And a Happy New Year

By Lolo Winner

Disclaimer: hum let's see. Sky- check, Clint- check, Heero- nope, Ashton- check, Relena- nope, Mel-Anna- check, Gundam Wing it's self- nope. So far Sunrise is winning in the race to own all of the characters.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Mel turned around to see the little boy waddle up to her. She was choked with emotion; she was when ever he called her mommy. She scooped him up in her arms.

"I'm not your mommy silly, I'm your sister." She said.

The little boy shook his head, "Mommy." He gave her a hug.

She laughed, trying to push her emotions aside. "You are so silly." She told him. She loved it when Ashton called her mommy, she truly did. She wished she could call him son back, but she couldn't. To him she was just his older sister. "You ready to see Clint today?" She asked him.

He shook his head vigorously. "Yesh."

"All right, lets get your coat, it's cold out today."

They came down stairs a few minutes later. Mel was holding Ashton's hand, helping him down the steps. He moved awkwardly in the heavy winter coat. Her parents were putting the tree up in the entryway. Her mother was standing back, instructing her father on how to position the mammoth pine. When they hit the foyer he broke into a run for Heero. "Daddy! Daddy!" He called.

Heero stood up, leaving his duties of straightening the tree for a second. He swept the toddler off the floor; he threw him up and caught him. Mel smiled at the sight, with Ashton around her father was like a kid again. She had never seen him happier than when he was with his grandson. "What are you all dressed up for?" He asked.

"I'm taking Ashy to the park."

"Heero the tree!" Relena yelled.

Heero set Ashton down and ran to the tree, just in time to catch it from falling. He looked back over at Mel-Anna, "You will be home in time to decorate the tree right?"

"We should be."

"Alright, well have fun."

"Come here little guy, your shirt is all messed up." Relena knelt as the toddler waddled over to her. She started to re-tuck the petite turtleneck. She looked up at Mel, "Is Clint home for the holidays?" She asked.

Mel nodded, "We are meeting him at the park."

"Well tell him we say hi." She said with a smile. She looked back over to Heero. "No, no it's still all crooked. Here, let me help." She went over and helped him wrestle the large Douglas fir into place.

"Cint! Cint!" Ashton squirmed in his mother's arms at the sight of his father. Mel set him down and watched him run over to Clint.

Clint scooped him up. "How's my superman?" He asked.

"Fly!" Ashton exclaimed with his limited vocabulary.

"Alright hold on." Clint lifted him high above his head and spun him around.

"Clint! Be careful!"

Clint stopped spinning and looked over to Mel. He set Ashton down, "Go play superman, your sis and I want to talk."

"O-tay." Ashton ran off into the sandbox. He plopped down next to one of his friends from their usual trips to the park, and helped the little girl build her mound of sand.

Clint went over to Mel. "Hey gorgeous." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She hugged and kissed him back.

"I've missed you." She said. They held hands and walked over to the bench, where they sat and watched Ashton as he stuck sticks into the top of their sand mound.

"He's gotten big." He said.

"Yes he has, and looking more and more like you every day."

"Yeah, that too."

She looked over to him, "Well, not so much any more." She said, referring to how much he had changed since his year and a half in California. His skin was much tanner and his hair was no longer the lime green it had been when he was a junior, or it's natural dark brunette he had allowed it to go back to when he was a senior. It was cut short and spiked, bleached a bright white blonde.

He ran his hand though the stiff spikes, "Yeah, we've all changed. Even you."

"I have huh?" She asked.

"Yeah," He flipped his finger though her shoulder length hair with it's blond streaks, "Cut and dyed and just the way I like it."

She laughed. Clint could tell it was forced, "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why do you think something's wrong?"

"You can't fool me Mel so lets not go though the motions of me prodding and you holding back and just tell me."

She couldn't help but smile, one with a hint of sadness. "I received a letter of expectance." She said.

"From Stanford?"

She shook her head, "From Oxford."

"What ever happened to the plan? You know, you meet up with me at Stanford? The one where we live happily ever after?"

"Four generations of Dorlains have gone to Oxford, that is where I want to go."

"But it's half way around the world."

"Which is one of its most appealing qualities."

"Huh?"

"Clint, this isn't working. I know it you know it. We can't continue to pretend like this is happily ever after."

"Well that was one of the reasons for us going to the same collage remember?"

"I don't want to anymore." She looked away from his gaze.

"What's that suppose to mean? I love you, you love me, it makes sense for us to be together."

Their eyes latched again, "I don't trust myself around you." They looked at each other in silence, not knowing what to say. Clint was dumbfounded; he hadn't expected anything like this. Finally, Mel looked away and continued. "I want to keep in touch though, I want you to know Ashton. One day he's going to learn the truth, and when he does I don't want you to be merely a figment of his imagination."

"Is there any way at all I could change your mind? Maybe I could transfer to Oxford, and finish up school there. Or, maybe in two years when I'm done there I can move to England to be with you."

"Then what Clint? Then we ask my parents to hand over Ashton and raise him like he is our own?"

"But he is our own."

"No, he's just my baby brother, and you're just my ex-boyfriend." They were quiet again, having so much they each wanted to say, but finding it impossible to find the words.

Ashton ran over to them. "Dat." He said, pointing to the swing set.

"You want to swing?" Mel asked.

"Yesh."

"Alright superman, let's go swing." Clint stood and walked back over to the swings with Ashton. "Can you say swing?" He asked as they walked across the sand.

"Sing!"

Clint laughed, "There you go buddy."

Mel watched silently as the father of her child pushed him on the swings. She tried to hold the tears back, but a few escaped and etched their trails down her cheeks.



Mel and Ashton returned an hour later. The tree was now up, strait and centered, her parents and the two maids were already decorating it. Mel smiled, "I thought you were going to wait for us."

"There's plenty more to do." Her mother replied.

"Twee! Twee!" Ashton pointed at the Christmas tree.

"Yes, it's a Christmas tree, want to help make it pretty?" Ashton nodded. Mel took off his coat and let him stumble over to the tree. Sylvia, one of the maids, handed him a glass ball and showed him how to hang it on the branch. Mel saw no need in bothering Sylvia or Margaret in their fun, and hung the coats up herself.

She loved this time of year. The house smelt of cinnamon from the candles and pine tree. The fire in the gigantic fireplace warmed the air. Cheery Christmas carols filled the air as they came from the stereo. The maids and Relena sang along. Aston tried to follow in suit; making up the words as he went. Heero didn't sing as he silently hung the burgundy and deep blue painted orbs on the tree.

With the coats hung, Mel walked to the tree. She slapped the mail she was caring on the table and went to help decorate. She drew a silver angel from one of the boxes and hung it on a naked branch. She picked up o the singing as the next carol started.

"Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king. Peace on Earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconcile."

A stray tear rolled down Mel's cheek a few carols later. Her mother caught it. "Honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just have a little something in my eye." She rubbed her eye. Relena didn't believe her, but she didn't want to force the truth in front of everyone. She let it go and turned back to the boxes or ornaments to find them empty. "Well that was quick, all that's left is the angel."

"Mine!" Ashton demanded as he held his arms out to Relena.

"All right." Relena took the delicate glass angel out of the box and handed it to Ashton. "Be very careful with that."

"O-tay."

"Ready?" Heero asked.

"Yesh." Heero lifted him up, high into the air. With both of his stubby little hands, Ashton placed the angel carefully on top of the tree. Everyone clapped as Heero lowered him back to the floor. Ashton was beaming with pride. He ran to Relena and pulled her to the tree, "Wook mommy!" He pointed at where he had placed his ornaments. They were all clumped together with no rhyme or reason, but Ashton didn't understand that.

"Yes, you did an excellent job." She said.

Mel decided to speak up before she forgot, "Oh yeah, I went a head and brought in the mail mother. I set it down on the table."

"Anything that looked important?" She asked, not looking up as Ashton pointed out every ornament he had hung. Heero and the maids began to clean up. Heero placed the lids on one of the empty boxes and picked it up.

"Well there was one thing." Mel went to help pack up the empty ornament cartridges into the boxes, "It's probably just a Christmas card, but the address was hand written in calligraphy, and you will never guess who sent it; the satellite tycoon himself Quatre Winner!"

Heero dropped the box at the name. Relena stopped looking at Ashton's accomplishment. They both stared at Mel. Mel was a little frightened by their reaction. "What's wrong?"

Relena nearly ran to the stack of mail. She dug out the envelope with its gold calligraphy writing. She tore open the envelope and quickly read the card. She looked up with a plaster smile on her face, "Who wants some hot chocolate?" She asked.

"Me!" Ashton said as he jumped up and down.

"Good, Heero, come help me make the coco."

He nodded, not asking why she didn't just have Justine do it, and followed her into the kitchen.

"It's an invitation," She said as she stirred the milk. "For the twenty- five year anniversary."

Herro looked up from taking the mugs from the cupboard, "has it really been that long?"

"On Christmas."

"Is that when the reunion is?"

"No, it's on New Years. We're all invited."

"So do you want to go?" He set the mugs down next to the stove.

"Oh course I want to go. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"What are we going to do about Ashton?"

"Isn't he invited?"

"Well, yes, but what I mean is, what are we going to say?"

"What we always say: that's he's our son."

"What if they find out about Clint and Mel? He's going to go most likely, and Ashy is just flowing with Duo's looks."

"I don't know about that, he has your eyes."

"No, he has Mel-Anna's eyes."

"Who has your eyes."

"They aren't idiots. They will see Mel-Anna and Clint next to Ashton and quickly conclude what happened. Milk's ready."

"And we'll stick to the story." He handed the coco mix to Relena, "What are they going to do? Dispute us?"

"Are you sure that will work?"

He shrugged, "It has to."



The Yuy's showed up at the reunion a few minutes late, thanks to the fact that Ashton was teething, and the orajel couldn't be found anywhere. As the younger offspring of their fellow pilots and friends ran around the house, the adults were in the parlor of the large house, catching up on old times.

Duo and Hilde were already there. Clint sat by their side, listening attentively to his father's friends and their stories. Sky was off talking with Quatre's thirteen-year-old daughter Annette.

Wu Fei was there as well. He and Sally had been engaged years back, he broke it off however, they all knew why, but no one ever said it out loud. Sally and him still worked together, and were good friends, so she came with him to the reunion.

Quatre and his wife Monique finished up the little circle. They married about seventeen years back. All the little blond children running around were obviously theirs. Heero counted; there were five in total, four girls, and one boy.

Heero held Ashton in his arms. As they headed over for the group he started having second thoughts. They all were, yet no one bothered to make this known. When they got into view of Duo, the only one who was in the right position to see them coming, stood and waved, "Hey Heero!" He called out. Everyone stood and turned around to greet them.

They all stood around the Yuy's, talking about Mel and little Ashton. "Oh Relena he's absolutely beautiful." Sally said, holing his little hand.

"He's got your eyes Relena." Quatre commented.

"And Mel-Anna, I haven't seen you since you were just a baby. You probably don't even remember me. I'm Monique Winner, Quatre's wife. Oh, what a beautiful young woman you have become."

Mel blushed, "Thank you Mrs. Winner." Mel and Clint's eyes locked for a second, she broke the gaze. She hadn't expected to see him there, she didn't know why she hadn't.

Despite the attention, Ashton was getting fidgety in Heero's arms. He had been forced to sit all day long, first in the car, and now in his arms. He desperately wanted to get down and run around. Mel could also tell that his mouth was bugging him, as he started to gnaw at his fist.

"Of Father, let me take Ashy, he wants to go play." Heero handed him over. He caught Wu Fei's look. He brushed it off. Mel looked at the group, feeling like she had to excuse herself, "Sorry to take him away for you, but he's teething." Everyone seemed to understand, and didn't ask any questions.

Mel started to walk away with the child and his dipper bag. Clint silently excused himself from the circle and followed the two over to the makeshift nursery set up in the other room.

The butler came in seconds later with a tray filled with glasses of champagne. Everyone took a glass, and the conversation continued. No one even bothered to sit back down. Heero noticed how Wu Fei was still eyeing Clint and Mel as they spoke and played with Ashton. Again, he brushed it off. He also noticed how agitated Mel was around Clint.

Only a few minutes later Trowa arrived with his wife of eight years Natasha. She had joined the circus as the replacement knife thrower when his sister Catharine went on Maternity leave with her and her husbands first-born. They married a few years later, and now do the trapeze act at the circus. "Sorry we're late." Trowa said, "Katie got a little sick on the way." He handed the toddler, who was about a year older than Ashton, to one of the servants. She was automatically taken over to were the other kids were.

There was another little one hiding behind Trowa's long legs. Relena bent down, "And who might this be?" She asked, trying to coax the little boy away from his protection.

"Zach, come out and say hello to everyone." His mother said.

Zach didn't come out, but he did mumble a hello. The adults smiled, "Oh aren't we the little shy one?" Relena asked.

Trowa stepped out of the way, exposing the five year old to everyone. The resemblance to his father was uncanny, right down to the jelled bangs. Zach automatically ran over to his father. Instead of finding sanctuary, however, he was scooped up for all to see. "Sorry, he's really shy." Trowa said as Zach buried himself into his father's sweater.

Relena smiled, "Oh, that's okay."

"Zach, want to go play with cousin Rashid?" Trowa said, speaking of Quatre's six-year-old son. Zach nodded. Trowa put him down, and Zach ran over to the other room, where the blond little boy was stacking blocks.

Trowa straightened up, "So what did we miss?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Duo's son knocked up Heero's daughter." Wu Fei said, as if he was talking about the weather.

Quatre, who had just taken a sip from his champagne, choked at the sudden comment, and spit his champagne everywhere. Monique patted him on his back as he coughed.

Heero glared at Wu Fei. "Oh come on, look at them!" Wu Fei said, pointed to the three in the other room. Everyone looked. Relena could tell that they were all comparing Clint to Ashton, and that their ruse was no good around their friends.

"Did it ever accrue to you that we might have just waited a while before having Ashton?" Heero asked.

"Yeah, like what? Seventeen years?"

"It's no use Heero, they know."

"Relena." Heero said between his teeth, in a questioning sing-song vice.

"So then it's true then? About Clint and Mel?" Quatre asked.

Heero and Relena exchanged looks with Duo and Hilde. Duo sighed, "Yeah." He mumbled.