FINALLY I've got this chapter done. Sorry it's been so long, I've just had some things I needed to do. I'm also working on another GWfic that's turning out to be quite a challenge. If you enjoy my comedy please try and look it up sometime. I'm not sure what it's going to be called, but it'll be under my author page :-) . Well, I'm going to the extremes this time around - very dark in spots but also light, if ya know what I mean. Enjoy.

AC 207: The Hands of Fate (Part II)

New Arrivals, New Ideas

Quatre had returned to his colony cluster, L4. Immediately after stepping off the shuttle, he was greeted by some old friends. "Rashid! Guys! How have you been doing out here?"

Quatre had left the Manguanac Corps in charge of the colonies in his absence (almost two years now).

The boys all ran up and hugged him. "Master Quatre!"

Rashid stood off to the side, his tall, wide form a variable landmark in the sea of overjoyed friends. As soon as he was able, Quatre sidled up to him. "How have things been, Rashid?"

Rashid put a large arm around Quatre's shoulders and led him away, to a waiting Towncar. "It has been very peaceful here. In fact, this has been the only colony cluster without a major riot, as I recall. We've all been very impressed with your work these past weeks to maintain order on Earth and the colonies, you know. You have improved in leadership even in just that time."

Quatre climbed into the car. The scenes that greeted him were encouraging; families were enjoying the green parks, people were strolling among the shops without a care, and kids ran through the streets with their parents feeling that they would be home safe for dinner. Several people took a few seconds to look in the window of the car and waved, grinning. Quatre sighed. "How am I supposed to tell these people they have to fight?"

Rashid gave him a look. "That's why you've come here, to promote war?"

Quatre shook his head hurriedly. "I hate war, you know that. But we have to fight, or the Colony Alliance will only hurt innocents. They are not trying to take us over, Rashid, they're trying to destroy us. If I can get people to train, so they can fight to defend Earth and the colonies, then maybe I won't have to worry about everyone's welfare so much."

Rashid was silent. Then, he accused, "You're fighting with Sandrock, aren't you? You're going to give this damn war everything you've got."

Quatre nodded solemnly. "I have to. My friends and their families are too important to me not to."

Rashid slammed his hand down on his armrest. "What about your family? Are your friends really that valuable to you if your sisters lose you? If we lose you? Master Quatre, I beg you to reconsider!"

Quatre shook his head. "I can't, Rashid. I promised the others I would fight for them. I looked at what they have and what I have, and I can't let Heero and Duo and Wufei lose their wives and their children."

"They are more valuable than your own sisters? Than us?"

Quatre looked up. "Not more, but just as. You can't change my mind about this. I'm not a child any more. I can make decisions for myself!"

Rashid avoided his gaze. Master Quatre has been like my son for many years . . . I can't believe how hard this is to admit, but I have to let him go sooner or later.

The car pulled up in front of the Winner embassy. The door was opened for Quatre. He stepped out and motioned to Rashid. "Come on, let's go inside."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Aah!"

"You okay??" Duo leapt out of the seat once again, stubbing his toe against the hospital bed. He'd been like this for hours, ever since Sophie had been in labor. It was just about as annoying as the contractions.

"No, I'm not okay, but there's nothing you can do about it so just sit the hell down. All you're doing is making me— gnh— nervous!"

Duo felt helpless. His wife was in pain and there wasn't anything he could do. He was not used to being beyond control of the situation. "I'm supposed to be helping!"

"Yelling isn't going to do the trick!"

Duo grimaced, eyes wide, and started pacing again. "What am I doing, then? God, I can't do a damn thing. Sophie, tell me what to do!"

Sophie took as deep a breath as the situation would allow. She tried her best to speak softly. Duo was panicking. "Come over here and sit down."

Giving her a look of gratitude, he ran over to the chair he had occupied a moment before and tried to sit down.

He missed and hit the floor.

The nurse chuckled. "Here, Mr. Maxwell. Let me help you . . ."

"Thanks."

"Is this your first, Mr. Maxwell?" The nurse's question was designed to help distract Duo, and Sophie felt grateful. It was quite obvious to anyone that Duo was being a rookie at this.

"Y— yeah." Duo brushed his hospital scrubs off and settled shakily into the seat. He put his hand in his wife's. It was ice-cold and shaking.

"Calm down," she told him gently. "Duo, I'm fine. The baby's fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"I can't help it." Duo said, trying a lopsided grin on for size. He stopped trembling.

She tried to laugh. "Don't you feel stupid . . ."

Duo mock-banged his head against the wall. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Sophie's grin turned into a wince as another contraction came.

"You okay?" Duo asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm fine." Guess I wasn't going to get off that easy . . .

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Heero was trying to be the ultimate contrast to Duo, by comparison. Despite his eagerness, Relena hadn't felt him so much as twitch in the almost twenty-four hours they'd been at the hospital. As compared to Duo and Sophie's six and a half.

"You know, I could kind of handle it if you'd act just a little excited," she told him.

Heero shifted his arm around her shoulder. "Why would that help?"

"It's just a little more normal. Last time you nearly had to be drugged!"

"Inexperienced fathering."

"Dammit, Heero! Stop acting so macho and tell me it's gonna be okay like you're worried or something! You don't have to be Mr.-in-control just because you've done this before. I'd appreciate a little less of that calm act, for once. It makes me wonder if you're really excited at all," Relena snapped between waves of pain. Ooh, and Sophie thought hers was bad, she'd bet.

It's all those hormones in her system Heero told himself. Of course she likes me quiet and calm. Last time she complained about me being too hyper.

Heero hugged her shoulders. "I never said I wasn't excited. I'm just trying to keep you calm."

Relena tried to argue but found she couldn't. He'd said exactly what she'd wanted him to. "I'm sorry," she said after a minute. "I'm just so tired, Heero . . ."

"Believe me, I understand. I may not feel everything you're going through, sweetheart, but I've been up just as long as you have. I think that counts for something."

Relena growled. "That wasn't what I was hoping for—"

"Joke," Heero said quickly to avoid her wrath. "I'm just trying to lighten up a little."

Relena leaned against him. "Sorry."

"It's okay, saiai. You've had a long day."

Relena smiled at his pet name for her. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but it was something sweet in Japanese, his parents had assured her. He only used it when he was feeling affectionate, so she felt better suddenly. She fell silent and sank into his strong arms, letting him hold her like he obviously wanted to.

Heero smiled and kissed the back of her head. "We're close, kanojo. I can feel it."

That one meant "sweetheart," she knew. He was still a little nervous. She thought, He's been so jumpy lately. He's probably trying his best not to make me tense, too. Sorry I didn't notice, Heero . . .

Heero squeezed her hand. "It's okay . . ."

She gripped his tightly as another wave of pain shot through her.

The nurse shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but I think you two have still got a few hours . . ."

"Great," Relena groaned.

Heero squeezed her hand. "It's okay," he said again.

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Duo was pacing again. The poor man just couldn't sit down. Heero could see him out in the hall.

Suddenly, there was a whoop and he disappeared downward. The nurse tutted at him for disturbing the other patients, but Heero could understand his feelings.

A moment later, the door opened slowly. Duo leaned heavily on the frame, a dreamy look to him. A huge grin was plastered on his face.

Relena chuckled, just loud enough for Heero to hear. "Congratulations, Duo," she offered, urging him on.

Duo began to laugh, his shoulders shaking silently in indescribable joy. "I— I have a son," he whispered.

"Whoa!" Heero jumped away from his wife and leapt to catch Duo before he hit the floor. He turned to Relena, the braided American limp in his arms. "I'd better go return this before Sophie starts missing it too much."

Relena smiled, though he knew she was exhausted. "Go. We've still got hours to go, at any rate."

Heero helped Duo back to his wife and infant son. He helped his friend sit down on the bed next to them and stole a peek at the new baby. "What did you name him?"

Duo shakily took the child in his arms and cooed softly to the sleeping bundle. "Vincent."

"Vincent? No offense, but that doesn't exactly sound like you."

Sophie shot him a don't-mess-with-me-right-now look.

"Hey, I can call him Vinnie, or Vince, or VJ . . . ." Duo ignored Heero's slightly sarcastic remark.

"VJ?"

"Vincent James," Duo answered. "Vincent James Maxwell."

Heero blinked. "Were we a little heavy on the sainthood?"

"Hey, I can only take so much, you know," Duo snapped. "Oh, come on, I was raised in a Catholic orphanage. I had to do something to say thank you."

"It's a beautiful name," added Sophie, with a venomous gleam in her eye.

"It's got a nice sound to it," Heero said quickly. "I dunno why, I was just expecting something different."

Duo cuddled Vincent to his chest. "'S okay. I think we can deal with that explanation."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

Trowa stood on the balcony of the police building in downtown London, where he worked. It was raining, the falling water plastering his newly-blonde hair to his face. His clothes were wet, but that didn't matter. He had more important things to worry about.

The Sergeant cleared his throat behind him. "Excuse me, we need all civilians to— Oh, it's you, Trowa. I didn't recognize the hair."

Trowa allowed himself a small smile. It was a little amusing to see the looks on people's faces. "Neither did my own niece. What have you got for me, Will?"

"Justin Ender, black, male, fifteen. He killed two of my men, detonated about half the base's soldier barracks and stole a mobile suit. I guess you're just the man for the job, aren't you?"

"What type of mobile suit?" Trowa asked.

"One of the new ones. A Slyph. You know, one of those ones that looks like fighter jet? He could do serious damage in a real short amount of time with one of those."

Mariemaia poked her head around the corner. "Shouldn't they have those new mobile suits under tighter security? Makes you wonder . . ."

Trowa shushed her roughly. "Keep your mouth shut! It took a lot of string-pulling to get you in here in the first place, young lady, so don't get yourself kicked out!"

Mariemaia shrugged her shoulders and vanished into the hallway.

"Eavesdropping, Trowa?" Will looked concerned. "That's asking for trouble. She's a wild one, isn't she?"

"Treize Kushrenada's daughter? She's the devil's advocate with that hair and those eyes. Nah, she's worried as the rest of us."

"Treize Kushrenada's— Mariemaia Kushrenada is still alive??"

Trowa glanced around nervously and put a hand over Will's mouth. "Yes, but no one needs to know! She rejected her father's name after I adopted her, and pretty much all of his policies, too. She's Mariemaia Barton now, friend!"

Will nodded in understanding. "You'd just better keep and eye on her, is all."

"I'm worried, but not about her. I might end up having to take Heavyarms after this kid. I'm the only gundam pilot ready for action at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Heero and Duo are both in the hospital with their wives. I just got word Sophie had a son. Quatre's gone back to his home colony to check up on things and Wufei's on his honeymoon in Hawaii." Trowa accepted the document envelope Will handed him and began pacing in frustration. "Heavyarms is no match for a Slyph. He'd be way too fast for me."

"You've got the weapons," Will pointed out. The man didn't know a whole lot about mobile suit combat— he'd never been in the military— so Trowa was patient.

"I have the gun, but all I could use that for is a bludgeon. Bullets are nothing if you can't get them to the target before he's in a new spot, even if I had any. Heavyarms is not designed for that kind of combat. I need Shenlong or Sandrock. Any of the others would be an improvement, frankly. None of us have weapons, and Heavyarms is just too slow."

"Perhaps you could pull Chang away?"

"Not a chance. He left the four of us messages before he and Phailin set out that they were not to be disturbed short of a tsunami hitting their hotel. I'm pretty sure he was serious about that."

There was the sound of running feet. A sandy-haired young officer burst in to the room. "Sir, we've got Ender on the line. He's said he's willing to listen."

"Let's see how well I can still negotiate. If Lady Luck is with us I won't have to drag Heavyarms into this after all."

A young boy's voice came on the line. "Are you really?"

"Really what?" Trowa narrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement.

"Trowa Barton?"

"That is my name. That is my legend. I won't deny who I am." Anything to get this kid home.

"I'm honored," Ender said, voice suddenly cold. "What do you want?"

"We want to get you back on the ground. Why did you do it, Dennis?" Trowa asked the question smoothly, calmly. His rock-solidness had always been greatly valued.

There was a bitter laugh on the other end. "Why did I do it? Why'd I do what? Why did I kill those soldiers, or why did I steal this Slyph? Why'd I do what, Barton?"

Trowa's eyes widened. "All of it. Why don't you start with the theft?"

"You want to know why I stole this bird, Trowa Barton? Well, I'll tell you. Ever since I was a little kid I've wanted to be a pilot, but then the peacetime came and all the mobile suits were destroyed. My dreams of being a mobile suit pilot were shattered. You five killed them. I'll always wanted to destroy you for that.

"Oh, sure, the whole thing about people not dying's a plus, but what it comes down to in the end is personal ambition. Why'd you fight in the war twelve years ago? I bet it wasn't because you believed in the colonies. What kind of boy would that be, starting a war just because the place they'd grew up wanted the violence to stop. You just said "I won't deny who I am," but I know you're not the real Trowa Barton. My godfather's the one who saw him shot. What's in a name, my dear Nameless Soldier? Isn't it our ambition that makes us human? Maybe I could be Zechs Merquise, or Heero Yuy, or Trowa Barton, or Duo Maxwell, all false names. Maybe I could just be John Doe, huh? Maybe I could be Shinitama, the God of Life!"

Trowa didn't give the kid time to think when he paused. No matter how much Dennis had just hurt or embarrassed him, he couldn't let this kid slip. He needed him to show the world what confusion they had to confront. "What's in a name depends on the person who uses it. How would you use the name Shinitama? Duo was the God of Death, the Great Destroyer. Duo killed people. How could you bring life?"

There was silence on the other end. Trowa began to worry that he'd said too much— he wasn't following standard negotiation procedure, and Will was looking decidedly nervous. Finally, Ender said, "By stopping those who think they have the right to control who lives and who dies."

"So what happens if you die?"

"Then it's my time. So be it. Am I what I am, Mr. Trowa Barton."

"That's it? What about your friends, your parents, your young siblings? What would your mother think?" Trowa used an old line of Catherine's. It worked on a lot of people.

"My mother? That semi-humanoid heroin-shooting crack-smoking hoar? Why the hell would she care that I'm alive? My friends? Since when do I have friends? You overestimate my life's value, Trowa Barton. I'm nothing, a nobody, a street kid with nowhere to go and nothing to get there with. My only chance was as a pilot, but then I realized how well off I was with no war and now I know I have to stop them!"

"There are other ways of helping the war that would put you and others in less danger," Trowa replied smoothly. "See, the problem with your plan is that it puts innocent lives in danger. You could kill civilians as well as the political and military leaders. Why don't you work with us? I'm sure we'd be happy to have you aboard."

"Not to mention the fact I could keep an eye on him. Good thinking, Trowa," murmured Will almost inaudibly.

"Join the police force? Isn't it a little too late for that?" Ender laughed again. "Call me back if you've got something new, Mr. Barton." There was a click and the line went dead.

That's no laugh for a child, Trowa thought. He is so much like I was. So old, yet so young. What has he seen? He glanced up to see Mariemaia standing in the doorway. She looked almost guilty.

"Uncle Trowa, let me talk to him."

Trowa grimaced. "Why?"

She swallowed. She looked almost as though her emotions were being held back only with a lot of force. "I know him. I— I tutored him earlier this year."

Oh no, thought Trowa, she thinks this is her fault. "Honey, you didn't do anything—"

"We were close," she interrupted. "Dennis . . . has a lot of potential, but if he doesn't shape up he's going to fail himself. Please, Trowa, let me talk to him!"

Their conversation was interrupted by three men in military uniform. "Mr. Trowa Barton? Commander Shiff of the Earth Sphere United British Isles unit. I've come to request you hunt this kid Ender down."

Trowa shook his head. "We're talking. If I get Heavyarms out there he'll think we want to fight him. That is the exact opposite of our objective here. I realize this has become a worldwide crisis, Commander, but I'm not going to chase him.

"Let me rephrase: I've come to order you to knock this kid Ender out of the air. If the little bastard just hung up on you, I don't think the negotiations are going very well, are they?"

Trowa stood, and Shiff's two underlings raised their weapons. He pulled back his jacket to show that his holster was empty, and gestured to the semi-automatic resting on his desk. A drop of rainwater fell from his hair, adding to the puddle on the floor. "We are talking. I'm not a civilian, and I'm not an underling, Commander. You have no authority over me. The military is not going to interfere until they need to. I will let you know as soon as that happens. It's your fault that he has the Slyph in the first place."

"I could get you in serious trouble for this, Barton."

"Are you threatening a man of superior officer, Commander?"

"No, warning you." Shiff puffed out his chest. He was quite young, Trowa noticed, and very green.

Trowa sat back down an ignored them. He looked at his niece. "You still want a go?"

Mariemaia, her mind set, nodded. She reached for the dial.

"Watch my signals," Trowa told her as it was connecting.

The first sound they heard was an explosion, then more laughter. Will's jaw dropped. "What—"

Shiff's communicator beeped. "Code Red! Shimra's been killed! I repeat, Representative Shimra of the British Isles has been assassinated!"

Shiff swore loudly, and Trowa resisted the sudden reflex to cover Mariemaia's ears. "I told you, didn't I? God dammit, get that little sonofabitch out of the sky before he kills us all!"

"DENNIS ENDER!!" Mariemaia slammed her fist down on the desk, making the picture frames rattle. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?"

The laughter stopped. "Who is this?"

"It's Mariemaia. You still remember me, don't you?"

There was such a long silence this time that Trowa was almost the connection had been severed. Then, Ender said, "Why are they using you?"

"I'm here with my uncle Trowa. Do you know who I am, Dennis?"

The question sounded sudden, abrupt. Trowa was surprised, but Mariemaia did tend to seize opportunities by the throat and didn't waste time squeezing. Ender said, "The only friend I've got."

Mariemaia straightened. Even though Ender couldn't see her, her posture could be heard through her voice. "My name, Dennis, is Mariemaia Barton. It used to be Mariemaia Kushrenada. My father was Treize Kushrenada, the Man who Made History. I never met him, although my grandfather gave me many insights into him for years. My father loved people. He believed in the compassion that a man gave a machine. That's why he admired the gundam pilots. My father believed that war was necessary for the human race to satisfy their instinctual desires. Because he believed in people, people believed in him.

"I believe in the value of people, much like my father, and that sometimes we must have war. Those wars must be fought by people. On one hand, I do see the beauty to war, but on the other more personal hand, I see only the horror. Philosophy is a great thing, but death is dominant over all. The soldier that has died is the lowest common denominator of the battlefield. I expected more of you than to give your live for something so ridiculous as a subconscious yearning for violence. Be the man you wanted to be four months ago. Don't be the boy that doesn't look out to the rest of the world."

The sound of gunfire stopped. A small explosion echoed, but died before its roar grew louder. Heavy breathing was heard. "Why . . . do you think I still have any desire at all to continue living?" Ender asked. "I died a long time ago. I thought . . . I thought you knew that. I don't know why you tried to help me. Maybe you're right, Mariemaia, but war is here. I know I'm low. I'm scum, a street urchin. I'm the soldier who died."

The sound of the Slyph's engines stopped. The video screen blinked on, and the boy's face appeared. "Take care of my brother and sister, Mariemaia. Don't let them give up hope the way I did. You're right. I'm not going to kill anyone else. The last death I'll cause . . . will be my own."

Mariemaia cried out and reached toward the screen as if she could stop him. "Dennis, no!"

"Goodbye, dear friend. I loved you, you know. I hope you'll be okay." The background whistling almost drowned out the words and the scream of pain. Almost. The screen went fuzzy, then suddenly it was red.

His blood, Mariemaia realized. "No!" she screamed, falling to her knees. "Oh God, I've failed him. I failed him. What did I do wrong?" She curled up on the wet floor, lost in tears.

Trowa knelt and put his arms around her as sobs made her body spasm. He remembered the first time he'd failed to prevent a man from taking his own life. Mariemaia already had the guilt of the war on her shoulders. "Poor child," he whispered, not knowing himself who he was referring to. "It wasn't your fault."

Shiff was talking into his officers. "Go find the body. I believe we owe Miss Mariemaia the courtesy."

~~@[~*,~]@~~

"Nothing yet?" Milliardo looked at Heero, slightly disbelieving. "Nothing at all??"

"It's just Relena, I think. Akiko was slow, too. There's nothing wrong, before you get all worked up, okay? Relena's fine. I've been with her all this time. I think I can take care of her."

Milliardo's jaw clenched. He was still slightly touchy about his sister being married to his archenemy, Heero knew, but that didn't mean there was anything he could do about it.

"It's not my fault, you know."

Milliardo looked at him strangely. "Not your fault? You're the damn father, aren't you?"

"Yes. How would that make Relena's slow labor my fault?"

"You're the reason she's in labor in the first place!"

"Boys, boys! Milliardo, for heaven's sake calm down. Relena's fine. We'll get a call as soon as the baby's born, won't we Heero?"

Heero recognized a rescue when he heard one. "Of course. Wasn't planning to do anything different. Relena'd kill me, for one thing . . ."

"I'm staying here," Milliardo insisted.

"Someone has to be home when Akiko gets off from school!" Heero protested. "You two promised you would stay and watch for her."

"I'll go back," Noin said, trying to pacify the two feuding men. "I'll go back, okay? Just calm down, both of you."

Milliardo collapsed into one of the comfortable old couches in the waiting room. "You'd better take care of her, Yuy."

"I was planning on it." Heero walked off, back to the birthing room. As soon as he was out of sight of the waiting room, he ran. He didn't want to miss a thing.

"Mr. Yuy, I was just about to go looking for you! We were just about to call this done and over with!" The nurse was halfway around the corner.

He sprinted past her, to his wife. "H— H— Heero, where were you?" Relena panted.

Heero perched himself on the edge of her bed, one arm around her shoulders and the other hand inside hers. "Your brother kept me. You can kill him later."

"I'll consider it," Relena growled, wincing as another contraction came. Heero tried not to protest as his hand was crushed. He tried really hard to be sensitive, especially after the admonishing he'd received with Akiko's birth.

"Next contraction I want you to start pushing, okay Ms Darlian?" The doctor reported.

Heero squeezed her shoulder gently and kissed her sweaty forehead. He was exhausted, having been roused in the middle of the night and up for thirty hours straight, but he knew better to complain. "We're almost there, honey."

Relena, breathing heavy, merely nodded at leaned against his shoulder. She suddenly tensed again with an outcry of surprise.

"Push, Ms Darlian," The doctor told her. "One, two, three . . ."

Heero held her as best he could under the awkward circumstances.

The tense silence of the room was broken by a sudden loud cry as their second child was brought into the world. Relena collapsed back against her husband, tears of pain and exhaustion and joy on her cheeks. The noise startled Heero— it had been a long time since he'd heard it— and his head snapped up, eyes blurry with no sleep cleared and sharpened.

One of the nurses cleaned the baby girl up and brought her to her mother's arms. "Was Akiko really that tiny?" Heero breathed, staring openmouthed at her.

Relena sighed as the little thing went after breakfast, Heero still watching her with wonder, arms entwined with his daughter's mother's. After a while, he laid a sleepy Relena (she always tended to be when feeding) back against her pillow and went to go inform Milliardo that he had another niece (Heero got the sense that "Uncle Millie" had wanted a boy).

Milliardo jumped off the couch when Heero called to him. "It's a girl?" he asked, sounding about as excited as Heero himself was. Heero nodded and took him to his sister. Relena looked barely awake, although ecstatic over her daughter. "What'd you name her?" Milliardo asked her.

Heero looked to Relena. She smiled dreamily. "I haven't decided yet," she said.

Heero took the baby from his wife as her head sagged. She was asleep.

Milliardo looked at the tiny baby in Heero's arms. After an awkward moment, he sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh with you, Heero . . . After all, I guess I can't change the fact my sister's married to you."

Heero nodded and held his daughter out, and Milliardo took her with a bit of surprise. "You can't change how Relena and I feel for each other. Honestly, I don't see why we'd really disagree with each other all that strongly. I mean, you have been working as our bodyguard. Stay with us as long as you like. I know Relena likes having you close by."

The older man smiled at Heero's generosity. "Peace?"

"As much as we can hope for. I really don't want to fight any more."

Milliardo agreed, "I hear you. If I may suggest a name, brother?"

Heero shrugged, sitting down next to his wife again, stroking her still hand gently. "Go ahead."

Milliardo cuddled the little girl. "Before the Peacecraft Kingdom fell, father took a spin on our word for peace to name Relena. Naming her Raina would connect her both with her mother and the peace we are trying to achieve here. It's just a thought, but I thought Relena might like it."

Heero smiled. "You'll have to talk to Relena, but I do."

Milliardo handed her back to her father. "I'd better call Noin."

Heero grinned dreamily at his daughter. He was already calling her Raina Yuy in his mind. Relena will love it. Raina clutched at his finger, asleep. Heero could already see the resemblance to her mother.

*********************************************

See, a sweetie thing at the end. Well, next chapter I have to write a conclusion to the Mariemaia and Dennis Ender thing. And you get to find out if Raina's name sticks. And lots of other things. I haven't decided yet. I haven't started it, either. Well, That's All I Have to Say About That.

-ItsumademoOtaku