Never Parted (Part 2)
By SilverLady
Quatre lowered his head and sighed. While not completely unexpected, the phone call had been difficult to take.
"Who was that?"
Quatre turned at the sound of his beloved's voice. "Gavin," he answered softly.
Trowa moved across the room to kneel at Quatre's feet. Time had been kind to the gentle blonde. Except for a glint of silver among the gold, and a few fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, he looked much like he had the first time Trowa had seen him, stepping out of Sandrock's cockpit with his hands up in a gesture of surrender and more.
"What did he want?" Trowa's voice was just as soft.
Quatre's face grew sad and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Duo and Heero passed away a few hours ago. The funeral will be tomorrow."
Trowa blinked back the moisture that suddenly filled his eyes. "Duo and Heero? I knew that Duo had been sick. But Heero seemed fine, just worried about Duo."
Quatre nodded. "Gavin says the doctor believes Heero died within a few minutes of Duo's passing. They couldn't find anything wrong with him. His heart simply stopped."
Trowa nodded. He understood now. "He couldn't bear the thought of going on without Duo."
Quatre reached out to brush his hand across Trowa's cheek. "Would you live on without me?"
Trowa looked at him for a moment, a little startled by the question. "I don't think so," he finally answered. "I understand just how Heero must have felt. The thought of going on without you in my life is something I don't even want to contemplate." He placed his hand over Quatre's. "You are my life."
Quatre gave him a gentle smile. "I feel the same way."
Trowa suddenly stood up, pulling the blond to his feet as well. "When you were so sick, I was afraid. I didn't want to wake up in the morning for fear that you would be gone. And yet, I didn't want to fall asleep at night for the same reason."
Quatre rested his cheek against Trowa's chest. "I was afraid, too." He paused. "Afraid that you wouldn't want to stay. That you wouldn't be able to handle my illness and leave, rather than deal with it. Every moment that you weren't there I waited anxiously for your return, dreading the thought that this time you wouldn't come back."
Trowa tipped Quatre's face upward, cupping it in his hands. "I promised I would always stand by you. Through the good and the bad. I meant it when I said it and I will always mean it. I love you, Quatre Raberba Winner. For now and for always."
One of Quatre's trademark smiles lit his face. "I love you, too."
Trowa leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Quatre's lips. "So no more talk of outliving each other. That is something to think about later. I know Duo and Heero wouldn't want us having such sad thoughts."
"I know. I miss them already." Tears once again swelled in Quatre's eyes.
"I do too." Trowa swiped away a tear that rolled down Quatre's cheek. "But be glad neither on suffered for too long."
Quatre nodded. He was glad that Heero hadn't had to go on without Duo. The thought of Heero alone was nearly unbearable. Heero just wasn't Heero without Duo. The two really were two parts of a whole and one without the other would be like a broken toy. Nearly useless.
Trowa placed another kiss on Quatre's lips. He knew where the blonde's thought were headed and was determined to steer them away from that course, for now. "Shall we go to bed?"
Quatre frowned. He didn't think his sense of time had gotten that bad. "It's still early, isn't it?"
Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're getting too old to go to bed early."
Quatre suddenly giggled. "No, I'm not." He placed his hand on Trowa's elbow. "Lead on."
Trowa smiled as he guided his love from the room. "Shall we leave the lights on or turn them off?"
Quatre frowned slightly. "Whichever you like." It makes no difference to me. The words hung, unspoken, in the air.
Trowa squeezed Quatre's hand. "Makes things more interesting."
Quatre sighed. "But I miss looking at your beautiful face."
Trowa snorted. "You may be lucky, then. You won't have to watch me grow old. In your eyes, I will remain forever young."
Quatre gave a short laugh. "I didn't know you were so vain."
"Still learning things about me." Trowa paused at the doorway to their room. "From this point no more talk of sad things. That is for tomorrow, when we must bid farewell to our friends. Tonight is for us."
Quatre nodded. For Trowa he would do nearly anything, even set sad thoughts away for awhile.
The wind was cold and there was a promise of rain in the air as Quatre listened to the soft voice of the minister speaking.
But Quatre wasn't really listening to what the man was saying. He was remembering all the things that the five of them had done through the years. Most of them instigated by Duo. He would miss the laughter that followed Duo wherever he went and the long-suffering sigh that Heero would often emit when Duo came up with something new.
Just then Trowa nudged him forward. Quatre took the flower that was placed in his hand and dropped it into the new grave.
"Never parted," Trowa whispered, reading part of the inscription on the stone. "Partners in love, Partners in life." Trowa sighed. "They're off on the next great adventure."
Quatre nodded in agreement. He could almost hear Duo's laughter on the wind. He knew that Duo would find death just another adventure. One that he would enjoy as long as Heero was by his side.
Quatre wrapped his arms tightly around Trowa's as they turned and left the grave. "Until we met again," he whispered to that silent laugh.
"We'll be waiting," came the soft reply.
"I know." Quatre smiled up at Trowa. "Let's go home."
Trowa smiled back. "As you wish, little one."
