Julia smiled as she woke up from her nap.
They had taken a week to get out of the forest and to a different
country altogether. Sure, Austria and France were close, but it still had
been unnerving to venture from mid-Europe to Paris, France with little
supply and more than two hundred people. The French leader was a bit
uncertain about letting more people into their run-down country. Since
Relena Dorlain had announced one world nation a few countries had drawn
back and tried to rebuild themselves. France was one of them, only gaining
back one-half of the original country.
"These Frenchmen don't seem to like me." Alex said as she entered the
hotel room Nicolae had rented for the two girls. Nicolae and Ethan would
have slept in the same room, but everyone had agreed it best that they
didn't.
Julia grinned, "Maybe because it's your mother's fault."
"Yes, my mother's an air-head, I get it already. They don't have to
blame me, I'm not the stupid one."
"Your mom was young, ignorant."
"She's old and still the same. I'm almost the age she was when she
declared one world nation, and you don't see me being stupid." She set a
plate down on a table, and Julia looked over to see the wide variety of
fruits.
"Right on. Who got them for us?"
"For you, compliments of Nicolae Une. He also told me you'd be
getting something else, but wouldn't tell me what. He said I was getting
something too, but not from him."
"I think it's from Ethan."
Alex looked at her.
"Yeah, I see the way he's been checking you out."
There was a knock at the door. Alex walked over to it and opened it.
A man in a tux was standing with two pale-blue vases with a dozen roses
sticking out. Julia got out of her bed and walked over.
"Are you two Julia Maxwell and Alex You?"
"It's Yuy."
"Sorry."
"Yeah, we are. Are these for us?" Julia asked this with an interest
"Yes. There is also a set of dresses and a singing telegram, but I
think Miss Alex will shoot me if I sing the telegram, so I'll just say it."
Julia looked at Alex as she grinned. The man handed them the roses
and two boxes, then took out a card from his pocket.
"Dear Julia and Alex too, we'd like to see some more of you, in the
past week we've really tweaked, so go to Night Rose down the street." He
paused and looked at them. "There's a time. Seven o'clock tonight. Wear the
dresses. The shoes are under your beds."
"Thank you."
"Nicolae."
"Thank you, Nicolae. I trust the boys tipped you?"
"Very well, thank you." He bowed and slipped down the hallway.
Julia looked at Alex as she set down her roses on the table. "AH!
What now?"
Alex sighed, "You were right. But a dress? Roses? Dinner at the most
expensive restaurant in the country? They want something."
"They're guys. Guys always want something."
"I'll kill Ethan if he tries and touch me."
"I think he knows this. Come on let's get ready. We have two hours to
get ready and get to Night Rose."
Alex walked stiffly down the street in her dress. It wasn't the dress that was making it difficult to walk, she actually like it. The shoes were the problem. They were platform sandals that matched the Japanese style gown. The gown was white silk with red flower patterns over the fabric. It went just a little above her knees, and showed the rest of her slender legs. Her hair was up in a bun with chopsticks that matched the dress. She knew by how Julia had persuaded her that her make-up, albeit not much, looked wonderful. At least, that's what Julia said. She looked over at Julia as she thought this, thinking of how lovely the two of them looked, even if she didn't want to admit it. Julia looked a little more exquisite, wearing a deep blue, long, slim gown that seemed to stick to her hips and waist, but was loose on her chest. Two spaghetti straps held her dress up, and a shawl of a shining silver hung over her bare arms. The whole dress and shawl was made of silk, and it probably cost a lot more than Alex's dress. She looked up to Julia's hair, wondering how the girl beside her could get that much hair into a bun and curls that shone brilliantly in the street lights as they passed under each one. It had a tiara to go along with the dress. Not to big, and accented with a diamond flower to hold it in place. And the make-up. Julia didn't need much to make herself shine, because right now it was coming from the inside. Julia had still applied lipstick, a pretty copper/red color that made her full lips seem even more gorgeous. Her eye lids were painted with an ice blue that made the cobalt color of her eyes stand out. There was a soft brush of pink on her cheeks, but that was something natural. The shimmer of pixie-dust glitter accented her blush where it was dabbed on the ice blue of her eye shadow. Altogether, Alex thought she looked like an ice sculpture. As they neared the restaurant Alex saw the two men standing by the door. Ethan gawked and Nicolae grinned, both of them wearing a tux of black silk with a white silk undershirt and a bow tie. Ethan was wearing a red one, and Nicolae a blue one. "Hey, we're color coded." Julia said laughing as she ran to Nicolae. Alex watched her throw her arms around Nicolae and Nicolae do the same, swinging Julia around in the air. Alex approached with a little less enthusiasm, wondering how the hell Julia had run in her high-heels. It was strange how Julia could run in things like high-heels and long dresses, and Alex couldn't run in a poofy dress and flats. "You look lovely Alex." "Is that a compliment?" Ethan looked hurt. "You'll have to excuse Alex, she's never been on a real date before. She thinks lovely mean horrendous, and the fact that she's wearing a dress doesn't help either." "Ah.." He smiled at Alex and outstretched his hand. Out of pure interest Alex took it and the four of them walked into the French/Italian restaurant, Julia and Nicolae arm in arm. "Monsieur, table for four, si vou plae." "Right away, 'sieur." The man looked down at the book in front of him. "Mademoiselles, monsieur's, right this way si vou plae." They were taken to the best table in the restaurant, and Alex had to admit these guys were very classy. "If you're thinking we're classy, please stop. We're just trying to be nice, and once you get us out into public and a fair, we're freaks." Alex looked at Ethan, and he grinned. Ah, so he had a power too. "Then you guys and Julia should get along just fine." "You did fine that one night when you were drunk." "I was not drunk by choice, Julia. You spiked the high-school's punch." Ethan and Nicolae laughed. "No way. You, Julian Maxwell, spiked the Sanc Kingdom High school's punch?" Julia grinned, "Yup. A whole flask of vodka." They laughed harder. So, maybe this would be a better date than Alex had thought.
Ethan looked at Alex and smiled. She looked so pretty in the dress he'd bought for her, though he thought she looked nice before she put the dress on too. In all the pictures in the papers he'd ever seen of the Gundam kids, Alex was always the one with an intense look in her eyes, and she'd only once worn a nice gown to a ball her mother had forced her to. Only then she was three years younger and less resistant to her mother's whims. "Thank you, for coming, Alex." She smiled sweetly, now playing the part her mother had always tried to teach her, "Thank you for inviting me." Ethan noticed Julia staring at Alex. "What's the matter?" "In all the years I've known her, Alex has used that smile once, and only once. You've known her a week and she's already being nice to you. That's so strange." Nicolae smiled, keeping it a little mischievous. "How nice will she get?" Alex's eyes widened and Julia laughed. "Hey!" "He's just kidding, Alex, don't sweat it." "He does this often." Alex sighed, "I'm not one subject for male humor. You shall learn that the hard way if you don't keep quiet." Julia grinned and looked at Alex, then to Ethan. "I can't wait to see him try to kiss you." Ethan and Alex both turned red-Ethan from embarrassment and Alex from anger. Julia seemed to have gotten the point and sank into her seat. "What will mademoiselles and monsieurs have this evening?" the man's English was set in a deep French accent. Ethan looked over and smiled brightly. "I'll have the Spaghetti and meatballs. Light on the meat." He looked to Alex. "I'll have the. what he's having." Nicolae looked at the man, grinned, "What is escargot?" "It is a delicacy, monsieur. Garden snails cooked to perfection on sautéed grape leaves." Ethan looked at Nicolae and smiled at his expression. He had a very disgusted look, like he would throw up. "What's caviar?" "Fish eggs from the finest black trout in the Mediterranean Sea, monsieur." "Ugh, and there's frog legs on here. I'll have the Chicken Alfredo and a Caesar Salad." Julia laughed, "I'll have what he's having. And we'll have the best red wine in your stock, it compliments the salad well." The waiter smiled appraisingly to Julia, he looked at Nicolae and winked. "Better keep her on a leash, monsieur. She's not only smart, she is like a white rose among red ones." He turned back to his notepad. "And I shall have hors d'oeuvres brought to your table for the intelligent child with a beautiful smile." Alex started to laugh and Ethan glanced at Julia to see her face a beat red. Nicolae nudged her and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, doll. I have to agree with the man about your loveliness and intelligence." He kissed Julia again and everyone but Julia's eyes widened as she kissed Nicolae deeper. "Oh look, they're French kissing in a French restaurant in France with a whole bunch of Frenchmen around." Julia broke the kiss when she started to laugh. Nicolae stopped looking stupidly in love and laughed as well, followed by Ethan. He started to think if maybe Alex was the best actress in the world and space, because she kept a straight face. Their food came, along with their wine, and they ate over talk of the past week and up-coming events. Julia had suddenly changed the subject to Alex's embarrassing moments, being fought by Alex's memory of Julia's embarrassing moments, when someone burst into the restaurant with a gun in their hands. "Alright, nobody move, this is a stick up." Ethan stood up, grabbed his gun from his shoulder holster, and pointed it at the robber. He unlocked the safety, cocked it, and got the man's attention. "Hey, how you doing?" The man stared at him, pulling out another gun. "That'll help." Ethan fired and got the man straight in the forehead. "This isn't a good restaurant anymore, I think we should leave."
Nicolae smiled softly as he walked along the boardwalk with Julia's hand in his, their arms locked. She looked so nice with her hair out of her face, he wondered why she didn't grow out her bangs and tie her hair back. "Julia?" "Yeah?" She turned her face toward him and smiled sweetly. He ran his eyes over her soft, full lips, and followed his eyes with his fingers. Her lipstick didn't smear, and he suddenly wondered how much she'd spent that night to look nice for him. He'd spent more than four hundred dollars for the dress and shoes, and the tiara was another one hundred dollars. He didn't mind, because money wasn't anything he had to worry about. Her make- up, though, was designer. He could tell. "Was the date ok? I don't think Alex liked it too much." Julia's smile softened, "I thought it was lovely. I haven't actually been on a date in two years." "I thought you'd been going out with Zero." "Doesn't mean I've been going on dates. He, like I said, wasn't a reliable boyfriend." She looked down and her eyes suddenly glassed over. "I'm sorry if I brought up a subject you're not comfortable with." Julia shrugged and turned her face away from him. Nicolae stopped walking and turned her front towards him, looking down at her. She was four inches shorter than he was, and it was odd to finally be with someone part Lunarian that was shorter. The Lunarian girls he knew were all at least five-ten. Being taller than a girl who can wear high heels and not be taller than him. "Julia, I don't want to make you uncomfortable around me. I like you, and you don't have to worry about me trying to hurt you. I know what it's like to be orphaned, to feel alone. Ethan has been my best friend since we were younger, and even when he's around I still feel a little alone. "For the last week, though since I've been hanging out with you and Alex, I've felt different. I don't even really know you, and I feel like you've impacted my life already." Julia couldn't help but smile, and Nicolae could tell she was trying not to. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her legs, then hoisted her into the air as she laughed and screamed with delight.
Zero stared out the window of the car he had been issued from Alanis. The windows were deeply tinted and no one would be able to see into the black Porsche. He watched Julia and Nicolae laughing together, watched the other man holding his Julia, and suddenly felt a deep regret for suddenly leaving the brunette. She was his, and that was how he would have it. Jealousy bubbled up in Zero's throat as he got out of the car, putting on black shades. His hair had been cut to his ears, two strips of hair falling into his face. With the glasses on he was unrecognizable. Even his clothes were different from what he'd usually wear. Long, black trench coat with a gray sweatshirt underneath, tucked into a black pair of jeans. His shoes were shiny black dress shoes with gray socks. He took a 20-40 k from the shoulder holster he was wearing, hitting off the safety and cocking it. The bullets he used were exploding bullets, and there were two of them. One bullet for Julia, one for Alex. Zero sighed as he started toward the two laughing and walking together, getting into step behind them. Even as he raised the gun and aimed it, Julia looked up to Nicolae and smiled, wrapping her arm around his middle. Nicolae put his arm around her shoulders, and Zero sensed Nicolae's panic as he saw him out of the corner of his eye. All in a second three things happened. Nicolae wrapped both arms around Julia and shielded her from the bullet Zero fired. It hit the man in the back and immediately exploded with a paroxysm of blood. Zero shuddered as Julia looked from Nicolae's body to his face, a look of terror spread across it as she realized it was Zero. Deep shades of blue and green wrapped itself around Nicolae much like the blue and silver had done to Julia. It filled the hole in Nicolae's body and he gasped as he came back to life, coughing and holding onto Julia. Zero backed off, dropping the gun and running to the car. He jumped in and started it, then drove away speeding up to one hundred miles an hour, driving miles away from the city so he could get away from Julia. Get away from her eyes.
Alex's eyes widened as she saw the blood on Julia's arms, the tear in Nicolae's clothing. They were a mess, both blood soaked and tired looking. "What happened?!" "Zero came back. He shot Nicolae then took off." There was a strange look in Julia's eyes, then they looked to Nicolae who seemed to be dazed and confused, tired. "Are you alright, Nicolae?" Julia put her hand to his chest, and he nodded with difficulty. "I need to sleep." "What happened?" The two girls looked over Nicolae's shoulder to see Ethan enter the room. He had two wine glasses in his hands, and a look of shock in his eyes. "He was shot by a 20-40 k. His powers..." "Fixed him. Yeah I see that. By Zero. Jeez I love this gift." Julia sighed and sat down, followed by Nicolae. Alex sighed and shook her head, going to Julia's side. Julia just shook her head, and put a hand on Nicolae's arm. Alex watched the two look at eachother, saw the look of concern on Julia's face, in her eyes. In all of the years Alex had known Julia, only once had she seen the look of hope she saw in Julia's eyes now. "Nicolae, I'm going to borrow Jules for a second. She'll be right back to help you with cleaning up and all." Nicolae looked at the two girls and nodded, leaning back on the leather couch that seemed to not match the furnishings of the hotel room. Alex took Julia's arm and pulled her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "You love him, don't you?" Julia looked shocked and admired all at the same time. She also looked tired and scared, but she nodded and smiled softly. "It's stronger than what I felt for Zero. And tonight, when he was shot... I have never been so scared. Except when...." "Your father was killed. I noticed the look. The only other time I saw that look in your eyes is when we were waiting to see if your father would die or not." Julia looked down, nodding, then looked back up. "You love Ethan." Alex tried to do the surprised/shocked thing, but Julia just laughed. "I thought so. I think he loves you too." "But I haven't even known him that long." "Doesn't matter. You can tell when you can tell. It's like me and Nicolae." Alex stared at Julia, thinking about what she was talking about. Sure, she liked Ethan, but it wasn't enough to call it love. Was it?
Alanis looked out over the piers into the prison cells. Relena Peacecraft, now married to Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner, Chang Wufei. It had been hard to track down the last one, he had been hiding and had always seemed a step ahead of everyone. Looking to the far right of the cell, behind the others as they sat, cried, cursed, and tried to get out of the cell, was another blonde who looked much like Alanis. Long blonde hair, now in dreadlocks, fell to her knees. Thin, scrawny arms grasped the same kind of legs. Her eyebrows would have been the only thing that would have differed each twin apart a month ago, naming each as Alanis and Dorothy Catalonia. "Miss Catalonia?" Alanis turned to see Zero standing at her back, shades in his hands. "Did you do what I asked?" "I'm sorry, madam, Nicolae Une jumped in front of the bullet meant for Julia. She recognized me and I had to flee." The blue eyed gaze turned harsh, the woman's lips pursed in anger. She took a gun from her coat and aimed it at Quatre Winner. "I asked you to do one small favor for me. Nothing big, all you had to do was shoot the girls and see their power. But no, you can't even do one simple job like that." The gun clicked as Alanis cocked it. "Ma'am, we still don't know if Alex Yuy has power. Her father is Japanese descendant and her mother is mid-European. Heero may not even be full Japanese, only God can remember his strength." Alanis, though she hated to, agreed. She looked back to her sister as she put the gun away. "It's only too bad she won't eat her food."
Julia stared out into the scenery, enjoying what lasted of the French city. She remembered from recent visits and looking at old photographs that off in the east would have been the Eiffel tower. What was left of the tower was a skeleton of bent metal and broken pieces. The war a year past had brought a lot of destruction down upon the European countries. New France had been hit the hardest with a down pour of bombs from Oz, a few hitting the tower. She remembered watching the flames engulf the Eiffel tower, bits and pieces had fallen into the parks below, killing hundreds of animals, people, and destroying surrounding buildings. "Aren't you cold?" The images of mass destruction vanished as Julia realized Nicolae had joined her on the balcony. She turned and looked at him, smiling softly. "I see you've changed, sorry about the dress." "It wasn't your fault, Nicolae. You didn't know my ex would suddenly show up out of no where and try to shoot me." "It's gonna take you a while to get over this, isn't it?" Julia looked down, then nodded. "I was so damned in love with him, it just hurts. I gave up so much to be with him, and he just went an left me when things started to go crazy." Nicolae nodded, looking out into the city. "You guys were here when it happened?" Julia looked at him and nodded, looking back at the ruins of the Eiffel Tower. "We were all here when the tower went down."
Nicolae couldn't help but stare at Julia. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he knew that. She seemed so strong and mature for being left behind so many times. It was so wrong that she kept on losing people. It shouldn't have happened to her, and her father should never have lost anyone either. "I recall a story of my father's-about how he got his name." "May I ask you to tell it?" Julia looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "I would have anyway." Nicolae grinned and opened his arms as Julia's cold and shivering body let them embrace her. Nicolae suddenly realized how cold it was on the balcony, but the warmth of his and Julia's bodies meshing together took away most of it. "For starters, my father was born a nameless orphan who eventually drifted to V08744 at Colony L2 around the age of seven. The colony was very poor and disorganized since it was full of immigrants from all over the Earth, but definitely anti-federation. This resulted in a lot of fighting within the colony, leaving orphans and abandoned buildings in its wake. "Solo, the leader of a small group of orphans, took dad under his wing and the two spent a lot of time together. But then a virus spread throughout the colony, and Solo became infected with it. A vaccine was discovered, but it was only made available to the rich. So dad snuck into a hospital and stole some of it, but only enough for everyone except himself. "It was too late to save Solo, who promised to always be with him, even after he died. When Solo died, dad said, 'Fine...if Solo's with me, we'll be Duo.' "Realizing that there was no vaccine left for himself, daddy waited to die, but surprisingly lived. It seemed that Solo had kept his promise after all!" Nicolae's eyes closed as Julia body softly trembled through the story. She was crying, and trying in vain to not. His arms tightened around her as she continued, hoping she wasn't just telling the story for his benefit. "Duo then took Solo's place as leader of the orphans. One day, he led them on a food raid at the Federation base. They were caught and escaped, but the abandoned building they called home was torn down. "Fortunately, the Maxwell Church, run by Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, took pity on the orphans and took them all in. The orphans were fed and clothed, but daddy refused to have his haircut: 'I can't stand to wear these weird clothes, I'm sure as heck not gonna put up with having my haircut!' Sister Helen protested, but Father Maxwell told her to do as Duo says. So she braided his hair instead, which he didn't seem to mind since it wouldn't get in the way when he stole things." There was a soft smile in Julia's voice, and for some reason Nicolae smiled as well. "Daddy and the other orphans were enrolled into a Federation-run school, which was meant for brainwashing children of military personnel. Dad got into several fights with them because he was different, but otherwise he was at the top of his class and learned quickly. That only gave the military kids another reason to be mad at him. "One of the fights landed five military kids in the hospital. My father was scolded and threatened with expulsion from the school, but Father Maxwell apologized for him. Sister Helen asked daddy for an explanation, and he told her that the kids had said he smelled dirty. She simply hugged him and told him he didn't smell. "All of his fellow orphans were adopted, but daddy kept getting sent back to the church since he was such a troublemaker. Thus, he became known as 'Maxwell's Demon'. This fit him well, given he only believed in Shinigami, the God of Death; 'I've never seen a miracle, but I've seen lots and lots of dead people.' "In the year AC 188 L2 once again became a battlefield, and wounded military troops took over the church and made it their base. Father Maxwell protested, quoting the late leader Heero Yuy, but was struck down by the butt of a rifle. My father heard one of the soldiers say that all they needed was one mobile suit to win the battle, so he told them he would steal one for them if they would leave. "They didn't believe him, so daddy said, 'I run, and I hide, but I don't lie.' "He snuck into the Federation base no problem, now knowing the layout quite well. In spite of gunfire, he managed to make it to a truck carrying a Leo and drove it back to the church." Her voice changed again to a whisper, sad but no longer the crying sound she'd started with. "But again daddy was too late, during his absence the church had been destroyed in what became known as the 'Maxwell Church Massacre'. He found Sister Helen dying among the rubble, and she told him that Father Maxwell had been thinking of him until the very end. Daddy wanted to run and get a doctor, but Sister Helen explained what had happened. Her last words were, 'May God... bless you and... keep... you...', before her hand fell away from his cheek. "Then for the first time in his life, daddy cried over her death because he was all alone again. She and Father Maxwell had been his first family of any kind. And as a reminder, he took the last name of 'Maxwell'." Nicolae stared at Julia, absolutely surprised by the story. He knew the rest of it, though, because he'd always found an amazement with the pilots. He'd studied them for as long as he could remember, wishing one day to be a good of pilot as them. And he'd seen Julia and Alex grow up. He saw Duo's funeral, the closed casket with the American Flag draped over it as a reminder of his background. He remembered watching Julia sitting on the stairs next to her father's coffin, holding a pale rose with her face covered by her hands. Nicolae had sat with his mother at the funeral, for she had not yet been thought of as Duo's murderer. He had looked up into the eyes of the woman known as Lady Une to everyone but him, and he had seen a deep sorrow. When they had gotten home, his mother told him why she was so sad. "I knew Duo well. He had become a great friend to me after the wars, and it's only sad to see someone so young go. He was only twenty-three, and though most people never knew him as good as the pilots, Preventers, Miss Relena and I, a person like Duo Maxwell leaves an imprint upon your heart."
Alex sighed as she watched the television. Ethan was sitting beside her, but by his soft and even breathing she guessed he'd fallen asleep. She blushed as she found herself staring at him, thinking about what he was dreaming. Slowly, as not to wake Ethan, Alex stood up and turned off the TV. She grabbed a blanket and laid it over him, then helped him to lay down on the couch and fixed the blanket again. Ethan mumbled something, and Alex grinned as she walked away, into her room at the end of the hall. From her window she could see Julia and Nicolae on the balcony. They had stretched out on a long beach chair, holding eachother with love, with a comforter over their bodies for warmth. "Tomorrow," she whispered softly. "We will get our family back."
Zechs woke up to the sound of sirens blasting. He jumped out of bed, grabbing a blue tee shirt and white slacks, pulling them over his under shirt and boxers. There was a pounding on the door, and it opened to a wounded soldier, screaming something about the gundam pilots escaping. "We already knew the gundam pilots had gotten away." He said, hurrying to the other man's side, putting pressure to the gunshot wound. He read the nametag, sighing softly. "Michael Lambert? Poe, I thought you had gotten away from here." The Chinese man grinned, "Nope, just got in actually." He whispered. "Get me into the room and I'll explain." Zechs nodded and pulled Poe into the room. There Wufei's son stood up and looked at his shoulder, grunting. "The men in this army don't know who the hell to shoot at. Until I showed them my name tag, they didn't want me alive." "Though you're wearing our uniforms. Now what's this about?" Poe grinned, his black eyes gleaming. "Well, you know how I guess you and Zero and Alanis thought Tarmine was dead?" "Yeah...." "Well, she was, but I had been following the others for a long time and when I found Tarmine's body I got her to a hospital. It was only about an hour after you'd shot her-" "Alanis shot her." "-and she was brought back to life. Of course right now our parents are out of prison and running amok along with her, and we have Dorothy in the medical lab being treated by Relena, but we can overlook the fact you traded sides when we needed you." Click. "So tell me why." Zechs stared straight into the black depths of the Chinese man's eyes. Why did he do it? Because after a couple of years on the other side you want to learn more about the opponents that face your cousin and friends, you want to see their weaknesses from another's point of view. Because Zechs had always been the black sheep of the family, and seeing Zero with Julia, using her like a toy, acting as though he owned her, it got to be too much. "I did it because I thought... that if I got Zero away from Julia... that Julia would be happier." He shut his eyes, sighing to himself. Poe had unlocked the safety. "Poe, you gotta believe me. Julia couldn't... I couldn't let her cry anymore. Remember how she was the leader of the group, the one with sunshine in her smile? She was the one who gave us hope, the one who let us down when we got too high-and-mighty, and the one who was always there to take us back to the top. She was the one who saved our necks, and almost killed herself doing it. And she's the one that needed to be set free." Poe was staring blankly at Zechs when he opened his eyes again, and the blonde man was surprised, and happy, to know that Poe had put the gun down. "Come on."
Tarmine looked at the woman before her and finally truly understood. It hadn't been Dorothy who had done everything with her sister... Dorothy had tried to stop the other woman, landing herself in prison where she starved herself because she thought forgiveness was too good for her. "Duo's alive." She wept. "Duo's alive." "She's been like this for days, maybe about a week or more, whenever we got here is when she started this." Relena said softly, laying a hand on the slightly older woman's arm. Tarmine nodded, sighing softly. She walked over to Dorothy's side and bent down over her ear. She moved the matted blonde hair, and gently whispered, "Where's Duo now?" Dorothy looked up with her soft lilac eyes, realizing Tarmine believed her. "He's not here." She said softly. "He's gone, somewhere, but not here." She pointed to a gun that was laying on one of the medical tables. "He was shot, I watched it, by Alanis. She was behind Lady Une, and the bullet had a poison in it called O-Ryo." Tarmine looked at the blonde woman, cocking her head. "Isn't that the goddess of the willow tree?" "Yes." Dorothy said softly. She winced as Relena inserted a syringe into her arm, and then sighed as another needle was added. Relena was giving her an IV vitamin to replenish her strength. "It's called O-Ryo because of what it's made from. An extract from the weeping willow serves as a sleeping substance that keeps a human asleep for a week, their breathing and heartbeat slow enough not to be detected. Duo was thought dead, by everyone but those who knew better." "Why'd they frame Lady Une?" Dorothy closed her eyes. "Because, what would people think if Alanis Catalonia suddenly rose from the grave? The only person who could be suspected the greatest was Une, because she had recently gone into an emotional breakdown." Relena's turn to sigh, "So, your sister sat behind Une with a serum of this O-Ryo, and shot Duo Maxwell with a bullet containing it. He looked and acted dead.. "Julia has to know about this." "No!" Dorothy cried. Relena and Tarmine both looked startled. "But it's her right." "She must not find out! If Julia finds out my daughter will be killed!" she cried. Again surprise came, and Relena laid a hand on Dorothy's face. "What are you talking about, Dorothy?" "My daughter! Zero's half-sister. Quatre's daughter." Tarmine's face twisted in confusion, "Are Zero and Julia related?" Relena shook her head, "Dorothy and Julia and only step aunt and step niece. Zero wasn't born from Dorothy, but Dorothy's daughter is hers and Quatre's. So Alanis is Zero's step aunt." "Ah. Ok, I was about to freak. Do you have any idea where." Louder alarms sounded and screams were heard all over the base. Crashes and sonic booms were heard everywhere, and the lights started to flicker and go dim. "I think the others just arrived." "About time." Relena said with a soft smile. Tarmine laughed gleefully as she looked out the door only to see Alex and Julia run past. There was another crash, and the two girls backtracked to peer into the room. "Mom?" "Yeah, Alex." "You're alright! Where's dad?" "Where you should be. Go have fun." Alex grinned, "See ya." Julia stayed in the doorway a moment and looked carefully at Tarmine. The purple-headed girl became uncomfortable suddenly at that deep stare, wondering if Julia was staring into her soul. "It's good to have you back, Tammy." "Thanks, Jules. Now go help the others." "My pleasure." And with that the brunette disappeared down the long corridor.
Julia laughed as she ran alongside her best friend, then stopped and calculated a concentrated gaze at a far off wall. "According to Poe that's where my mom is." She took a small bomb from her hip-pouch and detonated it, throwing it in one precise movement of her arm. The impact of the explosion knocked out the wall and most around it, the concussion met the two girls only a few seconds after, followed by the boom that echoed through the building. They stood and stared, and Julia met the gaze of the one person who had taken everything away from her. "Now that's not a nice way to say hello to your mother, is it?"
Alex walked stiffly down the street in her dress. It wasn't the dress that was making it difficult to walk, she actually like it. The shoes were the problem. They were platform sandals that matched the Japanese style gown. The gown was white silk with red flower patterns over the fabric. It went just a little above her knees, and showed the rest of her slender legs. Her hair was up in a bun with chopsticks that matched the dress. She knew by how Julia had persuaded her that her make-up, albeit not much, looked wonderful. At least, that's what Julia said. She looked over at Julia as she thought this, thinking of how lovely the two of them looked, even if she didn't want to admit it. Julia looked a little more exquisite, wearing a deep blue, long, slim gown that seemed to stick to her hips and waist, but was loose on her chest. Two spaghetti straps held her dress up, and a shawl of a shining silver hung over her bare arms. The whole dress and shawl was made of silk, and it probably cost a lot more than Alex's dress. She looked up to Julia's hair, wondering how the girl beside her could get that much hair into a bun and curls that shone brilliantly in the street lights as they passed under each one. It had a tiara to go along with the dress. Not to big, and accented with a diamond flower to hold it in place. And the make-up. Julia didn't need much to make herself shine, because right now it was coming from the inside. Julia had still applied lipstick, a pretty copper/red color that made her full lips seem even more gorgeous. Her eye lids were painted with an ice blue that made the cobalt color of her eyes stand out. There was a soft brush of pink on her cheeks, but that was something natural. The shimmer of pixie-dust glitter accented her blush where it was dabbed on the ice blue of her eye shadow. Altogether, Alex thought she looked like an ice sculpture. As they neared the restaurant Alex saw the two men standing by the door. Ethan gawked and Nicolae grinned, both of them wearing a tux of black silk with a white silk undershirt and a bow tie. Ethan was wearing a red one, and Nicolae a blue one. "Hey, we're color coded." Julia said laughing as she ran to Nicolae. Alex watched her throw her arms around Nicolae and Nicolae do the same, swinging Julia around in the air. Alex approached with a little less enthusiasm, wondering how the hell Julia had run in her high-heels. It was strange how Julia could run in things like high-heels and long dresses, and Alex couldn't run in a poofy dress and flats. "You look lovely Alex." "Is that a compliment?" Ethan looked hurt. "You'll have to excuse Alex, she's never been on a real date before. She thinks lovely mean horrendous, and the fact that she's wearing a dress doesn't help either." "Ah.." He smiled at Alex and outstretched his hand. Out of pure interest Alex took it and the four of them walked into the French/Italian restaurant, Julia and Nicolae arm in arm. "Monsieur, table for four, si vou plae." "Right away, 'sieur." The man looked down at the book in front of him. "Mademoiselles, monsieur's, right this way si vou plae." They were taken to the best table in the restaurant, and Alex had to admit these guys were very classy. "If you're thinking we're classy, please stop. We're just trying to be nice, and once you get us out into public and a fair, we're freaks." Alex looked at Ethan, and he grinned. Ah, so he had a power too. "Then you guys and Julia should get along just fine." "You did fine that one night when you were drunk." "I was not drunk by choice, Julia. You spiked the high-school's punch." Ethan and Nicolae laughed. "No way. You, Julian Maxwell, spiked the Sanc Kingdom High school's punch?" Julia grinned, "Yup. A whole flask of vodka." They laughed harder. So, maybe this would be a better date than Alex had thought.
Ethan looked at Alex and smiled. She looked so pretty in the dress he'd bought for her, though he thought she looked nice before she put the dress on too. In all the pictures in the papers he'd ever seen of the Gundam kids, Alex was always the one with an intense look in her eyes, and she'd only once worn a nice gown to a ball her mother had forced her to. Only then she was three years younger and less resistant to her mother's whims. "Thank you, for coming, Alex." She smiled sweetly, now playing the part her mother had always tried to teach her, "Thank you for inviting me." Ethan noticed Julia staring at Alex. "What's the matter?" "In all the years I've known her, Alex has used that smile once, and only once. You've known her a week and she's already being nice to you. That's so strange." Nicolae smiled, keeping it a little mischievous. "How nice will she get?" Alex's eyes widened and Julia laughed. "Hey!" "He's just kidding, Alex, don't sweat it." "He does this often." Alex sighed, "I'm not one subject for male humor. You shall learn that the hard way if you don't keep quiet." Julia grinned and looked at Alex, then to Ethan. "I can't wait to see him try to kiss you." Ethan and Alex both turned red-Ethan from embarrassment and Alex from anger. Julia seemed to have gotten the point and sank into her seat. "What will mademoiselles and monsieurs have this evening?" the man's English was set in a deep French accent. Ethan looked over and smiled brightly. "I'll have the Spaghetti and meatballs. Light on the meat." He looked to Alex. "I'll have the. what he's having." Nicolae looked at the man, grinned, "What is escargot?" "It is a delicacy, monsieur. Garden snails cooked to perfection on sautéed grape leaves." Ethan looked at Nicolae and smiled at his expression. He had a very disgusted look, like he would throw up. "What's caviar?" "Fish eggs from the finest black trout in the Mediterranean Sea, monsieur." "Ugh, and there's frog legs on here. I'll have the Chicken Alfredo and a Caesar Salad." Julia laughed, "I'll have what he's having. And we'll have the best red wine in your stock, it compliments the salad well." The waiter smiled appraisingly to Julia, he looked at Nicolae and winked. "Better keep her on a leash, monsieur. She's not only smart, she is like a white rose among red ones." He turned back to his notepad. "And I shall have hors d'oeuvres brought to your table for the intelligent child with a beautiful smile." Alex started to laugh and Ethan glanced at Julia to see her face a beat red. Nicolae nudged her and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, doll. I have to agree with the man about your loveliness and intelligence." He kissed Julia again and everyone but Julia's eyes widened as she kissed Nicolae deeper. "Oh look, they're French kissing in a French restaurant in France with a whole bunch of Frenchmen around." Julia broke the kiss when she started to laugh. Nicolae stopped looking stupidly in love and laughed as well, followed by Ethan. He started to think if maybe Alex was the best actress in the world and space, because she kept a straight face. Their food came, along with their wine, and they ate over talk of the past week and up-coming events. Julia had suddenly changed the subject to Alex's embarrassing moments, being fought by Alex's memory of Julia's embarrassing moments, when someone burst into the restaurant with a gun in their hands. "Alright, nobody move, this is a stick up." Ethan stood up, grabbed his gun from his shoulder holster, and pointed it at the robber. He unlocked the safety, cocked it, and got the man's attention. "Hey, how you doing?" The man stared at him, pulling out another gun. "That'll help." Ethan fired and got the man straight in the forehead. "This isn't a good restaurant anymore, I think we should leave."
Nicolae smiled softly as he walked along the boardwalk with Julia's hand in his, their arms locked. She looked so nice with her hair out of her face, he wondered why she didn't grow out her bangs and tie her hair back. "Julia?" "Yeah?" She turned her face toward him and smiled sweetly. He ran his eyes over her soft, full lips, and followed his eyes with his fingers. Her lipstick didn't smear, and he suddenly wondered how much she'd spent that night to look nice for him. He'd spent more than four hundred dollars for the dress and shoes, and the tiara was another one hundred dollars. He didn't mind, because money wasn't anything he had to worry about. Her make- up, though, was designer. He could tell. "Was the date ok? I don't think Alex liked it too much." Julia's smile softened, "I thought it was lovely. I haven't actually been on a date in two years." "I thought you'd been going out with Zero." "Doesn't mean I've been going on dates. He, like I said, wasn't a reliable boyfriend." She looked down and her eyes suddenly glassed over. "I'm sorry if I brought up a subject you're not comfortable with." Julia shrugged and turned her face away from him. Nicolae stopped walking and turned her front towards him, looking down at her. She was four inches shorter than he was, and it was odd to finally be with someone part Lunarian that was shorter. The Lunarian girls he knew were all at least five-ten. Being taller than a girl who can wear high heels and not be taller than him. "Julia, I don't want to make you uncomfortable around me. I like you, and you don't have to worry about me trying to hurt you. I know what it's like to be orphaned, to feel alone. Ethan has been my best friend since we were younger, and even when he's around I still feel a little alone. "For the last week, though since I've been hanging out with you and Alex, I've felt different. I don't even really know you, and I feel like you've impacted my life already." Julia couldn't help but smile, and Nicolae could tell she was trying not to. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her legs, then hoisted her into the air as she laughed and screamed with delight.
Zero stared out the window of the car he had been issued from Alanis. The windows were deeply tinted and no one would be able to see into the black Porsche. He watched Julia and Nicolae laughing together, watched the other man holding his Julia, and suddenly felt a deep regret for suddenly leaving the brunette. She was his, and that was how he would have it. Jealousy bubbled up in Zero's throat as he got out of the car, putting on black shades. His hair had been cut to his ears, two strips of hair falling into his face. With the glasses on he was unrecognizable. Even his clothes were different from what he'd usually wear. Long, black trench coat with a gray sweatshirt underneath, tucked into a black pair of jeans. His shoes were shiny black dress shoes with gray socks. He took a 20-40 k from the shoulder holster he was wearing, hitting off the safety and cocking it. The bullets he used were exploding bullets, and there were two of them. One bullet for Julia, one for Alex. Zero sighed as he started toward the two laughing and walking together, getting into step behind them. Even as he raised the gun and aimed it, Julia looked up to Nicolae and smiled, wrapping her arm around his middle. Nicolae put his arm around her shoulders, and Zero sensed Nicolae's panic as he saw him out of the corner of his eye. All in a second three things happened. Nicolae wrapped both arms around Julia and shielded her from the bullet Zero fired. It hit the man in the back and immediately exploded with a paroxysm of blood. Zero shuddered as Julia looked from Nicolae's body to his face, a look of terror spread across it as she realized it was Zero. Deep shades of blue and green wrapped itself around Nicolae much like the blue and silver had done to Julia. It filled the hole in Nicolae's body and he gasped as he came back to life, coughing and holding onto Julia. Zero backed off, dropping the gun and running to the car. He jumped in and started it, then drove away speeding up to one hundred miles an hour, driving miles away from the city so he could get away from Julia. Get away from her eyes.
Alex's eyes widened as she saw the blood on Julia's arms, the tear in Nicolae's clothing. They were a mess, both blood soaked and tired looking. "What happened?!" "Zero came back. He shot Nicolae then took off." There was a strange look in Julia's eyes, then they looked to Nicolae who seemed to be dazed and confused, tired. "Are you alright, Nicolae?" Julia put her hand to his chest, and he nodded with difficulty. "I need to sleep." "What happened?" The two girls looked over Nicolae's shoulder to see Ethan enter the room. He had two wine glasses in his hands, and a look of shock in his eyes. "He was shot by a 20-40 k. His powers..." "Fixed him. Yeah I see that. By Zero. Jeez I love this gift." Julia sighed and sat down, followed by Nicolae. Alex sighed and shook her head, going to Julia's side. Julia just shook her head, and put a hand on Nicolae's arm. Alex watched the two look at eachother, saw the look of concern on Julia's face, in her eyes. In all of the years Alex had known Julia, only once had she seen the look of hope she saw in Julia's eyes now. "Nicolae, I'm going to borrow Jules for a second. She'll be right back to help you with cleaning up and all." Nicolae looked at the two girls and nodded, leaning back on the leather couch that seemed to not match the furnishings of the hotel room. Alex took Julia's arm and pulled her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "You love him, don't you?" Julia looked shocked and admired all at the same time. She also looked tired and scared, but she nodded and smiled softly. "It's stronger than what I felt for Zero. And tonight, when he was shot... I have never been so scared. Except when...." "Your father was killed. I noticed the look. The only other time I saw that look in your eyes is when we were waiting to see if your father would die or not." Julia looked down, nodding, then looked back up. "You love Ethan." Alex tried to do the surprised/shocked thing, but Julia just laughed. "I thought so. I think he loves you too." "But I haven't even known him that long." "Doesn't matter. You can tell when you can tell. It's like me and Nicolae." Alex stared at Julia, thinking about what she was talking about. Sure, she liked Ethan, but it wasn't enough to call it love. Was it?
Alanis looked out over the piers into the prison cells. Relena Peacecraft, now married to Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner, Chang Wufei. It had been hard to track down the last one, he had been hiding and had always seemed a step ahead of everyone. Looking to the far right of the cell, behind the others as they sat, cried, cursed, and tried to get out of the cell, was another blonde who looked much like Alanis. Long blonde hair, now in dreadlocks, fell to her knees. Thin, scrawny arms grasped the same kind of legs. Her eyebrows would have been the only thing that would have differed each twin apart a month ago, naming each as Alanis and Dorothy Catalonia. "Miss Catalonia?" Alanis turned to see Zero standing at her back, shades in his hands. "Did you do what I asked?" "I'm sorry, madam, Nicolae Une jumped in front of the bullet meant for Julia. She recognized me and I had to flee." The blue eyed gaze turned harsh, the woman's lips pursed in anger. She took a gun from her coat and aimed it at Quatre Winner. "I asked you to do one small favor for me. Nothing big, all you had to do was shoot the girls and see their power. But no, you can't even do one simple job like that." The gun clicked as Alanis cocked it. "Ma'am, we still don't know if Alex Yuy has power. Her father is Japanese descendant and her mother is mid-European. Heero may not even be full Japanese, only God can remember his strength." Alanis, though she hated to, agreed. She looked back to her sister as she put the gun away. "It's only too bad she won't eat her food."
Julia stared out into the scenery, enjoying what lasted of the French city. She remembered from recent visits and looking at old photographs that off in the east would have been the Eiffel tower. What was left of the tower was a skeleton of bent metal and broken pieces. The war a year past had brought a lot of destruction down upon the European countries. New France had been hit the hardest with a down pour of bombs from Oz, a few hitting the tower. She remembered watching the flames engulf the Eiffel tower, bits and pieces had fallen into the parks below, killing hundreds of animals, people, and destroying surrounding buildings. "Aren't you cold?" The images of mass destruction vanished as Julia realized Nicolae had joined her on the balcony. She turned and looked at him, smiling softly. "I see you've changed, sorry about the dress." "It wasn't your fault, Nicolae. You didn't know my ex would suddenly show up out of no where and try to shoot me." "It's gonna take you a while to get over this, isn't it?" Julia looked down, then nodded. "I was so damned in love with him, it just hurts. I gave up so much to be with him, and he just went an left me when things started to go crazy." Nicolae nodded, looking out into the city. "You guys were here when it happened?" Julia looked at him and nodded, looking back at the ruins of the Eiffel Tower. "We were all here when the tower went down."
Nicolae couldn't help but stare at Julia. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he knew that. She seemed so strong and mature for being left behind so many times. It was so wrong that she kept on losing people. It shouldn't have happened to her, and her father should never have lost anyone either. "I recall a story of my father's-about how he got his name." "May I ask you to tell it?" Julia looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "I would have anyway." Nicolae grinned and opened his arms as Julia's cold and shivering body let them embrace her. Nicolae suddenly realized how cold it was on the balcony, but the warmth of his and Julia's bodies meshing together took away most of it. "For starters, my father was born a nameless orphan who eventually drifted to V08744 at Colony L2 around the age of seven. The colony was very poor and disorganized since it was full of immigrants from all over the Earth, but definitely anti-federation. This resulted in a lot of fighting within the colony, leaving orphans and abandoned buildings in its wake. "Solo, the leader of a small group of orphans, took dad under his wing and the two spent a lot of time together. But then a virus spread throughout the colony, and Solo became infected with it. A vaccine was discovered, but it was only made available to the rich. So dad snuck into a hospital and stole some of it, but only enough for everyone except himself. "It was too late to save Solo, who promised to always be with him, even after he died. When Solo died, dad said, 'Fine...if Solo's with me, we'll be Duo.' "Realizing that there was no vaccine left for himself, daddy waited to die, but surprisingly lived. It seemed that Solo had kept his promise after all!" Nicolae's eyes closed as Julia body softly trembled through the story. She was crying, and trying in vain to not. His arms tightened around her as she continued, hoping she wasn't just telling the story for his benefit. "Duo then took Solo's place as leader of the orphans. One day, he led them on a food raid at the Federation base. They were caught and escaped, but the abandoned building they called home was torn down. "Fortunately, the Maxwell Church, run by Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, took pity on the orphans and took them all in. The orphans were fed and clothed, but daddy refused to have his haircut: 'I can't stand to wear these weird clothes, I'm sure as heck not gonna put up with having my haircut!' Sister Helen protested, but Father Maxwell told her to do as Duo says. So she braided his hair instead, which he didn't seem to mind since it wouldn't get in the way when he stole things." There was a soft smile in Julia's voice, and for some reason Nicolae smiled as well. "Daddy and the other orphans were enrolled into a Federation-run school, which was meant for brainwashing children of military personnel. Dad got into several fights with them because he was different, but otherwise he was at the top of his class and learned quickly. That only gave the military kids another reason to be mad at him. "One of the fights landed five military kids in the hospital. My father was scolded and threatened with expulsion from the school, but Father Maxwell apologized for him. Sister Helen asked daddy for an explanation, and he told her that the kids had said he smelled dirty. She simply hugged him and told him he didn't smell. "All of his fellow orphans were adopted, but daddy kept getting sent back to the church since he was such a troublemaker. Thus, he became known as 'Maxwell's Demon'. This fit him well, given he only believed in Shinigami, the God of Death; 'I've never seen a miracle, but I've seen lots and lots of dead people.' "In the year AC 188 L2 once again became a battlefield, and wounded military troops took over the church and made it their base. Father Maxwell protested, quoting the late leader Heero Yuy, but was struck down by the butt of a rifle. My father heard one of the soldiers say that all they needed was one mobile suit to win the battle, so he told them he would steal one for them if they would leave. "They didn't believe him, so daddy said, 'I run, and I hide, but I don't lie.' "He snuck into the Federation base no problem, now knowing the layout quite well. In spite of gunfire, he managed to make it to a truck carrying a Leo and drove it back to the church." Her voice changed again to a whisper, sad but no longer the crying sound she'd started with. "But again daddy was too late, during his absence the church had been destroyed in what became known as the 'Maxwell Church Massacre'. He found Sister Helen dying among the rubble, and she told him that Father Maxwell had been thinking of him until the very end. Daddy wanted to run and get a doctor, but Sister Helen explained what had happened. Her last words were, 'May God... bless you and... keep... you...', before her hand fell away from his cheek. "Then for the first time in his life, daddy cried over her death because he was all alone again. She and Father Maxwell had been his first family of any kind. And as a reminder, he took the last name of 'Maxwell'." Nicolae stared at Julia, absolutely surprised by the story. He knew the rest of it, though, because he'd always found an amazement with the pilots. He'd studied them for as long as he could remember, wishing one day to be a good of pilot as them. And he'd seen Julia and Alex grow up. He saw Duo's funeral, the closed casket with the American Flag draped over it as a reminder of his background. He remembered watching Julia sitting on the stairs next to her father's coffin, holding a pale rose with her face covered by her hands. Nicolae had sat with his mother at the funeral, for she had not yet been thought of as Duo's murderer. He had looked up into the eyes of the woman known as Lady Une to everyone but him, and he had seen a deep sorrow. When they had gotten home, his mother told him why she was so sad. "I knew Duo well. He had become a great friend to me after the wars, and it's only sad to see someone so young go. He was only twenty-three, and though most people never knew him as good as the pilots, Preventers, Miss Relena and I, a person like Duo Maxwell leaves an imprint upon your heart."
Alex sighed as she watched the television. Ethan was sitting beside her, but by his soft and even breathing she guessed he'd fallen asleep. She blushed as she found herself staring at him, thinking about what he was dreaming. Slowly, as not to wake Ethan, Alex stood up and turned off the TV. She grabbed a blanket and laid it over him, then helped him to lay down on the couch and fixed the blanket again. Ethan mumbled something, and Alex grinned as she walked away, into her room at the end of the hall. From her window she could see Julia and Nicolae on the balcony. They had stretched out on a long beach chair, holding eachother with love, with a comforter over their bodies for warmth. "Tomorrow," she whispered softly. "We will get our family back."
Zechs woke up to the sound of sirens blasting. He jumped out of bed, grabbing a blue tee shirt and white slacks, pulling them over his under shirt and boxers. There was a pounding on the door, and it opened to a wounded soldier, screaming something about the gundam pilots escaping. "We already knew the gundam pilots had gotten away." He said, hurrying to the other man's side, putting pressure to the gunshot wound. He read the nametag, sighing softly. "Michael Lambert? Poe, I thought you had gotten away from here." The Chinese man grinned, "Nope, just got in actually." He whispered. "Get me into the room and I'll explain." Zechs nodded and pulled Poe into the room. There Wufei's son stood up and looked at his shoulder, grunting. "The men in this army don't know who the hell to shoot at. Until I showed them my name tag, they didn't want me alive." "Though you're wearing our uniforms. Now what's this about?" Poe grinned, his black eyes gleaming. "Well, you know how I guess you and Zero and Alanis thought Tarmine was dead?" "Yeah...." "Well, she was, but I had been following the others for a long time and when I found Tarmine's body I got her to a hospital. It was only about an hour after you'd shot her-" "Alanis shot her." "-and she was brought back to life. Of course right now our parents are out of prison and running amok along with her, and we have Dorothy in the medical lab being treated by Relena, but we can overlook the fact you traded sides when we needed you." Click. "So tell me why." Zechs stared straight into the black depths of the Chinese man's eyes. Why did he do it? Because after a couple of years on the other side you want to learn more about the opponents that face your cousin and friends, you want to see their weaknesses from another's point of view. Because Zechs had always been the black sheep of the family, and seeing Zero with Julia, using her like a toy, acting as though he owned her, it got to be too much. "I did it because I thought... that if I got Zero away from Julia... that Julia would be happier." He shut his eyes, sighing to himself. Poe had unlocked the safety. "Poe, you gotta believe me. Julia couldn't... I couldn't let her cry anymore. Remember how she was the leader of the group, the one with sunshine in her smile? She was the one who gave us hope, the one who let us down when we got too high-and-mighty, and the one who was always there to take us back to the top. She was the one who saved our necks, and almost killed herself doing it. And she's the one that needed to be set free." Poe was staring blankly at Zechs when he opened his eyes again, and the blonde man was surprised, and happy, to know that Poe had put the gun down. "Come on."
Tarmine looked at the woman before her and finally truly understood. It hadn't been Dorothy who had done everything with her sister... Dorothy had tried to stop the other woman, landing herself in prison where she starved herself because she thought forgiveness was too good for her. "Duo's alive." She wept. "Duo's alive." "She's been like this for days, maybe about a week or more, whenever we got here is when she started this." Relena said softly, laying a hand on the slightly older woman's arm. Tarmine nodded, sighing softly. She walked over to Dorothy's side and bent down over her ear. She moved the matted blonde hair, and gently whispered, "Where's Duo now?" Dorothy looked up with her soft lilac eyes, realizing Tarmine believed her. "He's not here." She said softly. "He's gone, somewhere, but not here." She pointed to a gun that was laying on one of the medical tables. "He was shot, I watched it, by Alanis. She was behind Lady Une, and the bullet had a poison in it called O-Ryo." Tarmine looked at the blonde woman, cocking her head. "Isn't that the goddess of the willow tree?" "Yes." Dorothy said softly. She winced as Relena inserted a syringe into her arm, and then sighed as another needle was added. Relena was giving her an IV vitamin to replenish her strength. "It's called O-Ryo because of what it's made from. An extract from the weeping willow serves as a sleeping substance that keeps a human asleep for a week, their breathing and heartbeat slow enough not to be detected. Duo was thought dead, by everyone but those who knew better." "Why'd they frame Lady Une?" Dorothy closed her eyes. "Because, what would people think if Alanis Catalonia suddenly rose from the grave? The only person who could be suspected the greatest was Une, because she had recently gone into an emotional breakdown." Relena's turn to sigh, "So, your sister sat behind Une with a serum of this O-Ryo, and shot Duo Maxwell with a bullet containing it. He looked and acted dead.. "Julia has to know about this." "No!" Dorothy cried. Relena and Tarmine both looked startled. "But it's her right." "She must not find out! If Julia finds out my daughter will be killed!" she cried. Again surprise came, and Relena laid a hand on Dorothy's face. "What are you talking about, Dorothy?" "My daughter! Zero's half-sister. Quatre's daughter." Tarmine's face twisted in confusion, "Are Zero and Julia related?" Relena shook her head, "Dorothy and Julia and only step aunt and step niece. Zero wasn't born from Dorothy, but Dorothy's daughter is hers and Quatre's. So Alanis is Zero's step aunt." "Ah. Ok, I was about to freak. Do you have any idea where." Louder alarms sounded and screams were heard all over the base. Crashes and sonic booms were heard everywhere, and the lights started to flicker and go dim. "I think the others just arrived." "About time." Relena said with a soft smile. Tarmine laughed gleefully as she looked out the door only to see Alex and Julia run past. There was another crash, and the two girls backtracked to peer into the room. "Mom?" "Yeah, Alex." "You're alright! Where's dad?" "Where you should be. Go have fun." Alex grinned, "See ya." Julia stayed in the doorway a moment and looked carefully at Tarmine. The purple-headed girl became uncomfortable suddenly at that deep stare, wondering if Julia was staring into her soul. "It's good to have you back, Tammy." "Thanks, Jules. Now go help the others." "My pleasure." And with that the brunette disappeared down the long corridor.
Julia laughed as she ran alongside her best friend, then stopped and calculated a concentrated gaze at a far off wall. "According to Poe that's where my mom is." She took a small bomb from her hip-pouch and detonated it, throwing it in one precise movement of her arm. The impact of the explosion knocked out the wall and most around it, the concussion met the two girls only a few seconds after, followed by the boom that echoed through the building. They stood and stared, and Julia met the gaze of the one person who had taken everything away from her. "Now that's not a nice way to say hello to your mother, is it?"