* * *
"She said L3 I'm not sure which colony."
"Quatre! There are literally dozens of colonies in L3, not to mention satellites! We don't even know what we're looking for!"
"Yes we do. I already told you-"
"Yeah we know! A little boy with brown hair and stone gray eyes; we've heard you talking about it for months. That doesn't mean we can just ask the nice terrorists to allow the kids to send out an SOS!"
"Duo!"
"Quatre!"
It had been nearly two weeks since that fateful morning. Since then, Quatre had steadily improved. His mind, now completely devoid of doubt, had rearranged itself. Corinne had said that when empaths learned to cope with their talents and learned to express emotion through word and action and not through their abilities, it often happened. Because of the lack of training, Quatre had been using his abilities to block pain but now he was able to work through it, and slowly-with Trowa's help-that was exactly what he was doing.
It'd taken him a few days to allow his mind to process all the new thoughts, but it had been worth it. He couldn't remember ever thinking this clearly, ever feeling this light and happy. It rivaled the first time he'd been with Trowa. It rivaled the feeling he'd had that he'd protected just one person.
"Duo, stop yelling. Quatre, calm down; we'll find them."
Trowa's stern voice gave the two friends pause, and they stepped away from each other and moved to their respective partners for comfort. Quatre sheepishly looked up at Trowa to find a smile spread across his face. Smiling brightly, he threw himself at Trowa and reveled in the feel of strong arms about him.
Things had been different between himself and Trowa as well. It wasn't so much a large change as much as a shift in roles. Trowa now provided a lot of the comfort that Quatre had originally in the relationship, while Quatre kicked back and got extremely pampered. Where once Quatre would have left little notes of love and affection, he now found messages taped to the mirror in the bathroom-which had been completely redone since two weeks before. It was more out in the open, however, that the changes became very apparent.
Trowa, who was once very quiet and reserved, now openly paraded around with Quatre at his side. Now it was Trowa who told him not to worry about people seeing them together, that they were just jealous. And Quatre loved it, had craved it since he'd been a little boy, stifled from knowing true affection. Trowa had given him what he'd needed for a very long time.
To be fair, things stayed much the same at home, though. It was Quatre who still stalked Trowa into the bedroom; and it was Quatre who provided all the comfort Trowa needed when they made love. It was as if they'd both finally learned how to truly live-as if they'd found that place where, together, they could live the rest of their lives in happiness.
"Sorry, Quatre. It's just this thing is driving me crazy! I don't know how we're suppose to find a needle in the entire universe!"
He turned his head away from Trowa's chest to look at Duo. "It's ok. I know it seems impossible, but I'm positive we'll find them. This little boy is very important, I can feel it; and the 'her' he's trying to protect is just as important as well."
About a week after he'd run away, the tech. team had completely unscrambled the com signal from Dorothy. He'd cried as he heard her final words again, this time with his own responses added to the com. But the most amazing thing was when Dorothy had explained how she'd betrayed him. Suddenly his mind had clicked onto what she was talking about, and he instantly knew that she'd had something to do with the little boy of his nightmares. As a group they'd pieced together the relevant bits from the final conversation.
Now, days after the funeral, Quatre had no doubt in his mind that he would have forgiven Dorothy. It wasn't in his nature to hate he didn't know how; and that didn't make him weak-like so many had tried to tell him-it made him stronger.
So here they were, around the conference table where over eight months ago, the shattering of his life had all begun. But instead of destroying a life, it had saved one, and now they hoped to save two more.
"Everyone sit down, and let's go over this again." Wufei was seated in the chair closest to the control panel, and so he activated the holo map of the L3 section.
Heero spoke first. "Alright. We know from Catalonia's message that the "children" are somewhere in the L3 section. We also can infer from the conversation that the children are being used as some type of weapon and are most likely genetic since she said 'created'. What else do we know?"
Quatre spoke up. "We know that there is at least one little boy, who has brown hair and stone gray eyes. We know that he's an empath, and somehow he's managing to path directly to me and keep other empaths from knowing, like Corinne. We know he's extremely strong-empathic wise-and he's trying to protect a 'her' from people in white lab coats. From my dream last night, I think the 'her' is another child; that would at least make sense to what Dorothy said. There's this worn out teddy bear that always sits in the same corner, resting on a blanket. I'm not sure, but I think the teddy bear belongs to this little girl. Also, I don't sense any other children in the dream, so I think that it's just the two-the little boy and girl. But again, it's hard to tell."
He felt warmth on his hand and felt Trowa path a small amount of encouragement to him through the link. He smiled back.
"Ok, so that's all we got-"
"No wait!" Duo's voice stopped Wufei from continuing, "We did get that information back from our scout on L5, and we determined that the Tragona faction was actually headquartered in the L3 section. Maybe they're linked? The guy who gave us the tip off did mention something about genetic experiments on children by the faction."
"Duo, that's great! I bet they are linked. Zechs just sent a com telling us he's about to make a move on their main headquarters. If we go along, we might find these children." Quatre was getting excited; this could be it! After so many months of watching that little boy tortured, he wanted nothing more than to save him.
"Hold on, Quatre. We can't just invite ourselves on the mission; we have to finesse our way on. Ok, who's sleeping with Zechs?"
"I will."
"HEERO!!!"
"Anything for the mission."
"I'll show you mission-"
Ten minutes later, the call was up, and Zechs was expecting them. They had two days.
They were getting up to leave when a member of Wufei's squadron came in.
"Mr. Winner?"
"Yes."
"Sir, there's a Sekurra Winner here to see you. Should I show her in?"
"Sekurra?"
"Yes, Sir."
He paused. Sekurra was his niece-Liteea's daughter. Could he see her? Was he ready? He felt Trowa's presence move up behind him and a warm hand rest on his lower back.
"Lt., please show her in."
"Sir."
Trowa was here; he was ready.
The door opened again, and a small blond girl, about nineteen years old with curly hair down to her waist stepped in. She clutched a backpack to her chest and wore traveling clothes. But her eyes were the thing; they held him, suspended in place, neither able to run forward or retreat. Sekurra.
Suddenly, her face fell, and great tears formed in her eyes. She withdrew into herself for a moment, hugging the backpack closer to herself before she sprung. With lighting speed she ran to Quatre, throwing her arms about his neck.
"Oh, god, you have to believe me! We didn't know, we didn't know!" Great sobs sounded, and he realized he was holding her tightly, pulling her as close to him as he could. Sekurra.
She pulled back, panic setting into her frame as she shook wildly, denying what he'd thought he'd known.
"None of us knew-the Cousins-none of us knew what was going on! The Aunts didn't tell us; even our mothers didn't say anything. Oh, Quatre, we didn't know! None of us knew! You have to believe me, you just have to!" She threw herself at him again, and Quatre could do little more than clutch her shaking body close.
"Shhhh, Sekurra, shhhhh."
"No! No, Quatre, you have to believe me!"
"I believe you, shhhh, it's alright now-"
"How can you say that?! How can you even stand to look at me?" Her voice held panic, and all the fears that go along with losing a dear friend, one had grown up with. He and Sekurra had spent many summers together while Liteea traveled with her husband, leaving Sekurra and himself to play on the estate. She had been his best friend next to Cijen.
He took her face between his hands. "Sekurra, you are my niece, and more than that, you are my friend. I could hardly blame you for following your mother-"
"Oh, you mean the mega bitch from Hell! Trust me, I'm not following her anywhere!"
"Sekurra! Your mom was only looking out for you-"
"Looking out for me!? Uncle Quatre, she was only looking out for her bank account! How could she do this?! How could she ignore family for something so petty as money?! Oh, please Quatre, please believe that I didn't know! If I'd known, I would never have even-I would never-" She broke into loud sobs again, and Quatre tucked her head beneath his chin.
"Shhhh, Sekurra, listen to me. Your mother and aunts-my sisters-did what they thought was right, what they thought they needed to do to protect you and the other cousins. I could never ask you to go against your mothers, not to stand next to me."
"But you don't understand!!! The Aunts-even my mother-they didn't live through the war! They weren't affected by it! Grandfather kept them all hidden from it! But we saw it! The cousins saw it! We watched people we loved die; we watched our friends die fighting both for OZ and against! We know how precious love is; we know how easily it can be stolen away! None of us want anything more than for you to be happy, that's it! None of us care who he is as long as he loves you, and you love him! Love is the most important and precious thing in the universe! We-the Cousins-know that! None of us knew what the Aunts were doing to you. None of us would have allowed any of this to happen if we had!"
She pushed into him again, wrapping her arms around his waist, squeezing him almost painfully. Her words stung and offered hope. Could it be that not all of his family condemned him? He nuzzled her hair.
"Sekurra."
"Quatre, you know me! You know that I've known about your preferences forever! Ever since we were little kids! We've grown up together! Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you let me know what was happening to you, what they were doing to you! I would have stopped it. All the Cousins would have stopped it! You're our uncle, our family! And I swear it, none of us, not a single one, care who you want to spend the rest of your life with, or even about the money! And you know me, Quatre, I know all about your desire not to have a genetic, I would never force you to go against your principles for money, not ever! Oh, Uncle Quatre, I'm so, so sorry!"
He kissed her hair, feeling once again as if his family was whole. Even if his sisters couldn't love him, even if they completely gave up on him, that didn't mean his whole family had. Sekurra stood as a testament to that.
"I've missed you, little niece."
"Oh, Allah, I've missed you too, Quatre. Missed you so much!"
Suddenly she pulled away, a bright smile on her face. "Just a second!" With that, she ran to her fallen backpack and ripped it open, pulling out an imaging cartridge. Then just as fast, she was in front of him again, holding out the cartridge.
"This is from the Cousins. Out of your thirty-two nieces and nephews, twenty-six wrote to you. I didn't because I came to visit, and Astare, because he couldn't get to the com unit on his outer spacefleet ship; he wants me to send his love. Beecko and Shenko made it to the meeting, but their mother found out and wouldn't let them send anything; I think she has them locked up or something; but they got a message to me, and I'm supposed to give you a kiss on each cheek for each of them. The others couldn't make it to the meeting, so they still don't know. But do you understand? Of all the Cousins that met, all of them support you. Most of them aren't even talking to their mothers anymore, and I think Traven-you met his boyfriend last time he visited-is thinking of disowning his mother entirely!
"Uncle Quatre, we all believe in you-all of us. Our mothers are stuck in the old ways, where if society didn't agree then it was completely wrong, but don't you see? We're the new generation, people like you and me and the rest of the Cousins. We lived through the war, through the death and destruction; we know when you love someone, nothing else should stand in your way, not money or society norms or anything! Hell, we'll be making the norms pretty soon anyway! But this is yours, like I said, there's a message from almost everyone on here, telling you how much we love you and how we can't wait to see you soon."
She smiled brightly at him before once again embracing him tightly. Quatre couldn't speak; he was too choked up. He just squeezed her tightly and imagined never letting go.
"We all love you, Uncle Quatre. All of us do. We thought-most of us anyway-that we'd done something wrong, and you didn't want to see or talk to us anymore. I thought when I stopped getting letters from you that you'd found out it was me who broke the Arabian vase in the southern hallway during the Winter party. I thought you were so mad you couldn't even stand to look at me. The others felt the same way, too. None of us knew why you'd stopped checking in on us."
He drew in a sharp breath. Could that have been it? Could all of this suffering be nothing more than a misunderstanding?
"No, Sekurra. I didn't even know about the vase. I didn't want to come between you-any of the Cousins-and your mothers. It wasn't my place. But I missed you all so very much, missed talking to you and hearing about school and such. You have so much to tell me, so much I want to know."
She laughed then giggled. "Well, then you'll be happy to know I brought along a box of L1 chocolates-your favorite. We can sit down and eat chocolate and watch your letters; then later we can talk. I've missed you so much, missed our long talks, and I do have so much to tell you! You'll never believe some of the things that have happened to me!"
He laughed, releasing five years worth of worry and fear. He had family, he had Trowa, but now he also had another kind of family; he had his nieces and nephews, and that was enough-really more than any man could ask for.
"That sounds wonderful! We'll go to my quarters and have lunch. Then you can tell me everything."
She smiled radiantly up at him. Sekurra had always seen him as a big brother, he being only two or so years older. Suddenly, though, she blushed and ducked her head. "Sekurra?"
"Um, I know it's kind of.um.well, I was wondering." she whispered, "Is that him?" She pointed conspicuously at Trowa, and all Quatre could do was laugh, a joyous sound that shook his entire body and made Sekurra blush even brighter.
When he'd calmed down, he made introductions.
"Sekurra Winner, my partner, Trowa Barton; Trowa, this is Liteea's daughter, Sekurra."
"Oh, please, please, please, don't hold that against me!"
Trowa smiled and took her hand. But Sekurra had other ideas. Reaching up, she wrapped her hands around his neck and hugged him tightly. Quatre noted with humor that Trowa was nearly completely stunned by the act.
"Oh, gosh, we can't shake hands! You're family now, and family hugs! I'd kiss you, but I think Quatre might start beating me with a stick." She pulled away from Trowa and gave him a wink before looking back at him. "Uh, Quatre, what was it you were always saying? I always got the cute ones." She giggled, and Quatre couldn't help but laugh at that remembered summer.
Sekurra turned back to Trowa then and smiled brightly at him. "You know, Trowa, you're very lucky. Quatre's only two years older than I am, and growing up, I had the biggest crush on him. Oh my gosh, it was so terrible. I know he's my uncle, but obviously you understand what I saw him." She leaned in to whisper to him, "He is so cute!"
He watched, a little stunned, as Trowa and Sekurra laughed. He'd never seen Trowa laugh with any members of his family, ever. It brought him such joy to see it now.
When their laughter had died down, he continued the introductions.
"Sekurra, this is Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, and Wufei Chang. They're very dear friends of mine; and this is my niece Sekurra Winner."
"Oh it's so nice to meet you all! Oh, are the two of you together?" She pointed to Duo and Wufei, who instantly sprang apart. Duo went pouting to Heero's arms, while Wufei mumbled about injustice. The others only laughed.
"Oh, Quatre, it's not fair!"
Concerned, Quatre asked, "What's not fair?"
"There aren't any good looking straight guys anymore! How do you expect a girl to get married nowadays?!" They laughed. It was the piece that endeared her to all of their hearts. Duo teased that Wufei was as straight as a board, but when Sekurra turned her eyes on him, it took all of their convincing to get her to believe that he was engaged; at which point, she started to pout.
Then in a strange turn of events, Sekurra turned back to Quatre with a sad expression on her face.
"Um, Uncle Quatre?"
Worried at her sudden change in mood he answered, "Yes?"
"Um, I have one more message for you, but I'm supposed to say one thing and then judge whether or not to give you the message based on how you react. So um, here goes." She took a deep breath, and Quatre felt the tension rise in his body instantly; this didn't sound good.
"Cijen Winner." It was all she said, nothing more, and Quatre felt his body stiffen at the name of his most beloved sister. Sekurra saw it as well. "Ok, never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No Sekurra, what is it?" His voice was tight, laced with the anger he still felt towards her betrayal.
"Are you sure, Quatre? Actually now that I think about it, maybe we should wait until we're alone; it isn't exactly something you'd want everyone to hear."
He shook his head. "You don't seem too upset about it."
"Upset?! Oh, let me tell you! It took all my strength not to punch the living daylights out of her when I found out she'd been a part of the 'Bitches of Winner' club! But she's the one who brought us together and told all the Cousins about what had been going on. Cijen was the one who stood against my mother last time, and now none of the Aunts will even talk to her! She's not allowed on any of the estates, and I heard from Jenaunna, that she's been thrown out of the company she's been dancing for because Janaunna's mother, Aunnanda, owns the company! After all she's done to you, she totally deserves to suffer-and I mean a lot-but this is terrible."
"She-she called you all together?"
"Yeah, she told me you might not believe that one. But it's true. She called us all together. It took about a month for us all to meet, but when we did five days ago, on L2, she told us what had been going on and the part she'd played in it all. See, that's the message, she wants me to explain why she did what she did, and believe me, you're not going to believe the answer. She said you'd refused to see any of your sisters, and if any of them contacted you, bad things would happen. I can understand how you'd had enough of them.
"Anyway, she wanted me to tell you the reasons, and then if you wanted to see her, she left a com code for you to call. Now I'm not going to say her reasons were right, or even logical, but she was crying, and I mean really bawling when she told us. But Traven's a little empathic, and he started to cry too, he told me later she really was sorry, and that she'd only been looking out for you. But, maybe," she looked worriedly at Trowa for a moment, "Maybe, we should wait until later."
He shook his head, knowing he couldn't hear about Cijen without Trowa around.
"Sekurra, please tell me now. It'll be easier for me if you tell me now." Suddenly, Trowa was behind him, wrapping his arms about his body, holding him close. He saw Sekurra's eyes soften, and she smiled faintly at Trowa.
"She was right about you, Trowa, you are good to our Quatre." She pressed on, ignoring the shocked look on both Quatre and Trowa's faces, not to mention the other three. "Aunt Cijen wanted me to tell you this. First off, that she loves you. That even though it didn't seem that way, she's always been looking out for you. She wants you to understand that she did everything-from saying those awful things to you, to even standing against you-it was all her way of trying to protect you.
"It seems she wasn't sure that Trowa could take care of you. She and I know better than the other sisters just how hard of a past you've had, and she wanted someone who could take care of you. She knew that you weren't as.strong as you pretended to be. She didn't think that Trowa could love you the way you needed to be loved. So she tried to get you to side with her. She figured that you'd choose family over Trowa and would leave him; in that way, she could find you someone who could take care of you. You know Cijen, always acting like an overbearing mother.
"But when it didn't work, she tried more desperate measures. She didn't tell me what she said, but I gather you know what she's talking about." He nodded his head, his heart filling with hope.
"Well, I guess when Trowa made them leave at gun point, she began to wonder if that was true. I guess she thought any guy willing to kill ten bitches from Hell to protect his lover was a good guy."
"You threatened to shoot my sisters?" Quatre looked up, stunned at Trowa's actions. His lover only nodded his head. "When?"
"The last time they were here. I didn't tell you because I knew it would upset you."
Quatre nodded. "Tell me what else."
"Oh, right. Anyway, I guess the potential death by bullet got her thinking that maybe Trowa was alright after all. But I guess the real kicker was just about a month ago. I gather they placed a call through your private line, and, um, got quite a show." She smiled, trying her best not to giggle. "Anyway, seeing you and Trowa happy together just broke her heart. Well, what I mean is, she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen how happy you were together. She was just crying by this point, Uncle Quatre. She kept saying that she'd made a huge mistake, and that she'd understand if you never forgave her ever. But I think she really was just trying to look out for you. I mean she basically raised you, and she just wanted the best for you. When she saw you with Trowa, I think she realized that not only were you not going to leave him, but that you shouldn't, and more than that, she'd basically destroyed your guys' relationship. She kept saying she was sorry over and over. We seriously thought we were going to have to sedate her!"
Quatre could hardly breath. Was it true? Had it all been Cijen's trying to protect him? She'd commented once about Koeran being able to protect him and love him the right way; had she seriously thought that Trowa couldn't love him the right way? But could he blame her? He'd had is own doubts at one time. Could this not have been betrayal, but his sister trying to take care of him? He didn't know, but he wanted to believe so; with all his heart and soul.
"I-I think I may owe my sister a call. We may have some things we need to straighten out."
"Not without me there, you don't." Trowa's arms tightened around Quatre's body, and he felt the protectiveness flow through the link.
He looked up to Trowa and offered a watery smile. "No, not without you."
Satisfied, Trowa eased his crushing grip.
"That is so cute! You guys are so cute together!" Sekurra stood with a dazed look in her eye. Sekurra, sighed. "I'm so jealous! I so need a boyfriend!"
They laughed, once again releasing the tension in the room. Duo took Sekurra about the shoulders and promised to introduce her to all the soldiers in the barracks. Heero had to threaten bodily harm if he even tried to take her down there-to which Sekurra proceeded to pout the rest of the way to Quatre and Trowa's rooms. Quatre watched the letters, seeing a side of his family he hadn't known existed-the side that still cared about him. And then, later, he'd think about his sister; he'd sit down with Trowa and think about her message and decide once and for all if he could believe her.
"She said L3 I'm not sure which colony."
"Quatre! There are literally dozens of colonies in L3, not to mention satellites! We don't even know what we're looking for!"
"Yes we do. I already told you-"
"Yeah we know! A little boy with brown hair and stone gray eyes; we've heard you talking about it for months. That doesn't mean we can just ask the nice terrorists to allow the kids to send out an SOS!"
"Duo!"
"Quatre!"
It had been nearly two weeks since that fateful morning. Since then, Quatre had steadily improved. His mind, now completely devoid of doubt, had rearranged itself. Corinne had said that when empaths learned to cope with their talents and learned to express emotion through word and action and not through their abilities, it often happened. Because of the lack of training, Quatre had been using his abilities to block pain but now he was able to work through it, and slowly-with Trowa's help-that was exactly what he was doing.
It'd taken him a few days to allow his mind to process all the new thoughts, but it had been worth it. He couldn't remember ever thinking this clearly, ever feeling this light and happy. It rivaled the first time he'd been with Trowa. It rivaled the feeling he'd had that he'd protected just one person.
"Duo, stop yelling. Quatre, calm down; we'll find them."
Trowa's stern voice gave the two friends pause, and they stepped away from each other and moved to their respective partners for comfort. Quatre sheepishly looked up at Trowa to find a smile spread across his face. Smiling brightly, he threw himself at Trowa and reveled in the feel of strong arms about him.
Things had been different between himself and Trowa as well. It wasn't so much a large change as much as a shift in roles. Trowa now provided a lot of the comfort that Quatre had originally in the relationship, while Quatre kicked back and got extremely pampered. Where once Quatre would have left little notes of love and affection, he now found messages taped to the mirror in the bathroom-which had been completely redone since two weeks before. It was more out in the open, however, that the changes became very apparent.
Trowa, who was once very quiet and reserved, now openly paraded around with Quatre at his side. Now it was Trowa who told him not to worry about people seeing them together, that they were just jealous. And Quatre loved it, had craved it since he'd been a little boy, stifled from knowing true affection. Trowa had given him what he'd needed for a very long time.
To be fair, things stayed much the same at home, though. It was Quatre who still stalked Trowa into the bedroom; and it was Quatre who provided all the comfort Trowa needed when they made love. It was as if they'd both finally learned how to truly live-as if they'd found that place where, together, they could live the rest of their lives in happiness.
"Sorry, Quatre. It's just this thing is driving me crazy! I don't know how we're suppose to find a needle in the entire universe!"
He turned his head away from Trowa's chest to look at Duo. "It's ok. I know it seems impossible, but I'm positive we'll find them. This little boy is very important, I can feel it; and the 'her' he's trying to protect is just as important as well."
About a week after he'd run away, the tech. team had completely unscrambled the com signal from Dorothy. He'd cried as he heard her final words again, this time with his own responses added to the com. But the most amazing thing was when Dorothy had explained how she'd betrayed him. Suddenly his mind had clicked onto what she was talking about, and he instantly knew that she'd had something to do with the little boy of his nightmares. As a group they'd pieced together the relevant bits from the final conversation.
Now, days after the funeral, Quatre had no doubt in his mind that he would have forgiven Dorothy. It wasn't in his nature to hate he didn't know how; and that didn't make him weak-like so many had tried to tell him-it made him stronger.
So here they were, around the conference table where over eight months ago, the shattering of his life had all begun. But instead of destroying a life, it had saved one, and now they hoped to save two more.
"Everyone sit down, and let's go over this again." Wufei was seated in the chair closest to the control panel, and so he activated the holo map of the L3 section.
Heero spoke first. "Alright. We know from Catalonia's message that the "children" are somewhere in the L3 section. We also can infer from the conversation that the children are being used as some type of weapon and are most likely genetic since she said 'created'. What else do we know?"
Quatre spoke up. "We know that there is at least one little boy, who has brown hair and stone gray eyes. We know that he's an empath, and somehow he's managing to path directly to me and keep other empaths from knowing, like Corinne. We know he's extremely strong-empathic wise-and he's trying to protect a 'her' from people in white lab coats. From my dream last night, I think the 'her' is another child; that would at least make sense to what Dorothy said. There's this worn out teddy bear that always sits in the same corner, resting on a blanket. I'm not sure, but I think the teddy bear belongs to this little girl. Also, I don't sense any other children in the dream, so I think that it's just the two-the little boy and girl. But again, it's hard to tell."
He felt warmth on his hand and felt Trowa path a small amount of encouragement to him through the link. He smiled back.
"Ok, so that's all we got-"
"No wait!" Duo's voice stopped Wufei from continuing, "We did get that information back from our scout on L5, and we determined that the Tragona faction was actually headquartered in the L3 section. Maybe they're linked? The guy who gave us the tip off did mention something about genetic experiments on children by the faction."
"Duo, that's great! I bet they are linked. Zechs just sent a com telling us he's about to make a move on their main headquarters. If we go along, we might find these children." Quatre was getting excited; this could be it! After so many months of watching that little boy tortured, he wanted nothing more than to save him.
"Hold on, Quatre. We can't just invite ourselves on the mission; we have to finesse our way on. Ok, who's sleeping with Zechs?"
"I will."
"HEERO!!!"
"Anything for the mission."
"I'll show you mission-"
Ten minutes later, the call was up, and Zechs was expecting them. They had two days.
They were getting up to leave when a member of Wufei's squadron came in.
"Mr. Winner?"
"Yes."
"Sir, there's a Sekurra Winner here to see you. Should I show her in?"
"Sekurra?"
"Yes, Sir."
He paused. Sekurra was his niece-Liteea's daughter. Could he see her? Was he ready? He felt Trowa's presence move up behind him and a warm hand rest on his lower back.
"Lt., please show her in."
"Sir."
Trowa was here; he was ready.
The door opened again, and a small blond girl, about nineteen years old with curly hair down to her waist stepped in. She clutched a backpack to her chest and wore traveling clothes. But her eyes were the thing; they held him, suspended in place, neither able to run forward or retreat. Sekurra.
Suddenly, her face fell, and great tears formed in her eyes. She withdrew into herself for a moment, hugging the backpack closer to herself before she sprung. With lighting speed she ran to Quatre, throwing her arms about his neck.
"Oh, god, you have to believe me! We didn't know, we didn't know!" Great sobs sounded, and he realized he was holding her tightly, pulling her as close to him as he could. Sekurra.
She pulled back, panic setting into her frame as she shook wildly, denying what he'd thought he'd known.
"None of us knew-the Cousins-none of us knew what was going on! The Aunts didn't tell us; even our mothers didn't say anything. Oh, Quatre, we didn't know! None of us knew! You have to believe me, you just have to!" She threw herself at him again, and Quatre could do little more than clutch her shaking body close.
"Shhhh, Sekurra, shhhhh."
"No! No, Quatre, you have to believe me!"
"I believe you, shhhh, it's alright now-"
"How can you say that?! How can you even stand to look at me?" Her voice held panic, and all the fears that go along with losing a dear friend, one had grown up with. He and Sekurra had spent many summers together while Liteea traveled with her husband, leaving Sekurra and himself to play on the estate. She had been his best friend next to Cijen.
He took her face between his hands. "Sekurra, you are my niece, and more than that, you are my friend. I could hardly blame you for following your mother-"
"Oh, you mean the mega bitch from Hell! Trust me, I'm not following her anywhere!"
"Sekurra! Your mom was only looking out for you-"
"Looking out for me!? Uncle Quatre, she was only looking out for her bank account! How could she do this?! How could she ignore family for something so petty as money?! Oh, please Quatre, please believe that I didn't know! If I'd known, I would never have even-I would never-" She broke into loud sobs again, and Quatre tucked her head beneath his chin.
"Shhhh, Sekurra, listen to me. Your mother and aunts-my sisters-did what they thought was right, what they thought they needed to do to protect you and the other cousins. I could never ask you to go against your mothers, not to stand next to me."
"But you don't understand!!! The Aunts-even my mother-they didn't live through the war! They weren't affected by it! Grandfather kept them all hidden from it! But we saw it! The cousins saw it! We watched people we loved die; we watched our friends die fighting both for OZ and against! We know how precious love is; we know how easily it can be stolen away! None of us want anything more than for you to be happy, that's it! None of us care who he is as long as he loves you, and you love him! Love is the most important and precious thing in the universe! We-the Cousins-know that! None of us knew what the Aunts were doing to you. None of us would have allowed any of this to happen if we had!"
She pushed into him again, wrapping her arms around his waist, squeezing him almost painfully. Her words stung and offered hope. Could it be that not all of his family condemned him? He nuzzled her hair.
"Sekurra."
"Quatre, you know me! You know that I've known about your preferences forever! Ever since we were little kids! We've grown up together! Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you let me know what was happening to you, what they were doing to you! I would have stopped it. All the Cousins would have stopped it! You're our uncle, our family! And I swear it, none of us, not a single one, care who you want to spend the rest of your life with, or even about the money! And you know me, Quatre, I know all about your desire not to have a genetic, I would never force you to go against your principles for money, not ever! Oh, Uncle Quatre, I'm so, so sorry!"
He kissed her hair, feeling once again as if his family was whole. Even if his sisters couldn't love him, even if they completely gave up on him, that didn't mean his whole family had. Sekurra stood as a testament to that.
"I've missed you, little niece."
"Oh, Allah, I've missed you too, Quatre. Missed you so much!"
Suddenly she pulled away, a bright smile on her face. "Just a second!" With that, she ran to her fallen backpack and ripped it open, pulling out an imaging cartridge. Then just as fast, she was in front of him again, holding out the cartridge.
"This is from the Cousins. Out of your thirty-two nieces and nephews, twenty-six wrote to you. I didn't because I came to visit, and Astare, because he couldn't get to the com unit on his outer spacefleet ship; he wants me to send his love. Beecko and Shenko made it to the meeting, but their mother found out and wouldn't let them send anything; I think she has them locked up or something; but they got a message to me, and I'm supposed to give you a kiss on each cheek for each of them. The others couldn't make it to the meeting, so they still don't know. But do you understand? Of all the Cousins that met, all of them support you. Most of them aren't even talking to their mothers anymore, and I think Traven-you met his boyfriend last time he visited-is thinking of disowning his mother entirely!
"Uncle Quatre, we all believe in you-all of us. Our mothers are stuck in the old ways, where if society didn't agree then it was completely wrong, but don't you see? We're the new generation, people like you and me and the rest of the Cousins. We lived through the war, through the death and destruction; we know when you love someone, nothing else should stand in your way, not money or society norms or anything! Hell, we'll be making the norms pretty soon anyway! But this is yours, like I said, there's a message from almost everyone on here, telling you how much we love you and how we can't wait to see you soon."
She smiled brightly at him before once again embracing him tightly. Quatre couldn't speak; he was too choked up. He just squeezed her tightly and imagined never letting go.
"We all love you, Uncle Quatre. All of us do. We thought-most of us anyway-that we'd done something wrong, and you didn't want to see or talk to us anymore. I thought when I stopped getting letters from you that you'd found out it was me who broke the Arabian vase in the southern hallway during the Winter party. I thought you were so mad you couldn't even stand to look at me. The others felt the same way, too. None of us knew why you'd stopped checking in on us."
He drew in a sharp breath. Could that have been it? Could all of this suffering be nothing more than a misunderstanding?
"No, Sekurra. I didn't even know about the vase. I didn't want to come between you-any of the Cousins-and your mothers. It wasn't my place. But I missed you all so very much, missed talking to you and hearing about school and such. You have so much to tell me, so much I want to know."
She laughed then giggled. "Well, then you'll be happy to know I brought along a box of L1 chocolates-your favorite. We can sit down and eat chocolate and watch your letters; then later we can talk. I've missed you so much, missed our long talks, and I do have so much to tell you! You'll never believe some of the things that have happened to me!"
He laughed, releasing five years worth of worry and fear. He had family, he had Trowa, but now he also had another kind of family; he had his nieces and nephews, and that was enough-really more than any man could ask for.
"That sounds wonderful! We'll go to my quarters and have lunch. Then you can tell me everything."
She smiled radiantly up at him. Sekurra had always seen him as a big brother, he being only two or so years older. Suddenly, though, she blushed and ducked her head. "Sekurra?"
"Um, I know it's kind of.um.well, I was wondering." she whispered, "Is that him?" She pointed conspicuously at Trowa, and all Quatre could do was laugh, a joyous sound that shook his entire body and made Sekurra blush even brighter.
When he'd calmed down, he made introductions.
"Sekurra Winner, my partner, Trowa Barton; Trowa, this is Liteea's daughter, Sekurra."
"Oh, please, please, please, don't hold that against me!"
Trowa smiled and took her hand. But Sekurra had other ideas. Reaching up, she wrapped her hands around his neck and hugged him tightly. Quatre noted with humor that Trowa was nearly completely stunned by the act.
"Oh, gosh, we can't shake hands! You're family now, and family hugs! I'd kiss you, but I think Quatre might start beating me with a stick." She pulled away from Trowa and gave him a wink before looking back at him. "Uh, Quatre, what was it you were always saying? I always got the cute ones." She giggled, and Quatre couldn't help but laugh at that remembered summer.
Sekurra turned back to Trowa then and smiled brightly at him. "You know, Trowa, you're very lucky. Quatre's only two years older than I am, and growing up, I had the biggest crush on him. Oh my gosh, it was so terrible. I know he's my uncle, but obviously you understand what I saw him." She leaned in to whisper to him, "He is so cute!"
He watched, a little stunned, as Trowa and Sekurra laughed. He'd never seen Trowa laugh with any members of his family, ever. It brought him such joy to see it now.
When their laughter had died down, he continued the introductions.
"Sekurra, this is Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, and Wufei Chang. They're very dear friends of mine; and this is my niece Sekurra Winner."
"Oh it's so nice to meet you all! Oh, are the two of you together?" She pointed to Duo and Wufei, who instantly sprang apart. Duo went pouting to Heero's arms, while Wufei mumbled about injustice. The others only laughed.
"Oh, Quatre, it's not fair!"
Concerned, Quatre asked, "What's not fair?"
"There aren't any good looking straight guys anymore! How do you expect a girl to get married nowadays?!" They laughed. It was the piece that endeared her to all of their hearts. Duo teased that Wufei was as straight as a board, but when Sekurra turned her eyes on him, it took all of their convincing to get her to believe that he was engaged; at which point, she started to pout.
Then in a strange turn of events, Sekurra turned back to Quatre with a sad expression on her face.
"Um, Uncle Quatre?"
Worried at her sudden change in mood he answered, "Yes?"
"Um, I have one more message for you, but I'm supposed to say one thing and then judge whether or not to give you the message based on how you react. So um, here goes." She took a deep breath, and Quatre felt the tension rise in his body instantly; this didn't sound good.
"Cijen Winner." It was all she said, nothing more, and Quatre felt his body stiffen at the name of his most beloved sister. Sekurra saw it as well. "Ok, never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No Sekurra, what is it?" His voice was tight, laced with the anger he still felt towards her betrayal.
"Are you sure, Quatre? Actually now that I think about it, maybe we should wait until we're alone; it isn't exactly something you'd want everyone to hear."
He shook his head. "You don't seem too upset about it."
"Upset?! Oh, let me tell you! It took all my strength not to punch the living daylights out of her when I found out she'd been a part of the 'Bitches of Winner' club! But she's the one who brought us together and told all the Cousins about what had been going on. Cijen was the one who stood against my mother last time, and now none of the Aunts will even talk to her! She's not allowed on any of the estates, and I heard from Jenaunna, that she's been thrown out of the company she's been dancing for because Janaunna's mother, Aunnanda, owns the company! After all she's done to you, she totally deserves to suffer-and I mean a lot-but this is terrible."
"She-she called you all together?"
"Yeah, she told me you might not believe that one. But it's true. She called us all together. It took about a month for us all to meet, but when we did five days ago, on L2, she told us what had been going on and the part she'd played in it all. See, that's the message, she wants me to explain why she did what she did, and believe me, you're not going to believe the answer. She said you'd refused to see any of your sisters, and if any of them contacted you, bad things would happen. I can understand how you'd had enough of them.
"Anyway, she wanted me to tell you the reasons, and then if you wanted to see her, she left a com code for you to call. Now I'm not going to say her reasons were right, or even logical, but she was crying, and I mean really bawling when she told us. But Traven's a little empathic, and he started to cry too, he told me later she really was sorry, and that she'd only been looking out for you. But, maybe," she looked worriedly at Trowa for a moment, "Maybe, we should wait until later."
He shook his head, knowing he couldn't hear about Cijen without Trowa around.
"Sekurra, please tell me now. It'll be easier for me if you tell me now." Suddenly, Trowa was behind him, wrapping his arms about his body, holding him close. He saw Sekurra's eyes soften, and she smiled faintly at Trowa.
"She was right about you, Trowa, you are good to our Quatre." She pressed on, ignoring the shocked look on both Quatre and Trowa's faces, not to mention the other three. "Aunt Cijen wanted me to tell you this. First off, that she loves you. That even though it didn't seem that way, she's always been looking out for you. She wants you to understand that she did everything-from saying those awful things to you, to even standing against you-it was all her way of trying to protect you.
"It seems she wasn't sure that Trowa could take care of you. She and I know better than the other sisters just how hard of a past you've had, and she wanted someone who could take care of you. She knew that you weren't as.strong as you pretended to be. She didn't think that Trowa could love you the way you needed to be loved. So she tried to get you to side with her. She figured that you'd choose family over Trowa and would leave him; in that way, she could find you someone who could take care of you. You know Cijen, always acting like an overbearing mother.
"But when it didn't work, she tried more desperate measures. She didn't tell me what she said, but I gather you know what she's talking about." He nodded his head, his heart filling with hope.
"Well, I guess when Trowa made them leave at gun point, she began to wonder if that was true. I guess she thought any guy willing to kill ten bitches from Hell to protect his lover was a good guy."
"You threatened to shoot my sisters?" Quatre looked up, stunned at Trowa's actions. His lover only nodded his head. "When?"
"The last time they were here. I didn't tell you because I knew it would upset you."
Quatre nodded. "Tell me what else."
"Oh, right. Anyway, I guess the potential death by bullet got her thinking that maybe Trowa was alright after all. But I guess the real kicker was just about a month ago. I gather they placed a call through your private line, and, um, got quite a show." She smiled, trying her best not to giggle. "Anyway, seeing you and Trowa happy together just broke her heart. Well, what I mean is, she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen how happy you were together. She was just crying by this point, Uncle Quatre. She kept saying that she'd made a huge mistake, and that she'd understand if you never forgave her ever. But I think she really was just trying to look out for you. I mean she basically raised you, and she just wanted the best for you. When she saw you with Trowa, I think she realized that not only were you not going to leave him, but that you shouldn't, and more than that, she'd basically destroyed your guys' relationship. She kept saying she was sorry over and over. We seriously thought we were going to have to sedate her!"
Quatre could hardly breath. Was it true? Had it all been Cijen's trying to protect him? She'd commented once about Koeran being able to protect him and love him the right way; had she seriously thought that Trowa couldn't love him the right way? But could he blame her? He'd had is own doubts at one time. Could this not have been betrayal, but his sister trying to take care of him? He didn't know, but he wanted to believe so; with all his heart and soul.
"I-I think I may owe my sister a call. We may have some things we need to straighten out."
"Not without me there, you don't." Trowa's arms tightened around Quatre's body, and he felt the protectiveness flow through the link.
He looked up to Trowa and offered a watery smile. "No, not without you."
Satisfied, Trowa eased his crushing grip.
"That is so cute! You guys are so cute together!" Sekurra stood with a dazed look in her eye. Sekurra, sighed. "I'm so jealous! I so need a boyfriend!"
They laughed, once again releasing the tension in the room. Duo took Sekurra about the shoulders and promised to introduce her to all the soldiers in the barracks. Heero had to threaten bodily harm if he even tried to take her down there-to which Sekurra proceeded to pout the rest of the way to Quatre and Trowa's rooms. Quatre watched the letters, seeing a side of his family he hadn't known existed-the side that still cared about him. And then, later, he'd think about his sister; he'd sit down with Trowa and think about her message and decide once and for all if he could believe her.