Duo Maxwell shook his head at his granddaughter who was packing an old bag that he carried with his everywhere.
"You don't need to do that, I can you know." She smiled at him.
"Don't worry yourself granpa, I have it." Duo sighed and rolled his eyes. These days people treated him like a baby. Like he couldn't do anything himself. When she finished packing everything she left the room saying that she was going to go find his jacket. He rolled his eyes, it was warm out and even though every other old man and woman in this place clamed to be cold all the time he never was. He did, however, let her go as it gave him time to pack the only thing he really needed that night. He made his way over to the dressed at the end of his bed. He pulled open the bottom drawer and extracted two large envelops. He slipped them into the bag and pushed the drawer closed.
"Please don't tell me you're putting things back." Duo looked back at his grand daughter.
"Non-sence, you forgot to pack my mittens and winter hat." He smiled at her. She rolled her eyes.
"You're hopeless you know. Somehow I get the feeling that Sara is having just as much trouble tonight with Katherine as I am having with you though." Duo winked at her.
"She's a true Maxwell, that Katherine is." Terra took hold of the back of her grandfathers wheelchair and pushed him out of the room. The two made there way down the hall to the elevator and waited.
Once they where down in the parking lot, Terra carefully helped Duo out of the chair and into the car. Though he insisted he could do it himself, a fall a few years earlier had left Duo unable to stand without help. She then folded up the chair and climbed into the drivers seat. Duo watched as she started the car and slowly made her way to the parking lot exit.
"You know I was driving before I was even fifteen." Terra smiled.
"I believe you've said that before." She was never sure what stories to believe when her grandfather spoke. Even though he claimed he never lied, some of the tales, like the one about him having been one of the five gundam pilots, where just too far fetched for her to believe.
Terra slowed the car as they approched a driveway. The house it belonged to was a larg two story house with a wrap around porch and a seperate garage. She looked over at her grandfather, he was examining the house. He had been here many times but offten forgot.
"Almost as big as some of the safe houses Quatre got for me and the others in the war." He said. Terra sighed. Another story she never really believed, after all what are the chances that her grandfather had been friends with a member of the influential Winner family.
"I guess they may have been pretty big." She said. He watched her as she got out, keeping an eye on her as she got his chair from the back of the car. As she was helping him into the wheelchair he spoke.
"I know you don't believe me, but maybe someday you will." He said. He gathered up his bag allowed himself to be pushed up to the front door. Terra's twin sister Sara had had a ramp built onto the side of the porch to that there grandfather could easily visit with out any problems. Terra rang the door bell, it didn't take long for them to hear from the other side,
"Who is it?" Duo smiled and Terra rolled her eyes at his responce.
"Death in disguise," he said. Instantly the door was flung open and a young girl with long, brown hair and violet eyes, just like her great grandfather jumped into Duo's lap.
"Grampa Duo!" She exclaimed. Duo smiled down at her.
"Katherine, how have you been?" He asked. The young girl explained that she had had the flu last week and that was why her mother wouldn't let her come and visit him. Duo and Terra where let in and soon they were all gathered in the living room. It didn't take long for Terra and Sara to head into the kitchen. While they where gone, Katherine insisted on showing her great grandpa a picture she had drawn of deathscyth. Even though it was due to her childish sence of reality at the moment, she was the only member of the family who believed Duo's storied about the war. And thus, was the only member of the family who believed the truth.
"I'm going to go see how dinner is doing," Dave, Sara's husband said. He got up and headed into the kitchen. Duo motioned for Katherine to sit by him. He reached into his bag and pulled out the two envelopes.
"Kat, I have a favor to ask you." The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. He showed her the envelopes. "I want you to take these," He said, "You can look at them if you want, but you probably wont understand. I will be gone soon and when you grow up I need you to find this man," He handed her a small piece of paper, on it was written the name and alias of Heero Yuy. "I want you to find him and I want you to give these envelopes to him." Katherine took the envelopes.
"Why do you have to go?" She asked.
"Because my old friends miss me and I miss them." He said, hugging the girl. Katherine hugged her great gandfather back.
***
That night after he had gone back to the home and was in bed. Duo fell asleep. He woke in the middle of the night, he was having trouble breathing. He pressed the call button and for half an hour the nurses and doctors attempted to make him comfortable. Terra showed up and when she walked into the room Duo motioned for her to come over.
"Say good by to your sister for me. Katherine all ready knows I'm going." Terra nodded. He smiled up at her. "I want you to promise me one thing." Terra blinked.
"Sure, anything," Duo motioned for her to come closer. In a whisper he said,
"Promise me, that if you ever have twins, you won't give them names that rhyme." Terra was silent for a second. She blinked a couple of times and laughed.
"Ok, I promis." She took a hold of his hand. "You don't like doing thing by the book do you grampa." Duo shook his head, trying to take another breath. He layed back in the bed an closed his eyes. Terra watched, Duo relaxed and stopped breathing. His hand went limp in hers.
"I love you grampa, and so does the rest of the family." She said quietly. She bit her lip and tried not to cry. She new he would be upset if he new she was so close to tears. After all death was just another milestone in life.
***
*275 AC*
Katherine had looked in the envelopes. Inside the one with her great grandfathers name on it was a file folder, and a couple of pictures of Deathscyth taken while it was being constructed. The file folder contained everything you would ever want to know about Duo, from his life on the streets of L2 to the disaster at Maxwell church. Everyone in the family knew about Maxwell Church, after all that was where there name had come from and Duo had been set on keeping that knowledge alive. Inside the other folder were the same items plus a death certificate. The pictures featured a gundam she had only glimpsed at before and the file folder told her everything she wanted to know about Chang Wufei, one of her dad's friends, including his heart attack at fifty-two.
As soon as she had located the man her great grandfather had wanted her to find. She approched her mother, she had the envelops with her.
"Mom, I need grampa Duo's death certificate. Or a copy of it at least." He mother looked back at her.
"Now why on earth would you need that?" The woman asked her daughter.
"Because I need it before I can deliver these to someone." Katherine replied, holding envelopes to her mother. The older woman took them and peeked inside Duo's envelope. She pulled out the file folder, opened it and read the first page. She was silent for a second.
"Well I'll be, he wasn't lying after all." She said finnally, more to herself than anyone else. She looked up at her daughter. "You will have to see your aunt Terra about the death certificate. She will be quite surprised when she sees this though. She was the one who disbelieved him the most." Katherine smiled and took the envelopes back.
"I suppose she will be surprised, I also suppose I should go call her." With that Katherine left the room.
"You don't need to do that, I can you know." She smiled at him.
"Don't worry yourself granpa, I have it." Duo sighed and rolled his eyes. These days people treated him like a baby. Like he couldn't do anything himself. When she finished packing everything she left the room saying that she was going to go find his jacket. He rolled his eyes, it was warm out and even though every other old man and woman in this place clamed to be cold all the time he never was. He did, however, let her go as it gave him time to pack the only thing he really needed that night. He made his way over to the dressed at the end of his bed. He pulled open the bottom drawer and extracted two large envelops. He slipped them into the bag and pushed the drawer closed.
"Please don't tell me you're putting things back." Duo looked back at his grand daughter.
"Non-sence, you forgot to pack my mittens and winter hat." He smiled at her. She rolled her eyes.
"You're hopeless you know. Somehow I get the feeling that Sara is having just as much trouble tonight with Katherine as I am having with you though." Duo winked at her.
"She's a true Maxwell, that Katherine is." Terra took hold of the back of her grandfathers wheelchair and pushed him out of the room. The two made there way down the hall to the elevator and waited.
Once they where down in the parking lot, Terra carefully helped Duo out of the chair and into the car. Though he insisted he could do it himself, a fall a few years earlier had left Duo unable to stand without help. She then folded up the chair and climbed into the drivers seat. Duo watched as she started the car and slowly made her way to the parking lot exit.
"You know I was driving before I was even fifteen." Terra smiled.
"I believe you've said that before." She was never sure what stories to believe when her grandfather spoke. Even though he claimed he never lied, some of the tales, like the one about him having been one of the five gundam pilots, where just too far fetched for her to believe.
Terra slowed the car as they approched a driveway. The house it belonged to was a larg two story house with a wrap around porch and a seperate garage. She looked over at her grandfather, he was examining the house. He had been here many times but offten forgot.
"Almost as big as some of the safe houses Quatre got for me and the others in the war." He said. Terra sighed. Another story she never really believed, after all what are the chances that her grandfather had been friends with a member of the influential Winner family.
"I guess they may have been pretty big." She said. He watched her as she got out, keeping an eye on her as she got his chair from the back of the car. As she was helping him into the wheelchair he spoke.
"I know you don't believe me, but maybe someday you will." He said. He gathered up his bag allowed himself to be pushed up to the front door. Terra's twin sister Sara had had a ramp built onto the side of the porch to that there grandfather could easily visit with out any problems. Terra rang the door bell, it didn't take long for them to hear from the other side,
"Who is it?" Duo smiled and Terra rolled her eyes at his responce.
"Death in disguise," he said. Instantly the door was flung open and a young girl with long, brown hair and violet eyes, just like her great grandfather jumped into Duo's lap.
"Grampa Duo!" She exclaimed. Duo smiled down at her.
"Katherine, how have you been?" He asked. The young girl explained that she had had the flu last week and that was why her mother wouldn't let her come and visit him. Duo and Terra where let in and soon they were all gathered in the living room. It didn't take long for Terra and Sara to head into the kitchen. While they where gone, Katherine insisted on showing her great grandpa a picture she had drawn of deathscyth. Even though it was due to her childish sence of reality at the moment, she was the only member of the family who believed Duo's storied about the war. And thus, was the only member of the family who believed the truth.
"I'm going to go see how dinner is doing," Dave, Sara's husband said. He got up and headed into the kitchen. Duo motioned for Katherine to sit by him. He reached into his bag and pulled out the two envelopes.
"Kat, I have a favor to ask you." The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. He showed her the envelopes. "I want you to take these," He said, "You can look at them if you want, but you probably wont understand. I will be gone soon and when you grow up I need you to find this man," He handed her a small piece of paper, on it was written the name and alias of Heero Yuy. "I want you to find him and I want you to give these envelopes to him." Katherine took the envelopes.
"Why do you have to go?" She asked.
"Because my old friends miss me and I miss them." He said, hugging the girl. Katherine hugged her great gandfather back.
***
That night after he had gone back to the home and was in bed. Duo fell asleep. He woke in the middle of the night, he was having trouble breathing. He pressed the call button and for half an hour the nurses and doctors attempted to make him comfortable. Terra showed up and when she walked into the room Duo motioned for her to come over.
"Say good by to your sister for me. Katherine all ready knows I'm going." Terra nodded. He smiled up at her. "I want you to promise me one thing." Terra blinked.
"Sure, anything," Duo motioned for her to come closer. In a whisper he said,
"Promise me, that if you ever have twins, you won't give them names that rhyme." Terra was silent for a second. She blinked a couple of times and laughed.
"Ok, I promis." She took a hold of his hand. "You don't like doing thing by the book do you grampa." Duo shook his head, trying to take another breath. He layed back in the bed an closed his eyes. Terra watched, Duo relaxed and stopped breathing. His hand went limp in hers.
"I love you grampa, and so does the rest of the family." She said quietly. She bit her lip and tried not to cry. She new he would be upset if he new she was so close to tears. After all death was just another milestone in life.
***
*275 AC*
Katherine had looked in the envelopes. Inside the one with her great grandfathers name on it was a file folder, and a couple of pictures of Deathscyth taken while it was being constructed. The file folder contained everything you would ever want to know about Duo, from his life on the streets of L2 to the disaster at Maxwell church. Everyone in the family knew about Maxwell Church, after all that was where there name had come from and Duo had been set on keeping that knowledge alive. Inside the other folder were the same items plus a death certificate. The pictures featured a gundam she had only glimpsed at before and the file folder told her everything she wanted to know about Chang Wufei, one of her dad's friends, including his heart attack at fifty-two.
As soon as she had located the man her great grandfather had wanted her to find. She approched her mother, she had the envelops with her.
"Mom, I need grampa Duo's death certificate. Or a copy of it at least." He mother looked back at her.
"Now why on earth would you need that?" The woman asked her daughter.
"Because I need it before I can deliver these to someone." Katherine replied, holding envelopes to her mother. The older woman took them and peeked inside Duo's envelope. She pulled out the file folder, opened it and read the first page. She was silent for a second.
"Well I'll be, he wasn't lying after all." She said finnally, more to herself than anyone else. She looked up at her daughter. "You will have to see your aunt Terra about the death certificate. She will be quite surprised when she sees this though. She was the one who disbelieved him the most." Katherine smiled and took the envelopes back.
"I suppose she will be surprised, I also suppose I should go call her." With that Katherine left the room.