Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!
Warring Hearts, Part 5
Leigh gave herself a once over in her full-length mirror. She sighed and twisted her hair up into a neat bun before shoving two jet chopsticks into it. She dropped her arms to her sides and regarded her reflection again. The simple black dress came down to her knees and had a modest scooped neckline. Jet beads circled her throat and the studs in her ears winked in the bright light. "You will have a good time tonight Leigh. You will make the most of it. You're a Chang. And you will not think of Jonathon," she said sternly to her reflection. But the mere saying of his name brought the handsome, sexy, six foot three, cobalt eyed man to the forefront of her mind. "Dammit!" she hissed at herself, stamping her heeled shod feet on the floor. "Get out of my mind!" She turned away and snatched up her black clutch, slamming her door behind her before she made her way down the steps. She muttered deprecations at herself as she walked into the living room.
"Are you ready Leigh?" Wufei asked as he stood up. He frowned slightly when her saw her frowning as well.
Her head popped up. She saw Ling standing next her dad. She plastered a congenial smile on her face. "Of course, I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she said sweetly.
"It was no problem Leigh. I brought you these," Ling said warmly as he handed her a bouquet of deep yellow lilies.
Leigh was genuinely surprised. "Thank you. These are my favorite," she said as she took them. She looked back up at him. "How did you know?"
"You don't seem like the kind of woman who likes roses or anything like that. When I saw these, I knew they were for you," he said, smiling at her response.
"How nice of you," Leigh said, some feeling coming into her voice.
"Now are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I'm ready."
"Good," Ling said, as he gave her another engaging smile. He turned to Wufei. "I will have her back at a reasonable hour," he said reassuringly.
"That's quite all right. Have fun," Wufei said, smiling broadly.
Leigh gave her dad a look as they left the living room. "Good bye dad," she said as she placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Good bye dear, have a wonderful time," Wufei said as he opened the door to let them out.
"We will," Ling said as he gave Wufei a respectful bow before he escorted Leigh to his car. "Leigh," he said as he opened the door for her.
"Thank you," Leigh said, her lips turning up in a slight smile.
Ling nodded his head before closing the door. He climbed in next to her and the car silently came to life as he took off down the road towards the town.
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Wufei closed the door behind him with a satisfied smirk plastering his face. Sally, standing in the entranceway to the kitchen, with her arms crossed over her chest brought him up short. "Yes?"
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Sally asked as she pushed away from the doorframe and walked towards her husband.
"So much, it makes me want to grin all night long," he replied happily as he walked towards her.
"You would. What did you tell Ling about Leigh?" she asked as she blocked his path.
"The general stuff mostly. He'll get to know her better of course. I see big things up ahead for the two of them," Wufei answered as he absently rubbed his hands together.
"You're delusional, that's what you are," Sally said as she propped her hands on her hips. "Does he know about her recent breakup with Jonathon?"
"No, no, of course not. And I know Leigh won't tell him either. Maxwell isn't important anymore since he won't be hanging around her and making her unhappy," he said confidently.
"You're so sure of yourself aren't you Wufei? You really think that Ling will make Leigh happy?"
"I don't think, I know Sally. He will make her happier then that boy ever could," Wufei said loftily as he looked down at his wife.
"Don't be so sure about yourself, Chang," Sally said darkly as she turned on her heel and walked back into the kitchen.
He stared at her retreating back for a moment. "Onna, for the first time, I am damn sure she'll be happy," he said under his breath as he finally followed his wife into the kitchen.
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Jonathon rubbed his temples again for what it seemed to be the umpteenth time tonight. He was sitting at the computer going over some paperwork. He could hear sounds of his family, as well as the Yuys, the Merquises, and the Bartons in the kitchen. They had come over for an early dinner. He plucked his glasses off his nose and they dropped with a tiny clatter on the desk's polished surface. "Man, I need to get out of here," he groaned as his head fell back. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before pushing the chair back and walking towards the family room. He stood by the door and quietly observed the occupants of the room. "I'm going out," he announced, breaking the almost silence in the room.
Duo's head turned towards his son. "Where to?"
"I don't know. Just out I suppose," Jonathon replied as he walked past them and into the kitchen.
Hilde turned worried eyes towards him and she looked up at her husband. "Duo?"
He sighed as got up off the couch and went into the kitchen. He tilted his head at his second born, quietly looking at him. "Any reason you're going out?" he asked.
Jonathon turned and looked at his dad. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just want to go out. Be alone for a little while. I won't be late," he said as he took his keys from the hook by the mudroom door.
Duo sighed as his son walked across the kitchen to the back door. "Jonathon."
Jonathon paused for a moment, with his hand on the brass doorknob. He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it dad." He opened the door and went outside.
The door clicked back into place. Duo sighed again, deeper this time, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He looked towards the family room, where Hilde was standing there on the steps. "He didn't tell me anything babe. I don't think he's going to either. Our children are much the same when it comes to dealing with upsets. They don't say a thing."
Hilde's lips turned into a frown. "Don't you think you should go after him?"
"No. I think he should be alone for a little while. It won't hurt him to go out," Duo answered as he went over to her. He bent down, pressing a kiss on her hair.
"You know that's this is almost the first time that he's gone out on a Friday night, alone," Chris commented as he came into the room to get Victoria another glass of milk. "Usually, he would be out with friends, out with Leigh, or out with other girls. It does strike one as being strange when he wants to go out and be by himself."
"Chris is right Duo. He shouldn't be alone. I know how he'll get. He's like you when you're feeling bad. And that…"
Duo pressed a finger against Hilde's lips. "Babe, he'll be fine. Don't worry so much about him."
She gave him a skeptical look.
"He'll be all right Hilde. Don't worry. Now let's go back in the other room, and sit down," he said as he gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose and a slight push back towards the family room.
"Ok," Hilde said reluctantly as she went back into the other room.
Duo shook his head.
"You're worried too, aren't you dad?" Chris asked as he put the milk away. "You're hiding it from mom, so she won't worry more."
Duo looked over at his eldest. "I'm a little worried about your brother. He's not the one to act like this. But I don't want your mother getting more upset then she already is. It's better off for all of us that way," he said quietly as he walked back into the other room.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Like that'll ever happen in this family."
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Jonathon drove down to the town, parking in the public lot. He ran his hand over the metal of his truck. The custom color was almost the exact shade of Leigh's eyes. Those cool icy blue eyes flashed through his mind briefly. He shook his head to get rid of the image. "Damn, why do I always think about her at the most inopportune times," he muttered at himself as he walked down the streets, which were teeming with people. He didn't notice the many looks he received from other women, young and old alike. He reached up and unbuttoned the top few buttons of the light blue dress shirt he was wearing, revealing the white undershirt beneath. He looked up and found himself outside of the ice cream shop. He stopped and leaned against the take out window. "Oh Morgan," he called.
"Is that you Jonathon?" a pretty brunette asked as she came to the window. Her deep brown eyes finding him, smiling slightly at her. "Jonathon Maxwell, haven't seen you for a while."
"I was on vacation with my family," he said as he leaned down to her level. He gave her a soulful smile. "Can I have some ice cream pretty girl?"
She sighed and smiled at him. "Flatterer," she laughed as she turned her back, heaping several large scoops of vanilla ice cream in a cup. She turned around and set it in front of him. "There. Now tell me, what brings you here on this night?"
"Needed time out of the house I guess. Wanted to be alone, actually, but I found myself coming here instead," Jonathon replied as he lifted out a spoonful of ice cream.
Morgan Valenti arched a brow at him. "You wanted to be alone? That's not the Jonathon I know."
"I'm not the Jonathon anyone seems to know," he sighed as he looked away from her. He felt her eyes on him and he glanced back at her. "What?"
"Something is bothering you. I dated you for six months, I think I know you pretty well," she said as she leaned down on her elbows and looked up at him. "So what gives? Where's that love of your life, Leigh?"
Jonathon frowned and looked away again. "She dumped me."
"Again?"
"Yeah, again. I was being an idiot and she dumped me."
"Oh Jonathon, I'm sorry," Morgan said as she gave his shoulder a squeeze.
"It's all right Morg, I deserved it this time," Jonathon said as he closed his eyes briefly. He looked back at her. She was wearing a sympathetic smile. She had been the only other girl he had taken seriously. He had cared a great deal about her, but he had known he hadn't loved her. He knew she was too good for him and he broke up with her. She seemed to understand and hadn't yelled or screamed at him for it. She was now one of the closest friends he had. "I didn't tell her what I really felt for her and this time, I think she really left me for good."
"Jonathon, you never told her you loved her, did you?" she asked as she searched his face.
"No," he said, hunching his shoulders. "I've tried, believe me. Its not that I don't want to tell her, it's just I can't get the words to come out of my mouth."
Morgan sighed. "You're a hopeless case. I know you love her because you told me you did. Why can't you tell her? You had a hard time telling me you cared a great deal about me and you had an even harder time, breaking up with me. I know you don't like to share those feelings, but I think this is the one time you should really do it. She needs to know. And I know you've probably heard it from others."
Jonathon raked his hand through his hair and let it drop to his side. "Telling someone I care about them and telling someone that I love them are two different scenarios Morgan."
She snorted and gave him a dry look. "Don't make excuses for yourself. You have a hard time expressing any feelings of love because you've never had to before. You never let anyone get that close to you before. Only Leigh and I have seen what you keep hidden. You have such a big heart Jonathon, but you've always been to scared to admit strong feelings, so you date as many girls as possible, knowing and hoping that none of them will feel anything more then a passing interest in you because you're hot looking and great in bed."
"Can you not play amateur psychologist?" he groaned, because he knew she was right about him. It was a psychological problem. He was tainted by the fact that most of the girls he dated had only wanted him because of those two things and so he had never let himself get close to any girl. Except for Morgan and Leigh. They hadn't been looking at those things from him and had just liked him for who he was inside and he let them close. He never fooled around with Morgan, but he had with Leigh, and it was so much more then it was before. And only then he understood what his dad had told him when he first started dating. "A few words of advice. One, when a woman says no, she means it. Two, for Godsakes use protection. And three, the most important of all. If you love the girl, you'll wait for her, and when you do, it will be a thousand times better because it's with someone you love." He pressed his forehead against the cool red brick. "You know I hate it when you're right."
Morgan gave him a slight smile as she leaned out the take out window and gave him a brief hug. "I'm not always right Jonathon. Sometimes I am, but I know you need to do this if you love her enough." She leaned away and brushed back a lock of his hair that had fallen over his forehead. Then she noticed something on the other side of the street. "Jonathon, don't turn around."
"Why?" Jonathon asked as he turned around and his heart stopped in his chest. There was Leigh, being helped out of a sleek new Mercedes. His mouth fell open with shock.
She could see the look on his face, the feeling in his eyes. "I told you not to look you baka," she said under her breath as she shook her head at him.
The first feeling that ran through him was overwhelming hurt, then another feeling, wholly alien to him, ripped through his body. Jealousy. Searing, flaming jealousy as he watched the other man, tuck Leigh's hand though his. She was holding flowers and she was smiling. He ground his teeth together.
"Oh shit," Morgan muttered to herself as she saw the flames flickering dangerously in his cobalt eyes. She knew that look. She knew of his temper. "Jonathon, you're not going to go over there."
He turned his eyes back to her. "Me, go over there? No I won't be going over there. I'm just going to watch," he growled in response. He tossed the now empty cup in the trash and started walking in the opposite direction. "Later Morg."
Morgan watched him leave, concern written all over her face. She looked at his retreating back and made a split second decision. "I'm going out," she yelled towards her father as she climbed through the take out window, not caring that she was wearing a short khaki skirt and sandals. She could hear her father shouting at her, but she knew she had to go after him. She paused briefly in front of the window at Le Belle and looked in at Leigh with her date, before running after Jonathon.
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Ling smiled at Leigh from across the table as she looked over the menu. He had always thought she was pretty from the brief glimpses he would catch of her while she was in the hospital, visiting her mother. He couldn't believe his luck when her father had invited him to their house so he could meet her. And she was beautiful up close, but he had noticed the wall she kept around herself. He kept his eyes on her as they ordered. He smoothed the linen napkin on his lap and set his hands on the table in front of him. "Have you ever eaten here before Leigh?"
"Yes, just once though. It was for a rehearsal dinner for a friends of mine when they got married," Leigh replied as she took a sip of the expensive wine that he had ordered.
"Who were they?"
"Victoria Yuy and Chris Maxwell. I've known the both of them since I was little. We went to school together."
"Yuy? Is she the daughter of the Foreign Minister, Relena Darlin Yuy?"
"Yes, she is. She's her eldest child. Her father is Heero Yuy."
"I know of him. He's the ESUN's Security Advisor and one of the former Gundam pilots."
Leigh nodded. "They were married about…a little more then a year ago. They have a little girl, whose now seven months old and another one already on the way."
"That's quick to be starting a family so young," Ling said as he took a sip of his own wine.
"It's not like they can't afford it. Chris works as a field agent for the Preventers, and Victoria is assistant to Mariemaia Khusrenada. Plus, Chris's parents own Maxwell-Schiebecker Rolling Mills and Scrap Yard."
"And what about you? You're the same age as them and yet you remain single."
Leigh shifted slightly in her seat. She didn't want him to know about Jonathon. "I never dated anyone who caught my interest and my affections long enough to become serious I suppose."
"That's a shame. You're a wonderful woman. Those others are fools for not realizing what a rare treasure you are."
She blushed slightly. "You could put it that way I guess."
"It makes me glad that I was introduced to you. I saw you many times when you came to visit your mother. I always wanted to meet you."
"Then why didn't you?"
He smiled a little sheepishly. "I don't usually approach a beautiful woman without at least knowing her name first. And it wouldn't be the thing either."
"I see," Leigh said as she took another sip of her wine. "He's nothing like Jonathon. Jonathon wouldn't have cared if he didn't know a pretty girl, he would have gone up and just introduced himself and asked her, her name. Get out of my thoughts Maxwell!" She gave him a congenial smile.
Ling smiled back as their dinner was set down on the table in front of them.
She twirled a noodle of her pasta Alfredo with bell peppers and chicken around her fork. It clinked lightly on the china. "Perfect manners. Perfect everything. Perfect. No wonder dad loves him."
He watched her from across the table. "My dream come true. I can only hope this leads to another date. I think I've found the one."
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Morgan ran down the brick and stone sidewalk, searching for Jonathon. She ran towards the waterfront, almost instinctively knowing that he would go somewhere to pick a fight. She finally found a bar called the Garter. She pushed open the door and searched the crowd through the smoky haze. "Dammit Jonathon, you always had to pick the worst places to pick fights," she mumbled under her breath. She found him at the bar, nursing a drink. She pushed through the throng of people, mostly men to the bar. "Jonathon!"
Jonathon looked up when he heard his name called. He looked over his shoulder and saw Morgan, standing behind him, with her hands propped on her hips. "Morgan, what the hell are you doing here!" he hissed at her.
"Looking for you, you dope before you do something stupid," she snapped back as she hoisted herself up on a neighboring bar stool.
"And you shouldn't be in here!"
"Who are you to tell me that I shouldn't! I was worried about you because I know you're probably dying to pick a fight!"
Jonathon growled in his throat and tossed back the shot of tequila. He slammed it down on the wood bar. "Get me something stronger then this!" he yelled at the bartender, who set down a bottle of rum and another glass in front of him.
Morgan frowned and put her hand over the top of the glass. "How much tequila have you had?"
He scowled at her.
"He's had three shots of tequila miss," the bartender answered as he walked past.
"Jonathon!"
He gently removed her hand from the top of the glass and poured the clear alcohol into the glass. He downed it quickly, making a slight face.
"You are not going to get yourself smashed over this!"
"Watch me!" He poured himself another and tipped it back.
Morgan threw her hands up the air. "You're impossible!"
He nodded his head absently and continued to drink.
She watched helplessly as he went through the half-filled bottle in ten minutes. She felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with a man.
"Wanna have a drink with me sweetheart?"
"No," Morgan replied and turned around again. She felt his hand on her shoulder again. She whirled around and flung his hand off. "I said no! What part of that don't you understand!"
"The lady said no," Jonathon said in a low voice, not even turning around.
"Stay out of it kid," the man said, snorting disdainfully.
Jonathon turned around on the stool, his eyes flashing dangerously. His temper already fueled by jealousy was now fully ignited with alcohol. "The lady said no. So I suggest you back off."
"And what are you going to do if I don't kid?" the man asked. His muscles bulged against his shirt.
"This!" Jonathon gritted out as he hit the man with a right hook. He slid off the stool, balling up both his fists. "Come on!"
"Jonathon, don't!" Morgan cried out as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Get back Morgan," he ordered as he dodged a fist by the larger man. He hit back, his emotions coming to the surface.
"BARFIGHT!" was yelled out by the patrons, and soon enough, the whole place was brawling.
Morgan hid behind the bar with the bartender as glass smashed, tables crashed, and bodies went flying. She dared to peek over the top and saw Jonathon; still slugging it out with the muscle bound man. She saw that his lip was bleeding and his face was slightly battered. "JONATHON!" she yelled out before she ducked back behind the bar.
"POLICE!" someone, shouted and there was a flurry of feet, trying to get out.
She leapt over the top of the bar, disregarding her own safety, and grabbed Jonathon by the back of his shirt, pulling him behind her as she started running.
Jonathon half-heartedly followed her, his lip and nose bleeding, a cut above his eye, and a shiner. He looked over his shoulder at the man he left behind, in worse shape, and then he had left him. He smirked wickedly as he was pulled out onto the street behind the bar.
Morgan pulled him around to face her. "My God, you're a mess," she muttered as she looked at his face. "I'm going to have to take you to the Emergency room. Where's your truck, since you're in no condition to be driving!"
"In town," he slurred slightly as he leaned against the wall.
She pursed her lips in agitation for a moment, before she grasped his hand, and pulled him along behind her. "You had to go and start a fight."
"The jackass was looking for it and I needed one."
"You're were taking out your jealous anger on someone else, if that's what you mean!"
"I told you it wasn't the place for you to be."
"Shut up! Just shut up Jonathon! You brought this all on yourself. If you only had told Leigh you loved her, you wouldn't be having this problem!"
"She dumped me," he said petulantly as they walked along the streets of the town now. His arm was slung over her shoulder, keeping him on his feet and steady.
Morgan blew her short bangs up in frustration as she towed him along. They finally reached the public lot and his truck. "Keys?" she asked flatly, holding out her hand.
Jonathon pouted and handed them to her. He climbed in the passenger side and slumped down in the seat as she started up his truck. He stared out the window at the lights as she drove to the hospital to have him patched up.
Morgan sighed as they went into the Emergency entrance. "Jonathon Lawrence Maxwell," she said to the nurse at the desk. "He got in a fight and needs stitches."
The nurse sighed. "A Maxwell, huh? Any relation to him?"
"One of his best friends," Morgan supplied.
"Here, he'll have to fill out these forms before he's looked at. How bad?"
"Not too bad, but you know I kind of don't want to return him to his parents messed up."
The nurse rolled her eyes and nodded. "Come on honey, I'll have someone patch you up," she said as she motioned towards Jonathon, who was leaning against the wall.
Jonathon nodded his head and followed her, beckoning Morgan to come along. He sat down on the edge of a bed as a doctor began to clean his cuts.
Morgan sat in the chair behind the doctor. She looked at the questions down on the clipboard. "You want me to fill some of this out for you?" she asked.
"Be my guest…Ouch! Dammit, that hurt!" he hissed as the doctor applied solution to his cuts.
Morgan sighed and began filling out the information she knew about him. She was soon done and it rested on her lap as she waited for the doctor to finish up.
Jonathon winced slightly as the cut above his eye received six stitches.
"There all done," the doctor said as he slipped off his gloves and dropped them in a basket. "You can leave as soon as your form is filled out." He left the room.
"Here, look at this. Fill out what I didn't," Morgan said as she stood up and went over to him. He was holding ice over his one eye, but his lip and nose were no longer bleeding, and were all cleaned up. He looked at the form and filled it out slowly. He signed his name at the bottom. "Can we go now?"
"Yes."
"Good," he said, hopping off the table, weaving a bit.
She rolled her eyes and put her arm around his waist, his arm over her shoulder again. She walked out with him, placing the form on the desk. "Here, all filled out. Are we free to go?"
"Yes, go ahead dear," the nurse said as she waved them off.
Morgan placed him in the truck and climbed in the other side. She pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. "Your parents are just going to love this."
Jonathon didn't say anything, but he leaned against the window, staring out into the night. "Leigh."
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"That was a lovely dinner," Leigh said as they walked back out to his car, her arm tucked through his.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I had a wonderful time too since I was dining with an even lovelier woman," Ling said, smiling down at her. He helped her back into the car, the valet, holding the door open. He walked around to the other side, handing the valet a tip before climbing back in. "Anywhere else you would like to go?" he asked, glancing over at her.
"No, that's quite all right. I've had a long day and I'm a little tired. If you don't mind," she replied as she looked over at him.
"Of course not. I'll take you home," he said as he drove off down the road. He looked over at her occasionally, smiling all the way back to her house. He helped her out of his car as soon as they reached her house. "I have to be at work early tomorrow, so I will say good night to you here," he said as they stood out on the front step.
She smiled faintly as she looked up at him. "Well…"
"Good night, Leigh," he said as he bent down and pressed a light kiss on her lips. "I'll call you tomorrow?"
She nodded her head, giving him a soft smile as she watched him go back down the walk to his car. She waved him good bye and then went into the house. "I'm home!" she called out.
Wufei came out of the kitchen, followed by Sally. "You're home early. It's a little after eleven."
"Well I felt tired, so he brought me home," Leigh said as she walked past her parents into the kitchen to find a vase for her flowers.
"How was dinner?" Wufei asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
"It was very nice," she commented as she filled one with water and placed the lilies inside it.
"Is there going to be another date?" he asked, hopefully.
"I don't know, he said he would call me tomorrow."
Wufei smiled broadly. "That's good to hear."
Sally rolled her eyes at him. "I'm glad you had a nice time dear."
"Thanks mom. I'm going to go to bed now," Leigh said as she past by them again, pressing a kiss on each their cheeks before going upstairs to her room. Her door closed behind her with a click. She set down the flowers on her dresser and plopped down on her bed, toeing off her strappy heeled shoes. She touched her lips with her fingertips and her eyes closed. "Jonathon," she whispered sorrowfully and hung her head down between her hands and cried.
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Morgan pulled into the Maxwell's driveway, noting that there were several cars there, recognizing Chris's car and the two Maxwell SUVs sitting in the open garage. She went over to the other side, opening his door. "Come on," she said as he got out of the truck. "Which door?"
"Back," said Jonathon as he slowly followed her.
She went through the gate to the kitchen door. She knocked on it, sending Jonathon a dark look over her shoulder as he stood behind her, his hand resting heavily on her shoulder, trying to keep himself upright. Bright light spilled across her as the door was opened. "Hi Randy."
Randy eyes focused on Morgan. "Hey, what are you doing…" she trailed off as she looked beyond the brunette's shoulder at her brother. "Holy shit Jonathon! What the hell happened to you?"
"Bar fight," Morgan said wearily.
"DAD!" Randy yelled over her shoulder.
"What are you yelling for?" Duo asked as he came into the kitchen. His eyes fell on the open door and his son, standing behind his ex-girlfriend. "What the hell?" He went over as they came through the door. He noticed that Jonathon was leaning a little on Morgan.
"Bar fight," Randy answered grimly as she closed the door, watching her brother slump into a chair, his head resting on hands.
Hilde came into the room when she heard all the commotion. "Duo, what's going…" Her voice fell silent when she saw Jonathon. "Oh God, Jonathon, what happened to you?" She went over to him and looked at his face. "Oh dear," she said worriedly. She looked back over her shoulder at her husband, frowning deeply.
"And how did this bar fight start?" Duo asked, directing the question towards his son.
"I started it," Jonathon stated flatly, glancing up briefly at his dad.
"How did you start it?"
"I was mad enough to hit something."
"How come you got drunk in the first place?"
Jonathon's lips tightened into a thin line and his eyes blazed furiously for a moment, but he didn't say anything.
"Do you know Morgan?" Duo asked, giving the question to her.
"He was jealous. He saw Leigh…" pausing when Jonathon growled softly, "…with someone else. A man actually. They were having dinner at Le Belle. And he saw and stormed off. I found him at Garter down on the waterfront. I tried to get him to stop drinking, but…"
"How much did you drink Jonathon?" Duo asked, his cobalt eyes meeting his son's.
"I didn't keep count."
Duo's eyes narrowed just a little at his son's flippant response. He looked back at Morgan.
"When I reached him, he had already had three shots of tequila and he managed to polish off a three-quarter full bottle of rum," she said weakly, noting the dangerous look entering Duo's eyes.
"Three-quarters!" Hilde exclaimed, throwing her son another worried look.
"Damn!" was all Randy could say.
But by now, the others were standing there on the steps, observing the proceedings. A little shocked, but not completely surprised.
"And he told me I shouldn't have come to the Garter to look for him, but I was nervous about what he would do. And then some guy tried to ask me to dance, after I refused. Jonathon threw the first punch, starting a brawl that the police came to."
"Shit," Duo muttered under his breath. "Jonathon, are you even fully aware of what you were doing! You could have been sent to jail!"
"That asshole that was bothering her had it coming!" Jonathon fumed, his eyes flickering towards black, a sign that his temper was boiling again. "I needed a punching bag, he served his purpose well enough!"
"There's a punching bag in the basement for that purpose!" Duo gritted out, his eyes turning black as well, his temper coming to the surface. "You could have gotten in a lot of trouble! All because you were jealous!"
"I have every right to be jealous! The woman that I want, the woman that I love is out with another man, and you're telling me not to be jealous!" Jonathon burst out, angrily. "I have every damn right to be jealous!"
"You shouldn't have been drinking in the first place!" Duo almost shouted back. "And if you loved her so much, why is she with someone else and not with you!"
Jonathon's eyes narrowed to mere slits, his hands balling into fists on the table, trying to regain control of his temper. "That's none of your damn business!" He pushed back his chair, the legs screeching across the linoleum floor. He came toe to toe with his father, looking him straight in the eyes. "Got that."
Duo' s eyes flickered murderously as he stared back at his son. "You're not too old that I won't beat some sense into you!"
Hilde pushed her way between them. "Stop it! That's enough!"
Jonathon gave them all one last fulminating look before whirling on his heel, throwing open the basement door and slamming his feet down the steps.
Hilde pushed against Duo's chest lightly, until he sat down in the kitchen chair. "Calm down sweetheart. Just calm down," she soothed, wrapping her arms around him. "He's not thinking straight, his temper is already up and interrogating him while he's still under the influence of alcohol is not the best thing right now."
Duo snorted and crossed his arms, scowling slightly.
"I don't want you to have a coronary because you lost your temper," Hilde said firmly as she rubbed his neck with her hand.
"Yeah, what good what it do Hilde if you did?" asked Heero, leaning against the wall.
Duo muttered several words under his breath.
"But it worries me even more that Jonathon is like this. He's never taken a break up between himself and Leigh this hard before. And now seeing her with someone else, puts him in an even worse state then he was before," Hilde said quietly looking towards the open basement door, where they could hear the sounds of cursing and fists hitting the punching bag.
Duo looked up at her, his anger quickly diminishing. "I think someone should go talk to him. I know it shouldn't be me or Chris or even David because any of us could lose our tempers."
"I'll go," she said as she looked back at him again. "I think it's best that I do."
"Good luck babe," Duo said, squeezing her hand. He looked over towards Morgan. "Do you need to call your parents?"
"I should. I think Jonathon might need someone else besides his mom to talk to. And he trusts me," she replied.
Duo nodded his head at her. He cast a glance towards the basement. He sure hoped Hilde had a better time talking to their son then he did.
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Jonathon continued to ram his fists into the punching bag, making the chain from which it hung, rattle loudly. Sweat was beginning to pop out on his forehead at each swing, but he didn't care. He was too angry to stop, too jealous to stop. He felt like someone had planted a knife in his back and was twisting it cruelly into his heart. He didn't hear his mother approach him.
Hilde watched him with a sorrowful expression. His anger was apparent, making him so much like Duo. It was also sadly apparent that every one of her children had bad tempers, some worse then others. Chris and David was more the silent type in their anger, they would sit there and simmer for hours, but Jonathon and Randy had more of an explosive temper, which would show outwardly. She walked towards him and stood on the other side of the punching bag. "Jonathon?"
His eyes flickered towards her. "What?" he snapped as he hit the bag again.
His tone caused her to draw her already diminutive height even straighter and her eyes to narrow slightly. "Don't take that tone with me young man," she said in a low voice.
Jonathon paused in mid swing, letting his arms fall to his sides, noting his mother's perturbed expression. He sighed. "I'm sorry mom, I'm just not in the best mood to talk to anybody right now."
"I know you're not honey, but it might make you feel better if you told me about what happened. I'm concerned for you since you've never been this way before." She motioned to the couch that graced the wall.
He went over and sat down next to her. He could smell her comforting fragrance of French Vanilla. It made him feel a little better. He hung his head down, looking at his shoes. His head was pounding and the painkiller that they had given him when he was getting his stitches was wearing off.
When he didn't say anything and kept looking at the floor, Hilde gently lifted his head to look at her. She carefully examined his face, assessing the damage.
Jonathon closed his eyes for a moment as she touched his face with fleeting touches. He tried not to wince when she lightly touched where his stitches were.
"Oh Jonathon, whatever am I going to do with you?" she said, ruffling his chestnut hair reassuringly.
"I'm sorry mom," he said again, closing his one eye since he could barely see out of the other one anyway. "I just saw Leigh with this guy and I lost it. Something inside of me just snapped. I never felt like that before, never so incredible jealous. I wanted to hit something; I wanted to forget I even saw it because it hurt so badly. Dammit, this is my entire fault. If I had only told her that I loved her, then none of this would have ever happened. I wouldn't have lost her," he moaned as he brought his hands up to his face. "I know I don't deserve her, but I love her. I do. And now I'm not going to get her back. She's moved on."
"Shh, it's all right."
"But it's not all right mom! I've lost her because I couldn't tell her that I loved her!"
"Jonathon, you didn't lose her. Although I'm a little surprised that you didn't tell her that you loved her, it doesn't mean that she's lost to you forever."
"But she is mom! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Just because you saw her with someone else, doesn't mean forever. You still have a chance with her."
"No I don't. I don't deserve her. I never did. She's always been too good for me and I knew it. And I bet this makes Wufei laugh with joy that she's dating someone else. He made it no secret that he disapproved of my going out with his precious daughter."
"Hush, that's enough. Don't belittle yourself like that," Hilde admonished, her hands holding onto his. "You did deserve her. Don't ever think that you didn't. You're everything a girl would want. You're handsome, smart, and sweet."
"You're my mom, you have a biased opinion," Jonathon answered, looking back up at her.
"I might, but it's the truth. You're all those things and more."
"But those things don't matter right now. I don't have what I really want. I want Leigh."
"Then you're going to have to fight for her," Hilde said firmly as she looked into his eyes.
Jonathon looked at his mother's determined, yet sympathetic expression on her face. He gave her a rueful smile and looked back down at his hands. He felt tightness in his throat when he thought of Leigh and the other guy. "But mom, I don't know how."
She could hear his voice cracking under the strain of holding back the hurtful emotions. It broke her heart. She lifted his chin so she could look at him in the face. Her lips parted with a slight gasp when she noticed the tears shining in his eyes. "Oh Jonathon," she said softly as she moved forward, pulling him into a hug.
He pressed his face against his mother's neck, his fingers clenching the back of her shirt. His eyes felt hot and gritty as he let himself cry out his frustration, anger, and hurt.
Hilde rubbed his back consolingly, not hearing him cry, but feeling the warm tears against her skin and hearing the harshness of his breathing. She closed her eyes, willing back her own pain as her second born cried out his on her shoulder.
A/N: Aren't I depressing and maybe a little evil? Well I hope you liked this installment! Stay tuned for more coming soon! XOXO!
