Epilogue
1 year later
Quatre fidgeted as he sat next to Trowa, waiting for the plane to arrive. "They're late," he said again.
"They'll be here." Trowa didn't even look up from his book. "They wouldn't miss the second reunion."
"There they are!" Sally said. "Hi Elly! Duo, what happened to your shirt?"
"Heero warned me," Duo muttered. "But I didn't believe him. How can she get air sick and not car sick?"
"I warned you," Heero said, coming up behind him. "I'll keep an eye on Eleanor, you go get cleaned up."
"I'm sorry I barfed on you, Daddy," Eleanor said apologetically.
"Oh, that's okay," Duo said cheerfully. "I'll just go change my shirt." And so saying, he headed off towards the nearest men's room.
"She calls him Daddy now," Sally observed softly. "I'll bet Duo's thrilled."
Heero nodded. "He is. She started calling him that a couple months ago."
Once Duo returned wearing a new shirt and carrying the old one in a plastic bag, the group headed off to pick up the luggage. Eleanor ran a little ways ahead of them, then would circle back, urging them to keep up with her.
"We're not as fast as you, sweetheart," Duo told her. "Or as young."
"Ah, the boundless energy of a six-year-old," Sally marveled as Eleanor took off again.
"I don't envy you two your job," Wufei muttered ominously.
Sally smiled back at him sweetly. "Pretty soon, you won't have to envy them."
Wufei froze. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," Sally said, looking very pleased with herself, "since everyone's here except Relena, and she already knows, I might as well break the good news now. I'm pregnant."
The party had to stop rather abruptly to deal with Wufei, who had fainted and was now out cold on the floor. Eleanor, sensing the disturbance, came loping back. "What's wrong with Uncle Woofy?" she asked.
"He just got a little surprised when I told him I'm gonna have a baby," Sally told her.
"How do you know that you're gonna have a baby?" Eleanor asked.
"Well," Sally began, "adults do certain things that can make babies." That was as far as she got, because both Heero and Duo clamped their hands over her mouth, but Eleanor had heard enough.
"I knew all that stork stuff wasn't real," was all she said.
"Darn," Duo muttered. "Another good explanation gone down the drain."
"Oh, come on," Sally protested. "You can't keep her in the dark. You're going to have to tell her about menstrual cyc." The hands clamped over her mouth again.
"Not to a six-year-old, we don't," Heero hissed in her ear.
"We were planning to have Hilde do that in a couple of years," Duo said.
Realizing that she wasn't going to hear any more slips on her Aunt Sally's part, Eleanor got bored and moved over to poke Wufei, who was still unconscious. "Uncle Woofy," she said, still poking him sharply. "Wake up."
Quatre started to scold her for poking, but Wufei stirred and sat up. He looked at Eleanor, who was still poking him, then up at the ceiling. "Please," he muttered. "Any and all listening deities. If you must give me a child, make it a boy."
"Wufei!" Sally was shocked, and rather pissed. "I thought you were getting over that sexist streak of yours!"
"It's not that!" Wufei insisted. "I just don't want." He trailed off, looking at Eleanor, who was giving him a wide eyed stare, then at her fathers, who were glaring at him as if daring him to say anything bad about their daughter. Swallowing nervously, he said, "Never mind."
"For your information," Duo said rather pointedly, "I think having a daughter is great."
"I'll take your word for it," Wufei said as he got to his feet.
Quatre, seeing that a fight might break out, either between Wufei and Sally or Wufei and Heero and Duo, intervened. "Congratulations," he said. "I hope you have a happy, healthy child, be it a girl or a boy."
A round of suitable congratulations followed, and the party continued on its way, although Wufei still seemed rather dazed. He had a tendency to nearly walk into walls every time Sally mentioned the words "child" or "baby", which she did every sentence or so.
"You'd like a baby cousin, wouldn't you Eleanor?" Sally asked as they secured their luggage and headed out to the cars.
Eleanor nodded enthusiastically.
"Um, Sally?" Quatre said hesitantly. "Your husband is twitching."
"Don't worry, Wufei," Heero said. "You'll get used to fatherhood in no time."
Eventually, baggage got sorted out, people got into cars, and they made the trip to Relena's house. She was waiting for them when they arrived. Ignoring her parents, who were unpacking the luggage, Eleanor ran and caught Relena in a flying tackle of a hug.
"Hello, Elly," Relena greeted her cheerfully, returning the hug.
Eleanor looked up at her, and her smile turned into a slightly calculating look. "Relena," she said. "Can you tell me where babies come from?"
Relena, completely unprepared for the question, let her mouth drop open. She snapped it shut rather abruptly and caught Heero's eye. He shook hi head and frantically mouthed "No!", having guessed what the question was. Looking back at Eleanor, Relena found herself face to face with two large, blue violet puppy eyes. Heero expected her to do the impossible and say no to that face.
"Ask your Aunt Hilde," Relena said.
"Relena!" Duo wailed. "Hilde'll tell her too!"
"Well, if I refused to say anything, she'd just ask Hilde anyway," Relena pointed out sensibly. "So, I gather Sally has given you all the good news?"
"She has," Heero said. "Wufei isn't taking it all that well, and Sally's picking on him for it."
"Oh, this is just the beginning," Sally said cheerfully. "Wait 'til Noin gets here, then we'll really start picking on him."
Everyone burst out laughing at the expression on Wufei's face as he contemplated the possibility of his wife ganging up with another woman against him. Finally, Relena took pity on him and changed the subject, chatting about room arrangements as they walked towards the house. Everyone laughed and chatted together and prepared for another reunion and another year of friends being together.
Yes! It ends! I swear, I had to beat the epilogue into submission. It just didn't want to end! It kept rambling on and on and on! That's why the cut-off might seem a little abrupt.
1 year later
Quatre fidgeted as he sat next to Trowa, waiting for the plane to arrive. "They're late," he said again.
"They'll be here." Trowa didn't even look up from his book. "They wouldn't miss the second reunion."
"There they are!" Sally said. "Hi Elly! Duo, what happened to your shirt?"
"Heero warned me," Duo muttered. "But I didn't believe him. How can she get air sick and not car sick?"
"I warned you," Heero said, coming up behind him. "I'll keep an eye on Eleanor, you go get cleaned up."
"I'm sorry I barfed on you, Daddy," Eleanor said apologetically.
"Oh, that's okay," Duo said cheerfully. "I'll just go change my shirt." And so saying, he headed off towards the nearest men's room.
"She calls him Daddy now," Sally observed softly. "I'll bet Duo's thrilled."
Heero nodded. "He is. She started calling him that a couple months ago."
Once Duo returned wearing a new shirt and carrying the old one in a plastic bag, the group headed off to pick up the luggage. Eleanor ran a little ways ahead of them, then would circle back, urging them to keep up with her.
"We're not as fast as you, sweetheart," Duo told her. "Or as young."
"Ah, the boundless energy of a six-year-old," Sally marveled as Eleanor took off again.
"I don't envy you two your job," Wufei muttered ominously.
Sally smiled back at him sweetly. "Pretty soon, you won't have to envy them."
Wufei froze. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," Sally said, looking very pleased with herself, "since everyone's here except Relena, and she already knows, I might as well break the good news now. I'm pregnant."
The party had to stop rather abruptly to deal with Wufei, who had fainted and was now out cold on the floor. Eleanor, sensing the disturbance, came loping back. "What's wrong with Uncle Woofy?" she asked.
"He just got a little surprised when I told him I'm gonna have a baby," Sally told her.
"How do you know that you're gonna have a baby?" Eleanor asked.
"Well," Sally began, "adults do certain things that can make babies." That was as far as she got, because both Heero and Duo clamped their hands over her mouth, but Eleanor had heard enough.
"I knew all that stork stuff wasn't real," was all she said.
"Darn," Duo muttered. "Another good explanation gone down the drain."
"Oh, come on," Sally protested. "You can't keep her in the dark. You're going to have to tell her about menstrual cyc." The hands clamped over her mouth again.
"Not to a six-year-old, we don't," Heero hissed in her ear.
"We were planning to have Hilde do that in a couple of years," Duo said.
Realizing that she wasn't going to hear any more slips on her Aunt Sally's part, Eleanor got bored and moved over to poke Wufei, who was still unconscious. "Uncle Woofy," she said, still poking him sharply. "Wake up."
Quatre started to scold her for poking, but Wufei stirred and sat up. He looked at Eleanor, who was still poking him, then up at the ceiling. "Please," he muttered. "Any and all listening deities. If you must give me a child, make it a boy."
"Wufei!" Sally was shocked, and rather pissed. "I thought you were getting over that sexist streak of yours!"
"It's not that!" Wufei insisted. "I just don't want." He trailed off, looking at Eleanor, who was giving him a wide eyed stare, then at her fathers, who were glaring at him as if daring him to say anything bad about their daughter. Swallowing nervously, he said, "Never mind."
"For your information," Duo said rather pointedly, "I think having a daughter is great."
"I'll take your word for it," Wufei said as he got to his feet.
Quatre, seeing that a fight might break out, either between Wufei and Sally or Wufei and Heero and Duo, intervened. "Congratulations," he said. "I hope you have a happy, healthy child, be it a girl or a boy."
A round of suitable congratulations followed, and the party continued on its way, although Wufei still seemed rather dazed. He had a tendency to nearly walk into walls every time Sally mentioned the words "child" or "baby", which she did every sentence or so.
"You'd like a baby cousin, wouldn't you Eleanor?" Sally asked as they secured their luggage and headed out to the cars.
Eleanor nodded enthusiastically.
"Um, Sally?" Quatre said hesitantly. "Your husband is twitching."
"Don't worry, Wufei," Heero said. "You'll get used to fatherhood in no time."
Eventually, baggage got sorted out, people got into cars, and they made the trip to Relena's house. She was waiting for them when they arrived. Ignoring her parents, who were unpacking the luggage, Eleanor ran and caught Relena in a flying tackle of a hug.
"Hello, Elly," Relena greeted her cheerfully, returning the hug.
Eleanor looked up at her, and her smile turned into a slightly calculating look. "Relena," she said. "Can you tell me where babies come from?"
Relena, completely unprepared for the question, let her mouth drop open. She snapped it shut rather abruptly and caught Heero's eye. He shook hi head and frantically mouthed "No!", having guessed what the question was. Looking back at Eleanor, Relena found herself face to face with two large, blue violet puppy eyes. Heero expected her to do the impossible and say no to that face.
"Ask your Aunt Hilde," Relena said.
"Relena!" Duo wailed. "Hilde'll tell her too!"
"Well, if I refused to say anything, she'd just ask Hilde anyway," Relena pointed out sensibly. "So, I gather Sally has given you all the good news?"
"She has," Heero said. "Wufei isn't taking it all that well, and Sally's picking on him for it."
"Oh, this is just the beginning," Sally said cheerfully. "Wait 'til Noin gets here, then we'll really start picking on him."
Everyone burst out laughing at the expression on Wufei's face as he contemplated the possibility of his wife ganging up with another woman against him. Finally, Relena took pity on him and changed the subject, chatting about room arrangements as they walked towards the house. Everyone laughed and chatted together and prepared for another reunion and another year of friends being together.
Yes! It ends! I swear, I had to beat the epilogue into submission. It just didn't want to end! It kept rambling on and on and on! That's why the cut-off might seem a little abrupt.