Mars Colony Clinic
Trynity could not believe what she was seeing! "What…what are you doing here?" Had Duo returned to see her? Although she should know better, she felt her heart beating faster as she looked at his face.
But Duo did not look at her, and he seemed reluctant to talk, so an uncomfortable silence stretched between then. When he did finally speak, her soaring hopes took a nosedive. "I have been ordered to escort Princess Shamara again. We are seeking the lost Prince Dagan."
Trying not to show her hurt, Trynity looked away from him to Shamara.
Shamara was smiling, strangely oblivious to the undercurrent of emotion in the room, and behind her stood Duo's son, Taeron who was frowning. Quite the contrast, thought Trynity. They had not come alone this time, but had with them two older men that had not been with them during their last visit.
Realizing that Trynity was waiting for an introduction, Shamara said, "We have brought other visitors with us. First, this is Elder Hardane, whom I invited. He is a scholar specializing in Guerani history. There is a cave on this colony that has Guerani script carved in the walls."
"Ridiculous!" Trynity laughed. "This planet has been lifeless for eons. Only recently has it become habitable, and even that is questionable."
"I saw the cave in my trance," insisted Shamara. Turning to the other newcomer, an old man who barely seemed able to stand, she said, "This is the teacher of Prince Dagan, Master Nazzar. On our way here, we encountered his ship coming from Bayman and he begged to join our expedition so that he can be reunited with his pupil."
Trynity sighed. "I am sorry to have to tell you this, princess, but your mission is doomed to failure. I was told only an hour ago by a patient that the prince you seek was killed when his craft crashed on the colony. Only one man survived the crash. His name is Kael, and he claimed to be a guard to the prince."
Shamara's eyes widened and she looked at Duo. "This cannot be! I know that Dagan is here! I feel it. I have been with him in this place!"
"The man who I treated was in a Guerani trance when he was brought to me," said Trynity helpfully. "I am sorry, but he is not Prince Dagan. Although I do believe that you were in a trance with him, because his blood is as Guerani as your own, Shamara."
Shamara stamped her foot in anger. "I knew it couldn't be him! How can he have fooled me!? By the gods, now I will have to marry that bird prince from Teralon!"
Master Nazzar cleared his throat. "I believe I can clear up some confusion, princess. The young Guerani known as Kael is, in fact, Prince Dagan."
Shamara spun to look at the old man. "Impossible! Dagan is not Guerani! He has said wretched things about my people, and now you tell me that he is Guerani? I do not believe it!"
"It is true. Prince Dagan does not know about his ancestry. I planned to tell him one day when I thought he could handle the truth. He has come from a long line of pure Guerani princes. His mother was his father's sister, as his father before him was the product of sibling marriage."
"Why the marriage to Shamara?" asked Duo. "Why not marry his sister, Ryana?"
"Ryana, I would guess, is not Guerani," said Trynity.
Master Nazzar nodded. "She has no discernible power. Her mother was merely a distraction for our king until his sister was old enough to conceive. Unfortunately, she died before the female child could be produced."
"I believe this is where I have something to add," spoke up Elder Hardane. "This joining between Princess Shamara and Prince Dagan was foretold many generations ago. They are both the last of their line, separated by space and time, brought together to form a new line that will last forever."
"I'm getting creeped out," commented Quynn. "Excuse me, but I have more down to earth things to do, like fix the damn generator." She walked out with one last contemptible glance that took in both Trynity and Duo.
Stryfe rubbed his hands together gleefully. "This is great! While they are here, maybe Taeron could teach me how to use a sword like his."
"Why would you need to learn that?" asked Trynity. Stryfe had already mastered the use of the saber and had competed successfully on the fencing team at the academy. She was suspecting that her son was a bit jealous of the young imperial guard and more than a little competitive.
Stryfe shrugged. "Maybe I'd like to visit Calabria one day, and I should probably need to know how to use one. I've admired Taeron's sword."
Duo snorted. "Calabria is safe enough these days. Many imperials no longer carry swords. Taeron received his sword and position from Trey so that he could tack him to my coattails."
The pained and humiliated look on Taeron's face drove straight through Trynity's heart. Turning on his heel, the young man walked out without a word.
There was uneasy silence in the room until Stryfe cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose they should stay at our house. I know you are busy, Mom, so I will get them settled in."
He led them out, but Trynity moved forward and caught Duo's arm before he could leave with them. Stryfe raised a brow, then winked at her before he left. When they were gone, she released Duo's arm.
He spoke first. "If your son is thinking what I think he is, he couldn't be more deluded." He wasn't looking at her, but taking in her shabby clinic. "So this is what you made of yourself."
"I am not ashamed! I help people." Trynity was annoyed to have to explain herself to him again. She didn't hold him back for that. "I cannot believe you said what you did about your own son, in front of him no less!"
His eyes met hers. "Save your lectures on parenting. Taeron isn't my son."
"But…but you told Heero…" In her heart she was overjoyed by his announcement.
"I know what I told him. The kid is good enough, but he's Newt's son, not mine. His mother was Newt's whore."
Trynity put her hands on her hips. "So what makes him think he is your son?"
"Because his mother told him so, but she's lying."
"So you couldn't be his father?"
"No."
Trynity sighed with relief. "I thought for a moment that you were cheating on your friend with his …his woman."
"I was, and Newt wasn't my friend," he told her with no shame. "Trusting him was a mistake that I eventually rectified. Larya didn't mind screwing around behind his back and neither did I."
"I thought you just said that you couldn't be Taeron's father, and now you tell me that you could." Trynity was itching to slap his face. His flight in the escape pod saved her from spending her life with a scoundrel!
"You wanted the facts, Dr. Nelson. Here they are. When Relena told Heero that she was pregnant, I started to wonder why you never were. Then Heero told me the cloaking fields used on the Deathscythe were probably the reason that I couldn't come through."
Trynity wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "And you believed him? What kind of a dolt are you?"
"I was starting to think that Taeron might be my son," Duo continued, ignoring her insult. "That maybe Heero was wrong. But when I realized that you and Lars were able to have children, I knew Taeron couldn't be mine. After all, we weren't exactly the abstaining type, you and I, and yet we never…you never…but with Lars…"
Trynity stared at him, barely daring to breathe. Now was the time to tell him. She had to tell him the truth, if not for the sake of her children, then for Taeron. "You might be mistaken." Coward!
"Taeron's mother seems to think so, but then she has everything to gain and nothing to lose."
"She must know. If I remember correctly, Calabrian women do have reproductive control." Tell him! She couldn't! She couldn't do it! She knew this was the perfect opportunity to lay his groundless fears to rest and to clear the air between them. But the words would not come to her. Trynity was so distressed by her inability to tell him, that she couldn't even look at him. This was how she felt so many years ago, not knowing how he would react and fearing the worst.
Duo suddenly laughed, jogging her from her indecision. "By the gods, the woman wanted me to impregnate her before I left. She wants to have a daughter with me! By the gods, I can't imagine her raising a female. One like her is more than enough for the Calabrian Empire."
"Are you slandering my mother?" Taeron was standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing with anger. In his hand, he held his sword.
Duo stopped laughing. "Your mother belongs to no man's house, and neither do you. Do not raise that weapon to me, boy, or your mother is going to have to get herself another son. I doubt she'll find a man foolish enough to do it."
Taeron took a step closer. "I am not afraid of you."
Duo started to draw his own sword. "You should be."
Trynity put her hand over Duo's and stepped between them.
"This is ridiculous! A father and son should not fight like this."
Stryfe walked into the room and immediately his ever-present smile faded. "This isn't what I was expecting."
Trynity ignored him and turned to look at Duo. "There is one way to settle this. You cannot let an off-hand comment made by Heero Yuy determine how you treat this young man. If you are his father, you need to acknowledge him."
"What are you suggesting?"
"I will analyze his blood and yours. It will only take a few moments, and we will know without doubt if he is your son." That way she could save herself from admitting the truth to him about her own children.
Duo rolled up his sleeve. "Take as much blood as you want. Each and every drop will prove that what I said is true."
"I do not need your human foolery to tell me what is true," snarled Taeron, yet he also rolled up his sleeve. "But if it opens his eyes, then I will do what is necessary."
Trynity didn't need to do the test to know they were father and son. What they needed was to have their heads banged together. "Stryfe, draw some blood from Taeron, and bring it into the lab." She grabbed Duo's arm and marched him into the other room. She thought it best to separate the two before they decided to settle their dispute with their swords.
"My, my," he said as he entered the large, disorderly room, "this place is looking better and better."
"Shut your damn mouth and sit down."
He did as she instructed while she found a syringe. "Lars didn't spare any expense, did he?"
Trynity came to him and jabbed the needle in his arm with no preparation. When he flinched from the pain, she felt somewhat gratified. "We didn't have a chance to finish the clinic before he was killed."
"I heard he was smuggling."
"So what if he was? Quatre Raberba Winner has a monopoly on supplies coming into this colony. His prices are too high, driving many people to live like animals when they cannot afford to buy even the most basic of necessities. And when they are weakened, he drags the men off to the mines where they are worked to death as slaves."
"I'm sure Lars made a tidy little profit for himself," commented Duo.
Trynity placed the small vial of blood in the analyzer. "What little money he made I had to pay back to the Winner Foundation in fines for breaking what little law there is on this colony. Now there is nothing left. Most of my patients cannot afford to pay me, and from time to time I have to leave Mars to work on L12 so that I can earn enough to buy medical supplies. I didn't become a doctor to become rich, and Lars understood that."
"Is that why your children have to serve in the military?" asked Duo. "Because Nelson's lack of foresight have given them no other option?"
Trynity glared at him. "They chose their path because they admired their father, and Lars was proud that they wanted to serve the Cinq Kingdom. When their tour of duty has ended, they will choose what to do with their future."
Before Duo could pass any more judgments on her life, her grinning son walked in, and Trynity noticed him wink at Duo as he handed her the vial of blood. What was that about? Taeron stood in the doorway watching silently as she placed the blood in the analyzer.
For a moment only the faint hum of the machine could be heard as it spun the samples, then Stryfe remarked, "I'm quite interested in this mysterious cave Shamara has mentioned. Are you not intrigued, Mom?"
Trynity drummed her fingers on the counter. "I suppose so. But I doubt it is anything more than a figment of her imagination."
"Is it so impossible to believe a Calabrian ship crashed on Mars many centuries ago?" Stryfe was obviously fascinated by this supposed Calabrian connection to Mars. Trynity thought it was highly improbable they would find the cave of her trance, especially since she had never actually been on this planet. And yet her encounter with the water serpent must have been more than coincidental.
Trynity looked at her son. "Are you forgetting there was no atmosphere on Mars? Anyone who may have crashed would not have lived long enough to carve a single mark into a cave."
She heard the paper sliding out of the print unit of the analyzer and she picked it up to read the results. Duo wasn't going to like what she had to say, but then if he weren't such a stubborn fool, he wouldn't need to go through this.
"Just as I suspected, Duo Maxwell. Taeron is your son. The DNA is a perfect match."
Taeron gave his father a triumphant smirk, then walked out. Duo sat in stunned silence. Trynity heard Stryfe make a sound of dismay, and she looked up just as he snatched the paper from her hand.
"You must have made a mistake, Mom! This cannot be true!" Stryfe was staring at the paper, scrutinizing it.
Trynity shrugged and turned to Duo, but he had already risen and was walking to the door. She had some idea how he felt, and she hoped she would not have to go through the same.
Glancing at her son, she saw Stryfe set aside the paper and pull the vials out of the analyzer. "You must have made a mistake!"
"I didn't make a mistake. These machines are so precise a monkey could operate them."
"Test it again!" Stryfe's hands were trembling as he put the blood back in. But he didn't flip the switch to turn it on. He suddenly seemed unable to move.
Trynity couldn't imagine why he was so agitated over a test that had nothing to do with him. "I know that you admire and respect him, but Lord Duo Maxwell has made a mistake which he needs to rectify. Re-testing won't change that fact."
Stryfe squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, covered his face with his hands, and when he took them away, she saw that he had been trying to stop tears. Trynity didn't know what to say when she didn't understand why he was being so emotional.
Then Stryfe reached into his pocket and drew out another vial of blood and set it on the counter. "This is Taeron's blood."
She stared at the small vial of dark red liquid, then turned her face to him. Trynity realized what he had done, and she felt as if the bottom had fallen out from under her. "Stryfe, I…I think we should talk." She reached out to him, but he slapped her hand away and shoved her back.
"I have nothing to say to you! Nothing!" He walked out without looking back.
Trynity picked up Taeron's blood, and although she couldn't see well through her own tears, she ran the test. The results were the same.
She had to tell Duo.
She had to tell Duo everything now. She couldn't afford to be a coward.
Picking up the vial of blood Stryfe had first brought in, she held it to her heart. "Stryfe, why did you do such a thing?"
It couldn't be true! Taeron couldn't be his son! The thoughts kept whirling around in Duo's head as he paced in this small clearing he come to after blindly following a path already made in the wooded area near the clinic. As he sat on a stump, he ran his hands through his hair, then covered his face. What had he done? All these years he had been so certain that Taeron could not be his son! Wasted years! He could have been the father Larya had wanted him to be, that he wanted to be, but he had convinced himself that what Heero had said to him was true. He hadn't doubted it once until Trynity pointed out the foolishness of such a notion. But Duo had latched onto any excuse to explain why Trynity hadn't gotten pregnant when all his friends were becoming fathers.
A noise startled the birds in the trees, and Duo looked up to see Stryfe approaching. The young man looked agitated, and there were tear streaks on his face. Duo had already learned that Stryfe was sensitive and that the loss of his father left a void in his life. He even suspected a sad case of hero worship when he was on L12. Whatever had set him off on this emotional bender, Duo did not want to help him deal with.
Stryfe seemed surprised to see him, so Duo concluded he had made this refuge in the forest. He turned and started to go, but Duo called out to him. "Wait! I want to talk to you."
Stryfe didn't turn around. "Say what you have to say."
"Back at the clinic, you seemed sure that test was going to go the other way."
"I was sure it was," he answered, his voice hoarse and tight.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Duo said dully, "but I guess I didn't deserve it."
Stryfe took a step away from him, then stopped again. He still did not turn around. "Did…did you abandon my mother?"
Duo didn't think Trynity's children even knew about their relationship. What made him ask such a question now? Duo had his own worries, so he didn't want to have to explain himself to Trynity's son? "That is something you should discuss with your mother. If she wants to talk about it, then you can get your answers from her."
"I don't need answers from her."
"Then it's none of your business." What had happened between Stryfe and his mother in just the few moments since he had left her clinic? He seemed to be furious with her.
Stryfe turned to look at him. The pain in his eyes touched Duo. "It is my business! I want to know if you abandoned my mother!"
He could see that Stryfe wasn't going to leave him in peace until he gave him an answer. "I thought she would be better off without me. Turns out I was right."
"How could you do such a thing?! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised after what you did to Taeron!" Stryfe laughed bitterly and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I thought I was doing you a favor."
"What favor?"
"I thought you didn't want to claim him as a son. After I overheard what you said about his mother, I tried to fix the test so that you wouldn't have to acknowledge her son either way."
Duo stood. "What the hell! Why would I want you to do that? What kind of man do you think I am? I didn't think Taeron was my son, and I didn't think it was right for him to believe he was. I am not angry to find out that he is. I am furious with myself for how I have treated him." Duo looked past Stryfe and saw that Taeron was nearby, waiting respectfully, like the dutiful son that he had proven himself. Now Duo looked directly at him, meeting his eyes with his own. "I am ashamed for my neglect of my own son."
Taeron took a step toward him.
Stryfe also took a step toward Duo. "I…I'm sorry. I wanted to help you." He looked down at the ground as if he couldn't look at him. "I…I didn't give my mother Taeron's blood." Now he raised his head and Duo turned his gaze to Stryfe. "I gave her my blood."
Duo stared at him, at first not understanding, and when he finally did, he saw that Taeron also understood. Shocked and hurt, Taeron turned and hurried away. Duo wanted to follow him, but he realized there was a bigger problem here. What did Stryfe say? He looked at Trynity's son who was watching him for his reaction.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and then they looked away as another person came up the path. Her red hair stood out in sharp contrast to the green of the forest. "Stryfe! Are you here, Stryfe?"
She came into the clearing, and seeing Duo and Stryfe, she stopped abruptly, and the color drained from her face. Duo wasn't sure what he wanted to say or do at this moment. He still had difficulty believing what he had just heard.
"Duo, I know what Stryfe must have told you…"
"That answers one of my questions!" interrupted Stryfe, his voice tight with anger. "I thought maybe that bastard left you when you needed him."
"I did need him!" she exclaimed in exasperation.
"Not that I knew!" Duo clenched his fists at his side, wishing he could hit someone and knowing that only one person deserved it.
Stryfe went to his mother. "You have some explaining to do. I just hope he's more forgiving than me and Quynn."
"You told Quynn!?" Trynity grabbed her son's arm, but he shook her off.
"Of course I did! I'm not as good at keeping secrets as you are! Before I go, tell me, mother, did Pops know, or did you lie to him too?"
She stepped away from him, tears in her eyes. "I never lied to him. He wanted to be your father."
"He was my father!" Stryfe turned and followed the path back to the clinic, leaving Duo with Trynity.
For several moments neither of them spoke. Trynity stood with her back to him watching as Stryfe disappeared. Duo tried to collect his thoughts, but they were jumbled and incoherent. What was a man supposed to think? How was he supposed to feel?
Duo knew how he felt: betrayed.
Finally, he said, "When did you know?"
She didn't turn around, and her shoulders slumped forward as she hung her head.
Her silence was all the answer he needed. Duo fell back on the stump, too weak to stand as he began to understand. "Why…why didn't you tell me?"
"I was afraid. I was waiting until we returned to L10."
Duo stared at a patch of grass on the ground. The hurt inside was almost unbearable.
Trynity spoke again, this time turning to look at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I was going to tell you; I went to tell you that day, and all I found in your gundam was a note."
"A note," he repeated. He looked up at her and their eyes met. "Why did you wait to tell me?" He suddenly realized what a nitwit he had been on Calabria to have not known that she was pregnant. As he replayed what he could remember, he knew he must have been in the same kind of self-denial that made him disavow Taeron. Heero had known; Relena had known.
"Trey knew, didn't he?" She didn't need to answer. All these years Trey had known he was a father, and yet he had said nothing. Duo didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse. Now he understood why Trey had accepted Taeron without question. He should be grateful that Trey had given Taeron what he could of his rightful place, and yet he felt betrayed by his friend too.
Duo took a step toward her. "Why did you have to wait to tell me?"
"I … I thought you would leave me."
He hadn't expected that answer, and his first reaction was to slap her. But he was afraid that he might do more when he was in so much turmoil. So he shoved her out of his way so hard that she stumbled to the ground and he started to walk away.
"Wait!"
He stopped. What could she possibly say to make him feel better?
"I…I thought you should know that I ran the test with Taeron's blood. He is your son."
"I don't need you to tell me that." As he followed the path back, he could hear Trynity's sobs. Damn! Why did he feel like crying? He dashed away a tear with the back of his hand. After all these years her tears still affected him. He had always thought that it was because their hearts were one, that he felt the same pain that she did. Now he knew that was never true or she would not have doubted him. Instead, she had cheated him of the life that he yearned for all these years.
He by-passed the clinic and went to the small house where they would be staying, the house she had shared with Lars. She had shared everything with Lars, given everything to Lars, his life, his love, his children. He wanted to smash something, everything. Instead he took his sword in his hand and ignoring Shamara who tried to talk to him, he stalked into the forest and started to hack his own path. He didn't doubt that Shamara knew too, had discovered it when she touched Quynn, and yet she did not say anything to him. Everyone had betrayed him.
When he tired of slicing up plants and shrubs, he stopped at a small tree and swung his blade repeatedly. A normal blade would have broken, but not his gundanium sword. When the sun was setting and his body was screaming in pain, the tree finally toppled over, and Duo dropped to his knees. Putting his face in his hands, he wept for everything he had lost.
By now he wasn't surprised to feel a cool hand on his back. "Do it, Shamara. I don't want to remember any of it any more."
"Our memories make us who we are. Trey would tell you that."
He stiffened, realizing Trynity was touching him, not Shamara. "You had better leave, babe, because I don't trust myself, and my sword is within reach."
"I trust you," she said softly, and he felt her fingers combing through his hair.
Duo closed his eyes and tried to fight the comfort he felt. She had often done just this same thing as they lay in each other's arms. "Did Lars like this too?"
She withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry, Duo."
"Do you think that makes me feel any better?"
"No better than your note made me feel."
He groaned as shame washed over him. "I never would have done it if you would have told me."
"That shouldn't have held you to me."
"It would have held you to me," he admitted as he turned to look at her. "I thought if you had time away from me, I would know if you came back that you…that you…"
"That I really did love you?" Trynity took his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. "You had so little faith in me?"
"Where was your faith in me?"
"I can't change what I made of my life," she said miserably as her hands fell away from him.
"And I can't change what I did." Duo ran his hands through his hair, then looked at her. "We were kidding ourselves, Trynity. We didn't love each other. We wouldn't have doubted each other as we did if we had. We were a couple of lonely teen-agers with raging hormones and for a while we had each other. But we cheated each other, doubted each other, and now it's time to let it go."
Trynity wanted to deny it, to tell him that she still loved him, but she couldn't do it when he so clearly wanted nothing more to do with her. Maybe he was right, and yet her heart told her otherwise. She forced herself to smile. "We had a lot of fun."
He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad you found happiness with Lars. I'm sorry you lost him." He dropped her hand, and then he turned away. He stood for a moment without moving, then walked away.
Trynity watched him, and when he was gone, she had to take several deep breaths to keep from crying. She didn't know how much more mourning she could do for Duo Maxwell, and yet she felt as if she were destined to do it for the rest of her life.
"Mom, are you all right?"
She looked up to see Quynn. Trynity expected her daughter to be as angry as Stryfe, but she seemed only to be concerned for her. "I'm sorry Quynn. I should have told you myself, but…"
Quynn came to her and put her arms around her. "You don't have to explain, Mom. I've had enough time to think about what you did and why."
"How…?" But Trynity already knew. "Shamara."
"I didn't believe it at first after she touched me, but the more I checked into Duo Maxwell's past and your name kept popping up, I realized it was true. I had hoped you would tell me when I gave you chances, and when you didn't, I just accepted that you didn't think we should know. I guess I got a little angry thinking that you might have lied to Pops, too." Quynn hugged her. "You made a great home for us, Mom. Isn't that what counts?"
Trynity hugged her back. "Thank you, Quynn. I hope you don't think any less of Lars."
She shook her head. "If anything, knowing the truth makes Pops a greater hero in my eyes. He loved you so much that he accepted us completely. I never would have been able to guess he wasn't our father." Quynn sighed. "He'll always be my father, but I would like to get to know Duo Maxwell. You may not have been sure of him, Mom, but seeing him with Shamara, I know he would have been a great father too."
"I should never have doubted him." Trynity wiped away a tear. "I can't believe it's over."
Quynn helped her to her feet. "Whatever was or wasn't between you two is over. Who knows what will be?" She winked at her.
Despite her misery, Trynity smiled. Quynn had the optimism of her fathers, both of them.
