~~ Four Days Later
"QUATRE! COME HERE!!!" Rebekah screamed at the top of her lungs. Moments later he rushed into the room.
"WHAT?!?" he cried, "WHAT'S WRONG?!?!"
Rebekah flashed him a smile, "Nothing! Look who I'm talking to!!" She pointed at the screen.
"Hilde!" Quatre cried, "How are you?!"
Hilde gave him a smile, "I'm fine...I was just calling to show ya'll something." She held up Ashleigh.
"Meet Ashleigh Marie Maxwell."
Rebekah and Quatre instantly began to exclaim how cute she was.
"When was she born?" Quatre asked Hilde as Ashleigh yawned and opened her eyes. "She has Duo's eyes.." he commented.
"I know..she does." Hilde said glancing at Ashleigh. "She was born four days ago. I'm at home now.."
"Where is 'home'?" Rebekah asked casually.
"I'm not telling you.." Hilde said in a teasing tone. "And I probably should end this conversation because I
am sure that ya'll are trying to trace this call, correct?"
Rebekah and Quatre exchanged glances. "No comment." Quatre quiped. Hilde rolled her eyes, "Actually, I don't
care..I'm on L-3.." At that moment, Ashleigh choose to start crying. Hilde brought the baby to her shoulder
and began to pat her back and murming soft words. "Well..I gotta go...Ash needs me..buh-bye Blondie..bye Becky."
Rebekah glanced at Quatre, "Should we?" Quatre sighed and pulled her into a hug, "I don't know..but
Duo deserves to know.."
"And we do have the number..I mean, we traced it..we can call her back." Rebekah added, looking up
at her husband. Quatre nodded, "Go ahead..call 'im."
~~ L-2
Duo sighed as he heard the phone ring. "Who is it?" he muttered as he looked up from the forms he
had been filling out. *Something Hilde usually did for me..* he thought reluctantly as he walked over to
answer the persistant ring.
"Hullo?" Duo said as the screen blurred and began clear once more. He gave a small smile when
he saw who it was, Rebekah and Quatre. "Hey Quatre, Becky.."
"Hello Duo." The two replied together.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Duo asked with a sarcastic smile, "Nobody died did they?"
Rebekah and Quatre exchanged glances. "Actually.." Rebekah said softly, "Just the opposite happened...
someone was born." Duo raised his eyebrows, "Do I know 'em?" *Oh man..* he thought, *Could they be talking
about....*
"Ashleigh Marie Maxwell was born four days ago." Quatre said, hoping the news would not be too much
for his friend. "Hilde called us to tell us."
"We saw the baby.." Rebekah said timidly, "She has your eyes.."
Duo stood there, shocked. "She had the baby?" he said slowly, "She had *my* baby?" He ran his hands through
his hair. "She had *my* baby..and she called *you*?!"
"Duo..she called us because she's afriad to call you." Rebekah said softly.
"She said that?!" Duo cried, "WHY IS SHE AFRAID OF ME?! WHAT DID I DO?!"
"You just answered your own question." Quatre replied evenly. "This is what she's afraid of, Duo."
"Duo..she gave, well we have her number.." Rebekah said softly. "If you want to call her.."
Duo's head shot up. "WHAT is it?" he demanded. "Do you know where she is?"
"We're working on that." Quatre said softly, "But I'm not sure if we should tell you.."
Duo glared at them, "*Fine*.At least give me her number.."
~~Hilde's Apartment on L-3
"Oh drat that phone.." Hilde muttered under her breath. Gently she laid Ashleigh down in her cradle.
"Sweet dreams sweetheart.." She whispered softly as he bent down and kissed Ashleigh's cheek.
She raced into living room. With a scowl she answered it. "Hello?!"
"Hilde?" Duo asked softly.
"Duo?!" Hilde exclaimed, "What?! How?!?"
"Hil..baby..how are you?" Duo asked softly.
"Fine.." Hilde said slowly, "You?"
"Fine." There was a long, odd pause of silence. Finally Hilde broke it, "Well..did you hear?"
"About what? The baby?"
"Yeah.." Hilde looked down at her hands. "She was born four days ago--"
"I know..Quatre told me." Duo's eyes filled with hope, "Can I see her?"
Hilde gave him a small smile, "She's sleeping..I'll go get her in a lil bit though."
"Okay. So, how was she? Ya know, how long and all that good stuff?"
"She was 7 pounds and 2 ounces, she was 18 inches long.." Hilde sighed, "She's adorable Duo.
She has this headful of black fuzz..and she has--"
"My eyes?"
"Yeah..she has your eyes." Suddenly there was the sound of a baby crying. "I'll be right back." Hilde
called over her shoulder as she sprinted out of the room. Duo pulled up a chair and straddled it. *My baby..
that's my baby I'm hearing...my little girl...*
"Ssshh..ssshh baby girl." Hilde whispered soothingly as she picked up Ashleigh.
"It's okay..Momma's right here...Momma's right here baby.." Gently she patted Ashleigh's back.
"We're gonna go see Daddy..." she whispered walking out to the living room. She held back a sigh
as she gently sat down in the chair in front of the screen. Slowly she moved the baby until she
was facing the screen. "Duo, meet Ashleigh Marie Maxwell; your daughter. Ashleigh, meet your Daddy;
Duo Maxwell."
"QUATRE! COME HERE!!!" Rebekah screamed at the top of her lungs. Moments later he rushed into the room.
"WHAT?!?" he cried, "WHAT'S WRONG?!?!"
Rebekah flashed him a smile, "Nothing! Look who I'm talking to!!" She pointed at the screen.
"Hilde!" Quatre cried, "How are you?!"
Hilde gave him a smile, "I'm fine...I was just calling to show ya'll something." She held up Ashleigh.
"Meet Ashleigh Marie Maxwell."
Rebekah and Quatre instantly began to exclaim how cute she was.
"When was she born?" Quatre asked Hilde as Ashleigh yawned and opened her eyes. "She has Duo's eyes.." he commented.
"I know..she does." Hilde said glancing at Ashleigh. "She was born four days ago. I'm at home now.."
"Where is 'home'?" Rebekah asked casually.
"I'm not telling you.." Hilde said in a teasing tone. "And I probably should end this conversation because I
am sure that ya'll are trying to trace this call, correct?"
Rebekah and Quatre exchanged glances. "No comment." Quatre quiped. Hilde rolled her eyes, "Actually, I don't
care..I'm on L-3.." At that moment, Ashleigh choose to start crying. Hilde brought the baby to her shoulder
and began to pat her back and murming soft words. "Well..I gotta go...Ash needs me..buh-bye Blondie..bye Becky."
Rebekah glanced at Quatre, "Should we?" Quatre sighed and pulled her into a hug, "I don't know..but
Duo deserves to know.."
"And we do have the number..I mean, we traced it..we can call her back." Rebekah added, looking up
at her husband. Quatre nodded, "Go ahead..call 'im."
~~ L-2
Duo sighed as he heard the phone ring. "Who is it?" he muttered as he looked up from the forms he
had been filling out. *Something Hilde usually did for me..* he thought reluctantly as he walked over to
answer the persistant ring.
"Hullo?" Duo said as the screen blurred and began clear once more. He gave a small smile when
he saw who it was, Rebekah and Quatre. "Hey Quatre, Becky.."
"Hello Duo." The two replied together.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Duo asked with a sarcastic smile, "Nobody died did they?"
Rebekah and Quatre exchanged glances. "Actually.." Rebekah said softly, "Just the opposite happened...
someone was born." Duo raised his eyebrows, "Do I know 'em?" *Oh man..* he thought, *Could they be talking
about....*
"Ashleigh Marie Maxwell was born four days ago." Quatre said, hoping the news would not be too much
for his friend. "Hilde called us to tell us."
"We saw the baby.." Rebekah said timidly, "She has your eyes.."
Duo stood there, shocked. "She had the baby?" he said slowly, "She had *my* baby?" He ran his hands through
his hair. "She had *my* baby..and she called *you*?!"
"Duo..she called us because she's afriad to call you." Rebekah said softly.
"She said that?!" Duo cried, "WHY IS SHE AFRAID OF ME?! WHAT DID I DO?!"
"You just answered your own question." Quatre replied evenly. "This is what she's afraid of, Duo."
"Duo..she gave, well we have her number.." Rebekah said softly. "If you want to call her.."
Duo's head shot up. "WHAT is it?" he demanded. "Do you know where she is?"
"We're working on that." Quatre said softly, "But I'm not sure if we should tell you.."
Duo glared at them, "*Fine*.At least give me her number.."
~~Hilde's Apartment on L-3
"Oh drat that phone.." Hilde muttered under her breath. Gently she laid Ashleigh down in her cradle.
"Sweet dreams sweetheart.." She whispered softly as he bent down and kissed Ashleigh's cheek.
She raced into living room. With a scowl she answered it. "Hello?!"
"Hilde?" Duo asked softly.
"Duo?!" Hilde exclaimed, "What?! How?!?"
"Hil..baby..how are you?" Duo asked softly.
"Fine.." Hilde said slowly, "You?"
"Fine." There was a long, odd pause of silence. Finally Hilde broke it, "Well..did you hear?"
"About what? The baby?"
"Yeah.." Hilde looked down at her hands. "She was born four days ago--"
"I know..Quatre told me." Duo's eyes filled with hope, "Can I see her?"
Hilde gave him a small smile, "She's sleeping..I'll go get her in a lil bit though."
"Okay. So, how was she? Ya know, how long and all that good stuff?"
"She was 7 pounds and 2 ounces, she was 18 inches long.." Hilde sighed, "She's adorable Duo.
She has this headful of black fuzz..and she has--"
"My eyes?"
"Yeah..she has your eyes." Suddenly there was the sound of a baby crying. "I'll be right back." Hilde
called over her shoulder as she sprinted out of the room. Duo pulled up a chair and straddled it. *My baby..
that's my baby I'm hearing...my little girl...*
"Ssshh..ssshh baby girl." Hilde whispered soothingly as she picked up Ashleigh.
"It's okay..Momma's right here...Momma's right here baby.." Gently she patted Ashleigh's back.
"We're gonna go see Daddy..." she whispered walking out to the living room. She held back a sigh
as she gently sat down in the chair in front of the screen. Slowly she moved the baby until she
was facing the screen. "Duo, meet Ashleigh Marie Maxwell; your daughter. Ashleigh, meet your Daddy;
Duo Maxwell."