The Story of a Family
© Summer 2002 Lady Pax
LP: These A/Ns are getting shorter everyday.... On to the ficcy! Vena ci! Happy reading!!
Chapter 3: Bad Confessions and a Phone Call Away
Later that evening (same day from chapter 2)...
"I'm tired, Daddy," Helen said sleepily, taking the band holding her braid in place off. Her blackish-purple (let's call it midnight amethyst) then traveled down to her shoulder-blades, fanning behind her shoulders. Her eyes were barely visible behind the unruly bangs.
"Okay, let's go find you a room to stay in, then," he said.
"Have a nice sleep, Helen," Quatre said. The other pilots murmured goodnights as well. Duo picked up the bag that was still in the entranceway and led her to a hallway that held the pilots' rooms. The doors were labeled with names: Heero's Room, Wufei's Room, Trowa's Room, Quatre's Room, and, finally, Duo's Room and Guest Room, Guest Room, Guest Room, Guest Room. (A/N: It should get clear in a few chaps. to why the pilots started living together again....it starts with a W, ends with an R! W[?]R!).
He took the guest room next to his and led her in. "This will be your room, okay, Helen?" he asked her. She nodded and jumped on the bed.
"Wow! A bed!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah...what'd you think you were going to sleep on? The floor?" he laughed.
"I'm used to it," she said, shrugging. "Old Daddy gave my bed to his two Poodle-dogs."
Duo stopped laughing. "You didn't even sleep on a bed?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I told you, the Poodle-dogs slept on my bed, and they ripped everything up in my room. And look!" She bounded off the bed and took something out of her bag and showed it to him. "It's a picture of me and you! I don't remember taking it, but Old Mommy gave it to me before she went to heaven. She gave me these two pictures, too." (A/N: obviously she's very happy now...ad she has so much INNOCENCE!!! I want some...[ever wonder y I got the name: Black Jaws of DEATH III?])
Duo took the three pictures and looked at them. He remembered all of them. The one of he and Helen was the day she was released from the hospital, and if he remembered correctly, it was Quatre who took the picture. The other one was of he and Hilde on the first marking period of peace being attained after the war against the Mariemaia Army and the Barton Foundation in AC 196. They were both sixteen then. That was...nine years ago, four years before they got married, five years before they had Helen, five years before Hilde died.... Duo shook the thoughts from his head and looked at the last one. It was of he and the other pilots. Duo then realized it was after the war in AC 195 (Alliance, OZ, etc.).
Then Duo remembered Helen's words. "Leah's dead?" he asked in disbelief. She had seemed so kind...
"Leah? Oh! You mean Old Mommy! Yes..." Helen's voice drifted off and she sniffed.
"What happened to her?" Duo asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Nothing," Helen responded and turned away.
"What happened to her, Helen?" Duo asked, sitting next to her on the bed. Helen shook her head, the ends of her silky hair grazing Duo's arm. "Helen...tell me..." he pleaded.
She looked at him, her large, cobalt blue eyes shining with tears. "Old Daddy...and Mommy....they had a fight...about me," Helen said between sobs. "Mommy said...that he should stop...hitting me. But Old Daddy...said he did even more...than hit me...and...Old Mommy...go bye-bye." Helen stopped when she hiccupped.
Duo's stomach sunk. He held her head in his hands. "Did he do more than hit you?" he asked. Helen nodded weakly.
'No....'
"What, Helen? What did he do?" Duo asked. Helen's tears became cascading down her face even faster, and she shook her head. "Helen...please," he said. She bit her lip.
"It...was the only...time I-I g-got...t-to l-lie...on a b-bed," she said.
'Oh-no...' Duo thought, his heart starting to beat faster and writhing, his eyes opening wider as it dawned on him.
"Were you alone?" he asked frantically, holding onto her shoulders as if holding her would stop the words from telling the truth.
She shook her head. "Old Daddy...was w-with...m-me."
'No...'
"Was he just watching you? Or was he doing something else?"
"H-he...w-was...in th-the bed...too," she hiccupped. "And it...hurt...and felt...yucky."
Duo felt his eyes widening past any extent they had, and his mouth dropping open.
'My little girl...Oh God no!' his mind screamed. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Helen...I didn't know," he said, feeling as helpless as Helen had been. He took her into his arms and grasped her as if never to let go. She had no complaint, she just held onto him and kept sobbing. "I didn't know, Helen. I'm so sorry," Duo sobbed. "I never...I never wanted this to happen! I'm so sorry. Forgive me...please," he cried.
"Don't make me go back, please Daddy. Don't make me go back..." Helen bawled into his shirt.
"I'm not. I promise you. You're going to stay here with me," he said in between broken sobs. "I promise..."
Helen stayed enveloped in her father's arms until she fell asleep listening to the rhythmic rising and lowering of his chest. He stayed awake cradling her in his arms, afraid that if he let go the rest of the little girl she was supposed to be would escape his grasp.
This wasn't supposed to happen. No, this was wrong. Helen was supposed to be in good care, she was supposed to have been safe, and loved. She wasn't even supposed to be with Duo. She was still supposed to have Leah Russinger as her good, kind mother; and a good father, unlike that blasted jerk, John Russinger. This was not supposed to happen. This couldn't be. It was all a dream. He was going to wake up any minute now, and see that he was in his room on his bed—alone—and Helen was safe in Leah Russinger's arms.
Duo unwound an arm from Helen's shoulder, and pinched his face. It hurt. He didn't wake up. This wasn't a dream.
Duo shut his eyes in pain. Either emotional or physical, only he could tell. He had never felt this way before, only since Hilde had died. And this was on the verge of breaking to the 'worse' line. He then noticed Helen was asleep and he lay (lied?) her down on her bed and put the covers over her.
'I'm sorry, Helen...' Duo said. He picked up the pictures from the bed and put them in the frames that were on the bedside table. He turned off the light, flooding the room in darkness.
He walked somberly back to the living room, where the others were shocked at his face that was wet with tears.
"What happened?" Quatre asked.
"She's never lied in a bed before," he said. Shock from the pilots. "By herself," Duo added and continued, "And she said it hurt and felt 'yucky'."
The pilots looked confused, then it dawned on them. "Oh Allah..." Quatre murmured. His face went pale and he sat down. Duo sat next to him, drying his face with his sleeve. When he saw the other pilots looking at him sorrowfully (even Heero. What can I say? He mellowed out...) he felt fresh tears threatening to come out.
"John Russinger's going to get a visit from Shinigami soon," Duo growled. Suddenly, the phone began ringing. Heero, who was in the kitchen answered it.
"Hello?" he droned.
He was blocking the screen, but they heard the other person speak, "Is a Mr. Duo Maxwell there?"
"Who wants to know?"
"Russinger," the man responded. "John Russinger." The pilots could see Heero's fist clench. Duo's eyes opened wide and he jumped over the couch from his seat and got to the phone, pushing Heero away. The other pilots crowded around the vid-phone.
"Ah...Duo Maxwell," John Russinger said.
"Russinger..." Duo growled, the words hardly understandable.
"Give me back my daughter," Russinger said, skipping the formal casualties.
"She's my daughter, Russinger. Not yours," Duo responded.
"She used to be your daughter. She's legally mine. I have the adoption forms right here." He showed a few papers with signatures on them. Duo's was circled in red and the name Helen Maxwell/Russinger was highlighted in bright yellow.
"I don't care about any blasted papers," Duo said, venom protruding in every word. "I care about my daughter's well-being."
"Well she's fine here with me, so just bring her ba—" Russinger began but Duo interrupted.
"I don't think you giving her a black-eye and abusing her in ways I would rather not think of, counts as being fine with you!!!" Duo roared.
"I am NOT abusing her!" Russinger said defiantly.
"Then explain all the wounds on her back!" Quatre jumped in.
"What wounds?" Russinger asked.
"Don't toy with us, Russinger!" Duo warned.
"I have never hit her in my life!" Russinger growled.
"She says differently," Heero said.
Duo glanced at Heero, who just nodded in a 'your welcome' way.
"So...all of you are going to believe a seven-year-old girl's words against an adults?" Russinger said in disbelief.
"She's five, Russinger," Trowa said.
"What?"
"You heard him. She's five. Helen MAXWELL was born on April 15 AC year 201," Duo said smugly.
Russinger looked uncomfortable. "I don't care how old she is, she's my daughter!" he rumbled.
"No she's not!" Duo yelled, fighting the urge to take the vid-phone and hitting it with the rolling pin that was on the counter next to him.
"If you don't bring her back, I have the right to take her. And I will. I'm taking this to court," Russinger growled.
"Go ahead. I have a lawyer! A damn good one, too!" Duo growled.
"I don't care. You're still going to lose this case."
"Justice will be served to those who deserve it. You will lose, Russinger," Wufei said.
Russinger looked taken back, but said, "I'll see you in court" through clenched teeth and the connection was lost.
Duo walked out of the kitchen and out of the living room. "Where are you going, Duo?" Heero asked.
"Bed," Duo responded angrily. Then he disappeared in the hallway.
Duo walked down the hall and stopped at Helen's room. He opened the door slowly and quietly and looked at the sleeping form on the bed that was five-year-old Helen.
'I'm sorry you have to go through this, Helen...I really am,' Duo thought.
Helen looked like an angel. Her midnight amethyst hair going down in waves on her shoulders, her eyes closed peacefully in sleep, one hand under her cheek. Yeah, she looked like an angel.
An angel that had been to hell and back....
~~~
LP: R&R please!!!!!! Reviewreviewreviewreviewreviewreviewreviewreviewreviewreview!!!!!!!!!!!!