A Strawberry and Vanilla Swirl
1 Chapter 3
When Quatre stepped into his office for the first time in seven months, he saw nothing but darkness. Then, he felt something. Felt a lot of emotions coming together, quickly, in a mess of things. So many emotions, that he knew only belonged to one person.
"Heero," he mumbled and turned the light on.
The brunette boy looked up at him from his spot on the edge of Quatre's desk, half because he heard his name, half because the light came on. Quatre was the person he wanted to see, anyways.
"Quatre," he replied. "It's about time you got home." He got off of his desk and walked over to the blond.
Quatre sighed. "Heero. You shouldn't be up here. You should be on Earth, taking care of your daughter… and Re — Miss Relena."
Heero shot him a look before replying, "I can't."
"Why can't you?" Quatre asked, rather upset, as Heero walked back to Quatre's desk and sat down at the chair in front of it. Instead of a response, he got Heero beckoning to the chair behind the desk. Quatre walked over and sat down in it.
"Alright," Heero said. "Now listen. This is a very difficult time in my life. I don't want to be the 'Perfect Soldier' anymore. I want to be as close to human as I can. But the thing is, I'm not – yet. If I were to see my girls it would hurt them."
"How?"
Heero looked surprised. "Quatre. Of all people I wouldn't expect you to ask me that."
Quatre looked confused. "What do you mean, Heero?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't have a mother, just a father. You saw your father every so often. You know what it's like to wake up and run to see him, and he happens to be at a meeting. You know what it's like to know that he is reachable… but you can't get him. Don't ask me what I'm talking about, because you know."
Quatre sighed. "Okay. But you have to, just once. For Relena."
Heero eyed Quatre suspiciously. "Why are you so worried about her?"
Quatre blinked a couple times. "She's a friend."
"Is that it?"
"What, Heero? It's true. I care very much for everyone. I'd feel the same if Duo did something like this to Hilde."
"Don't lie to me," Heero stared at him in the eyes. "You care for Relena more than that, don't you?"
Quatre couldn't keep Heero's gaze for long, not when he was asking him this question. He looked down to the floor. "Heero, I would never try to take her away from you but I can't lie about my feeling. But Heero, you haven't seen that look on her face. Like what you said about my father and me. Relena knows you're out here and alive, but she can't get to you. Any smile she can give is nothing compared to those waves of emotions."
Heero sighed. "Quatre, I need you to do something for me."
Quatre now looked up at him, ready for anything he was going to get. "Yes, Heero?"
"It's going to take me a long time to find myself -- perhaps, even years. But, since you care for Relena about as much as I do, maybe you can take care of her for me."
"What are you saying, Heero?"
"Relena needs someone to stay with her. The closest maid or butler in that home couldn't make her feel better. She needs moral support. She needs a friend, Quatre, and if you can be that much…"
"Heero, I don't have that kind of will power. I really feel something for her. Do you know what it's like to sleep about six doors down from someone you really feel close to? I can't do it."
"You've done it already. Do this for me, all right Quatre? If you can do this favor for me, then when I come back, I will pay you back anyway possible. Do you understand? Can you do this for me?"
Quatre took in a deep breath. Finally he said, "I won't take any sort of compensation for taking care of Relena. No other except for the fact that you do come back. I can't bear to see that look on her face. And what about Destiny? What do we do when she asks about her father?"
"Simply tell her something that goes along the lines of seeing me one day. And one more thing…"
Quatre was expecting the most difficult challenge, until Heero continued.
"…Send me pictures, Quatre."
Quatre got a surprised look on his face as Heero got up to leave. "What, that's it?"
Heero turned to look at him. "You can work on from there, Quatre. I'll come back and be the best father… and husband… possible." He left the room swiftly, and Quatre knew that if he were to run after him, he would not see any sign of him anywhere.
"But, Heero…" Quatre whispered, rather confused.
***
Rashid watched in awe as Quatre continued what he was doing. Looking over his shoulder, he could faintly read it:
'Data bank
Send to:
E3, Eurasia, Sank Kingdom
Relena Peacecraft'
"She doesn't go by that last name anymore," Quatre mumbled in an amused voice.
'Data sent
Databank cleared'
Quatre shut off the computer and turned around to see Rashid.
"Rashid," he said in a startled voice.
"Master Quatre, I know that when you came home last week you said you were going to move to Earth. But, Master Quatre, the Winners have been in space since colony settlement first began."
"It's not like I'm going to hold everything. I'm still going to have a home in space. Everything is going to stay here. I'm the only thing that's going to move. I'm only going to be on the earth for a few years."
"Years?"
Quatre sighed. He walked over to his desk and began to put a few manila folders in a bag. "That's how long it'll take Heero to go back to Relena."
Rashid shook his head. "She must be a lot more than I thought for you to move. Do you truly feel this much for her?"
"She… she is a very dear friend."
"That's not what I asked. You know what I mean."
Quatre looked down. "Is it that obvious, Rahsid?"
Rashid shook his head. "Excuse me."
Quatre opened up a desk drawer. He pulled out a couple more folders and put them in the tote bag, also.
"When will you be leaving, Master Quatre?"
"Hopefully in a couple days. I want it to be a surprise."
Rashid nodded as Quatre zipped up his bag.
"Could you phone satellite 22 in the L3 colony area and tell them they will need to contact me from a different location for awhile?"
"Yes, Master Quatre. Would you like me to give away the location, as well?"
"Please, Rashid."
Rashid nodded again. This time, he left the room.
Quatre groaned slightly as he picked up the heavy bag. "I just hope this surprise doesn't hurt anyone, Heero."
***
"I can't believe – ow! – that when I was younger, er, quite younger, I – ow! – liked these things."
Wufei was sitting in-between Relena and Sally. Sally had the privilege to hold the tiny girl, but the child seemed most interested in Wufei's ponytail hanging behind his head.
When she reached over and yanked it for the fourth time, Wufei couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, give it back to its mother."
"Wufei, she's a she, not an it. And no."
Wufei crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the couch.
Relena giggled. "Why don't you give her her pacifier, Wufei?"
Wufei glanced over at her. "Her what?"
Sally rolled her eyes. "It's on the coffee table, Wufei."
Wufei shrugged. "I don't understand your women terms." He looked at the table. "The top of a bottle there?"
"No," Sally said. "The nipple on a bottle is different than a pacifier." She nodded toward the item on the table. "They suck on those."
Wufei grunted, ignoring Sally's sarcasm. "Maybe that will keep her occupied." He reached over and grabbed the item on the table. Then, he sat back and tried to shove it into the baby's mouth.
"Wufei," Sally sighed. "Give that to me."
"Please, don't force it," Relena said.
"I'm not," Wufei grumbled. "Here, just give it to me."
"She's a she, Wufei."
"Give her to me, then."
Sally slowly gave Destiny to Wufei. "Careful, Wufei. Hold her like this --"
"I know how to hold a child."
Wufei took Destiny out of Sally's arms. He held her just right, much to Sally's surprise. He hovered the pacifier outside of Destiny's mouth.
"Open," Wufei pressed. "Come on."
For some reason, the little girl gave him a big toothless grin. Wufei took this opportunity to put the pacifier in her mouth.
Relena and Sally looked at the boy next to them who held the girl with a pacifier, now bobbing up and down, in her mouth. Suddenly, the two girls started laughing at once.
"What?" Wufei asked. "What's so funny?"
"You are, Wufei," Sally managed to say between laughs.
***
"Excuse me, Mr. Winner."
Quatre looked up from his desk to see one of his worker businessmen standing at the door.
"Yes?"
"Will we be needed on Earth, also?"
"No, that won't be necessary. If they may need me in space I'm come back again."
The man nodded. "Will you be departing today, sir? Should I get a flight?"
"That would be kind of you." Quatre nodded back. "I'll leave tomorrow, but… I'll be taking so much it would probably be best to get one of my own shuttles."
"Yes sir."
Quatre smiled at the man as he left. Then, for a moment, he had to remember what he was doing a moment ago. He looked down at his phone book with his collection of numbers. He looked over to his videophone and dialed up the number for the Preventer's head office.
***
"You're sure you can't stay longer? You've only been here for four days."
Relena was desperate to keep company as long as she could. And to add onto it, she decided to say, "Duo and Hilde stayed for five days."
Wufei shook his head. "We really need to get back to Preventer Headquarters."
"It's been fun, Relena," Sally said. "You take care of that adorable baby."
"I will," Relena replied, as she stepped outside with her friends. "Take care you two."
"'Bye!"
Relena heard the cry of her baby and went inside. She went over to the small crib that she kept downstairs during the day.
"You must be hungry, honey. Want some juice?"
She didn't get an answer; Destiny continued to cry. Relena picked her up and carried her into the kitchen, trying to hush her on the way. She secured her daughter in her high chair, to which she would babble about something Relena didn't understand. Then, Relena went over to the cupboard and pulled out a cup especially made for juice.
"Apple or orange?" Relena asked more to herself since Destiny did not understand. She picked up a jug. "How about orange? It's a bit more nutritious."
She untwisted the top and poured a little into the cup. A maid walked in at this time and yelped.
"Miss Relena, what are you doing?"
Relena looked up, greeted the girl with a smile, and turned back to the cup of juice. "Fixing my daughter some juice."
"Let me do that for you Miss!"
"No, that's okay." Relena re-twisted the top on the jug. "I've got it." Next, she spun the top on the cup.
"Here, Miss, let me put the juice away --" She took a step forward.
"I've got it," Relena said playfully. "I'm not completely helpless."
The girl frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you Miss, but a young man is here to see you. He says it's urgent."
By now, Relena had put the juice away. She was giving Destiny a drink when her eyes widened. 'A young man'? 'Urgent'? These were things that could be associated with Heero.
"Watch her please," Relena said, letting Destiny take the cup herself. She left the room quickly without giving the maid time to respond.
Relena held every chance that Heero had changed his mind as she rushed into the living room, where she saw the door was open. So she headed over there and looked out. Déjà vu. She frowned slightly. There was a large limo outside; two people were carrying things out. The driver and –
"Quatre," Relena said surprised,
Quatre walked over to her with a tote bag slung over his left shoulder. "Hi, Relena. I'm back."
Relena looked even more surprised. "Back?"
"You didn't think I was going to leave forever, did you?"
"Er… well… I thought you'd come back. But it's been only – what? Three weeks?"
Quatre sighed. "Relena, can I admit something to you?" He glanced over as the driver came up with the last luggage and nodded to the floor. Here, the man set it down, turned, and left.
"Now, Relena, I know I'm not Destiny's father…"
Relena's eyes widened. Where was he going with this?
"But if I could be the fatherly image in her life… just until Heero comes back."
Relena opened her mouth to say something, but he wasn't done yet. He put a few fingers over her lips to keep her silent.
"Please, hear me out. If you don't want to, that's fine. I just want to do this because I know what it's like not having two parents. But I will take care of you two, no matter what. Alright?"
Relena looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't. She could kind of see where Quatre was coming from. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Alright, Quatre. Will you be here until Heero comes back?"
Quatre smiled at her warmth. There weren't many people he felt this warm around. He buried his face in her hair.
"I promise, Relena," he whispered. Saying silently in his head, 'I hope you know what you're doing, Heero.'
The end of Chapter 3
Sorry it was so short, it was longer written out. I swear. Anyways, as always, thanks for reading. I'm getting such nice reviews!
1 Chapter 3
When Quatre stepped into his office for the first time in seven months, he saw nothing but darkness. Then, he felt something. Felt a lot of emotions coming together, quickly, in a mess of things. So many emotions, that he knew only belonged to one person.
"Heero," he mumbled and turned the light on.
The brunette boy looked up at him from his spot on the edge of Quatre's desk, half because he heard his name, half because the light came on. Quatre was the person he wanted to see, anyways.
"Quatre," he replied. "It's about time you got home." He got off of his desk and walked over to the blond.
Quatre sighed. "Heero. You shouldn't be up here. You should be on Earth, taking care of your daughter… and Re — Miss Relena."
Heero shot him a look before replying, "I can't."
"Why can't you?" Quatre asked, rather upset, as Heero walked back to Quatre's desk and sat down at the chair in front of it. Instead of a response, he got Heero beckoning to the chair behind the desk. Quatre walked over and sat down in it.
"Alright," Heero said. "Now listen. This is a very difficult time in my life. I don't want to be the 'Perfect Soldier' anymore. I want to be as close to human as I can. But the thing is, I'm not – yet. If I were to see my girls it would hurt them."
"How?"
Heero looked surprised. "Quatre. Of all people I wouldn't expect you to ask me that."
Quatre looked confused. "What do you mean, Heero?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You didn't have a mother, just a father. You saw your father every so often. You know what it's like to wake up and run to see him, and he happens to be at a meeting. You know what it's like to know that he is reachable… but you can't get him. Don't ask me what I'm talking about, because you know."
Quatre sighed. "Okay. But you have to, just once. For Relena."
Heero eyed Quatre suspiciously. "Why are you so worried about her?"
Quatre blinked a couple times. "She's a friend."
"Is that it?"
"What, Heero? It's true. I care very much for everyone. I'd feel the same if Duo did something like this to Hilde."
"Don't lie to me," Heero stared at him in the eyes. "You care for Relena more than that, don't you?"
Quatre couldn't keep Heero's gaze for long, not when he was asking him this question. He looked down to the floor. "Heero, I would never try to take her away from you but I can't lie about my feeling. But Heero, you haven't seen that look on her face. Like what you said about my father and me. Relena knows you're out here and alive, but she can't get to you. Any smile she can give is nothing compared to those waves of emotions."
Heero sighed. "Quatre, I need you to do something for me."
Quatre now looked up at him, ready for anything he was going to get. "Yes, Heero?"
"It's going to take me a long time to find myself -- perhaps, even years. But, since you care for Relena about as much as I do, maybe you can take care of her for me."
"What are you saying, Heero?"
"Relena needs someone to stay with her. The closest maid or butler in that home couldn't make her feel better. She needs moral support. She needs a friend, Quatre, and if you can be that much…"
"Heero, I don't have that kind of will power. I really feel something for her. Do you know what it's like to sleep about six doors down from someone you really feel close to? I can't do it."
"You've done it already. Do this for me, all right Quatre? If you can do this favor for me, then when I come back, I will pay you back anyway possible. Do you understand? Can you do this for me?"
Quatre took in a deep breath. Finally he said, "I won't take any sort of compensation for taking care of Relena. No other except for the fact that you do come back. I can't bear to see that look on her face. And what about Destiny? What do we do when she asks about her father?"
"Simply tell her something that goes along the lines of seeing me one day. And one more thing…"
Quatre was expecting the most difficult challenge, until Heero continued.
"…Send me pictures, Quatre."
Quatre got a surprised look on his face as Heero got up to leave. "What, that's it?"
Heero turned to look at him. "You can work on from there, Quatre. I'll come back and be the best father… and husband… possible." He left the room swiftly, and Quatre knew that if he were to run after him, he would not see any sign of him anywhere.
"But, Heero…" Quatre whispered, rather confused.
***
Rashid watched in awe as Quatre continued what he was doing. Looking over his shoulder, he could faintly read it:
'Data bank
Send to:
E3, Eurasia, Sank Kingdom
Relena Peacecraft'
"She doesn't go by that last name anymore," Quatre mumbled in an amused voice.
'Data sent
Databank cleared'
Quatre shut off the computer and turned around to see Rashid.
"Rashid," he said in a startled voice.
"Master Quatre, I know that when you came home last week you said you were going to move to Earth. But, Master Quatre, the Winners have been in space since colony settlement first began."
"It's not like I'm going to hold everything. I'm still going to have a home in space. Everything is going to stay here. I'm the only thing that's going to move. I'm only going to be on the earth for a few years."
"Years?"
Quatre sighed. He walked over to his desk and began to put a few manila folders in a bag. "That's how long it'll take Heero to go back to Relena."
Rashid shook his head. "She must be a lot more than I thought for you to move. Do you truly feel this much for her?"
"She… she is a very dear friend."
"That's not what I asked. You know what I mean."
Quatre looked down. "Is it that obvious, Rahsid?"
Rashid shook his head. "Excuse me."
Quatre opened up a desk drawer. He pulled out a couple more folders and put them in the tote bag, also.
"When will you be leaving, Master Quatre?"
"Hopefully in a couple days. I want it to be a surprise."
Rashid nodded as Quatre zipped up his bag.
"Could you phone satellite 22 in the L3 colony area and tell them they will need to contact me from a different location for awhile?"
"Yes, Master Quatre. Would you like me to give away the location, as well?"
"Please, Rashid."
Rashid nodded again. This time, he left the room.
Quatre groaned slightly as he picked up the heavy bag. "I just hope this surprise doesn't hurt anyone, Heero."
***
"I can't believe – ow! – that when I was younger, er, quite younger, I – ow! – liked these things."
Wufei was sitting in-between Relena and Sally. Sally had the privilege to hold the tiny girl, but the child seemed most interested in Wufei's ponytail hanging behind his head.
When she reached over and yanked it for the fourth time, Wufei couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, give it back to its mother."
"Wufei, she's a she, not an it. And no."
Wufei crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the couch.
Relena giggled. "Why don't you give her her pacifier, Wufei?"
Wufei glanced over at her. "Her what?"
Sally rolled her eyes. "It's on the coffee table, Wufei."
Wufei shrugged. "I don't understand your women terms." He looked at the table. "The top of a bottle there?"
"No," Sally said. "The nipple on a bottle is different than a pacifier." She nodded toward the item on the table. "They suck on those."
Wufei grunted, ignoring Sally's sarcasm. "Maybe that will keep her occupied." He reached over and grabbed the item on the table. Then, he sat back and tried to shove it into the baby's mouth.
"Wufei," Sally sighed. "Give that to me."
"Please, don't force it," Relena said.
"I'm not," Wufei grumbled. "Here, just give it to me."
"She's a she, Wufei."
"Give her to me, then."
Sally slowly gave Destiny to Wufei. "Careful, Wufei. Hold her like this --"
"I know how to hold a child."
Wufei took Destiny out of Sally's arms. He held her just right, much to Sally's surprise. He hovered the pacifier outside of Destiny's mouth.
"Open," Wufei pressed. "Come on."
For some reason, the little girl gave him a big toothless grin. Wufei took this opportunity to put the pacifier in her mouth.
Relena and Sally looked at the boy next to them who held the girl with a pacifier, now bobbing up and down, in her mouth. Suddenly, the two girls started laughing at once.
"What?" Wufei asked. "What's so funny?"
"You are, Wufei," Sally managed to say between laughs.
***
"Excuse me, Mr. Winner."
Quatre looked up from his desk to see one of his worker businessmen standing at the door.
"Yes?"
"Will we be needed on Earth, also?"
"No, that won't be necessary. If they may need me in space I'm come back again."
The man nodded. "Will you be departing today, sir? Should I get a flight?"
"That would be kind of you." Quatre nodded back. "I'll leave tomorrow, but… I'll be taking so much it would probably be best to get one of my own shuttles."
"Yes sir."
Quatre smiled at the man as he left. Then, for a moment, he had to remember what he was doing a moment ago. He looked down at his phone book with his collection of numbers. He looked over to his videophone and dialed up the number for the Preventer's head office.
***
"You're sure you can't stay longer? You've only been here for four days."
Relena was desperate to keep company as long as she could. And to add onto it, she decided to say, "Duo and Hilde stayed for five days."
Wufei shook his head. "We really need to get back to Preventer Headquarters."
"It's been fun, Relena," Sally said. "You take care of that adorable baby."
"I will," Relena replied, as she stepped outside with her friends. "Take care you two."
"'Bye!"
Relena heard the cry of her baby and went inside. She went over to the small crib that she kept downstairs during the day.
"You must be hungry, honey. Want some juice?"
She didn't get an answer; Destiny continued to cry. Relena picked her up and carried her into the kitchen, trying to hush her on the way. She secured her daughter in her high chair, to which she would babble about something Relena didn't understand. Then, Relena went over to the cupboard and pulled out a cup especially made for juice.
"Apple or orange?" Relena asked more to herself since Destiny did not understand. She picked up a jug. "How about orange? It's a bit more nutritious."
She untwisted the top and poured a little into the cup. A maid walked in at this time and yelped.
"Miss Relena, what are you doing?"
Relena looked up, greeted the girl with a smile, and turned back to the cup of juice. "Fixing my daughter some juice."
"Let me do that for you Miss!"
"No, that's okay." Relena re-twisted the top on the jug. "I've got it." Next, she spun the top on the cup.
"Here, Miss, let me put the juice away --" She took a step forward.
"I've got it," Relena said playfully. "I'm not completely helpless."
The girl frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you Miss, but a young man is here to see you. He says it's urgent."
By now, Relena had put the juice away. She was giving Destiny a drink when her eyes widened. 'A young man'? 'Urgent'? These were things that could be associated with Heero.
"Watch her please," Relena said, letting Destiny take the cup herself. She left the room quickly without giving the maid time to respond.
Relena held every chance that Heero had changed his mind as she rushed into the living room, where she saw the door was open. So she headed over there and looked out. Déjà vu. She frowned slightly. There was a large limo outside; two people were carrying things out. The driver and –
"Quatre," Relena said surprised,
Quatre walked over to her with a tote bag slung over his left shoulder. "Hi, Relena. I'm back."
Relena looked even more surprised. "Back?"
"You didn't think I was going to leave forever, did you?"
"Er… well… I thought you'd come back. But it's been only – what? Three weeks?"
Quatre sighed. "Relena, can I admit something to you?" He glanced over as the driver came up with the last luggage and nodded to the floor. Here, the man set it down, turned, and left.
"Now, Relena, I know I'm not Destiny's father…"
Relena's eyes widened. Where was he going with this?
"But if I could be the fatherly image in her life… just until Heero comes back."
Relena opened her mouth to say something, but he wasn't done yet. He put a few fingers over her lips to keep her silent.
"Please, hear me out. If you don't want to, that's fine. I just want to do this because I know what it's like not having two parents. But I will take care of you two, no matter what. Alright?"
Relena looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't. She could kind of see where Quatre was coming from. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Alright, Quatre. Will you be here until Heero comes back?"
Quatre smiled at her warmth. There weren't many people he felt this warm around. He buried his face in her hair.
"I promise, Relena," he whispered. Saying silently in his head, 'I hope you know what you're doing, Heero.'
The end of Chapter 3
Sorry it was so short, it was longer written out. I swear. Anyways, as always, thanks for reading. I'm getting such nice reviews!