and she loved him. Every morning he woke up with her in his arms. He was happy, truly happy.
Duo paced, waiting for Hilde to get back from wherever she had gone to that morning. She had just left a few hours ago, telling him that she'd be back soon. He was beginning to worry. It wasn't like Hilde to just leave without saying where she was heading.
Then he saw her car pull up. He let out a sigh, knowing that she was okay. She had a huge smile on her face. She looked so happy and it made him happy to see that smile.
She skipped to the front door and Duo met her outside. "Oh, Duo." She exclaimed, sounding so happy. "I have wonderful news." She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight.
Then all his happiness was shattered as a shot pierced the silence of the afternoon. He fell backward, as a force knocked him over. He could feel a warm liquid soaking into his shirt and looked down. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Hilde. She was just lying on top of him, not moving. Duo rolled her over onto her back, and his eyes bulged when he saw the blood, the hole in the side of her shirt. There was so much blood and it was coming from her.
"Hilde?" He cried, hoping that she could still hear him. "You're going to be okay. I won't let you die." He pressed his hands to the wound in her side, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.
Howard came running out of the warehouse. When he saw Hilde, he ran to the house and called an ambulance. "Help is on the way." He said as he knelt beside Duo.
When the ambulance finally did arrive, Howard had to force him away, so that the paramedics could get to her. He didn't want to leave her side, didn't want her to be alone. He watched in shock as she was loaded into the ambulance. Then he climbed in after her.
At the hospital, she was taken to the ER. "You should let me take a look at that." A doctor suggested as he pointed to Duo's side.
Duo looked down and saw the hole in his own shirt, the blood that was flowing from a wound in his side. He hadn't even felt it, hadn't even noticed he was hurt. "No. I won't go anywhere until I find out if she's okay." He replied.
"You won't do her any good if you bleed to death." The doctor said, gently pulling on Duo's arm.
Duo followed, not really caring about what happened to him. Hilde was hurt, possibly dying. His world was slowly crumbling around him. His own health didn't matter if he lost Hilde. He would be as good as dead without her anyway.
His own wound was barely anything. The bullet had just grazed him, leaving a scratch. While the doctor bandaged the wound, Duo looked down at himself. He was covered in blood, not only his, but Hilde's as well. The blood covered his clothes, his hands.
The doctor finished with his bandages. "Why don't you get cleaned up?" He suggested. He continued to talk, but Duo didn't hear anymore.
Chapter Five
For hours he sat in the waiting room, the blood cleaned off his hands, but not his clothes. Finally, a doctor walked over to him. He jumped to his feet, hoping that Hilde was okay. "How is she?" He asked.
"She's stable. She was very lucky. The bullet missed all of her vital organs. And the baby will be just fine."
Duo felt like a brick wall had hit him. "Baby?" He asked, shocked. "She's pregnant?"
The doctor looked at him curiously. "You didn't know?"
"That must be what she was going to tell me today. She looked so happy." He mumbled, not really talking to the doctor.
"If you want, you can go see her. We've moved her to a private room, number 2146." The doctor said.
Duo didn't know if the doctor had anything else to say, and he really didn't care. Once he knew what room she was in, he ran down the hall. He didn't stop until he found the room.
Then as he stood outside the door, he got incredibly nervous. Hilde was everything to him. He didn't know if he could handle it if she blamed him for getting shot. He swallowed and opened the door, knowing that he couldn't just wait outside all day.
She looked so small, lying in that hospital bed, so fragile. Duo blamed himself for this. If he hadn't gotten involved with her, she would be fine. She never would have been hurt if he hadn't fallen in love with her. The God of Death strikes again, he thought, as the tears fell from his eyes.
Duo slowly stepped over to her bed. He gently picked up her hand, being careful not to disturb her IV, or any of the other equipment that was hooked up to her. "I'm so sorry Hilde." He said. "This is all my fault."
She just lay there, unconscious. In his heart he hoped that she could forgive him for causing her pain, for getting her hurt. And if the bullet had hit her just a few inches to the side, the baby would have been killed.
Once again Duo felt that he didn't deserve happiness. Everyone he loved had either died or left him. And soon Hilde would leave. There was no way she could still love him after this. She could have lost the baby and it was all his fault, for being the God of Death, for not telling her about Natalie's threat.
He stayed by her side all day and night. He wanted to be there when she woke up. He had to apologize, had to see if she could possibly forgive him.
Behind him, the door opened as someone walked in. A moment later, he heard Quatre talking to him. "How is she?" He asked.
"She's still asleep. She lost a lot of blood, but she's going to be fine." He replied, without taking his eyes away from Hilde. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. When Howard called, I rushed here as fast as I could." Quatre replied, placing his hand on Duo's shoulder, firmly.
Duo turned and looked up at him. "Quatre, she's pregnant." Duo blurted out. He felt like he had to tell someone, anyone.
"Did she lose it?" Quatre asked, his eyes reflecting sadness and fear.
"No. The doctors say she's very lucky." Duo replied.
"How far along is she?"
Duo closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't know. I just found out yesterday. The doctors told me she was pregnant. I think that's what she wanted to tell me yesterday when . . ." He suddenly couldn't continue. His words just locked in his throat.
Quatre wrapped his arms around Duo, holding him tight. Normally, Duo would shrug him off, pretend that he didn't need the comfort. But now, he just let himself go, his tears falling from his face as Quatre consoled him silently.
"She was so happy, Quatre." Duo cried onto his friend's shoulder. "She was so happy and then she was shot, bleeding in my arms. It's all my fault."
"How can it possibly be your fault?" Quarter asked, still holding Duo close.
"If I hadn't fallen for her, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be hurt. Everyone either leaves me or dies. The God of Death doesn't deserve to ever be happy. I've always known that." Duo replied, pulling away from Quatre. He stared down at the floor, his tears still falling from his eyes.
"Duo, you can't think like that. Hilde loves you more than anything. She wouldn't want to hear you talking like that." Quatre said.
"He's right, Duo. I don't want to hear you talk like that." Hilde's weak voice replied from behind him.
Duo spun in his seat, turning his attention back to Hilde. He was so relieved to see her awake. But his heart ached when he looked at her. He felt so guilty, so ashamed that she had been hurt because of him.
He took hold of her hand, holding it gently. "I'm so sorry Hilde."
She smiled weakly. "There's no reason for you to be sorry." She looked down at herself, as if she had suddenly remembered something. She put her hands to her stomach and tears formed in her eyes.
Duo saw this, and he knew immediately that she was thinking of the baby. "The baby's fine Hilde." Duo stated.
She looked up at him. "You know?"
"The doctor told me. He thought I already knew." Duo said, once again taking hold of her hand.
"Duo, who did this?" Hilde asked, a tear falling to her pillow.
Duo bowed his head. He was afraid to tell her about Natalie's threat. He should have just told her months ago, but he hadn't wanted her to worry.
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Quatre asked, his hand on Duo's shoulder.
"I didn't tell you guys everything that Natalie said before she died. She told me that her sister would hurt me so bad that I would wish I were dead." He said, his eyes remaining fixed on the floor.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Hilde asked.
Duo couldn't bring himself to look at her. She must hate him so much. "I knew that if I had said anything, that the guys never would have left. And I didn't want Hilde to worry."
"Quatre, could you give me and Duo some time alone?" Hilde asked.
Quatre replied, right before he left the room. "Sure Hilde."
"Duo, look at me." Hilde ordered, her voice still weak.
Duo looked up at her, uneasily. "I'm sorry." He said, before even knowing that he had opened his mouth.
"There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I know that you were only trying to protect me from fear of losing you, of worrying if there was still someone out to get you or not. This is not your fault." She reached her hand out and Duo took hold of it.
He smiled slightly and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "You're not angry at me?"
"I admit, at first I was. But I can never stay mad at you Duo. I love you too much." She smiled and weakly pulled him toward her.
He kissed her gently on the lips, then pulled away from her. His eyes drifted to her stomach. "So, I'm going to be a father?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face.
She laughed once, then clutched her side in pain. But still, she smiled. "Yes, Dad."
"Then I guess I'm going to have to make an honest woman out of you." He said, taking her hand in his once again. "I know I don't have a ring, and this isn't really the most romantic of places, but you take what you can get. Will you marry me, Baby?"
"Of course I will." She replied, her face seeming to glow with her happiness.
Duo wanted to pick her up and swing her around in his arms, he was so happy. But he knew she was in no condition for that. There would be plenty of time for that later, once she was out of the hospital.
Still, he was too happy to just do nothing. He jumped to his feet, and ran to the door. Once outside, he searched the hall for someone, anyone, so that he could tell them the news. He saw Quatre standing a few feet away. Beside him were Trowa, Heero, and Howard. So was Wufei surprisingly. Howard must have finally been able to get in touch with him. They all must have just arrived.
Duo ran up to them. He grabbed onto Quatre's arms and pulled him into a tight embrace. Then he did the same to each of the other pilots and Howard. They all looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Have you gone insane?" Heero glared, pushing Duo away from him.
"She said yes!" Duo exclaimed, a huge smile on his face.
"Who said yes?" Trowa asked calmly. "And to what?"
He grabbed Trowa's shoulders and stared directly at him. "Hilde said yes. She's going to marry me."
Quatre threw his arms around Duo, knocking Trowa out of his grasp. "I'm so happy for you." He said as he cried.
"Please, Quatre. I need to breathe." Duo said, trying to pry the blonde off of him.
Quatre apologized and backed away. A hand slapped Duo on the back and he turned to see Howard smiling at him. "Congratulations, Duo."
Duo looked to Quatre. "Did you tell them?"
"About Hilde?" Quatre asked.
Duo nodded. "Did you?"
"No. I really didn't think it was my place to say anything. I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell other people or not." Quatre replied.
"Hell ya, I want to tell other people. I want to tell as many people as I can." Duo replied, that huge grin once again on his face.
Heero leaned over to Trowa and asked, "Are we missing something?"
"Seems that way." Trowa replied.
Duo looked over at them. "Not only are Hilde and I getting married, but we're also having a baby. Well, actually she's having the baby."
Heero's mouth dropped open and he seemed to be in shock. Trowa just stood there, calm as usual. Wufei huffed, "Just what we need, another one of you."
Duo just glared at him, not saying a word. "I'm happy for you, Duo." Heero said after he had finally come back to his senses.
"Well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go kiss my fiancé." Duo said as he turned and ran back to Hilde's hospital room.
Chapter Six
The wedding day had come and gone. It was a simple ceremony, held in a small church. Hilde had thought that Duo looked absolutely gorgeous in his tuxedo, waiting for her by the altar. Heero was his best man and the other pilots were groomsmen.
The bridesmaids were Relena, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally, and Noin. Although she hadn't known Noin all that well, she didn't want to exclude anyone. Besides, it wasn't as if she had many friends. Relena had been the maid of honor.
At the reception, Duo had made her relax, seeing as she had only recently gotten out of the hospital and hadn't regained her full strength yet. She had convinced him to let her dance a few times, although it took a lot of persuasion.
Relena had been the one to catch the bouquet. She immediately turned to Heero and smiled. Everyone knew that they had been seeing each other for a while, although they never admitted it. Heero had seemed extremely nervous for the rest of the night.
And Quatre had caught the garter. His face had turned a bright crimson, and he looked as if he were about to faint. Everyone had a good laugh, seeing the embarrassment on his face.
Hilde remembered that day with a smile as she flipped through the photo album on the table. It hadn't been that long ago, only six months, about a month after she got out of the hospital, but she just enjoyed seeing all the happy faces. Of course, she saw most of those faces every day, since the other pilots had decided to move in until Natalie's sister was found, and they were sure it was safe.
Hilde felt the house had become too crowded, but she didn't want to be rude and tell them all to get out. They were friends, after all. And they had been kind enough to let her and Duo have a week alone after the wedding. Duo had wanted to give her a proper honeymoon, but Heero had said it would be too dangerous.
After seven months, nothing had happened. No one had taken any more shots at her. There were no threats, no mysterious notes, nothing. Hilde was beginning to wonder if anything would happen. They weren't even sure if it had been Natalie's sister that had shot her. But who else could it have been?
Hilde let out a laugh, seeing a picture of Quatre just after he had caught the garter. His face was beet red as he stared down at the flimsy piece of cloth in his hands. He looked positively terrified, as if it truly meant that he had to get married next.
"What you laughing about, Baby?" Duo asked, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. He began massaging her aching muscles, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Just looking at the wedding pictures." She replied, thoroughly enjoying the way he was rubbing her back.
"Again? You do that almost every day." He took his hands away. She wished he hadn't stopped.
"Well, I enjoy it." She closed the photo album. Hilde put her hand on the table and struggled to stand. Duo was right there behind her, helping her up. "Thanks." She replied, placing her hands to her lower back as she wobbled into the living room.
She had gotten quite big the past few months. Duo was constantly joking about how much weight she had put on during her pregnancy. Sometimes he really did annoy her, but she wouldn't have him any other way. Duo Maxwell, her husband was still the greatest guy in the world. He always worried about her first, and was always there to lend her a hand.
"You sure you guys are comfortable out here?" Hilde asked their house guests as she walked into the living room.
Quatre looked up at her from his cot. "You've asked us that every night for six months. We're fine Hilde."
"You sure you won't be more comfortable in my old room? I know it's a nursery now, but a few of you could use it rather than have everyone crowd out here."
"And be able to hear you and Duo in the next room? I don't think so." Heero replied, a smirk appearing on his face for a moment before disappearing again.
"It's not like we can do anything right now." Hilde answered, placing her hands on her belly.
She turned and caught a glimpse of Duo sticking his tongue out at Heero. Sometimes he still acted so childish, but he had matured a lot the past few months. He was all she could ever want in a husband, attentive, loving. He was just great.
"Goodnight." She said, before leaving the living room.
"Goodnight." She heard Quatre, Trowa, and Heero say. But she heard nothing from Wufei. He never said goodnight, so she had gotten used to it by now.
Hilde felt Duo's arms wrap around her, helping her along if only a little. Once in the bedroom, she changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed. Duo slid in beside her, once again wrapping his arms around her. She lay her head down on his chest falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
Chapter Seven
Duo woke up with a start, hearing his name being called. He looked over to Hilde, who was leaning against the headboard of the bed. "You okay?" He asked.
He immediately saw the way she was breathing and knew what was happening before she actually said it. "It's time. My water broke." She said between breaths.
"Oh shit!" He shouted and fell out of bed. He jumped up and threw on whatever clothes he could find, not caring how he looked. His hair hung around him loose, having come undone some time during the night.
Hilde however, was dealing with it so much better. She put on a clean nightgown, without rushing. She was waiting by the door while he was struggling to pull his pants on. "I'll be waiting in the car for you." She said, as she walked out the door.
He finally got his pants on, just after she had left. He heard her curse from outside. "Damn, that hurt."
Duo ran after her, and helped her the rest of the way. When they reached the living room, the guys jumped out of their cots, except for Wufei, who just seemed annoyed at being awakened in the middle of the night.
"What's going on?" Quatre asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"It's time." Duo said as he took Hilde out to the car. He heard the others behind him, scrambling to get dressed. But he was sure that Wufei was taking his time.
Once he and Hilde were in the car, Duo fumbled trying to get the keys into the ignition. Hilde placed her hand on his knee. "Just get us there in one piece." She said and then another contraction hit her and she dug her nails into his leg. He clenched his teeth to keep from crying out, as the sharp pain spread through his leg.
Duo slammed on the brakes outside the hospital. He helped Hilde out of the car. A hospital orderly quickly arrived with a wheelchair and Hilde sat in it. Duo stayed by her side. He was beside her, holding her hand as she gave birth to their child.
He ran out of the room, still wearing the hospital gown the doctors had made him put on. Tears were streaming down his face as he approached Quatre and the others. "It's a girl!" He exclaimed.
Quatre burst into tears as he wrapped his arms around Duo. Heero and the others slapped him on the back, congratulating him. Wufei just stood against the wall. "Congratulations." Wufei said calmly, although it didn't sound as if he really meant it.
Duo pushed Quatre away from him. He turned. "I'll be with my family if you need me." Duo said happily, for the first time able to actually say he had a family.
Chapter Eight
Hilde pulled on her robe and slowly got out of her hospital bed. She didn't care what the doctors said. She was getting up, she was going to see her daughter. In her mind, she had rested long enough.
Shortly after she had given birth, someone asked her what they were going to name her. Hilde had asked Duo what he wanted to call her. He had looked down for a moment, and when he brought his eyes back to hers, he said that he wanted to name her Helen.
Hilde remembered that Helen had been the name of the nun at the Maxwell Church, the one that had taught Duo how to braid his hair. She had meant a lot to him, and her death and the death of the Reverend and the others had hurt him greatly.
"Of course we can name her Helen." She had said. Hilde was rewarded with a kiss from Duo.
Now she walked through the hallway of the hospital. Duo came up beside her. His hair was once again in a braid. "What are you doing out of bed?" He asked.
"I want to see Helen." She answered. Duo took hold of her hand and walked along with her.
As they approached the window to the nursery, Hilde's eyes looked over all the babies. She pressed her hand to the glass, still looking for Helen. Her eyes locked on a tiny, empty crib. The sticker on the front identified the crib as belonging to Helen.
Hilde's heart pounded in her chest, when she saw that there was an envelope in the crib. "Where's our baby?" She asked, turning to Duo.
Duo turned and grabbed a nurse that was passing by, heading to the nursery. Hilde recognized her, she had seen the woman around the hospital often. "Where's our baby?" He asked her, his fist tightly clutching her uniform.
"Please, Mr. Maxwell. If you will just unhand me, I'll go and check." The nurse replied.
Duo released his grip, and Hilde watched as the nurse entered the nursery and walked over to the empty crib. She picked up the envelope and looked around. She ran back out and handed Duo the note. Then she ran to the nearest phone.
Hilde watched as Duo opened the envelope and pulled out the note that was inside. His eyes went wide, and Hilde grabbed the note from him. As her eyes scanned over the words, she spoke them out loud. "Now, Duo Maxwell, your suffering will truly begin."
She felt as if her whole world had shattered. The note fell from her hand. Everything around her began spinning. She grabbed onto Duo, throwing her arms around him as her body was racked with sobs. He was the only thing keeping her from screaming. She would shed tears, but she couldn't break down completely. She had to keep herself together, if only for his sake. She knew he would blame himself for this, and she couldn't let him think that way. They sank to the floor together, holding tightly to each other.
Chapter Nine
Duo's heart ached at the sight of Hilde in his arms. Her body shook as she sobbed onto his chest. Reading that note had felt like a knife through his heart. Now they just sat there on the floor. Duo couldn't bring himself to move, like he had lost all control of his body. His own tears fell from his eyes as he blamed himself for Helen's disappearance. If he hadn't been the God of Death, none of this would have happened.
The police arrived, but neither of them moved. They remained sitting on the floor, holding on to each other as if their lives depended on it. Eventually, Duo felt himself being helped to his feet. He looked to see an officer taking him over to a chair. Hilde remained in his arms the entire way to the seats, and they sat beside each other.
Heero walked up to him and hour later. The others were right behind him. Hilde was back in her room, sedated. The doctors were worried about her health and didn't want her to get too excited.
"She's gone." Duo said, trying to keep his tears away.
"What do you mean? Who?" Quatre asked, his voice already beginning to quaver.
Duo looked up at them, his body trembling as he forced himself to speak. "Natalie's sister finally showed up. She took our baby, our Helen."
Heero's hand clasped his shoulder tightly. "What?" he gasped.
"Are you sure it was Natalie's sister?" Trowa asked, his usual calmness gone. Duo could hear fear in his voice.
"She left a note. It said that now my suffering would truly begin." He felt a hot tear run down his face, but didn't brush it away.
"Where's Hilde?" Quatre asked, his own tears streaming down his face.
"They took her back to her room and sedated her." Duo answered, then he buried his face in his hands.
"We'll find her, Duo." Heero said. "We'll get your daughter back."
Duo didn't lift his head, didn't look at his friend's face to see if he was just trying to cheer him up. He knew that Heero wouldn't rest until Helen was back, safe and sound.
Chapter Ten
Hilde walked through the hallway of her house. She opened the door to one room and looked in. The sight of the baby furniture, the pink and blue wallpaper, was almost too much for her. It had been weeks since Helen was taken. There had been no ransom demands, nothing.
There was an empty space in Hilde's heart as she looked at the nursery that Duo and the guys had built for her. It had been her old room at one time. But all her furniture had been replaced by all the stuff a baby would need, a cradle, a rocking chair, a tiny dresser.
Hilde clutched the doorframe, trying not to cry. Strong arms grasped her shoulders and she turned and buried her face in her husband's chest. He just held her there for the longest time. Then he draped his arm around her and led her back to their bedroom.
It was the middle of the night and Hilde was ashamed that she had awakened Duo. She had tried to be quiet, she didn't want Duo to know what she did almost every night while he slept. She couldn't sleep anymore, not when she wanted to anyway.
Her heart, her Helen had been taken from her. There was nothing that could fix that, except getting her back. She knew the guys were trying to find her. But there weren't any clues to go by. All Heero had been able to find out by hacking into police records was the name of Natalie's sister, Michelle. Other than that, there was nothing. All her records stopped after Natalie's death. It was like she just didn't exist anymore.
All the guys were looking for Michelle now, except for Quatre who had stayed behind to keep guard. He was standing outside the bedroom door, and opened it as Duo led her to the room. She wondered when he had gotten there. He hadn't been there when she left the room.
Hilde stopped beside Quatre, not letting Duo help her any further. She looked up at him and said, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
"You should be resting Hilde. We'll find Helen." Quatre replied, placing his hand on her arm, but Hilde could see the doubt in his eyes.
Hilde smiled at him, not knowing if she could believe that anymore. Helen was gone and no one knew where Michelle was. Hilde's hope was beginning to fade as the days continued without any sign of finding Helen.
Quatre removed his hand from her arm, while Duo once again led her into the bedroom. She heard the door gently close shut behind her. Hilde climbed into bed slowly, while Duo slid in next to her. He pulled the thin blanket up over them, tucking it around her to make her more comfortable. She curled up against Duo, holding him close, with her head against his chest. He ran his fingers through her short hair, as he whispered to her. "Everything will be okay, Baby. Everything will be okay."
Before Hilde could answer, a loud crash came from the living room. Both she and Duo jumped to their feet and ran out. Hilde was terrified, when she saw Quatre lying on the floor, blood pooling around his body. She ran to his side, while Duo took Quatre's weapon, which had been lying on the floor near his hand.
Hilde turned Quatre over onto his back. She was relieved to see he was still breathing. But the wound to his chest didn't look too good. He had been shot, but she hadn't heard a gun go off. Whoever had done it must have had a silencer.
She grabbed the nearest phone and dialed for an ambulance. Hopefully they would get there soon. Quatre definitely needed help quickly. She put the phone down and turned her attention back to Quatre.
A loud thump, caused Hilde to jump. She looked over and saw Duo lying on the ground. "Duo?!" She called out, nearly frantic.
"Oh, he can't hear you right now." A strange voice replied.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Hilde asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer to both those questions.
"Duo Maxwell has to suffer for what he's done. And I am the one that will make that happen." A woman with extremely short, fiery, red hair stepped out of the shadows behind Duo. Hilde knew for sure that this was Michelle, Natalie's sister. She had the same hair, and the face was so similar to Natalie's, although Hilde had only seen Natalie for a few seconds, after the woman had already killed herself.
Hilde stood, facing Michelle. "Where's my baby?" She asked.
"Safe, for now." Michelle answered as she stepped toward Hilde, raising a gun toward her.
"What are you going to do?" Hilde asked, her voice quavering with her fear.
Michelle replied with a sinister grin. "Make him suffer."
An instant later, Hilde felt a sharp pain in her arm. She looked down and saw a small dart sticking out of her arm. Her head began to spin as the tranquilizer took effect. Everything around her went black as she felt herself falling to the floor.
Chapter Eleven
Duo's head throbbed. In an instant the events of last night came flooding back to his mind. He forced his eyes open, his heart pounding in fear. Hilde could be hurt, Quatre could be dead.
When his eyes finally focused, he saw that he wasn't in his house. He didn't know where he was. But then he saw Hilde across from him. Her wrists were in shackles, and she was suspended from a chain. Her feet just barely touched the floor under her. Her head was slumped forward. Her nightgown was gone, leaving her just in her underwear. But what really scared Duo was that Hilde was covered in blood. He could see the numerous cuts on her stomach and upper chest.
He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't. He looked down at himself, and saw the ropes around his body, binding him to the chair he sat on. His mind screamed that Hilde needed help. Duo struggled against the ropes, trying to get himself free, but it was no use. The ropes were too tight.
"You should really stop struggling, you'll only hurt yourself. And that's my job." A woman's voice replied.
Duo looked and saw a woman walking toward him. By the color of her hair and the resemblance to Natalie, Duo was sure that she was Michelle. "What did you do to Hilde?" Duo demanded.
"She's not hurt too bad. Not yet, at least. I just needed to occupy my time until you woke up." She said, as she reached out to him. Her fingers brushed against his cheek lightly. Then, quickly, she scratched his cheek open with her nails.
A thought entered Duo's mind, as he hissed in pain. "Where's my baby?" He asked.
Michelle pointed to one side of the room. Duo looked and saw a cradle sitting against the wall. "She's fine. Such a cute little girl. Maybe I won't kill her, like I planned to."
Duo looked back over to Hilde when he heard her moan. She was waking up. Her head slowly lifted and Duo could see the deep bleeding gash in the left side of her face, near her hairline. It looked as if Michelle had just traced the edge of Hilde's face with a knife, as it went from her forehead all the way past her jaw.
Anger welled up inside of Duo, seeing his beloved Hilde hurt. He wanted to reach out and strangle Michelle, to kill her. But the ropes prevented him from doing anything. Still, he struggled against the ropes that bound him to the chair.
An impact to his stomach, stopped his struggles. He gasped for breath as he looked down and saw Michelle's fist pull away from him. Finally able to draw in a breath, he glared up at Michelle and spat at her.
She merely smiled as she wiped the spit from her face with the back of her hand. "That wasn't very nice." She said. Michelle reached around her back and pulled out a knife. "I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson."
She slid the blade along his face, not cutting into him yet. She ran it down past his face, over his neck, and down to his bare chest. Right now, Duo wished he wore more than just shorts to bed that night, but he kept that thought to himself. His eyes were fixed on the blade as she moved it up to his left shoulder.
"I see my sister caused you considerable pain already." Michelle said as she ran her other hand over the scars on his chest. "Let's see if I can cause you more."
Michelle thrust her hand forward, pushing the blade deep into his arm. Duo bit his lip to keep from crying out. She pulled the blade out, then stepped back, looking him over. Duo just glared up at her. "Get on with it." He said, not caring what she did to him.
"As you wish." She replied, smiling again.
This time, she took her time with him. Michelle slowly, cut into his skin with her knife. She slid her knife along each scar on his chest, cutting them open. With each cut, he winced, not wanting to give her the pleasure of hearing him scream. But it was hard to keep his mouth shut, when he kept hearing Hilde crying.
After about the third cut, she seemed to be getting bored with him. "You're not being any fun." She took a glance over at Hilde as Duo watched her. "Either you let out your screams, or I'll see if your wife is more fun."
Duo felt he had no choice. He didn't want her to hurt Hilde again. When Michelle cut into him, once again slicing another of his scars open, Duo didn't hold back. He let himself cry out. It wasn't a scream, but still it seemed to make Michelle happy enough.
After she had sliced all of the scars on his chest open, she took a step back to examine her work. His throat hurt so much, but not quite as much as his chest. His vision was blurry as he watched Michelle move away from him. He hung his head forward, ready to let the darkness overtake him.
His eyes snapped open when her hand connected with his bloody cheek. The scratches she had made stung at her slap, and he lifted his head quickly. "Don't fall asleep now, the fun has just begun."
Duo watched as she walked over to Hilde. His heart pounded in his chest, wondering what Michelle would do to her. As he watched, panic stricken, Michelle picked up a bucket that was on the floor near Hilde. She threw the contents of the bucket onto her. Hilde's screams echoed throughout the room and Duo wondered what had been in that bucket.
Michelle turned to Duo, once Hilde's screams had died down, although her body was still shivering severely. "Salt water can be agony when you have open cuts." Michelle said as she put the bucket down and picked up another that had been beside it. Again she tossed the contents onto Hilde. But this time she didn't scream, she only gasped as the plain water hit her. It washed away the salt water, but Duo was sure that it still hurt.
Duo could barely take it, watching Hilde being hurt. He screamed out at Michelle. "Leave her alone!"
"But this is all a part of your punishment Duo Maxwell. Seeing the one you love in pain is a wonderful way to make you suffer." Michelle replied, taking out her knife once again.
A shrill cry filled the room, and Duo looked over to the crib. His baby was crying, but no matter how much he wanted to rush over to her, he still couldn't get out of those ropes.
Michelle strolled over to the cradle, still holding the knife in her hand. "Damn kid, ruined my fun." She hissed.
Duo was racked with fear. It looked as if Michelle was going to do something to Helen. "No!" He screamed out, trying to stop her from hurting Helen.
Michelle didn't even look at him as she spoke. "Looks as if I will kill your baby, Duo. She ruined my fun."
As he watched, he felt himself growing drowsy. His sight was getting more and more blurry. No matter how much he struggled against the darkness that was invading his mind, he couldn't stop it. Eventually, everything went completely black as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter Twelve
Hilde had never felt such pain before in her entire life. Sure she had been hurt before, but nothing like this. She had never had salt water thrown at open wounds. It had felt like she was on fire, like she was burning alive.
She lifted her head and looked up at Duo, just as he yelled out, "No!"
Then she realized that she heard something else, the sound of a baby crying. She looked to where Duo had been looking, before he passed out, and saw Michelle walking toward a cradle. She still had her knife in her hand. Now she understood why Duo had been yelling.
"Don't hurt my baby." Hilde called out, her throat sore from her screams. She wanted to run over there and save Helen, but she knew she couldn't. She could barely reach the ground.
Hilde closed her eyes, not wanting to see her baby get hurt. Her tears stung her eyes as they came forward. She was sure that she would never see her daughter alive again. A moment later, Helen stopped crying. Hilde's heart was crushed, but she couldn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see if it was true or not, she didn't want to see if Helen was dead.
Her sobs were interrupted by the sound of a gun being fired. It was immediately followed by a loud thud, and the wonderful sounds of Helen crying again. Hilde forced herself to open her eyes and the sight before her, brought a smile to her face.
Michelle was lying on the floor, a pool of blood quickly spreading out around her. Her hand still clutched her knife, but her body didn't move. Hilde was glad to know she might dead, at the very least badly injured. At least she wouldn't hurt anyone else, wouldn't destroy anyone else's lives.
Hilde looked to the door, and saw Heero, his gun still smoking. Wufei and Trowa were right behind him. While Trowa went over to the cradle and Wufei walked over to Duo, Heero ran to help Hilde.
He dropped his gun to the floor and took out his lock picks. Quickly, he unlocked the shackles around her wrists. He caught her as she fell to the floor, holding her in his strong arms. He lowered her and set her down gently. "Are you all right?" He asked.
She shivered as she spoke. "My baby?" She asked, a glimmer of hope in her heart.
Heero looked over to Trowa and called his name. "Is the baby okay?"
Trowa leaned over the cradle and reached his arms in. "As far as I can tell, she's fine." He replied, lifting Helen out of the cradle.
Hilde laughed despite her injuries, so happy that her baby was okay. Then she looked over at Duo. "What about Duo?"
But Heero didn't need to answer. Hilde watched as Wufei cut the ropes that held Duo to the chair. He put his arm around Duo and helped him to stand. "He looks terrible, but I think he'll be just fine." Heero replied. For a moment, Hilde thought she had seen a smile on his face, but she quickly threw out that idea. Heero never smiled.
"How did you find us?" Hilde asked, looking up at Heero.
"We put a tracking device on Duo before we left tonight. He didn't even know about it. It was small enough, so we put it in his braid." Heero replied as he took off the jacket he had been wearing and draped it around Hilde's shoulders.
She thanked him, then asked, "Then what took you so long?"
Heero answered as he helped her to her feet. "We didn't get back to the house until a few hours after you were taken. And when we got there, cops were all over the place. We went to the hospital and made sure Quatre was okay before we tried to sneak into the house to get the tracking equipment."
Hilde felt ashamed, she hadn't even thought to ask if Quatre was all right. "Is Quatre okay?"
"The doctors say he'll be fine. The bullet lacerated his liver, which caused most of the blood loss. But the damage hadn't been that bad." Heero said, as they walked over to Duo and Wufei. Trowa was also approaching them, carrying Helen in his arms. He looked uncomfortable holding the infant, as if he thought he might break her.
Once she was close enough, she took Helen from Trowa. Her tears flowed forward, so happy to see her baby daughter again. Duo, wrapped his arm around her. They were a family again.
In an instant, her thoughts of a happy family were shattered once again. Duo shoved her aside. She fell into Heero's arms, holding Helen tight to keep her from getting hurt. When she looked up at Duo, wondering why he had pushed her, she was shocked to see Michelle standing in front of him. Duo was clutching his chest, his hands around the blade of the knife imbedded in him. Michelle's hands fell away from the weapon and she slumped to the floor, a smile on her face.
Hilde watched as Duo stumbled backwards. Trowa caught him as he fell back. A short burst of blood came from his mouth as he coughed. It dripped down his chin as he lay in Trowa's arms.
"No!" Hilde screamed. Her world was collapsing. How could she lose him now that they had Helen back? Would she be able to raise their daughter alone?
The darkness overcame her as she passed out from the shock, from the blood loss. Her last thought was of Helen. She hoped she wouldn't drop her.
Chapter Thirteen
Hilde awoke in a strange room. She opened her eyes slowly and glanced around. It was a hospital room. She recalled the events that put her there, the torture, Duo's stabbing.
Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of him. She didn't even know if he was dead or not. The last thing she remembered was watching Michelle stab him, then him falling over with a knife in his chest.
"Hilde, you're awake." Quatre's voice said.
Hilde looked over and saw Quatre in the bed next to her. His chest was wrapped in bandages. "How are you?" She asked, pushing her tears away.
"I've felt better. But what about you? Are you okay?" He asked, as he slowly climbed from his bed. Just as slowly, he walked over to her.
"Just a little sore." She replied. "I don't think you should be up right now. Get back in bed."
"Do as the lady asked." A voice cut in, before Quatre could reply.
Hilde recognized it immediately and looked over to the door. Her heart nearly leapt when she saw Duo. He was sitting in a wheelchair being pushed into the room by Heero. In Duo's arms was Helen. Trowa walked behind them.
Once Heero and Duo were all the way in the room, Trowa walked around them and took hold of Quatre's arm. He helped the blonde back into his own bed and covered him with the blankets.
"We pulled some strings with the hospital staff to get you and Quatre in the same room. We couldn't get Duo's room anywhere near yours though. They said his condition was still too severe." Heero said.
"He shouldn't even be out of bed yet. But he wouldn't listen." Trowa replied.
"So, I wanted to make sure Hilde was okay. It's not that big a deal. I'm fine, really." Duo stated, as his wheelchair was pushed over to Hilde's bed.
Hilde smiled down at him, thrilled to see he was still alive. She couldn't think of anything to say. But Duo didn't seem to have that problem. "Michelle's dead. The doctors say that if the knife had entered my chest less than an inch to my left, I'd be dead." He smiled, although Hilde could see right through it. He was still shaken by what had happened.
"Where's Wufei?" Hilde asked, trying to lighten the situation.
"He went home." Heero answered.
"Now that you're not in danger, he doesn't see that he's needed here." Trowa replied, his arms folded across his chest, while he leaned against Quatre's bed.
"Finally, we don't have to worry about Natalie or Michelle anymore. We can get on with our lives." Duo said, reaching his hand out to Hilde.
She took hold of his hand, still smiling. "At last, we can get rid of our house guests." She replied, glancing at Heero and the others.
"We can take a hint." Heero said. "As soon as you both are back on your feet, we'll leave."
"But right now, you all need to rest." Trowa said, pulling Duo's wheelchair away from Hilde.
Hilde watched as Duo left, grateful that she hadn't lost him. As soon as they had left, she closed her eyes, finally able to sleep peacefully for the first time in months.
Epilogue
Five months had passed since they had gotten out of the hospital. Quatre bullet wound healed. Heero and the others had left, although they visited every now and then.
Duo looked down at his daughter. She was so beautiful, already looking so much like her mother. She was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys.
Duo sat on the floor across from her, picking up one of her toys. She smiled up at him and he smiled back. She grabbed the toy from his hand, laughing the entire time.
Hilde walked in, her belly already showing signs of the baby she carried. He could see the scar on the side of her face. It went all the way from her forehead to just below her jaw. It was just beside her hairline, but Duo didn't care about it. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
Duo pulled Hilde down onto his lap, being careful so as not to hurt her. He began tickling her, and soon, Helen was right along side him, doing the same. Their laughs were like music to his ears.
"Ganging up on me, huh?" Hilde said between laughs.
Duo took his hands away from her, pulling her up into an embrace. "I love you." He whispered.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I love you." She replied.
They kissed, Duo's tongue exploring Hilde's mouth, while her tongue explored his. But Duo broke it off when he felt a small hand on his leg. He looked down and saw Helen smiling up at him. He took his arms from around Hilde and picked his daughter up. "Oh, we love you too." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Duo had never been happier. His life was complete. In his mind he knew that the God of Death was dead. He had died the minute Michelle had rammed that knife in his chest. Now he was just Duo Maxwell, father, husband, friend. He was just a normal human being. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
The End
I hope you liked it. Please review this story and tell me if I should continue writing Gundam fics. I may be moving on to another show if I don't get enough reviews or emails.
Author's Note. Here it is, Part 3 of Love and Agony. Hope you all like it. It takes place after Duo's wounds have healed. He and Hilde are still very much in love.
Love and Agony
Part 3
Chapter One
Duo gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Literally, hundreds of scars marred what was once the smooth skin of his chest and back. It had been months since Duo had been kidnapped and tortured, but he still remembered the feel of the lash slicing into his skin. His wounds had healed long ago, but he couldn't forget the pain, he'd never forget.
He brushed his hand along one of the long, thin scars caused by the whip that had been used on him. He closed his eyes, and in his mind he saw Natalie standing before him, smiling her venomous grin, as she enjoyed the pain she inflicted on him. Her laugh cut into him like a knife, as he remembered her, the way her eyes flashed with rage as she brought the lash against his chest, ripping the flesh away.
Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he remembered her last minutes. She had just slashed his wrists open. Duo remembered that he was sure he was about to die, that he hoped Hilde would forgive him for dying. Natalie had stepped away from him, dropping her knife to the ground.
He had looked up at her, not knowing what to expect, as the blood flowed from his wrists. She ran around him to the winch, lowering him to the ground. He just lay there, completely exhausted. When she came back around to face him, Duo had seen a gun in her hand.
Then she began talking. "Your friends should get here soon."
"What?" Duo had asked, just barely able to talk.
"They're coming. I left a trail so obvious that any idiot could follow it." She leaned closer to him. "I'm afraid, I'm done with you. Hurting you, just isn't fun anymore. If you happen to survive, Duo Maxwell, don't think that your suffering will end. My sister will hurt you so bad, she'll make you wish you were dead."
She had stepped back away from him, and lifted the gun. For a moment, Duo had thought she might shoot him. But then she had raised the gun to her own head. An instant later a loud bang echoed throughout the room, and she slumped forward, the gun still in her hand.
Duo hadn't told his friends or Hilde about Natalie's last sentence. He didn't want them to worry. He knew that if he had told Heero or the others, that they would want to stay. But he couldn't live his life in fear of a threat that may never come.
He opened his eyes and looked at himself again. It had been months since any of that had happened, and still no new threats had been made. There had been no mysterious notes outside his door, no strange phone calls or anything. Nothing had happened, and Duo was thankful for that.
Duo turned away from the mirror, and walked into his bedroom. Quickly, he dressed then walked to the kitchen. Hilde stood by the stove, cooking. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Good morning." He said, kissing the back of her neck.
"Morning." She replied. "How do you want your eggs?"
"Any way you make them is fine, Baby." He reluctantly pulled his hands away from her and sat at the table.
"Then, scrambled it is." She said, as she went back to her cooking.
A few minutes later, both Duo and Hilde were eating their breakfast. Duo couldn't take his eyes off her. He loved watching her, no matter what she was doing. Her every move captivated him. She was an angel, his angel. If he had it his way, they would be together forever.
"Why are you staring?" She asked, smiling at him.
"I was just so enthralled by your beauty that I couldn't take my eyes off of you." He replied, smiling back at his lovely angel.
She blushed and looked away. "Oh stop." She giggled.
Duo remembered the plan he had for that night. A romantic dinner for two, some time alone. All he had to do was get her out of the house for a couple hours. Luckily, Howard was willing to help him with that. "So," Duo got up, finished with his food. "Howard told me that you're going to drive him to the Shopping District, since his car broke down."
"Yeah. He said that he needed to pick up something. It shouldn't take more than a few hours."
Duo smiled, glad that he was going to be able to get the house ready for the special evening he had planned. "Well, I should be getting to work. Those appliances won't fix themselves you know."
"Have a good day." Hilde replied as Duo gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
He went to the warehouse, but he wasn't really intending to do any work today. He just needed Hilde to think he was. Howard was waiting just inside. "Okay. You just have to keep her away until tonight."
"Shouldn't be a problem. I do have something to pick up, and I told my friend that I needed to keep someone busy for a while, so he's going to conveniently lose my package for a few hours." Howard, said as he pushed his sunglasses up.
"Good. Everything's going great." Duo replied, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. He hoped it would all turn out as good as he hoped.
Chapter Two
Hilde was tired. If she had known how long it would take Howard to pick up that package, she never would have agreed to drive him. It was a two-hour drive to get to the pick-up station it was sent to. She couldn't understand why it hadn't been sent to the station that was five minutes from his house and a lot closer to Duo's.
Then when they got there, they were told that it had been accidentally sent to another station. That was another three hours to drive there. And of course, that station had no record of a package for Howard. So they drove back to the first station. Then they waited around for three hours while they searched for the package.
At around noon, Howard went to go get some take-out. Hilde had thanked him, although she would rather have been at home, having lunch with Duo.
By the time she got back home, after taking Howard back to his place, Hilde was in a bad mood. She was surprised to see Duo waiting outside for her. He looked nervous about something, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Something wrong?" She asked, while she walked. Even though she was in a bad mood, that didn't mean she had to snap at Duo.
"I, uh, I have a surprise for you." He smiled as he took hold of her hand. "Close your eyes."
"Really Duo, I'm not in the mood for this." She said, trying to get past him.
He blocked her path. "Please. Just close your eyes."
She smiled, seeing that gleam in his eye. She wondered what he could possibly have to show her. "Okay." She replied, giving in.
Hilde closed her eyes. She felt Duo take hold of her hand and lead her into the house. There was a strange fragrance in the air, something she thought she should recognize. She could hear soft music playing in the background.
"Okay. Open your eyes." Duo said, letting go of her hand.
She opened them quickly, not knowing what to expect. The sight before her, instantly made her bad mood disappear. Roses, hundreds of red roses filled the living room. They were in vases along the floor, in arrangements around the room. A path of rose petals led to the kitchen table. On the table, was a candlelight dinner. Candles sat along the kitchen counter, illuminating the room.
Hilde put her hands to her mouth as she gasped in delight. It was so beautiful, all those flowers, and the flickering of candles that left dancing shadows along the walls.
"Do you like it?" Duo asked, his face filled with hope.
"It's beautiful. But how . . ." She began, but Duo didn't let her finish.
"It cost a bit to get all those roses. They're not real cheap you know. But money doesn't matter as long as you're happy." He smiled and grasped her hand once again. He led her over to the table.
She smiled as he pulled her seat out for her. She giggled as she watched him. Duo never acted like this. Usually, he was playful and energetic. But now, he was being so sweet, so attentive.
He served dinner for her. She looked down at her plate, wondering if Duo had cooked it. Hopefully he hadn't, since she knew he was a terrible cook. This food actually looked edible though. "Did you make this?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't offend him.
"No." He replied as he sat across from her. "I hired someone to cook for us for tonight. I know you can't stand my cooking. Hell, I can't stand it." He laughed, and she laughed along with him.
"So, why did you go to all this trouble?" She asked, picking up her napkin and laying it across her lap.
She could see him blushing as he spoke. "We've been together for a while now, and I haven't really done anything special for you. I just thought that you deserved to have a special night."
Dinner was delicious. Afterwards, Duo cleared the table. He refused to let her help in any way, saying that it was her night off. She just sat at the table, listening to the soft sounds of the music coming from the stereo.
Duo held his hand out to her. "May I have the honor of this dance?" He asked, bowing slightly.
Hilde giggled as she took his hand in hers. She had never seen Duo acting like this. He was being so gentlemanly, so unlike the carefree Duo Maxwell that she knew.
They danced slowly. Hilde just enjoyed the feel of Duo's hands on her lower back as they moved to the music. She draped her arms around his neck, staring up into his beautiful blue eyes.
"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." He whispered.
Hilde could feel herself blushing, but didn't take her eyes away from his. "I love you, Duo Maxwell." She replied.
She saw the happiness in his eyes as he spoke. "I love you too, Baby."
Hilde pulled him closer to her, pressing her lips to his. Time seemed to stop as they explored each other's mouth with their tongues. Hilde no longer heard the music, no longer knew anything but the feel of Duo's lips, the taste of his mouth, the touch of his hands against her.
She didn't even realize that they had gone to Duo's room, until they pulled away from each other, feeling a need to breathe. Hilde's body ached to be near him, and she quickly pulled him back in for another kiss. His hands fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, while hers tugged at the T-shirt that was tucked in his pants.
They broke the kiss again, just long enough for Hilde to pull Duo's shirt over his head. She ran her hands along his bare skin, loving the feel of him. She could feel the scars, but she didn't care about them. Once Duo was finished with the buttons of her blouse, he pushed it off her shoulders and down her arms. It slipped to the floor by her feet.
They were moving again, and her legs hit Duo's bed. She sat on it, pulling Duo down along with her. Her hands were undoing his belt, unzipping his pants. He slid out of them quickly, also getting rid of his shoes and socks, while he helped Hilde out of her skirt.
He pulled away from her and stared deeply into her eyes. "You sure you want to do this?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied, and she pulled him back down to her. She wanted Duo more than anything, wanted to feel him inside of her. She had never been so sure of anything in her life.
Chapter Three
Hilde awoke, her arms wrapped around the man she loved. Her head rested on his chest. She never wanted to leave that bed, but knew that she would have to eventually.
She remembered every detail of their wonderful night together. The way he had decorated the house with those roses, the candlelight dinner, it had all been perfect. Then, they had made love for the first time. Of course, since she was a virgin, it was quite painful when he first entered her. It felt as if she were being split in two, and she couldn't keep her tears away, couldn't stop from crying out.
When she had looked up at Duo, she had seen him crying along with her. He was sorry for the pain he had caused her, and repeated an apology many times over. But as he continued to push himself in and out of her, slowly at first, the pain had lessened, and eventually the pleasure she felt was wonderful. She never thought that anything could feel so good, and she had told that to Duo.
Hilde lifted her head from Duo's chest. She looked at his sleeping form. He was so wonderful. His long, silky hair surrounded his head. Hilde remembered undoing his braid sometime last night, but couldn't be sure of when. She traced her fingers over his jaw, along the side of his face. Gently, she brushed his bangs away from his eyes. He was so handsome, the cutest guy she had ever met.
She watched as his eyes opened, locking onto hers after a few seconds. He smiled at her. "Good morning." She said.
"Morning." He replied and pulled her into his arms. Her body was still a little sore from last night, and she unintentionally let out a hiss of pain. He looked at her, concerned. "I'm sorry. Maybe we shouldn't have done that yet." He looked away from her, as if he was ashamed that he had caused her any pain.
"No. It was wonderful. I'm a little sore now, but that will go away." She hooked a finger under his chin and brought his gaze back to her eyes. "I love you Duo. I'm glad we made love last night."
"Aw Hilde, I love you too. I just hate the fact that I hurt you."
"It would have happened eventually. You couldn't have prevented it." She replied. She pulled one of Duo's sheets around her as she stood. She looked back at the bed and saw the blood stain on it. She could feel the sticky blood on the inside of her thighs. She smiled down at Duo. "I'm going to go take a shower. Then, we can change your sheets."
"Why don't I join you?" Duo replied, as he got up and pulled the sheet away from her. "No need to be shy around me, Baby. I've already seen you naked."
She laughed and pulled him into another kiss. "Well, come on then." She said, pulling him toward the bathroom.
The shower ended with Hilde against a wall and Duo behind her, pushing himself once again inside of her. She enjoyed every moment of it, the feel of him inside of her, the pleasure he caused her with his every move. After they had both reached their climax, repeatedly for Hilde, they got cleaned up once again.
"You okay, Baby?" Duo asked as he rubbed a towel over Hilde's body.
"You don't have to ask me that after every time we make love." She replied. "I'm fine."
"That was the first time I asked." He grinned.
"I know you, Duo. You'd ask every time."
"Maybe, but only because I care about you." He wrapped the towel around her.
"And I appreciate it, really I do. But I'll be fine. You don't have to worry." She turned to him, and ran her fingers through his long hair. "I'm going to get dressed." She sighed as she took her hand away. She hated leaving his side, even for a minute.
Chapter Four
The weeks passed quickly for Duo, turning into months. He had Hilde, and she loved him. Every morning he woke up with her in his arms. He was happy, truly happy.
Duo paced, waiting for Hilde to get back from wherever she had gone to that morning. She had just left a few hours ago, telling him that she'd be back soon. He was beginning to worry. It wasn't like Hilde to just leave without saying where she was heading.
Then he saw her car pull up. He let out a sigh, knowing that she was okay. She had a huge smile on her face. She looked so happy and it made him happy to see that smile.
She skipped to the front door and Duo met her outside. "Oh, Duo." She exclaimed, sounding so happy. "I have wonderful news." She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight.
Then all his happiness was shattered as a shot pierced the silence of the afternoon. He fell backward, as a force knocked him over. He could feel a warm liquid soaking into his shirt and looked down. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Hilde. She was just lying on top of him, not moving. Duo rolled her over onto her back, and his eyes bulged when he saw the blood, the hole in the side of her shirt. There was so much blood and it was coming from her.
"Hilde?" He cried, hoping that she could still hear him. "You're going to be okay. I won't let you die." He pressed his hands to the wound in her side, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.
Howard came running out of the warehouse. When he saw Hilde, he ran to the house and called an ambulance. "Help is on the way." He said as he knelt beside Duo.
When the ambulance finally did arrive, Howard had to force him away, so that the paramedics could get to her. He didn't want to leave her side, didn't want her to be alone. He watched in shock as she was loaded into the ambulance. Then he climbed in after her.
At the hospital, she was taken to the ER. "You should let me take a look at that." A doctor suggested as he pointed to Duo's side.
Duo looked down and saw the hole in his own shirt, the blood that was flowing from a wound in his side. He hadn't even felt it, hadn't even noticed he was hurt. "No. I won't go anywhere until I find out if she's okay." He replied.
"You won't do her any good if you bleed to death." The doctor said, gently pulling on Duo's arm.
Duo followed, not really caring about what happened to him. Hilde was hurt, possibly dying. His world was slowly crumbling around him. His own health didn't matter if he lost Hilde. He would be as good as dead without her anyway.
His own wound was barely anything. The bullet had just grazed him, leaving a scratch. While the doctor bandaged the wound, Duo looked down at himself. He was covered in blood, not only his, but Hilde's as well. The blood covered his clothes, his hands.
The doctor finished with his bandages. "Why don't you get cleaned up?" He suggested. He continued to talk, but Duo didn't hear anymore.
Chapter Five
For hours he sat in the waiting room, the blood cleaned off his hands, but not his clothes. Finally, a doctor walked over to him. He jumped to his feet, hoping that Hilde was okay. "How is she?" He asked.
"She's stable. She was very lucky. The bullet missed all of her vital organs. And the baby will be just fine."
Duo felt like a brick wall had hit him. "Baby?" He asked, shocked. "She's pregnant?"
The doctor looked at him curiously. "You didn't know?"
"That must be what she was going to tell me today. She looked so happy." He mumbled, not really talking to the doctor.
"If you want, you can go see her. We've moved her to a private room, number 2146." The doctor said.
Duo didn't know if the doctor had anything else to say, and he really didn't care. Once he knew what room she was in, he ran down the hall. He didn't stop until he found the room.
Then as he stood outside the door, he got incredibly nervous. Hilde was everything to him. He didn't know if he could handle it if she blamed him for getting shot. He swallowed and opened the door, knowing that he couldn't just wait outside all day.
She looked so small, lying in that hospital bed, so fragile. Duo blamed himself for this. If he hadn't gotten involved with her, she would be fine. She never would have been hurt if he hadn't fallen in love with her. The God of Death strikes again, he thought, as the tears fell from his eyes.
Duo slowly stepped over to her bed. He gently picked up her hand, being careful not to disturb her IV, or any of the other equipment that was hooked up to her. "I'm so sorry Hilde." He said. "This is all my fault."
She just lay there, unconscious. In his heart he hoped that she could forgive him for causing her pain, for getting her hurt. And if the bullet had hit her just a few inches to the side, the baby would have been killed.
Once again Duo felt that he didn't deserve happiness. Everyone he loved had either died or left him. And soon Hilde would leave. There was no way she could still love him after this. She could have lost the baby and it was all his fault, for being the God of Death, for not telling her about Natalie's threat.
He stayed by her side all day and night. He wanted to be there when she woke up. He had to apologize, had to see if she could possibly forgive him.
Behind him, the door opened as someone walked in. A moment later, he heard Quatre talking to him. "How is she?" He asked.
"She's still asleep. She lost a lot of blood, but she's going to be fine." He replied, without taking his eyes away from Hilde. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. When Howard called, I rushed here as fast as I could." Quatre replied, placing his hand on Duo's shoulder, firmly.
Duo turned and looked up at him. "Quatre, she's pregnant." Duo blurted out. He felt like he had to tell someone, anyone.
"Did she lose it?" Quatre asked, his eyes reflecting sadness and fear.
"No. The doctors say she's very lucky." Duo replied.
"How far along is she?"
Duo closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't know. I just found out yesterday. The doctors told me she was pregnant. I think that's what she wanted to tell me yesterday when . . ." He suddenly couldn't continue. His words just locked in his throat.
Quatre wrapped his arms around Duo, holding him tight. Normally, Duo would shrug him off, pretend that he didn't need the comfort. But now, he just let himself go, his tears falling from his face as Quatre consoled him silently.
"She was so happy, Quatre." Duo cried onto his friend's shoulder. "She was so happy and then she was shot, bleeding in my arms. It's all my fault."
"How can it possibly be your fault?" Quarter asked, still holding Duo close.
"If I hadn't fallen for her, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be hurt. Everyone either leaves me or dies. The God of Death doesn't deserve to ever be happy. I've always known that." Duo replied, pulling away from Quatre. He stared down at the floor, his tears still falling from his eyes.
"Duo, you can't think like that. Hilde loves you more than anything. She wouldn't want to hear you talking like that." Quatre said.
"He's right, Duo. I don't want to hear you talk like that." Hilde's weak voice replied from behind him.
Duo spun in his seat, turning his attention back to Hilde. He was so relieved to see her awake. But his heart ached when he looked at her. He felt so guilty, so ashamed that she had been hurt because of him.
He took hold of her hand, holding it gently. "I'm so sorry Hilde."
She smiled weakly. "There's no reason for you to be sorry." She looked down at herself, as if she had suddenly remembered something. She put her hands to her stomach and tears formed in her eyes.
Duo saw this, and he knew immediately that she was thinking of the baby. "The baby's fine Hilde." Duo stated.
She looked up at him. "You know?"
"The doctor told me. He thought I already knew." Duo said, once again taking hold of her hand.
"Duo, who did this?" Hilde asked, a tear falling to her pillow.
Duo bowed his head. He was afraid to tell her about Natalie's threat. He should have just told her months ago, but he hadn't wanted her to worry.
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Quatre asked, his hand on Duo's shoulder.
"I didn't tell you guys everything that Natalie said before she died. She told me that her sister would hurt me so bad that I would wish I were dead." He said, his eyes remaining fixed on the floor.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Hilde asked.
Duo couldn't bring himself to look at her. She must hate him so much. "I knew that if I had said anything, that the guys never would have left. And I didn't want Hilde to worry."
"Quatre, could you give me and Duo some time alone?" Hilde asked.
Quatre replied, right before he left the room. "Sure Hilde."
"Duo, look at me." Hilde ordered, her voice still weak.
Duo looked up at her, uneasily. "I'm sorry." He said, before even knowing that he had opened his mouth.
"There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I know that you were only trying to protect me from fear of losing you, of worrying if there was still someone out to get you or not. This is not your fault." She reached her hand out and Duo took hold of it.
He smiled slightly and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "You're not angry at me?"
"I admit, at first I was. But I can never stay mad at you Duo. I love you too much." She smiled and weakly pulled him toward her.
He kissed her gently on the lips, then pulled away from her. His eyes drifted to her stomach. "So, I'm going to be a father?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face.
She laughed once, then clutched her side in pain. But still, she smiled. "Yes, Dad."
"Then I guess I'm going to have to make an honest woman out of you." He said, taking her hand in his once again. "I know I don't have a ring, and this isn't really the most romantic of places, but you take what you can get. Will you marry me, Baby?"
"Of course I will." She replied, her face seeming to glow with her happiness.
Duo wanted to pick her up and swing her around in his arms, he was so happy. But he knew she was in no condition for that. There would be plenty of time for that later, once she was out of the hospital.
Still, he was too happy to just do nothing. He jumped to his feet, and ran to the door. Once outside, he searched the hall for someone, anyone, so that he could tell them the news. He saw Quatre standing a few feet away. Beside him were Trowa, Heero, and Howard. So was Wufei surprisingly. Howard must have finally been able to get in touch with him. They all must have just arrived.
Duo ran up to them. He grabbed onto Quatre's arms and pulled him into a tight embrace. Then he did the same to each of the other pilots and Howard. They all looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Have you gone insane?" Heero glared, pushing Duo away from him.
"She said yes!" Duo exclaimed, a huge smile on his face.
"Who said yes?" Trowa asked calmly. "And to what?"
He grabbed Trowa's shoulders and stared directly at him. "Hilde said yes. She's going to marry me."
Quatre threw his arms around Duo, knocking Trowa out of his grasp. "I'm so happy for you." He said as he cried.
"Please, Quatre. I need to breathe." Duo said, trying to pry the blonde off of him.
Quatre apologized and backed away. A hand slapped Duo on the back and he turned to see Howard smiling at him. "Congratulations, Duo."
Duo looked to Quatre. "Did you tell them?"
"About Hilde?" Quatre asked.
Duo nodded. "Did you?"
"No. I really didn't think it was my place to say anything. I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell other people or not." Quatre replied.
"Hell ya, I want to tell other people. I want to tell as many people as I can." Duo replied, that huge grin once again on his face.
Heero leaned over to Trowa and asked, "Are we missing something?"
"Seems that way." Trowa replied.
Duo looked over at them. "Not only are Hilde and I getting married, but we're also having a baby. Well, actually she's having the baby."
Heero's mouth dropped open and he seemed to be in shock. Trowa just stood there, calm as usual. Wufei huffed, "Just what we need, another one of you."
Duo just glared at him, not saying a word. "I'm happy for you, Duo." Heero said after he had finally come back to his senses.
"Well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go kiss my fiancé." Duo said as he turned and ran back to Hilde's hospital room.
Chapter Six
The wedding day had come and gone. It was a simple ceremony, held in a small church. Hilde had thought that Duo looked absolutely gorgeous in his tuxedo, waiting for her by the altar. Heero was his best man and the other pilots were groomsmen.
The bridesmaids were Relena, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally, and Noin. Although she hadn't known Noin all that well, she didn't want to exclude anyone. Besides, it wasn't as if she had many friends. Relena had been the maid of honor.
At the reception, Duo had made her relax, seeing as she had only recently gotten out of the hospital and hadn't regained her full strength yet. She had convinced him to let her dance a few times, although it took a lot of persuasion.
Relena had been the one to catch the bouquet. She immediately turned to Heero and smiled. Everyone knew that they had been seeing each other for a while, although they never admitted it. Heero had seemed extremely nervous for the rest of the night.
And Quatre had caught the garter. His face had turned a bright crimson, and he looked as if he were about to faint. Everyone had a good laugh, seeing the embarrassment on his face.
Hilde remembered that day with a smile as she flipped through the photo album on the table. It hadn't been that long ago, only six months, about a month after she got out of the hospital, but she just enjoyed seeing all the happy faces. Of course, she saw most of those faces every day, since the other pilots had decided to move in until Natalie's sister was found, and they were sure it was safe.
Hilde felt the house had become too crowded, but she didn't want to be rude and tell them all to get out. They were friends, after all. And they had been kind enough to let her and Duo have a week alone after the wedding. Duo had wanted to give her a proper honeymoon, but Heero had said it would be too dangerous.
After seven months, nothing had happened. No one had taken any more shots at her. There were no threats, no mysterious notes, nothing. Hilde was beginning to wonder if anything would happen. They weren't even sure if it had been Natalie's sister that had shot her. But who else could it have been?
Hilde let out a laugh, seeing a picture of Quatre just after he had caught the garter. His face was beet red as he stared down at the flimsy piece of cloth in his hands. He looked positively terrified, as if it truly meant that he had to get married next.
"What you laughing about, Baby?" Duo asked, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. He began massaging her aching muscles, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Just looking at the wedding pictures." She replied, thoroughly enjoying the way he was rubbing her back.
"Again? You do that almost every day." He took his hands away. She wished he hadn't stopped.
"Well, I enjoy it." She closed the photo album. Hilde put her hand on the table and struggled to stand. Duo was right there behind her, helping her up. "Thanks." She replied, placing her hands to her lower back as she wobbled into the living room.
She had gotten quite big the past few months. Duo was constantly joking about how much weight she had put on during her pregnancy. Sometimes he really did annoy her, but she wouldn't have him any other way. Duo Maxwell, her husband was still the greatest guy in the world. He always worried about her first, and was always there to lend her a hand.
"You sure you guys are comfortable out here?" Hilde asked their house guests as she walked into the living room.
Quatre looked up at her from his cot. "You've asked us that every night for six months. We're fine Hilde."
"You sure you won't be more comfortable in my old room? I know it's a nursery now, but a few of you could use it rather than have everyone crowd out here."
"And be able to hear you and Duo in the next room? I don't think so." Heero replied, a smirk appearing on his face for a moment before disappearing again.
"It's not like we can do anything right now." Hilde answered, placing her hands on her belly.
She turned and caught a glimpse of Duo sticking his tongue out at Heero. Sometimes he still acted so childish, but he had matured a lot the past few months. He was all she could ever want in a husband, attentive, loving. He was just great.
"Goodnight." She said, before leaving the living room.
"Goodnight." She heard Quatre, Trowa, and Heero say. But she heard nothing from Wufei. He never said goodnight, so she had gotten used to it by now.
Hilde felt Duo's arms wrap around her, helping her along if only a little. Once in the bedroom, she changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed. Duo slid in beside her, once again wrapping his arms around her. She lay her head down on his chest falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
Chapter Seven
Duo woke up with a start, hearing his name being called. He looked over to Hilde, who was leaning against the headboard of the bed. "You okay?" He asked.
He immediately saw the way she was breathing and knew what was happening before she actually said it. "It's time. My water broke." She said between breaths.
"Oh shit!" He shouted and fell out of bed. He jumped up and threw on whatever clothes he could find, not caring how he looked. His hair hung around him loose, having come undone some time during the night.
Hilde however, was dealing with it so much better. She put on a clean nightgown, without rushing. She was waiting by the door while he was struggling to pull his pants on. "I'll be waiting in the car for you." She said, as she walked out the door.
He finally got his pants on, just after she had left. He heard her curse from outside. "Damn, that hurt."
Duo ran after her, and helped her the rest of the way. When they reached the living room, the guys jumped out of their cots, except for Wufei, who just seemed annoyed at being awakened in the middle of the night.
"What's going on?" Quatre asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"It's time." Duo said as he took Hilde out to the car. He heard the others behind him, scrambling to get dressed. But he was sure that Wufei was taking his time.
Once he and Hilde were in the car, Duo fumbled trying to get the keys into the ignition. Hilde placed her hand on his knee. "Just get us there in one piece." She said and then another contraction hit her and she dug her nails into his leg. He clenched his teeth to keep from crying out, as the sharp pain spread through his leg.
Duo slammed on the brakes outside the hospital. He helped Hilde out of the car. A hospital orderly quickly arrived with a wheelchair and Hilde sat in it. Duo stayed by her side. He was beside her, holding her hand as she gave birth to their child.
He ran out of the room, still wearing the hospital gown the doctors had made him put on. Tears were streaming down his face as he approached Quatre and the others. "It's a girl!" He exclaimed.
Quatre burst into tears as he wrapped his arms around Duo. Heero and the others slapped him on the back, congratulating him. Wufei just stood against the wall. "Congratulations." Wufei said calmly, although it didn't sound as if he really meant it.
Duo pushed Quatre away from him. He turned. "I'll be with my family if you need me." Duo said happily, for the first time able to actually say he had a family.
Chapter Eight
Hilde pulled on her robe and slowly got out of her hospital bed. She didn't care what the doctors said. She was getting up, she was going to see her daughter. In her mind, she had rested long enough.
Shortly after she had given birth, someone asked her what they were going to name her. Hilde had asked Duo what he wanted to call her. He had looked down for a moment, and when he brought his eyes back to hers, he said that he wanted to name her Helen.
Hilde remembered that Helen had been the name of the nun at the Maxwell Church, the one that had taught Duo how to braid his hair. She had meant a lot to him, and her death and the death of the Reverend and the others had hurt him greatly.
"Of course we can name her Helen." She had said. Hilde was rewarded with a kiss from Duo.
Now she walked through the hallway of the hospital. Duo came up beside her. His hair was once again in a braid. "What are you doing out of bed?" He asked.
"I want to see Helen." She answered. Duo took hold of her hand and walked along with her.
As they approached the window to the nursery, Hilde's eyes looked over all the babies. She pressed her hand to the glass, still looking for Helen. Her eyes locked on a tiny, empty crib. The sticker on the front identified the crib as belonging to Helen.
Hilde's heart pounded in her chest, when she saw that there was an envelope in the crib. "Where's our baby?" She asked, turning to Duo.
Duo turned and grabbed a nurse that was passing by, heading to the nursery. Hilde recognized her, she had seen the woman around the hospital often. "Where's our baby?" He asked her, his fist tightly clutching her uniform.
"Please, Mr. Maxwell. If you will just unhand me, I'll go and check." The nurse replied.
Duo released his grip, and Hilde watched as the nurse entered the nursery and walked over to the empty crib. She picked up the envelope and looked around. She ran back out and handed Duo the note. Then she ran to the nearest phone.
Hilde watched as Duo opened the envelope and pulled out the note that was inside. His eyes went wide, and Hilde grabbed the note from him. As her eyes scanned over the words, she spoke them out loud. "Now, Duo Maxwell, your suffering will truly begin."
She felt as if her whole world had shattered. The note fell from her hand. Everything around her began spinning. She grabbed onto Duo, throwing her arms around him as her body was racked with sobs. He was the only thing keeping her from screaming. She would shed tears, but she couldn't break down completely. She had to keep herself together, if only for his sake. She knew he would blame himself for this, and she couldn't let him think that way. They sank to the floor together, holding tightly to each other.
Chapter Nine
Duo's heart ached at the sight of Hilde in his arms. Her body shook as she sobbed onto his chest. Reading that note had felt like a knife through his heart. Now they just sat there on the floor. Duo couldn't bring himself to move, like he had lost all control of his body. His own tears fell from his eyes as he blamed himself for Helen's disappearance. If he hadn't been the God of Death, none of this would have happened.
The police arrived, but neither of them moved. They remained sitting on the floor, holding on to each other as if their lives depended on it. Eventually, Duo felt himself being helped to his feet. He looked to see an officer taking him over to a chair. Hilde remained in his arms the entire way to the seats, and they sat beside each other.
Heero walked up to him and hour later. The others were right behind him. Hilde was back in her room, sedated. The doctors were worried about her health and didn't want her to get too excited.
"She's gone." Duo said, trying to keep his tears away.
"What do you mean? Who?" Quatre asked, his voice already beginning to quaver.
Duo looked up at them, his body trembling as he forced himself to speak. "Natalie's sister finally showed up. She took our baby, our Helen."
Heero's hand clasped his shoulder tightly. "What?" he gasped.
"Are you sure it was Natalie's sister?" Trowa asked, his usual calmness gone. Duo could hear fear in his voice.
"She left a note. It said that now my suffering would truly begin." He felt a hot tear run down his face, but didn't brush it away.
"Where's Hilde?" Quatre asked, his own tears streaming down his face.
"They took her back to her room and sedated her." Duo answered, then he buried his face in his hands.
"We'll find her, Duo." Heero said. "We'll get your daughter back."
Duo didn't lift his head, didn't look at his friend's face to see if he was just trying to cheer him up. He knew that Heero wouldn't rest until Helen was back, safe and sound.
Chapter Ten
Hilde walked through the hallway of her house. She opened the door to one room and looked in. The sight of the baby furniture, the pink and blue wallpaper, was almost too much for her. It had been weeks since Helen was taken. There had been no ransom demands, nothing.
There was an empty space in Hilde's heart as she looked at the nursery that Duo and the guys had built for her. It had been her old room at one time. But all her furniture had been replaced by all the stuff a baby would need, a cradle, a rocking chair, a tiny dresser.
Hilde clutched the doorframe, trying not to cry. Strong arms grasped her shoulders and she turned and buried her face in her husband's chest. He just held her there for the longest time. Then he draped his arm around her and led her back to their bedroom.
It was the middle of the night and Hilde was ashamed that she had awakened Duo. She had tried to be quiet, she didn't want Duo to know what she did almost every night while he slept. She couldn't sleep anymore, not when she wanted to anyway.
Her heart, her Helen had been taken from her. There was nothing that could fix that, except getting her back. She knew the guys were trying to find her. But there weren't any clues to go by. All Heero had been able to find out by hacking into police records was the name of Natalie's sister, Michelle. Other than that, there was nothing. All her records stopped after Natalie's death. It was like she just didn't exist anymore.
All the guys were looking for Michelle now, except for Quatre who had stayed behind to keep guard. He was standing outside the bedroom door, and opened it as Duo led her to the room. She wondered when he had gotten there. He hadn't been there when she left the room.
Hilde stopped beside Quatre, not letting Duo help her any further. She looked up at him and said, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
"You should be resting Hilde. We'll find Helen." Quatre replied, placing his hand on her arm, but Hilde could see the doubt in his eyes.
Hilde smiled at him, not knowing if she could believe that anymore. Helen was gone and no one knew where Michelle was. Hilde's hope was beginning to fade as the days continued without any sign of finding Helen.
Quatre removed his hand from her arm, while Duo once again led her into the bedroom. She heard the door gently close shut behind her. Hilde climbed into bed slowly, while Duo slid in next to her. He pulled the thin blanket up over them, tucking it around her to make her more comfortable. She curled up against Duo, holding him close, with her head against his chest. He ran his fingers through her short hair, as he whispered to her. "Everything will be okay, Baby. Everything will be okay."
Before Hilde could answer, a loud crash came from the living room. Both she and Duo jumped to their feet and ran out. Hilde was terrified, when she saw Quatre lying on the floor, blood pooling around his body. She ran to his side, while Duo took Quatre's weapon, which had been lying on the floor near his hand.
Hilde turned Quatre over onto his back. She was relieved to see he was still breathing. But the wound to his chest didn't look too good. He had been shot, but she hadn't heard a gun go off. Whoever had done it must have had a silencer.
She grabbed the nearest phone and dialed for an ambulance. Hopefully they would get there soon. Quatre definitely needed help quickly. She put the phone down and turned her attention back to Quatre.
A loud thump, caused Hilde to jump. She looked over and saw Duo lying on the ground. "Duo?!" She called out, nearly frantic.
"Oh, he can't hear you right now." A strange voice replied.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Hilde asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer to both those questions.
"Duo Maxwell has to suffer for what he's done. And I am the one that will make that happen." A woman with extremely short, fiery, red hair stepped out of the shadows behind Duo. Hilde knew for sure that this was Michelle, Natalie's sister. She had the same hair, and the face was so similar to Natalie's, although Hilde had only seen Natalie for a few seconds, after the woman had already killed herself.
Hilde stood, facing Michelle. "Where's my baby?" She asked.
"Safe, for now." Michelle answered as she stepped toward Hilde, raising a gun toward her.
"What are you going to do?" Hilde asked, her voice quavering with her fear.
Michelle replied with a sinister grin. "Make him suffer."
An instant later, Hilde felt a sharp pain in her arm. She looked down and saw a small dart sticking out of her arm. Her head began to spin as the tranquilizer took effect. Everything around her went black as she felt herself falling to the floor.
Chapter Eleven
Duo's head throbbed. In an instant the events of last night came flooding back to his mind. He forced his eyes open, his heart pounding in fear. Hilde could be hurt, Quatre could be dead.
When his eyes finally focused, he saw that he wasn't in his house. He didn't know where he was. But then he saw Hilde across from him. Her wrists were in shackles, and she was suspended from a chain. Her feet just barely touched the floor under her. Her head was slumped forward. Her nightgown was gone, leaving her just in her underwear. But what really scared Duo was that Hilde was covered in blood. He could see the numerous cuts on her stomach and upper chest.
He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't. He looked down at himself, and saw the ropes around his body, binding him to the chair he sat on. His mind screamed that Hilde needed help. Duo struggled against the ropes, trying to get himself free, but it was no use. The ropes were too tight.
"You should really stop struggling, you'll only hurt yourself. And that's my job." A woman's voice replied.
Duo looked and saw a woman walking toward him. By the color of her hair and the resemblance to Natalie, Duo was sure that she was Michelle. "What did you do to Hilde?" Duo demanded.
"She's not hurt too bad. Not yet, at least. I just needed to occupy my time until you woke up." She said, as she reached out to him. Her fingers brushed against his cheek lightly. Then, quickly, she scratched his cheek open with her nails.
A thought entered Duo's mind, as he hissed in pain. "Where's my baby?" He asked.
Michelle pointed to one side of the room. Duo looked and saw a cradle sitting against the wall. "She's fine. Such a cute little girl. Maybe I won't kill her, like I planned to."
Duo looked back over to Hilde when he heard her moan. She was waking up. Her head slowly lifted and Duo could see the deep bleeding gash in the left side of her face, near her hairline. It looked as if Michelle had just traced the edge of Hilde's face with a knife, as it went from her forehead all the way past her jaw.
Anger welled up inside of Duo, seeing his beloved Hilde hurt. He wanted to reach out and strangle Michelle, to kill her. But the ropes prevented him from doing anything. Still, he struggled against the ropes that bound him to the chair.
An impact to his stomach, stopped his struggles. He gasped for breath as he looked down and saw Michelle's fist pull away from him. Finally able to draw in a breath, he glared up at Michelle and spat at her.
She merely smiled as she wiped the spit from her face with the back of her hand. "That wasn't very nice." She said. Michelle reached around her back and pulled out a knife. "I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson."
She slid the blade along his face, not cutting into him yet. She ran it down past his face, over his neck, and down to his bare chest. Right now, Duo wished he wore more than just shorts to bed that night, but he kept that thought to himself. His eyes were fixed on the blade as she moved it up to his left shoulder.
"I see my sister caused you considerable pain already." Michelle said as she ran her other hand over the scars on his chest. "Let's see if I can cause you more."
Michelle thrust her hand forward, pushing the blade deep into his arm. Duo bit his lip to keep from crying out. She pulled the blade out, then stepped back, looking him over. Duo just glared up at her. "Get on with it." He said, not caring what she did to him.
"As you wish." She replied, smiling again.
This time, she took her time with him. Michelle slowly, cut into his skin with her knife. She slid her knife along each scar on his chest, cutting them open. With each cut, he winced, not wanting to give her the pleasure of hearing him scream. But it was hard to keep his mouth shut, when he kept hearing Hilde crying.
After about the third cut, she seemed to be getting bored with him. "You're not being any fun." She took a glance over at Hilde as Duo watched her. "Either you let out your screams, or I'll see if your wife is more fun."
Duo felt he had no choice. He didn't want her to hurt Hilde again. When Michelle cut into him, once again slicing another of his scars open, Duo didn't hold back. He let himself cry out. It wasn't a scream, but still it seemed to make Michelle happy enough.
After she had sliced all of the scars on his chest open, she took a step back to examine her work. His throat hurt so much, but not quite as much as his chest. His vision was blurry as he watched Michelle move away from him. He hung his head forward, ready to let the darkness overtake him.
His eyes snapped open when her hand connected with his bloody cheek. The scratches she had made stung at her slap, and he lifted his head quickly. "Don't fall asleep now, the fun has just begun."
Duo watched as she walked over to Hilde. His heart pounded in his chest, wondering what Michelle would do to her. As he watched, panic stricken, Michelle picked up a bucket that was on the floor near Hilde. She threw the contents of the bucket onto her. Hilde's screams echoed throughout the room and Duo wondered what had been in that bucket.
Michelle turned to Duo, once Hilde's screams had died down, although her body was still shivering severely. "Salt water can be agony when you have open cuts." Michelle said as she put the bucket down and picked up another that had been beside it. Again she tossed the contents onto Hilde. But this time she didn't scream, she only gasped as the plain water hit her. It washed away the salt water, but Duo was sure that it still hurt.
Duo could barely take it, watching Hilde being hurt. He screamed out at Michelle. "Leave her alone!"
"But this is all a part of your punishment Duo Maxwell. Seeing the one you love in pain is a wonderful way to make you suffer." Michelle replied, taking out her knife once again.
A shrill cry filled the room, and Duo looked over to the crib. His baby was crying, but no matter how much he wanted to rush over to her, he still couldn't get out of those ropes.
Michelle strolled over to the cradle, still holding the knife in her hand. "Damn kid, ruined my fun." She hissed.
Duo was racked with fear. It looked as if Michelle was going to do something to Helen. "No!" He screamed out, trying to stop her from hurting Helen.
Michelle didn't even look at him as she spoke. "Looks as if I will kill your baby, Duo. She ruined my fun."
As he watched, he felt himself growing drowsy. His sight was getting more and more blurry. No matter how much he struggled against the darkness that was invading his mind, he couldn't stop it. Eventually, everything went completely black as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter Twelve
Hilde had never felt such pain before in her entire life. Sure she had been hurt before, but nothing like this. She had never had salt water thrown at open wounds. It had felt like she was on fire, like she was burning alive.
She lifted her head and looked up at Duo, just as he yelled out, "No!"
Then she realized that she heard something else, the sound of a baby crying. She looked to where Duo had been looking, before he passed out, and saw Michelle walking toward a cradle. She still had her knife in her hand. Now she understood why Duo had been yelling.
"Don't hurt my baby." Hilde called out, her throat sore from her screams. She wanted to run over there and save Helen, but she knew she couldn't. She could barely reach the ground.
Hilde closed her eyes, not wanting to see her baby get hurt. Her tears stung her eyes as they came forward. She was sure that she would never see her daughter alive again. A moment later, Helen stopped crying. Hilde's heart was crushed, but she couldn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see if it was true or not, she didn't want to see if Helen was dead.
Her sobs were interrupted by the sound of a gun being fired. It was immediately followed by a loud thud, and the wonderful sounds of Helen crying again. Hilde forced herself to open her eyes and the sight before her, brought a smile to her face.
Michelle was lying on the floor, a pool of blood quickly spreading out around her. Her hand still clutched her knife, but her body didn't move. Hilde was glad to know she might dead, at the very least badly injured. At least she wouldn't hurt anyone else, wouldn't destroy anyone else's lives.
Hilde looked to the door, and saw Heero, his gun still smoking. Wufei and Trowa were right behind him. While Trowa went over to the cradle and Wufei walked over to Duo, Heero ran to help Hilde.
He dropped his gun to the floor and took out his lock picks. Quickly, he unlocked the shackles around her wrists. He caught her as she fell to the floor, holding her in his strong arms. He lowered her and set her down gently. "Are you all right?" He asked.
She shivered as she spoke. "My baby?" She asked, a glimmer of hope in her heart.
Heero looked over to Trowa and called his name. "Is the baby okay?"
Trowa leaned over the cradle and reached his arms in. "As far as I can tell, she's fine." He replied, lifting Helen out of the cradle.
Hilde laughed despite her injuries, so happy that her baby was okay. Then she looked over at Duo. "What about Duo?"
But Heero didn't need to answer. Hilde watched as Wufei cut the ropes that held Duo to the chair. He put his arm around Duo and helped him to stand. "He looks terrible, but I think he'll be just fine." Heero replied. For a moment, Hilde thought she had seen a smile on his face, but she quickly threw out that idea. Heero never smiled.
"How did you find us?" Hilde asked, looking up at Heero.
"We put a tracking device on Duo before we left tonight. He didn't even know about it. It was small enough, so we put it in his braid." Heero replied as he took off the jacket he had been wearing and draped it around Hilde's shoulders.
She thanked him, then asked, "Then what took you so long?"
Heero answered as he helped her to her feet. "We didn't get back to the house until a few hours after you were taken. And when we got there, cops were all over the place. We went to the hospital and made sure Quatre was okay before we tried to sneak into the house to get the tracking equipment."
Hilde felt ashamed, she hadn't even thought to ask if Quatre was all right. "Is Quatre okay?"
"The doctors say he'll be fine. The bullet lacerated his liver, which caused most of the blood loss. But the damage hadn't been that bad." Heero said, as they walked over to Duo and Wufei. Trowa was also approaching them, carrying Helen in his arms. He looked uncomfortable holding the infant, as if he thought he might break her.
Once she was close enough, she took Helen from Trowa. Her tears flowed forward, so happy to see her baby daughter again. Duo, wrapped his arm around her. They were a family again.
In an instant, her thoughts of a happy family were shattered once again. Duo shoved her aside. She fell into Heero's arms, holding Helen tight to keep her from getting hurt. When she looked up at Duo, wondering why he had pushed her, she was shocked to see Michelle standing in front of him. Duo was clutching his chest, his hands around the blade of the knife imbedded in him. Michelle's hands fell away from the weapon and she slumped to the floor, a smile on her face.
Hilde watched as Duo stumbled backwards. Trowa caught him as he fell back. A short burst of blood came from his mouth as he coughed. It dripped down his chin as he lay in Trowa's arms.
"No!" Hilde screamed. Her world was collapsing. How could she lose him now that they had Helen back? Would she be able to raise their daughter alone?
The darkness overcame her as she passed out from the shock, from the blood loss. Her last thought was of Helen. She hoped she wouldn't drop her.
Chapter Thirteen
Hilde awoke in a strange room. She opened her eyes slowly and glanced around. It was a hospital room. She recalled the events that put her there, the torture, Duo's stabbing.
Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of him. She didn't even know if he was dead or not. The last thing she remembered was watching Michelle stab him, then him falling over with a knife in his chest.
"Hilde, you're awake." Quatre's voice said.
Hilde looked over and saw Quatre in the bed next to her. His chest was wrapped in bandages. "How are you?" She asked, pushing her tears away.
"I've felt better. But what about you? Are you okay?" He asked, as he slowly climbed from his bed. Just as slowly, he walked over to her.
"Just a little sore." She replied. "I don't think you should be up right now. Get back in bed."
"Do as the lady asked." A voice cut in, before Quatre could reply.
Hilde recognized it immediately and looked over to the door. Her heart nearly leapt when she saw Duo. He was sitting in a wheelchair being pushed into the room by Heero. In Duo's arms was Helen. Trowa walked behind them.
Once Heero and Duo were all the way in the room, Trowa walked around them and took hold of Quatre's arm. He helped the blonde back into his own bed and covered him with the blankets.
"We pulled some strings with the hospital staff to get you and Quatre in the same room. We couldn't get Duo's room anywhere near yours though. They said his condition was still too severe." Heero said.
"He shouldn't even be out of bed yet. But he wouldn't listen." Trowa replied.
"So, I wanted to make sure Hilde was okay. It's not that big a deal. I'm fine, really." Duo stated, as his wheelchair was pushed over to Hilde's bed.
Hilde smiled down at him, thrilled to see he was still alive. She couldn't think of anything to say. But Duo didn't seem to have that problem. "Michelle's dead. The doctors say that if the knife had entered my chest less than an inch to my left, I'd be dead." He smiled, although Hilde could see right through it. He was still shaken by what had happened.
"Where's Wufei?" Hilde asked, trying to lighten the situation.
"He went home." Heero answered.
"Now that you're not in danger, he doesn't see that he's needed here." Trowa replied, his arms folded across his chest, while he leaned against Quatre's bed.
"Finally, we don't have to worry about Natalie or Michelle anymore. We can get on with our lives." Duo said, reaching his hand out to Hilde.
She took hold of his hand, still smiling. "At last, we can get rid of our house guests." She replied, glancing at Heero and the others.
"We can take a hint." Heero said. "As soon as you both are back on your feet, we'll leave."
"But right now, you all need to rest." Trowa said, pulling Duo's wheelchair away from Hilde.
Hilde watched as Duo left, grateful that she hadn't lost him. As soon as they had left, she closed her eyes, finally able to sleep peacefully for the first time in months.
Epilogue
Five months had passed since they had gotten out of the hospital. Quatre bullet wound healed. Heero and the others had left, although they visited every now and then.
Duo looked down at his daughter. She was so beautiful, already looking so much like her mother. She was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys.
Duo sat on the floor across from her, picking up one of her toys. She smiled up at him and he smiled back. She grabbed the toy from his hand, laughing the entire time.
Hilde walked in, her belly already showing signs of the baby she carried. He could see the scar on the side of her face. It went all the way from her forehead to just below her jaw. It was just beside her hairline, but Duo didn't care about it. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
Duo pulled Hilde down onto his lap, being careful so as not to hurt her. He began tickling her, and soon, Helen was right along side him, doing the same. Their laughs were like music to his ears.
"Ganging up on me, huh?" Hilde said between laughs.
Duo took his hands away from her, pulling her up into an embrace. "I love you." He whispered.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I love you." She replied.
They kissed, Duo's tongue exploring Hilde's mouth, while her tongue explored his. But Duo broke it off when he felt a small hand on his leg. He looked down and saw Helen smiling up at him. He took his arms from around Hilde and picked his daughter up. "Oh, we love you too." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Duo had never been happier. His life was complete. In his mind he knew that the God of Death was dead. He had died the minute Michelle had rammed that knife in his chest. Now he was just Duo Maxwell, father, husband, friend. He was just a normal human being. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
The End
I hope you liked it. Please review this story and tell me if I should continue writing Gundam fics. I may be moving on to another show if I don't get enough reviews or emails.