Colony L10 Research Station

"You took your damn sweet time getting here. I have things to do." Trowa shoved a wad of money into Tayra's hands, glancing around as he did to make sure they weren't seen.

She counted the money before pushing it into her pocket. "You never seem to run out of money, Lieutenant Barton, and yet you are still not on active duty."

"That would be on of the perks of being a gundam pilot. I have a stipend from the Cinq Kingdom for the rest of my life." Trowa held out his hand into which she placed a vial. He quickly popped it open, took out a blue pill and slipped it into his mouth. Resting his back against the wall, he closed his eyes for a moment as the pill took effect, then looked down at the vial. "This is half what I usually get. I paid you the full amount. Where's the rest?"

She shrugged. "That's the best I can do. Sher is running out of supplies, and that bastard Yuy managed to find the last shipment from L4. I have plenty of customers, so I have to spread the joy a little thinner."

Trowa grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against the wall. "I'll pay extra if I have to."

"You're hurting me," she told him through gritted teeth.

But Trowa didn't let up. "You got me into this mess, you bitch, now I expect you to help me."

She glared at him. "You got yourself into this mess with that alien whore!"

Balling his hand into a fist, he struck her face, then watched dispassionately as she slid to the floor. "If I don't get more from you tomorrow, that will seem like a love pat."

Trowa walked away from her without looking back, and although his nerves had been on edge, by the time he reached Heero's office the pill was at its peak effect, so he was feeling much better. Heero now had an assistant in an outer office, and she put up her hand when Trowa tried to walk past her desk.

"He's busy."

Trowa sat on the edge of her desk and smiled at her. She had dark hair, so that worked in her favor, but her eyes were blue. Try as he might, he couldn't quite get the combination he preferred. "I haven't seen you here before. What happened to Nadine?" Blond hair, brown eyes, not all that interesting in the sack, thought Trowa of Nadine.

"My name is Darcy. If you will sit down, I'm sure Commander Yuy will be ready to see you in a few moments." She reached for the telecom. "Who shall I say is here?"

"Trowa."

She raised a brow. "Trowa Barton? The Lieutenant Trowa Barton?"

He took her hand and raised it to his lips. "One and the same."

Darcy giggled. Damn! He hated gigglers, but as his eyes swept over her rather appealing form, he decided that he might put up with a little giggling.

"What are you doing for lunch?" he asked her.

"You work fast," she commented.

He smiled as he looked into her eyes. "I take my time when necessary."

Her blushed preceded another giggle, but before he could say anything else, the door to Heero's office opened, and Trowa was annoyed to see Dr. Channing come out before Heero.

Trowa released Darcy's hand and stood. "I didn't realize we were having a conference. I might have arrived before it began."

"We weren't having a conference." Heero turned to Dr. Channing. "Have a safe trip back to L4."

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help. Some people," she glanced at Trowa, then back to Heero, "cannot be changed, no matter how hard we try or how much we want it." She paused beside Trowa and put her frail, wrinkled hand on his shoulder. "I hope that some day you will understand that those who love you made mistakes in trying to protect you. Maybe you can have some forgiveness in your heart knowing they meant well."

Heero cleared his throat.

With a sigh of regret, Dr. Channing walked out, and Trowa was glad to see the last of her although he hadn't gone to see her since the day Tayra introduced him to the little blue pills of happiness.

Heero looked at Trowa. "Do you have to pester my assistants?"

"I wasn't pestering you, Darcy, was I?" He smiled at the blushing girl. She giggled again. He might pass on her, then again - he glanced her blouse which had a few buttons undone to give him a glimpse of what he would be missing, then decided that she would do, giggles or not. "Are we on for tonight? I know a nice little place where we can have some fun."

After making plans to drop by when she went off duty, Trowa followed Heero into his office. He walked to the window to watch the activity in space. The last two months he hadn't felt the nagging need to get back in Heavyarms. The steady supply of pills were responsible for his complacency, and even though Trowa knew it couldn't continue - several deaths were now attributed to the drugs - he was unable to curb his need for them. Most of the money he received, ended up in Tayra's hands and Sheraton's pockets. The alternative was worse. Those occasions when he tried to break free of his addiction, he was so depressed he thought of entering an airlock and opening it.

He started to turn around to face Heero, but he noticed the shuttles drawing close to the colony, and in the distance, he saw what had driven them back. The wormhole was opening, beginning with a swirling of gases before space began to bend before his eyes and the spiral began. Trowa stepped closer to the window, staring at the object giving off an amazing show of light, and his heart began to pound fast and hard in his chest. Arora was on the other side, straight through the black center of the anomaly. Despite the fears of the astronomers and physicists who were studying the space aberration, Trowa believed in his heart that there was only one passage - straight to the Calabrian system.

He sighed. What difference did it make? Arora wasn't his, she never had been.

Turning, he said, "There doesn't seem to be any threat from Calabria. You aren't worth the trouble of conquering."

Heero looked at him. "Are you speaking as Prince Trey?"

Trowa laughed and walked to his desk. "I imagine Prince Dilan reported our technological superiority and Zeno judged it more prudent to stay on their side of the worm hole. They are probably more concerned about an attack from us."

"That or taking their time getting information from Lady Une and her supporters."

"Lady Une can't help them. They are resource poor. In comparison to Earth, Calabria is a primitive planet, and the few metals they have, they owe to their trading alliances."

Heero smiled grimly. "You are very knowledgeable about them."

Trowa shrugged. "So Dr. Channing is leaving?"

"She can't help you, Trowa."

He laughed. "I am beyond help. When can I go back on duty?"

"You can't."

Trowa wasn't surprised. Nor did he care. "What are my options?"

"You can return to Earth or to L3 if you wish. There is plenty of re-building on L3 taking place after the Calabrian attack. Your skills might come in handy there." Heero came to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "You can stay here, too, but I will understand if you want to leave." His eyes strayed to the wormhole, which was collapsing, so Trowa knew what he was talking about.

But even if he had wanted to leave, Trowa couldn't because he needed Sheraton and Tayra. "There are a few women I haven't met yet," he told Heero with a laugh.

Heero didn't seem to find it amusing. "You aren't breaking any hearts, are you?"

"Don't worry. I don't make any promises, and they don't expect any."

"Aren't you tired of empty relationships?"

"I don't have any relationships," he pointed out. "I have transactions. I get some action and they get some action."

"You do have relationships, Trowa. Duo, Trynity, Relena and I are your friends, but you've been shutting us out. I want you to know that if you should ever need anything from us, you just need to ask."

Trowa noticed crates stacked in the corner of the office and he knew they were Sheraton's supplies. "No more room in the storage compound?"

Heero followed his gaze. "I am keeping an eye on those personally. There was an attempt to smuggle the drug supplies to make those blue pills causing so much trouble on the colony. I might not be able to catch the engineers of the drug, but I can stop the supply shipments. I imagine whoever is doing it will be closing up shop pretty soon. Transports are checked thoroughly now, and there won't be another supply shipment for several weeks. This is the last of it."

Trowa stared at the crates for a moment, then looked back at Heero. He hoped Heero didn't read anything into his interest, but just in case, he knew exactly how to distract his friend. "I haven't seen Relena in a while. How is she doing?"

"Relena is Relena."

"So are you making any progress with her?"

Heero raised a brow. "Not the kind you are making all over the colony."

"Forget her, then." Trowa walked to the door. "There are plenty of women around who aren't so demanding and more than just a little accommodating." He paused before walking out. "I won't keep Nadine up too late."

"Her name is Darcy," Heero reminded him with a wry smile.

"Whatever. Darcy, Nadine, Suzie, Jasmine, Mary…" Trowa was still reciting names as he walked out and the door closed.

Heero's smile faded, and he returned to his desk where he contacted the lab through the telecom. Trynity was soon speaking to him. "Did she leave the lab?"

"About an hour ago, and she returned with quite a nasty bruise."

"I suppose that would be the downside of dealing drugs. And if she's the distributor, she's going to get a lot worse than that when her supplier can't fill the orders. All we need now is her partner."

"None of my workers will point the finger."

"Of course not. If they do, her happy pills will disappear."

Trynity frowned. "My father is worried that if the supply is cut off, the designer will come up with something worse."

"We will be nipping it in the bud soon. I'll see you later."

Heero spent the next few hours reading reports before Darcy buzzed him to inform him that Lt. Sheraton was there to see him. Heero was expecting a visit from the aristocratic jerk since Trowa left.

"What do you need, Lieutenant Sheraton?"

Sheraton glanced around the office for a moment, his gaze resting briefly on the crates, and then he looked back at Heero. The guy was short on brains and completely lacking in cunning. "I wanted to ask for my duty hours to be changed."

"Couldn't you put in a request on the duty roster like everyone else?" The sight of Sheraton irritated him. Even though he hadn't seen him with Relena for weeks and Duo made sure to keep them off duty together, Heero couldn't help wondering how Relena felt about him. She had a history with him - albeit a schoolgirl crush - and he wondered if she was interested in him again. Trynity spent a lot of time with Relena - an odd fact - but she didn't say anything to Heero about Relena's feelings. Heero was disgusted with himself for becoming distracted from his duties by worrying about Relena's love life. Sheraton's visit had nothing to do with her.

Sheraton looked at the floor in false humility. The guy didn't have a humble bone in his body. "I wanted to speak to you, personally."

"I'm listening." Was Sheraton's acting as bad as Heero thought it might be?

"I wanted to be sure that you wouldn't be basing any reports on my performance on the fact that Relena and I have been seeing each other."

Heero didn't blink as he stared at the handsome lieutenant. "I was unaware…" He caught himself before he sounded like a jealous suitor. Relena could do what she damn well wanted! Damn! He almost let Sheraton distract him with Relena; a tactic no doubt passed on to him by Trowa.

He cleared his throat and began again. "My evaluations will not reflect any personal feelings. Relena Peacecraft and I are friends, that is it."

Sheraton seemed relieved. "I've been working hard to vindicate myself in my father's eyes. He thinks I am a worthless bum."

Heero raised a brow. "I have no complaints with your work. If you wish, I will send a report to King Miliardo." Miliardo was likely going to enjoy that report, because Sheraton's father was a leader of the political party opposing the monarchy of the Cinq Kingdom.

Sheraton smiled. "Thank you, sir."

After he left, Heero pulled up Sheraton's file on his computer and immediately understood why his father had so little faith in him. After having been kicked out of eight different schools for various nefarious activities, most involving girls and drugs, he had lost a dozen jobs in the last two years alone. The man's father must have pulled some strings very tightly to get him stationed at L10. Given the pretty boy's record, Heero would do the same. Count Sheraton didn't need that albatross around his neck and L10 was the furthest place to send his son. He was probably hoping to never see him again. Too bad he was going to be seeing him sooner than expected.

He noticed an incoming message from Earth and flipped it on.

Miliardo Peacecraft's face appeared on the screen. "I've been trying to reach Relena. She's not scheduled for duty, but I can't seem to page her."

"Is there a problem?"

Miliardo laughed. "No, not yet. Noin kicked me out of the delivery room, so I decided to take the opportunity to contact my sister."

Heero chuckled. "That woman can hold a grudge."

"I'm not about to let her get away with leaving me out of this. Benton is with her now. Although I will admit it wasn't too bright of me to hyperventilate when she was doing her breathing exercises, that is no excuse to dismiss me." Miliardo laughed nervously. "I had better get back to her. I just wanted Relena to know."

"I'll check on her and give her the news." After wishing Miliardo luck and ending the communication, he walked out of his office.

He paused to look at Darcy. "Be careful."

"He seems harmless enough," she commented. "I might even have some fun, especially if what Nadine told me is true."

"Keep in mind what you are supposed to be doing."

Walking out of his office, he headed in the direction of Relena's quarters, but he was stopped several times by people with petty security complaints. By the time he finally made it, he was wondering if Noin had already had the baby. Imagining Benton delivering the baby, Heero chuckled to himself as he pressed the buzzer by the door,

"Just a minute, Trynity," he heard Relena's voice call out. She must be expecting her. "Come in."

The lock to the door clicked open.

"Heero!"

He turned to see Trynity approaching with a garment over her arm.

"Will you give this to Relena?" She shoved the dress in his hand, and with a laugh, hurried away, glancing back once, then laughing again before disappearing around a corner.

Heero stared at the garment, then shrugging, opened the door and walked in. He could hear a shower running, and then it stopped, along with his ability to breathe. The bathroom door was open and he could see the shower through a mirror on the door. He started to turn away as the shower opened and a bare leg stepped out, but he decided not to waste a good opportunity. Although Relena was very likely going to kill him, he liked what he was seeing and didn't want to put an end to it.

"Thanks for bringing over the dress," she said as she toweled her hair. She hadn't noticed that he wasn't Trynity and he didn't bother to correct her. "I'm a little nervous about tonight, but what you said today at lunch made sense. I guess I'll just have to take what I can get."

What did that mean? Heero held up the dress and judged it so short it would barely cover her backside - a typical Trynity Stryfe dress. So was Relena planning to seduce Sheraton with it? Heero almost tossed down the dress and walk out in disgust, but she started talking again.

"I mean, it's not as if Heero is suddenly going to open up and say anything sweet to me. The last few times we've been together, he's been cruder than a sailor making a deal with a prostitute."

Relena obviously had no clue how crude that would be. A hair dryer started. "We might as well do as he suggested the last time we spoke. Just get it over with. He doesn't give a damn about my feelings, and I can be just as cold-hearted as he can."

Did he really say that to her? He really was an ass!

"Strange, but I'm starting to feel a little relieved. Maybe after tonight, I can get on with my life. Maybe my feelings for him aren't any deeper than that silly crush I had on Sheraton back in school." Relena growled with disgust. "I can't believe I ever liked him! Anyway, I think I'll find out one way or the other."

After flipping on her telecom, which she must have turned off earlier, so that she could receive the call from her brother, he took a step toward the bathroom where he could see she was putting on makeup, oblivious to his presence. She had wrapped the towel around herself and was leaning over a sink to look in a lighted mirror.

"I can't imagine what he'll think when I show up at his door. You don't think he'll be with someone, do you? What if he's like Trowa and I don't even know? I might have to take a number."

She giggled and Heero almost laughed. Take a number? He knew his men were beginning to talk about his lack of female companionship. Relena would never need to take a number.

"Just toss the dress in here. I'm not even going to bother with anything else."

He tossed the dress into the bathroom, then moved quietly to lean against the frame of the door to watch as she slipped it over her head. He was rather disappointed when it covered her, what little of her it actually did. The sleeveless, silky garment was almost indecent and reminded Heero of Roxie Rivera.

"I hope you're planning to put a coat or something over that scrap you're wearing because I can almost see your ass and I don't want anyone else to see it."

Gasping, Relena spun around so quickly that she slipped on the damp floor, but Heero snaked an arm around her waist and scooped her up. "What are you…what…?" Relena was so mortified she could not even form her question.

"I was coming by to give you a message from your brother when I met Trynity in the hall. She asked me to deliver the dress." He looked down at the skimpy, clinging attire. "I don't think I like it."

"How long have you been here?" Relena tried to wriggle out of his arms but he held her tight. Being in his arms felt good, but he was being a jerk, as usual, and Relena couldn't think of a time she had ever been this embarrassed. Why did it have to be with him?

"I've been in here long enough to know I don't want to know what you girls talk about."

"You weren't supposed to hear that!"

Heero smiled, then lifted her. "I think I have finally gotten my revenge."

"Revenge for what?" She decided not to struggle as he carried her into her bedroom. Relena would rather not end up on the floor, and she would not put it past Heero to drop her if she didn't cooperate.

He laid her gently on the bed, then stretched out beside her. "A certain night in a gazebo," he said as he pushed the hair from her face. "Seems to me Miss Stryfe had something to do with fiasco that too."

Relena turned on her side to face him, angry that he would bring it up. "You were trying to get her jealous!"

"I'm actually surprised you believed that crap." His face came closer to hers, his eyes meeting hers. "I meant everything I said that night. And more that I didn't dare say, even to Trynity."

Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the jealousy that she had felt when he told her. Her heart had been broken. "You are such a prick, Heero Yuy!"

His fingers slid through her hair and he brought her head to his. "I'm not sorry, Relena."

His lips were warm as they covered hers. Relena thought about trying to hit him, but remembered that this was her plan for the evening. Heero knew it too, the louse!

The kiss was short before he blazed a trail to her neck with his lips. "I'm not as cold-hearted as you think, Relena," he breathed into her ear. "And I'm not like Trowa. You are the only woman for me." He pushed down the straps of the dress she had just put on.

"This isn't really happening," she whispered. "I'm dreaming again."

"Then we must be having the same dreams." Heero kissed her again, and she surrendered to the dream. But this time it was real, and she discovered just exactly how it concluded. She never really thought Heero could be gentle, but he was to the end, and afterwards he pulled her close so that her cheek rested on his chest where she listened to his heartbeat slow down as he stroked her hair. Relena felt a little embarrassed after what just happened, but she forced herself to relax with him. His silence was unnerving in the dark of the room, and she wondered if he regretted their intimacy. Frustrated with uncertainty about how their relationship would continue now, Relena wanted to cry, but she didn't want him to see it.

"I'm not unfeeling," he said finally as he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "I love you, Relena."

"You do not!" she blurted as tears sprang to her eyes. "You are just saying that to make me feel better about this."

He brushed away her tears. "Feel better? Did I hurt you?"

Relena scrambled away from him. "Stop mocking me!"

Heero sat up. "What are you talking about?"

She wrapped the sheet around herself and stumbled away. "Just go away!"

He left the bed and jerked on his clothes. "I don't understand you at all!"

"Do you think I don't know what you are doing?" Relena didn't bother to wipe away her tears. "You feel sorry for poor Relena Peacecraft. You knew what I wanted to hear because you heard something I meant only my friend to hear, and so you said it."

Heero paused at the door. "Maybe I told you what I wanted to say."

"Go to hell!"

"I'm already there," he muttered as he walked out.

Relena burst into tears. Why had she done that? Why did he have to lie to her? Didn't he realize how much it meant for her to hear it? How could she believe him now?

She was still crying several moments later when the telecom was buzzing. Swiping her tears, she stomped to it, then flipped it on, still clutching the sheet to her.

"You don't have bother with me again, Heero Yuy! It was just sex. You got what you wanted, and I got what I wanted. Now we're even!"

She almost flipped off the telecom, but she suddenly realized it wasn't Heero's face swimming before her eyes.

It was her brother!

Relena stared at him, shocked that he would see her in this condition.

Miliardo stared back for a moment without a word, then he said, "Is it useless to hope that you know what you are doing?"

Relena wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out again. "I…I…"

"I wanted you to know that Lucrezia gave me a son. Both are fine." The telecom went blank.

Relena burst into tears again.

Hearing a noise, Trowa opened an eye and watched as Darcy quietly searched through the drawers of his desk. So Heero, commander of colony security, had a thief in his employ! He watched as she picked up a wad of money, glanced at it, then tossed it aside. What was she looking for? He thought of his drugs. There was only one pill left, and the vial was in his pant's pocket lying on the floor near her feet. His heart began to race as she lifted the pants.

He sat up and stretched. Turning to look at him, she dropped the pants. "Is it morning already?" he asked sleepily.

"Not yet. I was going to go." She smiled and put her hands on the bed on either side of him. "Unless you'd like me to stay."

Trowa felt the drug wearing off, so he didn't really want a woman around when that happened. What he wanted was his pants and that vial. "Did I see you looking for something?"

She straightened and put her hand to her throat. He noticed it was bare. "I lost my necklace."

He left the bed and picked up his pants. When the vial slipped out of the pocket and dropped onto the floor where it fell open, Trowa glanced quickly at Darcy to see if she had noticed. But she was looking the other direction. As she leaned down, he snatched up the pill and put it in his mouth.

She straightened. "I found it!"

He shoved on the pants. "Do you want me to walk you to your place?"

She hung the necklace around her neck and clasped it herself. "No need." Darcy came to him and he slipped his arms around her waist. "Maybe later."

After kissing him, she left. He didn't usually see women more than once, but he might make an exception in her case. Trowa couldn't get back to sleep, so he showered, dressed and left his room to seek out Tayra. She wasn't at her quarters, and he couldn't find Sheraton either. Morning had barely broken over the colony when he returned to his room and found a message from Heero to meet him at his office. Trowa took his time getting to there, and although he had planned to flirt with Darcy, she was not at the desk.

Nadine smiled at him. "He's waiting for you."

"Where's Darcy today?"

"Darcy?" Her brows drew together before understanding dawned in her brown eyes. "Oh, you mean Lieutenant Moreland! She's in with Commander Yuy now."

"Lieutenant Moreland?" Trowa felt panic rising, so he reached for the vial in his pants pocket until he realized he had no more pills.

"Are you going in?" asked Nadine. "There is some big flap over that drug business. I think Commander Yuy cracked the case. Graham Sheraton and Tayra Rothschild have been arrested."

Trowa backed away from the desk, trying to appear calm. "I'll see him later. He seems busy now. Tell him I stopped by."

Without another word, he left Heero's office and walked for several minutes, his mind racing, his thoughts colliding. His feet took him to the gundam hanger although he didn't remember having a plan to go there. Few people were about this early in the morning, so no one greeted him. He tried his security card and was surprised when it worked at the door, and the sleepy technicians on duty barely glanced at him. Trowa needed to think. He had to do something. The drug was wearing off already, and his head was pounding. There was really only one thing he could do.

"Do you think I could take a look at my gundam?" he asked one of the new men when others who knew him were busy running diagnostic checks on the Deathscythe and not paying any attention to him.

"I'm not sure…"

"I'm the pilot," Trowa assured him, showing him his identification card. Fortunately the inexperienced young man didn't have the sense to check his status at the computer terminal before keying in a code to lower the cable. Trowa didn't wait for the cable to reach the floor, but ran toward it, did a few flips and propelled himself high to catch it, then scrambled up to the opened door to his gundam.

"Hey! What are you doing? Somebody call security!"

Trowa was already inside the gundam and powering up the computer when the telecom flipped on and he saw Heero's face.

"What are you doing, Trowa?"

"What I should have done months ago." The gundam responded to all the overrides Trowa had used on the system locks Trynity must have put on the computer and the cockpit lit up. Trowa didn't bother strapping himself in. He wouldn't need to for what he was going to do.

"Come down out of there and we can discuss this."

"There is nothing to discuss." Trowa looked at Heero. "You had that slut spy on me."

"I wouldn't need to spy on you if you were honest with us. Get out of the gundam and come down. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did. I told Tayra Rothschild where Sheraton could find the supplies. I knew all along he was the guy you were looking for, but I didn't tell you."

"I had hoped I was wrong about you, Trowa. But I guessed you were using their drugs, so I let you see the supplies because I knew you would lead me to them. My men were waiting to arrest Sheraton and Tayra Rothschild when they tried to break into my office last night."

Trowa laughed bitterly. "That's all I'm good for, isn't it? To be used."

"Don't do this Trowa. Duo and I will have to come out after you."

Ignoring him, Trowa sounded the alarm to warn the men in the hanger to clear out. They quickly scattered after he announced that he would be blowing the airlock.

"Trowa, you were a victim, just like everyone else. Get out of the gundam and come down. You need to report to the medical center for treatment. That drug was poison."

"Do you think I care?" Trowa wiped the tears from his eyes. "I knew it was poison. I wanted it to kill me! Now I guess I'll just have to do it myself."

He raised the gatling gun and blew the airlock to pieces, then hit the boosters to escape the colony. Almost immediately he was facing a force of several Taurus suits. Out of instinct he fought and defeated them easily, then blasted away from the colony. He didn't want to be too close when he did what he had to do. The gundam's warning system alerted him to approaching enemies, and he looked on the viewing screen to see Deathscythe and Wing Zero speeding towards him. Behind them was a gundam transport. They didn't know it was unneeded. Heavyarms wouldn't be returning to the colony.

"Stay away!" he warned them. His head felt as if were ready to explode and his vision was becoming blurry.

"Hey, Trowa," he heard Duo pleading. "Just surrender. Everything will be fine. We will take care of you."

Trowa closed his eyes. "Get away! I don't need you to take care of me anymore! Get away or you'll be caught in the blast!" Without further hesitation, he keyed in the code to begin the sequence toward to self-detonation.

The pain in his head was intense, and Trowa seized his head and pushed with his hands to stop it. He thought he could hear voices, Apolo's, then Arora's like whispers from memories that were not his. If he had a gun he would end it now!

The computer in his gundam counted backward.

Ten…nine.

Suddenly he heard the wail of a baby and his head began to spin as he felt torn away from reality completely.

Eight…Seven.

"Is this the right way to hold a sword, papa?"

"Go ask your mother. She's an imperial guard. I'm just an emperor."

Trowa's eyes flew open, and he spun in his seat to look out to space. He saw it then. The wormhole was opening.

Six…Five.

"Papa, come into the garden with Mama and me. The sun is shining."

"A sun is always shining."

He hit the boosters, and the blast took him toward it.

"Trowa!" Heero's voice was faint and seemed to be coming from another plane of existence.

Four…Three.

"I'm afraid of the dark."

"It is only dark a few hours, then it is light again."

"Then it will become dark again. Read me a fairy tale."

"By the time I finish it will be light again."

"Please, papa! Tell me the story about the lost prince!"

Two…One

His gundam became completely black as all power shut down when he entered the vortex that sucked them inside. Trowa was in a void spinning wildly, unable to control the gundam, unwilling to return even if he could. He closed his eyes and sought death as a welcome release from the hell his life had become.

But instead of the final number, he heard a sweet, innocent voice calling him.

"Papa, do all fairy tales have happy endings?"

"No, my little Shamara, not all fairy tales have a happy ending."

Trowa closed his eyes.

His fairy tale would not have a happy ending.