Chapter 6: From The Future????
Days later the girl finally believed them they weren't goa'uld and that they weren't part from some trick to get some information out of her. " Can we ask you some questions?" asked Sam
" Yeah, sure, fire away !!!" said the girl trying to sit up in her bed.
" Ok, Let start with your name" said Jack.
" My name is Charlene Amanda Catherine Carter - O'Neill, member of SG-1" said the girl looking down trying not to look at them.
" Wow, that's some name" said Jack.
The girl just smiled at that, and said "that's why everybody calls me Charlie, it's a lot easier, except uncle Teal'c of course he always uses my full name even if I ask him not to, but I think he just likes bugging me" Teal'c just raised an eyebrow at that, he likes the girl and yes he would enjoy calling her my her full name, if she really was an O'Neill she would really enjoy it even if he didn't show it.
" We . . . euh . . . checked your DNA and euh . . ." asked Janet
" You wanna know how I got the Alien DNA?" everybody just nodded.
" Well, when mom was pregnant with me, they went to some "boring science" planet to talk to the inhabitants about naquadah, dad was completely against it but mom went anyway. Everything want fine until some damn, goa'uld decided to take over the planet, SG-1, 2 and 3 had to fight their way out but mom was shot in the stomach and I was on the verge of dying and dad panicked and dialled the asguard home world, they said the only way to save me was to add some of their DNA to me" explained the girl. " They would say that you are to young to understand the science behind it." said the girl and they all raised their eyebrows " I know" she said raising her eyebrow.
" I know your sceptical mom . . . I mean Major Carter, but it's not because your can't see anything different about me that their isn't anything different" she said to a now shocked Sam.
" How did you . . .? she asked and Charlie just smiled.
" Carter?" asked Jack
" I was just thinking that" said Sam, still not believing it.
" What?" asked Jack.
" How did you?" asked Sam.
Charlie just tapped a finger on her temple and said " One of the gifts from the asguard"
" What else do you have that is asguard?" asked Daniel
" Well, I understand everything behind the Stargate, DHD and other Stargate stuff, I speak all the 4 languages from the great alliance, I can read minds but only if I want to and that's it.
"Oh!" said Jack
" So, you speak the 4 great languages, then you can help translating me . . ."
"Daniel, the girl isn't out of bed yet and you're already asking her stuff" said Jack.
The girl laughed and said " Uncle Danny is the same in each universe"
"Each universe? . . . You mean your from another universe?" asked Hammond
" Yeah! I go through them all the time" said Charlie
" But how? Our mirror was destroyed" said Sam
" So was ours, but mom and I found a way to go to other universes by just going through the Stargate, but we can switch it off whenever we want to so we can still go to other planets in our universe " answered the girl.
" You're a part of SG-1?" asked Hammond.
" Yes . . . I am, " said Charlie , proud in her eyes.
" How old are you?" asked Sam.
" I was born in 2005 and we're 2026 now, so that would make me 21 years old" said Charlie.
They all looked so shocked they didn't know what to say so they looked at each other and Charlie
" What? . . . What did I say?" asked Charlie not getting it.
" 2005? . . . 2026? . . . That's impossible! . . . Your from the future?" asked Sam shock written all over her face.
" No, I'm not, I from 2026! " said Charlie oblivious to what their getting at.
" Well, were 2001 here!" said Jack
The shock on the girl was obvious " That's impossible the machine would never take me to the past, only to another universe . . . it must have been broken . . "
" Are their any other members onSG-1?" asked Teal'c speaking for the first time.
The girl smiled and said " Yes, SG-1 exist out of Me, Uncle Danny, Uncle Teal'c, Cassandra Fraiser" all eyebrows raided at that" and . . . euh . . . John" she swallowed hard at that.
" So, Cassandra is part of SG-1?" asked Janet not really liking it that her stepdaughter is out there most possibly to come back hurt or worse . . . dead.
" Yeah, and she's pretty good, been decorated like a million times, she's 30 ya know, and Aunt Janet is so very proud of her and you will too ya know!!" Charlie said reassuring Janet.
" Can I ask what happened what to the alterned me, Major Carter and General Hammond?" asked Jack.
" Well, Uncle George was forced to retire but he still visits the SGC everyday, guess he can't miss the action, so dad was made General after that and mom was made a Colonel, but she doesn't go in the field much, she mostly works in the labs" answered Charlie with a big smile on her face.
" You keep on mentioning someone called John, can I ask who he is?" asked Daniel.
"Well, John is the son off uncle Danny and the late Sha're, but before he was known as She'fu but he decided to take a more human name when he came to live on earth, so he took the name of his grandfather on father's side and he's . . . euh . . ." answered Charlie with much difficulty.
" And he's what?" asked General Hammond
" And he's . . . euh . . . my husband!!" answered Charlie with tears in her eyes. " Your husband?" asked Sam
" Yeah, we were married a year ago, on top of the mountain, the most beautiful day in my life!!" she said smiling.
" What did you mean with son of me and Sha're? We didn't have any children!! I knew Sha're had a son with Apophis, which I really hate him for by the way, and he was called She'fu!! And what do you mean live on earth?" said Daniel.
" Well, a year after I was born, the gate activated and She'fu came through he said he came to live with his father, you I guess, on earth, he also said that Omadasala, mother earth, teach him everything their was to teach and said that his destiny lay here on earth, and because his name wasn't exactly human he chose a name and he took his grandfathers name, because that was a good Jackson name , so now his name was John Jackson. We grew up together and fell in love, he always said I was his destiny and that was the reason he was send here, I didn't believe him though but it was sweet none the less and know he's dead, . . . I think?" answered Charlie in one breath.
" I still don't get the part where he's Sha'res and my son!!" said Daniel
" Well, . . ." started Charlie " it's a long story but I'll try to shorten it, it seemed that Sha're was pregnant with uncle Danny's child when she was taken by Apophis but didn't know it, when she got the snake the pregnancy was put on hold, don't ask me how that's more my mom's territory, but when she and Apophis . . . euh . . . ya know"
" Had sex!!" said Jack and everybody watched him "well, it's true isn't it? Ok, I'll say it more civilised: when they had sexual intercourse!! Happy? "
"Yeah, well, their baby began to grow again instead of Apophis his baby, but it still got all the goa'uld knowledge of him and Ammunet, Aunt Janet found out about that when she examined John and his blood when he came to live on earth, it made uncle Danny the most happy man in the world when he realised that Sha're was still a little bit alive in their son!! My dad said that he was grinning like a sheep all week!!" she said laughing.
" So, so , so that means that there is a big change that She'fu here is my son too?" asked an overexcited Daniel.
" Daniel, the change that She'fu is your son is slim to none, remember the forks in the road!!" explained Sam.
" Yeah, but if there is a remote possibility then we have to go get him and let Dr. Fraiser check him out" said Daniel
" NO!!!" yelled Charlie and everybody turned so fast it's a wonder they don't have whiplash.
" Why not?" asked Daniel
" Well, if this is 2001, then you can't do that until 2006, I'm sorry, but everyday that's been said here are future events for you and if you go know you change the future and I can't let that happen!!"
" But this an alternate universe , not everything is the same here!!" said Sam
"Maybe but everything has been said here, is the same here and in my world!!" Charlie said.
"Yeah, but still, you can't know for certain!!" said Janet
" Wait I say some things that happened in my world and you say if it happened here too!!, ok?" asked Charlie
" Ok, fair enough, fire away !!" said Jack hoping she would be right that everything is the same so he most possibly marry Sam and have a beautiful and smart daughter.
" Ok, euh . . . Dr. Fraiser, you were married once and your husband said " Get it out of your mind honey buns, there's a reason why they call it this man's army!! When your were going into the Air force and you said that this wasn't the army but the air force and they had women for ages!! And you adopted Cassandra when she stayed on earth, right?" said the girl
" Euh . . . correct" stammered Janet
" Ok, General Hammond, you were the one that helped SG-1 in 1969, euh you watched the moon landing in the hospital were your father lay after his first heart attack, your wife died of cancer and you grandchildren's names are Tayla and Tessa,, correct?"
" That's right" said Hammond
" Teal'c your father was killed my Kronos when he lost an unwinable battle, you and your mother fled to Chulak, you once led a go your best friend when Apophis ordered you to kill him, you were also the one that killed Sha're!!, correct?"
" That is correct!!" said Teal'c
" Major Carter, your mom died in an car accident because your father was late to pick her up, when your father told you what happened you were baking chocolate ship cookies, when your got cancer he decided to get you into NASA, not knowing you were off exploring the galaxy, before he died he told what was going on and took him to the Tok'ra to be joined, so he became a liaison between Earth and the Tok'ra, you were also the one that get him back together with is son, you brother, who has to 2 children and you were once joined by a Tok'ra named Jolinar, right?"
" Euh . . . that's right" said Sam swallowing hard.
" Dr. Jackson, you saw you parents die in front of you when you were a little boy, you were in a lot of foster homes after that, you were laughed at when you said that pyramids were landing sites for Alien ships, you were also the one that figured out the Stargate, you married Sha're, who was a gift by the way, on Babylon and stayed there until Colonel came to get you back!! Correct?"
" Rrrright?" said a freaked out Daniel, she knows more then most of my friends!!
" Ok, Colonel O'Neill, your son shot himself with our gun, in 1982 you were on a mission in Germany that all went wrong and you lost your best friend there, in Iraky wars you were though dead and left behind by Cromwell and spent 3 months in a stinky Iraky prison and you once had a parachute mishap, your chute opened a little late and you hid the ground and broke 9 bones including skull fractures, the only thing that kept you going was Sara because you had to see her again, right?"
" Wow, you know more about me then me!! I guess she proved her point!!!" said a surprised Jack. Charlie just smiled and yawned.
"Hey, that's right, we forgot something to ask you, can you tell me what happened on your earth, in your time, and why you are here?" asked Sam
Charlie seemed to really have to think about that, she was concentrating, searching in her memories to find an answer for Sam's quesion cause her forehead was all wrinkly because of it and when she finally answered " I'm sorry but I can't answer your question Major Carter, I don't seem to remember, like I have a hole in my memory" she seemed so sad that she couldn't remember that everybody felt sympathy because that's one off the worst things that could happen to you, losing you memory.
"Hey, don't worry about it, it will come to you, give it time" said Jack trying to reassure Charlie.
"And what about your nightmares? What are they about?" asked Daniel wanting to ask the question the hole time since something obviously serious happened on their planet and to them all and there has to be reason that she was the only one there from her time.
"Nightmares?" asked the girl yawning "What nightmares?"
" You don't remember you nightmares?" asked Sam
"No, should I?" asked Charlie
" Well, yeah, they seemed to be pretty intense, your hart stopped once because of it!!" said Janet, checking her chart.
" Sorry I don't remember any nightmares or anything that happened on my planet and by the way thanks to my Asguard DNA I don't have nightmares, it's impossible for me to have them, Thor told me so . . ." answered Charlie not believing them.
" But you have had them several even and they seem to last longer every time " said Sam.
" But I never had a nightmare before, it's impossible, it is, it really is" said Charlie.
" Here, we can show you" said Janet while pushing a TV in front of Charlie with the help of Teal'c and then pushed a video in the video recorder and pressed play. They all watched the display again and again winced when she yelled out in pain while keeping an eye on Charlie and her reaction, which was strange to say none the least, she watched with her eyes closed and seemed to be miles away. When the video was done she kept silent and when she didn't open her eyes after a couple of minutes they asked her what was wrong and when she didn't answer after that Jack decided to give her a light shake.
" Hey Charlie, what's wrong" said Jack giving her a light shake on the shoulder.
" Stay away, you bloody Goa'uld" yelled the girl at Jack retracting her shoulder, she kept on yelling until she saw that is was Jack and she began to realise that she was no longer with the Goa'uld.
" Oh, Colonel O'Neill I'm sorry, I thought you were a Goa'uld, I didn't mean to yell at you . . ." Charlie said rubbing her eyes.
" Hey, don't worry I get that all the time . . ." said Jack smiling at Charlie trying to reassure her.
Charlie just smiled back and said "Thanks".
" Do you remember something now" asked Sam
"I only remember 1 thing, and that are the Goa'uld, that's all I'm really sorry" answered Charlie while yawning all the way.
" Hey, don't worry about, it isn't you fault." said Sam smiling
" Maybe we could contact the Tok'ra . . . said Teal'c
" Why is that" asked General Hammond
" Don't they have a device that amplifies your memories?" said Teal'c
" Yes, that right, the memory device, we could use that" said Sam
" Good thinking" said Jack and Teal'c just bowed his head.
" All right, we will contact the Tok'ra if Charlie agrees to use it" said General Hammond
" You will have to do it tomorrow . . ." said Janet while pointing at Charlie you lay sleeping peacefully.
After asking Charlie questions for about 3 hours they decided to let her rest and come back tomorrow and on request of Sam they contacted the Tok'ra who promised to come the next day.
PLEASE REVIEW #################################################
"Then I guess we'd better give him something worth watching, hadn't
we, Duo?" Heero said.
Heero's response to Wufei's teasing caught Duo by surprise. But when
he turned his head to look at Heero, he saw the flushed cheeks and
slight hint of discomfort in his eyes. 'He's trying to get past
feeling uncomfortable about kissing in front of Fei; the comment was
an attempt to match Fei's teasing mood. They're both really tryin' to
make this work...' "Yep, we'll have to give him a good show," Duo
agreed with a conspiratorial grin and a wink. He shifted up onto his
knees and crawled over closer to Heero. Draping his arms over Heero's
shoulders, he leaned forward to kiss his earlobe first. He whispered,
"Want to have some fun and really give him a show?"
The mischief in Duo's voice almost made Heero say no. But he knew
that Duo wouldn't get *too* carried away. He trusted Duo; he knew
that Duo wouldn't deliberately embarrass him. He murmured softly and
a bit hesitantly, "Okay..."
Hearing the hesitation in Heero's response, Duo adjusted his idea
slightly. He'd let Heero take the lead, that way he wouldn't
accidentally push Heero too fast. Heero had come a long way over the
past few days; he barely hesitated over unexpected contact from him
now and he was getting a lot better about contact from Wufei too. But
it would still be better to let Heero get things started. He kissed
his way lightly across Heero's cheek, teasingly pecked the tip of his
nose instead of his mouth, then brushed the other cheek on his way
across to the so-far-neglected ear on that side. Softly, he
whispered, "Okay. Push me over backwards across his legs and just -
experiment. Have some fun; explore a little; I trust you."
'What *is* he up to?' Wufei wondered silently. Duo seemed to be doing
a lot of teasing and whispering. He hadn't so much as brushed a kiss
across Heero's lips yet, though he seemed to have kissed just about
every other part of his face. Even as he thought that, Heero's eyes
flickered shut involuntarily as Duo gently brushed light kisses around
them, then on his closed eyelids. 'That must be very - frustrating -
on the receiving end. Heero must be getting impatient for a proper
kiss by now...' So he wasn't surprised when Heero suddenly moved his
hands from where they'd rested at Duo's waist to his shoulders. But
he *was* surprised when Heero pushed Duo backwards across *his*
outstretched legs.
Heero smirked into the kiss as he brought Duo's teasing to an end,
capturing his lips as they landed. Wufei had actually yelped in
surprise as he and Duo suddenly landed virtually in his lap. He could
feel Duo grinning against his lips too. They'd definitely caught
Wufei off-guard. Duo's idea was working quite nicely already.
'Experiment, have some fun, and explore...' Well, he really didn't
know what Duo had in mind... But there were a few things he'd been
wondering about...
Duo parted his lips readily when he felt Heero's tongue brush
tentatively against them. He'd been considering trying that for a
couple of days now but he hadn't been sure that Heero was ready for it
yet. And he wouldn't start something with Wufei that he didn't do
with Heero too. He had to keep his physical relationship with them
both in balance. Especially right now, when the three of them were
just starting to figure out how to make this - the three of them
together - work. 'Letting Heero take the lead and giving him explicit
permission to experiment was an even better idea than I realized...
Maybe I'm making too much of an allowance for his relative newness
with physical contact...'
Wufei closed his jaw with a snap. 'I guess he really meant it when he
said they'd better give me something worth watching...' He was pretty
sure that there was tongue involved in that kiss. And their hands
were doing a fair bit of wandering too. Not to mention the fact that
Heero was - well, lying mostly on top of Duo. 'And that they're
*both* basically in *my* lap!' Not that he *minded*... He had a
*very* good view from here... A little voice inside pointed out that
he obviously had unsuspected voyeuristic tendencies and he really
shouldn't be enjoying the show quite *this* much. Shouldn't he be
feeling left out? Jealous? After all, this was considerably more
than just Duo paying *a* kiss that he owed. But before he could
pursue that train of thought too far, the kiss was breaking off and
Heero was pushing himself up to a kneeling position before offering
Duo a hand.
Duo gave Wufei a smug grin, "Enjoy watching the show, Fei? I know
that *we* sure enjoyed putting it on, didn't we Heero?"
Heero's cheeks became even warmer but he managed to smirk and agree,
"Yes." He definitely had. 'And I didn't even freeze when Duo ran his
hands up under my shirt!' he exulted silently. Maybe only because he
already had one under Duo's so that it wasn't entirely unexpected?
Well, it didn't matter, he hadn't frozen even briefly and that was the
important part. And although he'd *mostly* been able to forget that
Wufei was watching them, he hadn't forgotten completely. He'd
remembered that they had to be careful not to leave Wufei out of
things for too long and had broken things off before he was really
ready to because of that. It wouldn't have been fair not to. Despite
how much he'd been enjoying himself.
"Yes, I did," Wufei admitted, his cheeks flushing. A small part of
him - that hidebound, traditional bit - protested faintly but he
ignored it. He *had* enjoyed watching them kiss. Which was a good
thing, considering the relationship that the three of them were going
to have together. "Hopefully we can entertain Heero just as much," he
added, shooting Duo a mischievous look. Though he *was* a bit limited
by the fact that he only had one good arm and his ribs were still damn
sore.
"Hmm, well, we can sure try..." Duo answered. He crawled over to
straddle Wufei's lap, facing him. Wufei's ribs and arm limited things
a bit; this was the best way he could think of to let him get at least
almost as close as he'd been to Heero without hurting Fei. He braced
one arm against the wall to keep from leaning too heavily against
Wufei and slid the other around him.
Meeting Duo's kiss, Wufei wasn't too surprised when the tip of Duo's
tongue ran lightly over his lips. 'I *thought* there was tongue
involved in their kiss...' He opened his mouth eagerly, accepting the
welcome intrusion. Sliding his good hand up under Duo's shirt, he
pressed firmly against Duo's back, pulling him closer, not caring that
his injured arm and ribs twinged at the increased pressure.
His cheeks warm with slight embarrassment, Heero leaned one shoulder
against the wall while watching Duo kiss Wufei. His lips were still
tingling and he could still taste Duo. He wouldn't have minded doing
a little more "experimenting". 'But now that I know Duo doesn't mind,
I can always take the lead another time...' He hadn't tried to before
because he was a little hesitant over possibly doing something - well,
silly. Of reminding the others just how inexperienced he was at
simple human contact let alone kissing and making out. But he hadn't
done anything wrong; Duo had seemed to enjoy the kiss as much as he
had.
'Just as much as he and Wufei are enjoying their kiss...' And - he
was enjoying watching them. More than he'd ever have believed he
would. 'Maybe because Duo and I already had ours? And I know that
when they're done, it's my turn to kiss Wufei?' Maybe. Heero was
just glad that it didn't make him feel hurt and left out.
Duo let Wufei pull him closer, trusting that Fei would be careful of
his own injuries and not let Duo hurt him. He slipped his hand up
under Fei's shirt, enjoying the feel of warm skin and firm muscle.
Enjoying the unique taste of Wufei's kiss just as he'd enjoyed that of
Heero's. 'Sometimes, it's still hard to believe this is all real...'
he thought in wonder as he finally broke off the kiss. He smiled at
Wufei before turning his head towards Heero. "So how was the show?"
he grinned.
Heero flushed and admitted, "Nice."
Wufei gave Heero an understanding smile. "It feels odd to admit it,
doesn't it?"
Heero nodded in agreement. He was glad to hear that Wufei had the
same reaction. Enjoying watching the others kiss yet at the same time
not being entirely sure that he *should* be. Or that he should be
very willing to admit to it.
As Duo carefully climbed off his lap, Wufei met Heero's eyes. "Guess
it's our turn to entertain Duo now..." He held his good hand out in
invitation. "Right, Heero?"
"Yes..." Heero crawled across the mattress towards Wufei. Kneeling
beside him, he hesitated. He wasn't sure whether he should duplicate
Duo's action and climb on Wufei's lap or not. 'I'm not sure whether
Wufei would mind that or not... We haven't been in that close of
contact before...'
Watching Heero, Wufei saw his hesitation and guessed what was creating
the uncertainty. He caught hold of Heero's arm and tugged. "Make
yourself comfortable like Duo did," he invited.
Heero settled himself straddling Wufei's legs, careful not to jar
Wufei's broken arm. He placed his hands carefully, one cupping
Wufei's neck and the other behind his back. 'Should I kiss him the
way I kissed Duo or is that too intimate for us still? I'm not sure
where my boundaries are with Wufei...'
Seeing the hesitation still lingering in Heero's eyes, Wufei realized,
'He's still not sure... We need to get past this; he has to
understand that his touch and kiss are as welcome as Duo's...' He
*could* just take the initiative himself - but that wouldn't address
the real issue. He raised his hand to stroke Heero's cheek lightly.
"Heero - don't worry about it so much..." he said softly. "You won't
do anything wrong. You are just as welcome as Duo. Okay?"
Leaning against the wall beside Wufei, Duo smiled gently as the
uncertainty slowly faded from Heero's face. It didn't *completely*
disappear; that could only come with time. 'But it's a start. He's
been fine with touches or kisses that Fei initiated once he got past
that initial brief freezing in uncertainty at any form of contact.
But he hasn't been comfortable initiating anything with Fei. He just
hasn't been sure that he's welcome. I'm glad Fei realized that and
made a point of telling him that he *is*.' He watched happily as
Heero and Wufei kissed. It was definitely a slower, more cautious
kiss than either of them had shared with him but they both seemed to
be enjoying it.
Wufei held himself in check, not wanting to take the lead. Whatever
Heero initiated, he would respond to - but this time he thought it was
important that he leave it up to Heero to make the first move. 'He
has to accept that he won't do anything wrong and make me mad. That
the relationship we're building between us is just as important as the
one each of us is building with Duo.'
'He said that I was as welcome as Duo; that I wouldn't do anything
wrong...' Heero reminded himself. Cautiously, he parted his lips and
touched his tongue to Wufei's mouth. When Wufei's lips immediately
allowed him entrance, he gained confidence and deepened the kiss.
Duo watched carefully, waiting for the moment that Heero and Wufei
began to break off the kiss. As soon as they began to separate, he
moved to kneel beside them, leaning so that he could wrap one arm
around each of them, pulling them into a group hug. "I love you
both," he said softly, pressing a kiss to each one's cheek. 'We
*will* make this work. We all want it to; we'll do whatever it
takes...'
***
"Duo, were you planning to drop by Preventers HQ this morning to see
Une?" Heero asked. It was only Tuesday but the week would disappear
in no time. He knew that Duo had planned to talk to Une about taking
up that standing job offer she'd made before he went back to L2.
"Umm, actually, I think I'll call and set up an appointment for
tomorrow if I can get one," Duo said as he started clearing the
breakfast table. "I figured I'd better try and get through the rest
of the list of houses today. Even after we find one, we still have to
arrange a mortgage and everything. That's going to take a couple of
days just to get things started. And I don't really think I can put
off going back to L2 again." He couldn't leave Hilde in the lurch
indefinitely; he'd have to go back and help hire and train someone to
do all the things he'd been doing. She'd known that he wasn't
completely content at the yard and even though he hadn't given her any
details beyond the fact that he was going to join Heero and Wufei in
the Preventers, she'd been perfectly understanding regarding the fact
that he wanted to sell out his share of the business. She'd put
things in motion on that end right away. By the time he went back at
the end of the week, she'd have the financing lined up to buy him out
and the first batch of applicants scheduled for interviews.
"Why don't you set up an appointment so we can get preapproval for a
mortgage too?" Wufei suggested. "Schedule it for lunchtime or late
afternoon; I'm sure we can manage to take a little extra time for
lunch or leave a bit early and make the time up the next day if need
be. That way there won't be any delay once we find a house; we'll be
able to make a firm offer right away."
"Okay," Duo agreed. He and Hilde had dealt with enough financial
institutions while they were struggling to get the yard back on its
feet that he would have no problem getting that lined up. And it
would take a tiny bit of the pressure off in terms of how quickly they
needed to find a house. If the financing was settled in advance, it
would save quite a bit of time when they actually went to buy the
house. Assuming they could *find* one...
Glancing at his watch, Duo commented, "You two better get going or
you'll be late." He set the dishes aside so that he could kiss Heero
and Wufei goodbye. "I'll see you tonight. Hopefully with a list of a
few houses for us to go look at..."
"Bye Duo," Heero said, hugging him firmly before heading for the door.
Wufei wrapped Duo in a warm one-armed hug. "Don't worry too much
about the house," he said. He'd known that Duo was worrying about it
last night but really hadn't wanted to talk about it after a long day
at work. A long, *frustrating* day since he was of course stuck on
desk duty until his arm healed up, a fact that Une had seemed much too
happy to inform him of. "We'll find something. I'm sure there've
been more houses listed for sale since we printed out that list."
Duo leaned into the hug gratefully. He hadn't wanted to bring the
subject up until he finished off the list and was sure that it was
necessary but it was nice to know that Wufei had noticed he was
worrying about it. "Thanks, Fei," he murmured. Reluctantly, he drew
away. "Go on now. I'm fine and Heero's probably holding the elevator
for you."
"See you tonight," Wufei said with a smile as he turned towards the
door. Hurrying out of the apartment, he discovered that Heero was
indeed holding the elevator for him. He gave in to the temptation and
gave Heero a quick hug and brushed a kiss across his cheek on his way
into the elevator. Heero took a quick step and brushed an equally
brief kiss across his cheek, drawing a startled but pleased smile from
him.
A faint flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of Heero's mouth as
he followed Wufei into the elevator. 'Wufei caught me by surprise but
- I didn't freeze up! I kissed him back and he liked it. I'm getting
more comfortable with him too...'
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Days later the girl finally believed them they weren't goa'uld and that they weren't part from some trick to get some information out of her. " Can we ask you some questions?" asked Sam
" Yeah, sure, fire away !!!" said the girl trying to sit up in her bed.
" Ok, Let start with your name" said Jack.
" My name is Charlene Amanda Catherine Carter - O'Neill, member of SG-1" said the girl looking down trying not to look at them.
" Wow, that's some name" said Jack.
The girl just smiled at that, and said "that's why everybody calls me Charlie, it's a lot easier, except uncle Teal'c of course he always uses my full name even if I ask him not to, but I think he just likes bugging me" Teal'c just raised an eyebrow at that, he likes the girl and yes he would enjoy calling her my her full name, if she really was an O'Neill she would really enjoy it even if he didn't show it.
" We . . . euh . . . checked your DNA and euh . . ." asked Janet
" You wanna know how I got the Alien DNA?" everybody just nodded.
" Well, when mom was pregnant with me, they went to some "boring science" planet to talk to the inhabitants about naquadah, dad was completely against it but mom went anyway. Everything want fine until some damn, goa'uld decided to take over the planet, SG-1, 2 and 3 had to fight their way out but mom was shot in the stomach and I was on the verge of dying and dad panicked and dialled the asguard home world, they said the only way to save me was to add some of their DNA to me" explained the girl. " They would say that you are to young to understand the science behind it." said the girl and they all raised their eyebrows " I know" she said raising her eyebrow.
" I know your sceptical mom . . . I mean Major Carter, but it's not because your can't see anything different about me that their isn't anything different" she said to a now shocked Sam.
" How did you . . .? she asked and Charlie just smiled.
" Carter?" asked Jack
" I was just thinking that" said Sam, still not believing it.
" What?" asked Jack.
" How did you?" asked Sam.
Charlie just tapped a finger on her temple and said " One of the gifts from the asguard"
" What else do you have that is asguard?" asked Daniel
" Well, I understand everything behind the Stargate, DHD and other Stargate stuff, I speak all the 4 languages from the great alliance, I can read minds but only if I want to and that's it.
"Oh!" said Jack
" So, you speak the 4 great languages, then you can help translating me . . ."
"Daniel, the girl isn't out of bed yet and you're already asking her stuff" said Jack.
The girl laughed and said " Uncle Danny is the same in each universe"
"Each universe? . . . You mean your from another universe?" asked Hammond
" Yeah! I go through them all the time" said Charlie
" But how? Our mirror was destroyed" said Sam
" So was ours, but mom and I found a way to go to other universes by just going through the Stargate, but we can switch it off whenever we want to so we can still go to other planets in our universe " answered the girl.
" You're a part of SG-1?" asked Hammond.
" Yes . . . I am, " said Charlie , proud in her eyes.
" How old are you?" asked Sam.
" I was born in 2005 and we're 2026 now, so that would make me 21 years old" said Charlie.
They all looked so shocked they didn't know what to say so they looked at each other and Charlie
" What? . . . What did I say?" asked Charlie not getting it.
" 2005? . . . 2026? . . . That's impossible! . . . Your from the future?" asked Sam shock written all over her face.
" No, I'm not, I from 2026! " said Charlie oblivious to what their getting at.
" Well, were 2001 here!" said Jack
The shock on the girl was obvious " That's impossible the machine would never take me to the past, only to another universe . . . it must have been broken . . "
" Are their any other members onSG-1?" asked Teal'c speaking for the first time.
The girl smiled and said " Yes, SG-1 exist out of Me, Uncle Danny, Uncle Teal'c, Cassandra Fraiser" all eyebrows raided at that" and . . . euh . . . John" she swallowed hard at that.
" So, Cassandra is part of SG-1?" asked Janet not really liking it that her stepdaughter is out there most possibly to come back hurt or worse . . . dead.
" Yeah, and she's pretty good, been decorated like a million times, she's 30 ya know, and Aunt Janet is so very proud of her and you will too ya know!!" Charlie said reassuring Janet.
" Can I ask what happened what to the alterned me, Major Carter and General Hammond?" asked Jack.
" Well, Uncle George was forced to retire but he still visits the SGC everyday, guess he can't miss the action, so dad was made General after that and mom was made a Colonel, but she doesn't go in the field much, she mostly works in the labs" answered Charlie with a big smile on her face.
" You keep on mentioning someone called John, can I ask who he is?" asked Daniel.
"Well, John is the son off uncle Danny and the late Sha're, but before he was known as She'fu but he decided to take a more human name when he came to live on earth, so he took the name of his grandfather on father's side and he's . . . euh . . ." answered Charlie with much difficulty.
" And he's what?" asked General Hammond
" And he's . . . euh . . . my husband!!" answered Charlie with tears in her eyes. " Your husband?" asked Sam
" Yeah, we were married a year ago, on top of the mountain, the most beautiful day in my life!!" she said smiling.
" What did you mean with son of me and Sha're? We didn't have any children!! I knew Sha're had a son with Apophis, which I really hate him for by the way, and he was called She'fu!! And what do you mean live on earth?" said Daniel.
" Well, a year after I was born, the gate activated and She'fu came through he said he came to live with his father, you I guess, on earth, he also said that Omadasala, mother earth, teach him everything their was to teach and said that his destiny lay here on earth, and because his name wasn't exactly human he chose a name and he took his grandfathers name, because that was a good Jackson name , so now his name was John Jackson. We grew up together and fell in love, he always said I was his destiny and that was the reason he was send here, I didn't believe him though but it was sweet none the less and know he's dead, . . . I think?" answered Charlie in one breath.
" I still don't get the part where he's Sha'res and my son!!" said Daniel
" Well, . . ." started Charlie " it's a long story but I'll try to shorten it, it seemed that Sha're was pregnant with uncle Danny's child when she was taken by Apophis but didn't know it, when she got the snake the pregnancy was put on hold, don't ask me how that's more my mom's territory, but when she and Apophis . . . euh . . . ya know"
" Had sex!!" said Jack and everybody watched him "well, it's true isn't it? Ok, I'll say it more civilised: when they had sexual intercourse!! Happy? "
"Yeah, well, their baby began to grow again instead of Apophis his baby, but it still got all the goa'uld knowledge of him and Ammunet, Aunt Janet found out about that when she examined John and his blood when he came to live on earth, it made uncle Danny the most happy man in the world when he realised that Sha're was still a little bit alive in their son!! My dad said that he was grinning like a sheep all week!!" she said laughing.
" So, so , so that means that there is a big change that She'fu here is my son too?" asked an overexcited Daniel.
" Daniel, the change that She'fu is your son is slim to none, remember the forks in the road!!" explained Sam.
" Yeah, but if there is a remote possibility then we have to go get him and let Dr. Fraiser check him out" said Daniel
" NO!!!" yelled Charlie and everybody turned so fast it's a wonder they don't have whiplash.
" Why not?" asked Daniel
" Well, if this is 2001, then you can't do that until 2006, I'm sorry, but everyday that's been said here are future events for you and if you go know you change the future and I can't let that happen!!"
" But this an alternate universe , not everything is the same here!!" said Sam
"Maybe but everything has been said here, is the same here and in my world!!" Charlie said.
"Yeah, but still, you can't know for certain!!" said Janet
" Wait I say some things that happened in my world and you say if it happened here too!!, ok?" asked Charlie
" Ok, fair enough, fire away !!" said Jack hoping she would be right that everything is the same so he most possibly marry Sam and have a beautiful and smart daughter.
" Ok, euh . . . Dr. Fraiser, you were married once and your husband said " Get it out of your mind honey buns, there's a reason why they call it this man's army!! When your were going into the Air force and you said that this wasn't the army but the air force and they had women for ages!! And you adopted Cassandra when she stayed on earth, right?" said the girl
" Euh . . . correct" stammered Janet
" Ok, General Hammond, you were the one that helped SG-1 in 1969, euh you watched the moon landing in the hospital were your father lay after his first heart attack, your wife died of cancer and you grandchildren's names are Tayla and Tessa,, correct?"
" That's right" said Hammond
" Teal'c your father was killed my Kronos when he lost an unwinable battle, you and your mother fled to Chulak, you once led a go your best friend when Apophis ordered you to kill him, you were also the one that killed Sha're!!, correct?"
" That is correct!!" said Teal'c
" Major Carter, your mom died in an car accident because your father was late to pick her up, when your father told you what happened you were baking chocolate ship cookies, when your got cancer he decided to get you into NASA, not knowing you were off exploring the galaxy, before he died he told what was going on and took him to the Tok'ra to be joined, so he became a liaison between Earth and the Tok'ra, you were also the one that get him back together with is son, you brother, who has to 2 children and you were once joined by a Tok'ra named Jolinar, right?"
" Euh . . . that's right" said Sam swallowing hard.
" Dr. Jackson, you saw you parents die in front of you when you were a little boy, you were in a lot of foster homes after that, you were laughed at when you said that pyramids were landing sites for Alien ships, you were also the one that figured out the Stargate, you married Sha're, who was a gift by the way, on Babylon and stayed there until Colonel came to get you back!! Correct?"
" Rrrright?" said a freaked out Daniel, she knows more then most of my friends!!
" Ok, Colonel O'Neill, your son shot himself with our gun, in 1982 you were on a mission in Germany that all went wrong and you lost your best friend there, in Iraky wars you were though dead and left behind by Cromwell and spent 3 months in a stinky Iraky prison and you once had a parachute mishap, your chute opened a little late and you hid the ground and broke 9 bones including skull fractures, the only thing that kept you going was Sara because you had to see her again, right?"
" Wow, you know more about me then me!! I guess she proved her point!!!" said a surprised Jack. Charlie just smiled and yawned.
"Hey, that's right, we forgot something to ask you, can you tell me what happened on your earth, in your time, and why you are here?" asked Sam
Charlie seemed to really have to think about that, she was concentrating, searching in her memories to find an answer for Sam's quesion cause her forehead was all wrinkly because of it and when she finally answered " I'm sorry but I can't answer your question Major Carter, I don't seem to remember, like I have a hole in my memory" she seemed so sad that she couldn't remember that everybody felt sympathy because that's one off the worst things that could happen to you, losing you memory.
"Hey, don't worry about it, it will come to you, give it time" said Jack trying to reassure Charlie.
"And what about your nightmares? What are they about?" asked Daniel wanting to ask the question the hole time since something obviously serious happened on their planet and to them all and there has to be reason that she was the only one there from her time.
"Nightmares?" asked the girl yawning "What nightmares?"
" You don't remember you nightmares?" asked Sam
"No, should I?" asked Charlie
" Well, yeah, they seemed to be pretty intense, your hart stopped once because of it!!" said Janet, checking her chart.
" Sorry I don't remember any nightmares or anything that happened on my planet and by the way thanks to my Asguard DNA I don't have nightmares, it's impossible for me to have them, Thor told me so . . ." answered Charlie not believing them.
" But you have had them several even and they seem to last longer every time " said Sam.
" But I never had a nightmare before, it's impossible, it is, it really is" said Charlie.
" Here, we can show you" said Janet while pushing a TV in front of Charlie with the help of Teal'c and then pushed a video in the video recorder and pressed play. They all watched the display again and again winced when she yelled out in pain while keeping an eye on Charlie and her reaction, which was strange to say none the least, she watched with her eyes closed and seemed to be miles away. When the video was done she kept silent and when she didn't open her eyes after a couple of minutes they asked her what was wrong and when she didn't answer after that Jack decided to give her a light shake.
" Hey Charlie, what's wrong" said Jack giving her a light shake on the shoulder.
" Stay away, you bloody Goa'uld" yelled the girl at Jack retracting her shoulder, she kept on yelling until she saw that is was Jack and she began to realise that she was no longer with the Goa'uld.
" Oh, Colonel O'Neill I'm sorry, I thought you were a Goa'uld, I didn't mean to yell at you . . ." Charlie said rubbing her eyes.
" Hey, don't worry I get that all the time . . ." said Jack smiling at Charlie trying to reassure her.
Charlie just smiled back and said "Thanks".
" Do you remember something now" asked Sam
"I only remember 1 thing, and that are the Goa'uld, that's all I'm really sorry" answered Charlie while yawning all the way.
" Hey, don't worry about, it isn't you fault." said Sam smiling
" Maybe we could contact the Tok'ra . . . said Teal'c
" Why is that" asked General Hammond
" Don't they have a device that amplifies your memories?" said Teal'c
" Yes, that right, the memory device, we could use that" said Sam
" Good thinking" said Jack and Teal'c just bowed his head.
" All right, we will contact the Tok'ra if Charlie agrees to use it" said General Hammond
" You will have to do it tomorrow . . ." said Janet while pointing at Charlie you lay sleeping peacefully.
After asking Charlie questions for about 3 hours they decided to let her rest and come back tomorrow and on request of Sam they contacted the Tok'ra who promised to come the next day.
PLEASE REVIEW #################################################
"Then I guess we'd better give him something worth watching, hadn't
we, Duo?" Heero said.
Heero's response to Wufei's teasing caught Duo by surprise. But when
he turned his head to look at Heero, he saw the flushed cheeks and
slight hint of discomfort in his eyes. 'He's trying to get past
feeling uncomfortable about kissing in front of Fei; the comment was
an attempt to match Fei's teasing mood. They're both really tryin' to
make this work...' "Yep, we'll have to give him a good show," Duo
agreed with a conspiratorial grin and a wink. He shifted up onto his
knees and crawled over closer to Heero. Draping his arms over Heero's
shoulders, he leaned forward to kiss his earlobe first. He whispered,
"Want to have some fun and really give him a show?"
The mischief in Duo's voice almost made Heero say no. But he knew
that Duo wouldn't get *too* carried away. He trusted Duo; he knew
that Duo wouldn't deliberately embarrass him. He murmured softly and
a bit hesitantly, "Okay..."
Hearing the hesitation in Heero's response, Duo adjusted his idea
slightly. He'd let Heero take the lead, that way he wouldn't
accidentally push Heero too fast. Heero had come a long way over the
past few days; he barely hesitated over unexpected contact from him
now and he was getting a lot better about contact from Wufei too. But
it would still be better to let Heero get things started. He kissed
his way lightly across Heero's cheek, teasingly pecked the tip of his
nose instead of his mouth, then brushed the other cheek on his way
across to the so-far-neglected ear on that side. Softly, he
whispered, "Okay. Push me over backwards across his legs and just -
experiment. Have some fun; explore a little; I trust you."
'What *is* he up to?' Wufei wondered silently. Duo seemed to be doing
a lot of teasing and whispering. He hadn't so much as brushed a kiss
across Heero's lips yet, though he seemed to have kissed just about
every other part of his face. Even as he thought that, Heero's eyes
flickered shut involuntarily as Duo gently brushed light kisses around
them, then on his closed eyelids. 'That must be very - frustrating -
on the receiving end. Heero must be getting impatient for a proper
kiss by now...' So he wasn't surprised when Heero suddenly moved his
hands from where they'd rested at Duo's waist to his shoulders. But
he *was* surprised when Heero pushed Duo backwards across *his*
outstretched legs.
Heero smirked into the kiss as he brought Duo's teasing to an end,
capturing his lips as they landed. Wufei had actually yelped in
surprise as he and Duo suddenly landed virtually in his lap. He could
feel Duo grinning against his lips too. They'd definitely caught
Wufei off-guard. Duo's idea was working quite nicely already.
'Experiment, have some fun, and explore...' Well, he really didn't
know what Duo had in mind... But there were a few things he'd been
wondering about...
Duo parted his lips readily when he felt Heero's tongue brush
tentatively against them. He'd been considering trying that for a
couple of days now but he hadn't been sure that Heero was ready for it
yet. And he wouldn't start something with Wufei that he didn't do
with Heero too. He had to keep his physical relationship with them
both in balance. Especially right now, when the three of them were
just starting to figure out how to make this - the three of them
together - work. 'Letting Heero take the lead and giving him explicit
permission to experiment was an even better idea than I realized...
Maybe I'm making too much of an allowance for his relative newness
with physical contact...'
Wufei closed his jaw with a snap. 'I guess he really meant it when he
said they'd better give me something worth watching...' He was pretty
sure that there was tongue involved in that kiss. And their hands
were doing a fair bit of wandering too. Not to mention the fact that
Heero was - well, lying mostly on top of Duo. 'And that they're
*both* basically in *my* lap!' Not that he *minded*... He had a
*very* good view from here... A little voice inside pointed out that
he obviously had unsuspected voyeuristic tendencies and he really
shouldn't be enjoying the show quite *this* much. Shouldn't he be
feeling left out? Jealous? After all, this was considerably more
than just Duo paying *a* kiss that he owed. But before he could
pursue that train of thought too far, the kiss was breaking off and
Heero was pushing himself up to a kneeling position before offering
Duo a hand.
Duo gave Wufei a smug grin, "Enjoy watching the show, Fei? I know
that *we* sure enjoyed putting it on, didn't we Heero?"
Heero's cheeks became even warmer but he managed to smirk and agree,
"Yes." He definitely had. 'And I didn't even freeze when Duo ran his
hands up under my shirt!' he exulted silently. Maybe only because he
already had one under Duo's so that it wasn't entirely unexpected?
Well, it didn't matter, he hadn't frozen even briefly and that was the
important part. And although he'd *mostly* been able to forget that
Wufei was watching them, he hadn't forgotten completely. He'd
remembered that they had to be careful not to leave Wufei out of
things for too long and had broken things off before he was really
ready to because of that. It wouldn't have been fair not to. Despite
how much he'd been enjoying himself.
"Yes, I did," Wufei admitted, his cheeks flushing. A small part of
him - that hidebound, traditional bit - protested faintly but he
ignored it. He *had* enjoyed watching them kiss. Which was a good
thing, considering the relationship that the three of them were going
to have together. "Hopefully we can entertain Heero just as much," he
added, shooting Duo a mischievous look. Though he *was* a bit limited
by the fact that he only had one good arm and his ribs were still damn
sore.
"Hmm, well, we can sure try..." Duo answered. He crawled over to
straddle Wufei's lap, facing him. Wufei's ribs and arm limited things
a bit; this was the best way he could think of to let him get at least
almost as close as he'd been to Heero without hurting Fei. He braced
one arm against the wall to keep from leaning too heavily against
Wufei and slid the other around him.
Meeting Duo's kiss, Wufei wasn't too surprised when the tip of Duo's
tongue ran lightly over his lips. 'I *thought* there was tongue
involved in their kiss...' He opened his mouth eagerly, accepting the
welcome intrusion. Sliding his good hand up under Duo's shirt, he
pressed firmly against Duo's back, pulling him closer, not caring that
his injured arm and ribs twinged at the increased pressure.
His cheeks warm with slight embarrassment, Heero leaned one shoulder
against the wall while watching Duo kiss Wufei. His lips were still
tingling and he could still taste Duo. He wouldn't have minded doing
a little more "experimenting". 'But now that I know Duo doesn't mind,
I can always take the lead another time...' He hadn't tried to before
because he was a little hesitant over possibly doing something - well,
silly. Of reminding the others just how inexperienced he was at
simple human contact let alone kissing and making out. But he hadn't
done anything wrong; Duo had seemed to enjoy the kiss as much as he
had.
'Just as much as he and Wufei are enjoying their kiss...' And - he
was enjoying watching them. More than he'd ever have believed he
would. 'Maybe because Duo and I already had ours? And I know that
when they're done, it's my turn to kiss Wufei?' Maybe. Heero was
just glad that it didn't make him feel hurt and left out.
Duo let Wufei pull him closer, trusting that Fei would be careful of
his own injuries and not let Duo hurt him. He slipped his hand up
under Fei's shirt, enjoying the feel of warm skin and firm muscle.
Enjoying the unique taste of Wufei's kiss just as he'd enjoyed that of
Heero's. 'Sometimes, it's still hard to believe this is all real...'
he thought in wonder as he finally broke off the kiss. He smiled at
Wufei before turning his head towards Heero. "So how was the show?"
he grinned.
Heero flushed and admitted, "Nice."
Wufei gave Heero an understanding smile. "It feels odd to admit it,
doesn't it?"
Heero nodded in agreement. He was glad to hear that Wufei had the
same reaction. Enjoying watching the others kiss yet at the same time
not being entirely sure that he *should* be. Or that he should be
very willing to admit to it.
As Duo carefully climbed off his lap, Wufei met Heero's eyes. "Guess
it's our turn to entertain Duo now..." He held his good hand out in
invitation. "Right, Heero?"
"Yes..." Heero crawled across the mattress towards Wufei. Kneeling
beside him, he hesitated. He wasn't sure whether he should duplicate
Duo's action and climb on Wufei's lap or not. 'I'm not sure whether
Wufei would mind that or not... We haven't been in that close of
contact before...'
Watching Heero, Wufei saw his hesitation and guessed what was creating
the uncertainty. He caught hold of Heero's arm and tugged. "Make
yourself comfortable like Duo did," he invited.
Heero settled himself straddling Wufei's legs, careful not to jar
Wufei's broken arm. He placed his hands carefully, one cupping
Wufei's neck and the other behind his back. 'Should I kiss him the
way I kissed Duo or is that too intimate for us still? I'm not sure
where my boundaries are with Wufei...'
Seeing the hesitation still lingering in Heero's eyes, Wufei realized,
'He's still not sure... We need to get past this; he has to
understand that his touch and kiss are as welcome as Duo's...' He
*could* just take the initiative himself - but that wouldn't address
the real issue. He raised his hand to stroke Heero's cheek lightly.
"Heero - don't worry about it so much..." he said softly. "You won't
do anything wrong. You are just as welcome as Duo. Okay?"
Leaning against the wall beside Wufei, Duo smiled gently as the
uncertainty slowly faded from Heero's face. It didn't *completely*
disappear; that could only come with time. 'But it's a start. He's
been fine with touches or kisses that Fei initiated once he got past
that initial brief freezing in uncertainty at any form of contact.
But he hasn't been comfortable initiating anything with Fei. He just
hasn't been sure that he's welcome. I'm glad Fei realized that and
made a point of telling him that he *is*.' He watched happily as
Heero and Wufei kissed. It was definitely a slower, more cautious
kiss than either of them had shared with him but they both seemed to
be enjoying it.
Wufei held himself in check, not wanting to take the lead. Whatever
Heero initiated, he would respond to - but this time he thought it was
important that he leave it up to Heero to make the first move. 'He
has to accept that he won't do anything wrong and make me mad. That
the relationship we're building between us is just as important as the
one each of us is building with Duo.'
'He said that I was as welcome as Duo; that I wouldn't do anything
wrong...' Heero reminded himself. Cautiously, he parted his lips and
touched his tongue to Wufei's mouth. When Wufei's lips immediately
allowed him entrance, he gained confidence and deepened the kiss.
Duo watched carefully, waiting for the moment that Heero and Wufei
began to break off the kiss. As soon as they began to separate, he
moved to kneel beside them, leaning so that he could wrap one arm
around each of them, pulling them into a group hug. "I love you
both," he said softly, pressing a kiss to each one's cheek. 'We
*will* make this work. We all want it to; we'll do whatever it
takes...'
***
"Duo, were you planning to drop by Preventers HQ this morning to see
Une?" Heero asked. It was only Tuesday but the week would disappear
in no time. He knew that Duo had planned to talk to Une about taking
up that standing job offer she'd made before he went back to L2.
"Umm, actually, I think I'll call and set up an appointment for
tomorrow if I can get one," Duo said as he started clearing the
breakfast table. "I figured I'd better try and get through the rest
of the list of houses today. Even after we find one, we still have to
arrange a mortgage and everything. That's going to take a couple of
days just to get things started. And I don't really think I can put
off going back to L2 again." He couldn't leave Hilde in the lurch
indefinitely; he'd have to go back and help hire and train someone to
do all the things he'd been doing. She'd known that he wasn't
completely content at the yard and even though he hadn't given her any
details beyond the fact that he was going to join Heero and Wufei in
the Preventers, she'd been perfectly understanding regarding the fact
that he wanted to sell out his share of the business. She'd put
things in motion on that end right away. By the time he went back at
the end of the week, she'd have the financing lined up to buy him out
and the first batch of applicants scheduled for interviews.
"Why don't you set up an appointment so we can get preapproval for a
mortgage too?" Wufei suggested. "Schedule it for lunchtime or late
afternoon; I'm sure we can manage to take a little extra time for
lunch or leave a bit early and make the time up the next day if need
be. That way there won't be any delay once we find a house; we'll be
able to make a firm offer right away."
"Okay," Duo agreed. He and Hilde had dealt with enough financial
institutions while they were struggling to get the yard back on its
feet that he would have no problem getting that lined up. And it
would take a tiny bit of the pressure off in terms of how quickly they
needed to find a house. If the financing was settled in advance, it
would save quite a bit of time when they actually went to buy the
house. Assuming they could *find* one...
Glancing at his watch, Duo commented, "You two better get going or
you'll be late." He set the dishes aside so that he could kiss Heero
and Wufei goodbye. "I'll see you tonight. Hopefully with a list of a
few houses for us to go look at..."
"Bye Duo," Heero said, hugging him firmly before heading for the door.
Wufei wrapped Duo in a warm one-armed hug. "Don't worry too much
about the house," he said. He'd known that Duo was worrying about it
last night but really hadn't wanted to talk about it after a long day
at work. A long, *frustrating* day since he was of course stuck on
desk duty until his arm healed up, a fact that Une had seemed much too
happy to inform him of. "We'll find something. I'm sure there've
been more houses listed for sale since we printed out that list."
Duo leaned into the hug gratefully. He hadn't wanted to bring the
subject up until he finished off the list and was sure that it was
necessary but it was nice to know that Wufei had noticed he was
worrying about it. "Thanks, Fei," he murmured. Reluctantly, he drew
away. "Go on now. I'm fine and Heero's probably holding the elevator
for you."
"See you tonight," Wufei said with a smile as he turned towards the
door. Hurrying out of the apartment, he discovered that Heero was
indeed holding the elevator for him. He gave in to the temptation and
gave Heero a quick hug and brushed a kiss across his cheek on his way
into the elevator. Heero took a quick step and brushed an equally
brief kiss across his cheek, drawing a startled but pleased smile from
him.
A faint flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of Heero's mouth as
he followed Wufei into the elevator. 'Wufei caught me by surprise but
- I didn't freeze up! I kissed him back and he liked it. I'm getting
more comfortable with him too...'
#################################################
