Warnings:
Well, this is where Quatre begins to show his nasty side . . . (if you haven't
noticed, the farther we get from 195, the more out of character they
become. This is attributed to their
growing up, as well as the influence of married life, or lack thereof, in some
cases.)
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing has never been, and will never
be mine. sob
C&C
. . . please?
From Forever to Forever
Part Seven: Forward
June 30, A.C. 205—Sally Po—6:16 p.m.
"And
after that last mission, Lady Une insisted that Sally was offered this
position—she's now second in command," WuFei boasts. It's nice to know that he's so happy for me.
"That's
wonderful," Quatre says with a wide smile. It's rare to find an honest businessman. Then again, maybe he's more severe with
people he hasn't known since he was a kid.
"I
was flattered—I was certain WuFei would be offered the job before
me." I don't especially like being
the center of attention. It was WuFei's
idea to host a dinner party. It's
strangely out of character for either of us to be so social—for any other event
he would've suggested a romantic evening alone. So I'm sure he's ecstatic, even if he still keeps his severe act.
"So,
are you two not getting married because you want to stay with the
Preventors?" Silvia asks meekly. The others seem to think marriage is a sensitive topic with us. It'd be funny, except that this was the
first year WuFei could even utter the word without cringing.
"Pretty
much," WuFei admits. "I think
the rules should be changed a bit, though. It's ridiculous to allow us to live together but say we can't get
married. Maybe they should only have it
so Preventors can't marry outside the organization." He smiles at me, raising his eyebrows. I'm flattered.
"I
agree!" Duo states rather loudly, slamming his arm down on the table. "I could still be a Preventor if it
weren't for their stupid regulations!" His wife catches the glass he knocks over before it hits the floor.
Hilde
sighs, tossing the cup in her hands. She's probably heard this argument dozens of times. "No, Duo—a Preventor can't be burdened
with thoughts of a family. It keeps
them from doing whatever is necessary to complete a mission. You can't honestly say you wouldn't hold
back in a battle if you have the twins on your mind, right?"
He looks
away, defeated. "I guess."
"I
don't think the Preventors should be held to different standards than any other
armed force, though," Relena says after a moment's reflection. "If our Specials Force allows married
officers, like my brother, why shouldn't the Preventors?"
Heero
stands, a commanding expression on his face. "Your brother doesn't take on missions knowing he has a twenty
percent chance of survival. He doesn't
have the same training standards that Preventors have, and his job isn't nearly
as secretive. As Preventors we are
forced to keep secrets from civilians and even each other. It isn't right to force a married couple to
keep secrets from each other. And with
the high mortality rate of the Preventor units, we have to keep the soldiers
from leaving behind widows and fatherless children."
"Or
motherless children," Trowa adds.
Heero
nods, respectfully, toward Hilde. She
had been a Preventor for three years before her pregnancy. "Because of their rules," Heero
continues, "I finally realized that I was ready to get married. I was willing to leave the organization in
order to be with Relena." They
share a small smile as he stands behind her chair, wrapping his arms around
her. It's cute that they're still
newlyweds after a year.
"Well
said," I agree, getting up to bring out the main course. As much as I love WuFei, I can't imagine
ever leaving the Preventors. Working
only in the hospitals and laboratories did little for me—I like to be out there
helping people at all levels. Maybe
someday we'll want to leave the organization, but now we're happy as we are.
June 30th—Relena Darlian—8:57 p.m.
I lean against Heero, squeezing his hand in
my own as he tells yet another battle story. This time he's talking about the Zero System and his experience with the
Epyon. Hilde and Sally are the only
ones who are really listening. The
other former gundam pilots have glassy expressions. It's probably a defense mechanism. I hear the system was fairly warped.
"Uncle
Heero, do you have to tell this story again?" five-year-old Tresa Maxwell asks
from her perch on Sally's lap. "You
told us this one last Christmas!"
"Yeah—when
you told us about the time Uncle Quatre went crazy and tried to kill you!"
Judas shouts, clinging to Hilde's knee. They are rambunctious twins—exactly what you'd expect from Hilde and
Duo.
"Come on,
kids," Trowa says, standing up. Maja
Winner holds on to his hand as he leads the three children from the room. "Let's learn how to juggle."
Heero
pouts momentarily. His story is
forgotten and we're all gushing over Trowa's parental abilities. Leave it to Trowa to upstage the perfect
soldier. I pat my husband's knee supportively.
"He
spends a lot of time with Catherine's boys. That's why he's so great with
kids," Quatre informs us.
"And
Maja—he's always visiting her, too." Silvia looks out toward the dining room, where her four-year-old is
attempting to juggle with two oranges.
"He
should settle down and start a family," I say, squeezing Heero's hand
again. Although we've decided to wait a
while to have any children, I've become impatient, watching my friends with
their kids.
"Are
there any nice women on your team that you can hook him up with?" WuFei asks
Sally.
She
snorts. "I don't work with nice
women. Besides, a man like Trowa must
have someone in mind already—maybe someone in his team."
"Nyah—there
aren't many nice female Preventors," Heero says, oblivious to the glares he
receives from Sally and Hilde. He turns
toward Silvia and Quatre. "You two
spend more time with him than we do—are there any girls he wants to meet?"
Silvia
averts her eyes. "I don't think he's
interested in that sort of thing."
Wait—does
she mean—?
Duo
begins to chuckle. "So it is true! Trowa's gay, isn't he?"
Quatre
blushes slightly as he nods. Apparently
he doesn't feel very comfortable acknowledging his friend's sexual
orientation. For a moment my romantic notions
take over, and I wonder if Quatre and Trowa's friendship had ever been taken to
a deeper level, but my sensibility returns. Certainly nothing like that could've happened. Quatre's orientation had never been in question—and he's always
been completely devoted to Silvia. I'm
just jumping to fanciful conclusions.
"Well,
even if he is gay—he can always find a life-partner and raise a family," Sally
states hopefully. "There have been
massive advancements in chromosome studies and genetic engineering. And artificial wombs have been in use since
before we were born."
Quatre
scowls uncharacteristically. "Maybe he
doesn't think a test-tube freak is natural."
We stare
at him in shock. It's not like him to
be so insincere and narrow-minded. And
now he's criticizing Sally's medical work. I notice that none of us look more appalled than Silvia. She looks at him as if he's someone
completely different than the man she's been with for seven years.
Just then
Trowa returns with a Maxwell twin clinging to each leg and Maja Winner riding
piggyback.
"So
Trowa," I begin, hoping to lower the rising tension in the room. "Are you ever going to settle down? You can't be a Preventor forever."
"Yeah, I
guess someday I will," he answers with a playful smile, as Maja nuzzles up to
him from behind. "I'm just waiting for
this little one to grow up!"
"That's
the way to do it Trowa," WuFei chides. "Go for the young and beautiful heiress!"
Quatre
groans and drops his head in his hands in mock-horror.
Duo clamps
a comforting hand on Quatre's shoulder. "Sorry man, but you're losin' her already."
Trowa
gently sets Maja on the floor and she runs to her father's lap, giving him a
much-needed hug. With a tiny smirk and
a thumb stuck in her mouth, she leans over Quatre's shoulder to smile at Trowa.
June 30th—Silvia
Noventa-Winner—11:51 p.m
The hotel
suite is silent, except for the occasional muffled word coming from Maja's
room. She's been talking in her sleep
for several months now—one of many traits she's inherited from Quatre. I listen to his breathing, wondering if he's
still awake. It sounds like he is.
"Why
did you insult Sally like that?" I ask, recalling his rude comment about
"test-tube freaks" for the fiftieth time this evening.
"What
do you mean?" He's laying on his
stomach and his pillow muffles his voice.
"Didn't
you know that she was with the team that made the chromosome breakthroughs
before the war that allow gay couples to have children?"
He sits
up, turning toward me. His expression is
unusually cold. "No, I
didn't," he answers in a voice more suited to Heero Yuy than to my sweet,
gentle husband. It's clear that his
actions would've been the same even if he had known.
I won't
get any more answers if I ask all the questions running through my head. Instead, I roll over and convince myself to
let it go. I hate seeing Quatre like
this. I'd rather go to bed with questions
than go to bed with him angry with me.
He wraps
his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "I'm sorry," he murmurs into my hair. "I was a test-tube baby," he whispers softly. "I just can't accept it."
"Why?"
I can
feel his shrug. "It's not
natural. My father produced twenty-nine
children before me. When he realized
that he needed a male heir, he created me. Not because he wanted another child, but because he needed a boy. I was a convenience." He pauses for a moment. "Rashid and the other Maganacs told me
to take pride in my birth, but I've never been able to. They were created out of love—probably by
parents who couldn't have children. I
wasn't. I was just there because my
colony didn't allow female inheritance."
After a
moment of silence I speak again. He
doesn't really believe that, does he? "Quatre, what's your earliest memory?"
"My
father giving me my first violin," he answers without hesitation. "He taught me how to hold it, and how
to draw the bow across the strings."
"Do
you remember it as an act of love?"
I feel
his head nodding against my shoulder.
"So,
the truth is, even if you were created in a laboratory for a specific
purpose—your father loved you."
"Yes,"
he whispers finally. "I suppose
you're right."
I pause
for a moment, letting him think about it. "If you had known that I would have so much trouble with Maja, wouldn't
you have opted for an artificial womb—to ensure our safety?"
"In a
heartbeat," he answers, bringing his hand up to my cheek to caress it
gently. "And we would've loved her just
the same. You're right—I'm sorry I was
being so unreasonable."
I smile,
snuggling closer to him. I understand
what he meant—even if I didn't agree with him. But I like having my sweet and caring husband with me again.