Part I
Five Years Later.
Heero awoke to the realization that his bed was shaking violently. Groaning, he rolled over and addressed the cause.
"Eleanor, what have I told you about bouncing on the beds?"
Ignoring the rebuke, she continued to bounce. "Touchan! Touchan! Get up now! Today's zoo day!"
Faced with forty pounds of overactive five-year-old, Heero knew that his only choice was to succumb and get up. Stumbling out of the bedroom, he made a beeline for the kitchen where his salvation waited: the coffee maker.
After having communed with the coffee for a few minutes, Heero felt slightly more human, but still not fully awake.
/With Eleanor in the house,/ he thought, /I don't need an alarm clock. Why, oh why don't five-year-olds come with a snooze button?/
"Are you alive yet, Touchan?" Eleanor asked, knowing full well that her father considered himself among the undead before he'd imbibed some caffeine.
"Getting there," he answered. "Now let's get you all nice and pretty for your class field trip to the zoo."
In Heero's opinion, Eleanor was already pretty, but of course, since he was her foster father, he was somewhat biased. Her hair was a good bit redder than her father's, but she had Duo's large, blue-violet eyes. Not a single freckle marked her pale face. Heero strongly suspected that she took after her mother size-wise, as she was a little on the small side for her age. Never did she look more like her father than when she smiled. She had obviously inherited Duo's large, slightly mischievous grin.
Nevertheless, she couldn't go to the zoo in her pajamas, so Heero got her dressed, put her hair up in two braids, tied her shoelaces, fed her breakfast, packed her lunch, and drove her off to her kindergarten. The instructor eyed Eleanor as she ran off to join her classmates, then turned to Heero.
"You dressed her again this morning, didn't you?" she said.
Heero nodded blankly.
"I thought so," she said simply. "Well, I'll see you this afternoon." And with that, she dismissed him and went back to her charges.
After arriving at the Preventers Headquarters and checking to make sure that there was nothing of importance on his desk, Heero grabbed the phone and dialed the now familiar number.
"Schbeiker Mechanical Parts, how may I. Oh, hi Heero."
Without bothering with formalities, Heero said, "Hilde, she could tell again."
Hilde heaved a resigned sigh. "All right. What did you dress her in?"
"The orange and red plaid pants with the purple polka dot shirt and her light green jacket."
Hilde winced. "One of these days, Heero, I will come to your house, find every article of chartreuse clothing, and have a bonfire. What have I told you about dressing her in light greens and yellows?"
"They make her look sallow," Heero said.
"Right. I think I might just get rid of those pants too, while I'm at it."
"Oh, come on," Heero protested. "They were hand-me-downs from Quatre's nieces and nephews. At least they're in good condition."
Hilde frown. "I still maintain that half of that family has no fashion sense. All right. Rule Number One: Don't mix plaid with polka dots, or flower print, or any other pattern. And what did you do with that list of color schemes I gave you?"
Heero sighed. "I lost it."
"Typical."
Heero glared. "This time it really isn't my fault. I think Elly did something with the paper."
"Oh sure. Blame your daughter. That's low, Heero."
Heero snarled and braced himself for an argument, but Hilde just laughed. "Don't worry. After you lost the first couple of papers, I typed it up. I'll just email it to you."
"Thanks, Hilde."
Hilde just grinned at him. "What would you do without me, Heero? What would Eleanor do without me? You'd have her dressed like you."
"You say it like it's a bad thing."
Hilde snorted. "I've got news for you, Heero. Spandex went out a long time ago, and most girls can't wear tank tops as loose as yours without being arrested for indecent exposure."
"Like Quatre's nieces and nephews wear spandex anyway."
Before Hilde could answer, someone off screen called to her. She listened for a minute, then, turning back to Heero, she said, "Much as I would love to discuss clothes with you, I have to go. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
*Click* Hilde hung up.
Heero looked up to find Wufei smirking at him. "That child's a bad influence on you, Yuy. When I first met you, you would never have stooped to asking a woman for fashion advice."
"Just like your wife's a bad influence on you?" Heero retorted.
"Leave Sally out of this," Wufei said before walking off to his own desk and leaving Heero to deal with the bane of his existence: paperwork.
~*~*~
That evening, after he got off work, Heero picked Eleanor up from the daycare she went to after school. She sat in the back seat chattering about all the cute animals she'd seen at the zoo. Heero had never heard of a hippopotamus referred to as cute before, in fact he thought they were rather ugly, but he didn't interrupt.
When they arrived back at the small apartment, Heero grabbed the mail and dumped it on the table. "What do you want for dinner, sweetheart?" he called as he began to sort it.
"Macaroni and cheese," she answered.
Heero smiled. "You always want mac and cheese." He tossed a pile of junk mail towards the recycling. That and bills were all he ever seemed to get anymore.
But wait. There was something else. At the bottom of the stack was an expensive looking envelope with his name and address printed in neat, familiar looking handwriting. He opened it to find a letter written on familiar stationary.
"Relena? What does she want?"
He hadn't seen Relena in over four years. Once she saw that he wouldn't be swayed from his decision to keep Eleanor, she had been supportive. However, it soon became clear that it was impossible for Heero to look after the child and keep up with Relena's schedule at the same time. Relena's job took her on many business trips out to the colonies and back to Earth. As head of security, Heero was expected to accompany her, something her had been unwilling to do with a small child. So they had parted ways, still on friendly terms, and Heero had joined the Preventers. Aside from seeing her on the news, the only time Heero heard of Relena was when she sent him a card at Christmas, along with a present for Eleanor.
Eleanor peered over the tabletop, trying to see what had so interested her foster father. "What's that, Touchan?" she asked.
"It's a letter from Relena," he told her.
Her eyes went very round as she stared at the sheets of paper in awe. "From Relena? The princess?"
"Former princess," he corrected her with a smile.
"Wow." Eleanor thought it was really neat that her Touchan knew a real princess.
Heero read through the letter rather quickly, then went back and read through it again.
Dear Heero,
How are you and Eleanor doing? It's been a long time since I've seen you two. It's been even longer since I've seen Quatre, Trowa, or Wufei. That's why I've decided to host a reunion for all you Gundam pilots and your families. Lady Une has assured me that you will be allowed to take time off to attend. The reunion will be at the old Darlian house for the last two weeks of August. I would be thrilled if you and Eleanor would come. Please write back to tell me whether you will attend.
Sincerely, Relena Peacecraft-Darlian
P.S. I've also invited my brother Millardo. I trust that you don't mind. After all, Talgeese and Epyon looked like Gundams to me.
Heero smirked. "Oh, come on Relena. You surely don't think that I'm such a purist that I'd tell you not to invite your own brother."
Hearing several soft thumping noises, he turned to see Eleanor next to him. She had grabbed the edge of the table, using it as leverage to propel herself higher as she bounced up and down, trying to see the letter.
"What's it say, Touchan? What's it say?" she asked excitedly.
Heero smiled at her and put a hand on her head to keep her from bouncing. "It says that we're invited to a party with Relena this summer."
"We're gonna go, right?"
Heero laughed. "Yes, we'll go, and you can finally meet Relena."
"Yay!" Eleanor cheered. "Now what's for dinner?"
"Spinach," he told her.
"Ewww."
"And brussel sprouts, and lima beans, and zucchini."
"Yuck!"
Heero laughed, picked Eleanor up, tickled her, and went into the kitchen to make spaghetti.
Five Years Later.
Heero awoke to the realization that his bed was shaking violently. Groaning, he rolled over and addressed the cause.
"Eleanor, what have I told you about bouncing on the beds?"
Ignoring the rebuke, she continued to bounce. "Touchan! Touchan! Get up now! Today's zoo day!"
Faced with forty pounds of overactive five-year-old, Heero knew that his only choice was to succumb and get up. Stumbling out of the bedroom, he made a beeline for the kitchen where his salvation waited: the coffee maker.
After having communed with the coffee for a few minutes, Heero felt slightly more human, but still not fully awake.
/With Eleanor in the house,/ he thought, /I don't need an alarm clock. Why, oh why don't five-year-olds come with a snooze button?/
"Are you alive yet, Touchan?" Eleanor asked, knowing full well that her father considered himself among the undead before he'd imbibed some caffeine.
"Getting there," he answered. "Now let's get you all nice and pretty for your class field trip to the zoo."
In Heero's opinion, Eleanor was already pretty, but of course, since he was her foster father, he was somewhat biased. Her hair was a good bit redder than her father's, but she had Duo's large, blue-violet eyes. Not a single freckle marked her pale face. Heero strongly suspected that she took after her mother size-wise, as she was a little on the small side for her age. Never did she look more like her father than when she smiled. She had obviously inherited Duo's large, slightly mischievous grin.
Nevertheless, she couldn't go to the zoo in her pajamas, so Heero got her dressed, put her hair up in two braids, tied her shoelaces, fed her breakfast, packed her lunch, and drove her off to her kindergarten. The instructor eyed Eleanor as she ran off to join her classmates, then turned to Heero.
"You dressed her again this morning, didn't you?" she said.
Heero nodded blankly.
"I thought so," she said simply. "Well, I'll see you this afternoon." And with that, she dismissed him and went back to her charges.
After arriving at the Preventers Headquarters and checking to make sure that there was nothing of importance on his desk, Heero grabbed the phone and dialed the now familiar number.
"Schbeiker Mechanical Parts, how may I. Oh, hi Heero."
Without bothering with formalities, Heero said, "Hilde, she could tell again."
Hilde heaved a resigned sigh. "All right. What did you dress her in?"
"The orange and red plaid pants with the purple polka dot shirt and her light green jacket."
Hilde winced. "One of these days, Heero, I will come to your house, find every article of chartreuse clothing, and have a bonfire. What have I told you about dressing her in light greens and yellows?"
"They make her look sallow," Heero said.
"Right. I think I might just get rid of those pants too, while I'm at it."
"Oh, come on," Heero protested. "They were hand-me-downs from Quatre's nieces and nephews. At least they're in good condition."
Hilde frown. "I still maintain that half of that family has no fashion sense. All right. Rule Number One: Don't mix plaid with polka dots, or flower print, or any other pattern. And what did you do with that list of color schemes I gave you?"
Heero sighed. "I lost it."
"Typical."
Heero glared. "This time it really isn't my fault. I think Elly did something with the paper."
"Oh sure. Blame your daughter. That's low, Heero."
Heero snarled and braced himself for an argument, but Hilde just laughed. "Don't worry. After you lost the first couple of papers, I typed it up. I'll just email it to you."
"Thanks, Hilde."
Hilde just grinned at him. "What would you do without me, Heero? What would Eleanor do without me? You'd have her dressed like you."
"You say it like it's a bad thing."
Hilde snorted. "I've got news for you, Heero. Spandex went out a long time ago, and most girls can't wear tank tops as loose as yours without being arrested for indecent exposure."
"Like Quatre's nieces and nephews wear spandex anyway."
Before Hilde could answer, someone off screen called to her. She listened for a minute, then, turning back to Heero, she said, "Much as I would love to discuss clothes with you, I have to go. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
*Click* Hilde hung up.
Heero looked up to find Wufei smirking at him. "That child's a bad influence on you, Yuy. When I first met you, you would never have stooped to asking a woman for fashion advice."
"Just like your wife's a bad influence on you?" Heero retorted.
"Leave Sally out of this," Wufei said before walking off to his own desk and leaving Heero to deal with the bane of his existence: paperwork.
~*~*~
That evening, after he got off work, Heero picked Eleanor up from the daycare she went to after school. She sat in the back seat chattering about all the cute animals she'd seen at the zoo. Heero had never heard of a hippopotamus referred to as cute before, in fact he thought they were rather ugly, but he didn't interrupt.
When they arrived back at the small apartment, Heero grabbed the mail and dumped it on the table. "What do you want for dinner, sweetheart?" he called as he began to sort it.
"Macaroni and cheese," she answered.
Heero smiled. "You always want mac and cheese." He tossed a pile of junk mail towards the recycling. That and bills were all he ever seemed to get anymore.
But wait. There was something else. At the bottom of the stack was an expensive looking envelope with his name and address printed in neat, familiar looking handwriting. He opened it to find a letter written on familiar stationary.
"Relena? What does she want?"
He hadn't seen Relena in over four years. Once she saw that he wouldn't be swayed from his decision to keep Eleanor, she had been supportive. However, it soon became clear that it was impossible for Heero to look after the child and keep up with Relena's schedule at the same time. Relena's job took her on many business trips out to the colonies and back to Earth. As head of security, Heero was expected to accompany her, something her had been unwilling to do with a small child. So they had parted ways, still on friendly terms, and Heero had joined the Preventers. Aside from seeing her on the news, the only time Heero heard of Relena was when she sent him a card at Christmas, along with a present for Eleanor.
Eleanor peered over the tabletop, trying to see what had so interested her foster father. "What's that, Touchan?" she asked.
"It's a letter from Relena," he told her.
Her eyes went very round as she stared at the sheets of paper in awe. "From Relena? The princess?"
"Former princess," he corrected her with a smile.
"Wow." Eleanor thought it was really neat that her Touchan knew a real princess.
Heero read through the letter rather quickly, then went back and read through it again.
Dear Heero,
How are you and Eleanor doing? It's been a long time since I've seen you two. It's been even longer since I've seen Quatre, Trowa, or Wufei. That's why I've decided to host a reunion for all you Gundam pilots and your families. Lady Une has assured me that you will be allowed to take time off to attend. The reunion will be at the old Darlian house for the last two weeks of August. I would be thrilled if you and Eleanor would come. Please write back to tell me whether you will attend.
Sincerely, Relena Peacecraft-Darlian
P.S. I've also invited my brother Millardo. I trust that you don't mind. After all, Talgeese and Epyon looked like Gundams to me.
Heero smirked. "Oh, come on Relena. You surely don't think that I'm such a purist that I'd tell you not to invite your own brother."
Hearing several soft thumping noises, he turned to see Eleanor next to him. She had grabbed the edge of the table, using it as leverage to propel herself higher as she bounced up and down, trying to see the letter.
"What's it say, Touchan? What's it say?" she asked excitedly.
Heero smiled at her and put a hand on her head to keep her from bouncing. "It says that we're invited to a party with Relena this summer."
"We're gonna go, right?"
Heero laughed. "Yes, we'll go, and you can finally meet Relena."
"Yay!" Eleanor cheered. "Now what's for dinner?"
"Spinach," he told her.
"Ewww."
"And brussel sprouts, and lima beans, and zucchini."
"Yuck!"
Heero laughed, picked Eleanor up, tickled her, and went into the kitchen to make spaghetti.