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~*~ Dream Maker: Well folks, standard yada. I do not own Gundam Wing.
*sniffs* I wish I did but I don't. The G-boys and girls belong to their
respectable owners. I am just using them for this twisted fic. I promise to
return them, only slightly worse for the wear when we're through with them.
Christa: So, how'd you like the last chapter? Dream Maker: Well, we got at
least one review so we know we have some fans... *sweatdrop* Anyway, here's
some more of the fic.. the rest of the chapters will be longer because
well.. Christa: Because we realized that all the chapters were only like
three or four pages long.. so the rest will (hopefully) be longer like we
said.. Anyway, before me and this pathetic writer start fighting lets get
to the fic! Dream Maker: Pathetic? Pathetic?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME
THAT!!!!!!!! *chases after her muse with a pair of swords borrowed from
Wufei*
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A sharp intake of breath made both of the men look down at the sleeping boy, but it was quickly followed by a deep sigh. "For a moment there I thought he woke up." Quatre said in relief.
"Sure, but what do you mean he's one of our children? He can't be mine because I only have girls, and he can't be yours because you don't have any at all."
"Heero, he said he came from the future. He never said how far into the future he came from. Think about it Heero. He came back here to keep us safe and he said his mother had died. It makes sense."
"Maybe, but I'm not quite sure. Why wouldn't he just tell us?" "I don't know." Quatre looked out the window as the car slowed and saw his mansion looming before them. "Looks like we're here. Alex, wake up." He gently shook the sleeping boy awake. Alex didn't jump up this time, but his eyes snapped open and he looked around before he realized where he was. "We're here Alex." Alex didn't say anything, just stepped out of the car and waited at the door to be let in. Rachide opened the door and nearly fell over from shock.
"Master Quatre, where'd he come from? This isn't him is it?!"
"Rachide, calm down. He's only staying here for tonight. Will you have a room made up for him? Oh, and are you staying Heero?"
"If you don't mind. I'll leave with him in the morning."
"Fine. Please have two rooms made up Rachide."
"Quatre, I'm sorry to be rude but do you have a door with a lock on it?" Alex asked before Rachide could walk away. Quatre thought for a moment before he hesitantly said, "Yes. I think I could arrange for that to be the room you stay in if that's what you want."
"Thank you. I would like that very much."
"Why the heck do you want a lock on your door kid?" Heero asked suspiciously as they entered the mansion and were lead to their rooms.
"I like my privacy. And, though I may trust the others, I don't trust you. Now answer me. Do you have a sufficient answer to why you're so suspicious of me?"
"I have orders to keep an eye on you." Was all Heero said as they stopped in front of a room.
"Heero, here's your room and the child's is right next door." Turning to Alex he handed him a key. "This will let you in. I take my leave now unless either of you have anything you need."
"No, thank you Rachide. We'll be fine." Heero stated, obviously more than ready to get rid of him for some reason. Rachide only bowed, turned, and walked away. Alex watched him a moment before he inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. But as he was turning the key back so he could take it out of the lock, it snapped off, leaving him holding the end of the key. "How did that happen?" Heero demanded.
"I told you I like my privacy. I know you can pick locks and I didn't want to be intruded upon. I'll get him a new lock later." With that he stepped inside the room and closed the door. But before he had a chance to lock it Heero thrust it open and stepped inside the room. The light was still off but Alex could see that Heero meant business when he looked at his face. Quicker than he'd expected him to move, Heero had him up against the wall with one of his hands around Alex's throat.
"If you ever pull a stunt again like you did today I will make you wish you were never borne. And if you try to run, I will hunt you down." (Okay, btw, we don't own those lines either. They belong to Miss Congeniality, although we did slightly modify them.)
"What stunt are you talking about?" Alex played innocent, hoping that it would get him out of trouble.
"You were awake in the car and I know it. You were ease-dropping on us."
"So? Why didn't you call my bluff in the car?"
"I didn't want to make Quatre angry with you."
"So, you're not as stone hearted as you'd like me to think. Heero, I don't care what you think of me but it would be nice not to have you as an enemy. I'd hate to make life miserable for you tomorrow."
"I want the truth and I want to now Alex, was one of the Gundam Pilots your father?"
"Maybe. But you also can't rule out the possibility of Zechs now can you? He wasn't a Gundam Pilot."
"So Zechs was, I mean is your father?"
"That would make you my uncle but no. I never said who my father was nor will I ever if I have a choice. They would think they had to act as my parents and that would be an attachment. I can't have attachments here. It could get me killed or it could distract me with feelings I don't need if I have to sacrifice them for the good of the future." Heero started at him in utter disbelief.
"You'd kill your own parents?"
"If it was better for the people then yes. If it was not, then no. Remember Heero, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I was trained for this mission and I will carry it out. Now, if you would kindly put me down." He stated it more than asked and Heero obliged. "Now, unless you have something else you want cleared up, get out." Heero walked out shaking his head. Alex quickly changed his clothes and drew the covers up to his chin as he climbed into the soft bed that he'd be sleeping in. He went to sleep wondering if he'd said too much.
~*~ (Day 2)
Quatre wondered the mansion looking for any signs of life. Heero was still asleep, along with most of the servants, and Alex we nowhere to be found. "Where could he have gotten off to? I didn't think any kid his age would be up this early by choice. I know I wasn't." he muttered to himself as he wandered out into the immense garden at the back of the mansion. He wandered through it taking in the sounds, smells, and sights as he walked.
He headed toward the back of the western part of the garden. Of all the beautiful places in the garden, that was his favorite. A massive oak tree was planted there and he loved to sit in its shade on the grass and read a book as the wind tousled his hair. It was especially nice in the morning when the "sun" was just beginning to rise and the light played over his face, making colors dance before his eyes whether they were open or not. Although his mind was drifting to other places, his feet still took him to the oak tree. But when he sat down his mind came back to the present and he got a feeling of someone watching him.
He looked lazily around but saw no one. Only when a leaf drifted down in front of his face did he look up to see a figure watching him from the branches above. "Morning Alex. I wondered where you'd got off to."
"Morning Quatre. Sorry if I scared you."
"Not at all. I just came out here to enjoy the sunshine. What are you doing up so early?"
"I don't know."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"You might say that." Alex said flatly. Quatre got a feeling there was more to it than that but he didn't press the subject.
"Alex, this may seem rude, but what are you doing here? I mean, how can you tell if what you're doing is the best thing for the future?"
"My memories. I can tell how good or how badly the people from my memories of what I've seen."
"How did you get here?"
"I'm not quite sure myself exactly." Alex said. As he watched Quatre he could see that he was fighting with himself about something. "You have more questions. Ask them. I'll answer them if I think they won't jeopardize my mission."
"Thank you. Heero and I talked last night.."
"Yes, one of you is my father. You were right about that. Will I tell you who it is? That answer is no. Will I tell you what gender your future children will be? No." Alex stated before Quatre had a chance to finish.
"Okay, with that answered, are you sure you would sacrifice your own parents? I mean knowing them, your father before he made any big mistakes, knowing your mother at all, isn't that important to you?"
"I." he couldn't finish what he was about to say. "I don't know. I was sent here to protect them, to protect all of you, but I think I would give both of them up again for things to go back to normal."
"Then there was another reason that you came back?"
"No!" Alex said a little too quickly but Quatre felt, just for a second, a real live emotion from him. Pain. Intense pain that comes from loosing everything. Along with it came a long buried memory.
***(Flashback that Quatre sees)
"Hey. Thanks for coming over."
"No problem. Anything for a friend. I'm sorry about your pop. Dad will be here to pick us up tomorrow. I'm suppose to help you pack." Alex saw his friend look around the room at the bare shelves and walls and forced a grin onto his face.
"I'm already packed. I have his best suit ready for the funeral and all my stuff fits in two suitcases." The friend tore her eyes away from the walls.
"Then what do you want to do now?"
"How about the club? I could use something to take my mind off of today. It was truly pathetic."
"Hey, wait." He turned around and his friend looked at him. "You were hurt. Sure you don't want to go see a doctor? My parents would kill me if anything happened to you."
"Huh?" Alex reached up and touched the side of his head. "Oh that. That's not my blood. I thought I'd washed all that off." he said as he went into the bathroom and washed the rest of it off. A single tear slid down his cheek but he wiped it away angrily and looked in the mirror for a split second before he walked out the door with his friend. Even though he put on a brave appearance, by the time they got to the club he was more than angry. Emotions warred within him making him even madder at himself for feeling. He knew better.
Hours flew by as he danced out on the floor, neon lights flashing, heavy metal music blaring from the loudspeakers on stage. The band was really good tonight. Just then a tap on the shoulder made him turn around to see his friend standing there.
"Hey, can I have your coat? I need some air. These weird guys with freaked out tattoos have been stocking me, asking about you."
"Yeah, sure. Take it. I'll be out in a few." He replied as he took off his coat and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She said as she walked off into the crowd. But a few seconds after she's gone it dawned on him that she'd said something about weird tattoos. He tried to hurry through the crowd but an especially obnoxious song started and everyone went mad, making it nearly impossible to move.
Fearing for his friends life he pushed and shoved his way by people who responded with rude signs or suggestions. Once one person even tried to fight him but a bouncer came along and grabbed him. Alex followed in the bouncers wake, praying that he'd hurry up.
Finally he stepped out into the cold night air and looked around. Not seeing his friend made the heavy pressure of fear knot itself in his stomach. Then he heard a blood-curdling scream from a side ally. As he rushed to help his friend two members of the viper gang caught him.
"Where do you think you're going?" One of them sneered as a scream was heard again.
"Hey, this isn't the one!" the leader shouted but then laughed wickedly. "But that should teach 'em not to mess with us again." He laughed again and as he ran past, signaled his goons to let Alex go. Instead of chasing after them like he usually would have Alex scrambled over to his friend. She lay entirely still and he thought she was dead. He reached out to touch her and a small groan escaped her throat. Alex quickly propped her head up on his lap and bent over her.
"Are you okay? What did they do to you? My god, I am so sorry." She was still wearing his jacket. The jacket! They'd mistaken her for him!
"I have to go now. It's okay. I have to go now." she said to him, her voice growing fainter with every word until her words stopped and her breathing stilled. But her lifeblood continued to flow out of her onto the pavement. Her braid had come partially loose and her tresses seemed to gather about her face, silhouetting it. The peaceful expressions on her face made her look, even more so now, like the angel she's always been to him.
Rain started to pour down on them and he thought it was fitting that the heavens should cry when an angel was taken before her time. Lightning flashed overhead and fire blazed in his eyes as he saw the knife lying on the ground next to her broken body. He lifted his head towards he heavens and yelled, "Why her? Why not me?! How dare you!" He notified the police and went inside, after being questioned, to call someone. Three rings later someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Quatre?"
"Listen, I told you last time that I don't have time to baby-sit so stop calling me! See if one of the others can take you, you ungrateful runt!"
"Quatre please-!" but he'd already hung up, which was evident by the buzzing of the dial tone in his ear. ~*~
He was running down the street chasing after three boys. All of the had severe knife wounds already. Finally one tripped and he stood over him with a look of triumph on his face.
"Please, don't hurt me!"
"You should have thought about that before you killed my angel." Alex said. The knife flashed downwards and he cur the viper many times before he finally dealt the killing blow. He went after, caught, and executed the other two in the same fashion.
~*~
He was running away. The police were after him for the murder of the mayor's son and two of his friends. Alex darted down different ally ways trying to try to confuse them but they stayed right with him. Suddenly something hit him from behind and his world went black.
~*~
"Are you ready now? Have you gotten yourself into enough trouble? Or do you want to have us turn you over to the police."
"To undo what was done I will undertake this mission."
"Dr. J! There's someone else in the timeline already. He has been for a while I guess."
"Dr. M, how could you not have detected him before?!" turning back to face him he asked, "Are you still willing?"
"To stop what will be done I will undertake this mission."
"Good. We have taught you well. Though you could have been less thorough with those boys. It was a bit of a mess. Your name will be Alex. Remember, trust no one. Your family is of no true importance. You know what to do if the time comes. Don't hesitate to kill, though you've already proven that you don't have a weak stomach about it. That will serve you well. Now my perfect little avenging angel, go and fulfill your destiny."
***
Quatre blinked and looked up towards the silent figure sitting in the tree above him. He'd thought the boy was troubles since he'd come but now he was more than sure of it. "Quatre, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Did.." He choked back a sob. "Did I really say that to you?" Alex's eyes widened. He'd just relived his worst memory and evidently, Quatre had with him.
"You saw?!"
"I didn't mean to. That's never happened before though. I wouldn't have done that if I'd know how to stop it."
"Its fine Quatre. Just please don't tell the others."
"Did I really say that?"
"Its my fault. I should have known not to bother you when you were in the middle of something as important as a business merger. I deserved what you said."
"No, no one deserves that."
"If you don't like it just remember that its your future, not your past."
"Who was that girl?"
"Please don't Quatre."
"It was Duo's daughter Matty wasn't it?" Alex winced, confirming the fact for him.
"I should have been there for her."
"She's the reason you came back isn't it? It wasn't your fault."
"But it was, don't you see that? It I had paid more attention, if I hadn't given her that stupid jacket she would still be alive." Alex snapped. Quatre sighed and thought, For a boy so young he had too much guilt on his soul. "You called her your angel. Were you in love with her?"
"Yes and no. I loved her but not that way. She was like a sister to me. When I first stayed with her she was an angel of mercy. That's why I called her that." He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin there, looking at a rose in the flower garden across from them.
Changing the subject Quatre said, "The man in the time stream is the one you don't want to find out isn't he?"
"Yes, but he's different from the one that attacked you the day I first met you. He was under orders to kill me because someone had hired someone else to kill Relena. They had the room bugged. That's why they knew where I was."
"Morning Quatre, sleep well?" Heero asked cheerily as he walked towards them with a cup of coffee in each hand. He didn't notice Alex up in the tree at all.
"Yes, I slept very well, thank you Heero." He took the cup of coffee that was offered to him and sipped at it. Heero sighed and Quatre gave him a quizzical look. "What's up?"
"I just wish today was tomorrow. I don't want to brink that kid into my house. I'm afraid something might happen to Relena or the kids."
"Well at least I went from punk back to kid." Alex said as he looked down at them. Heero nearly inhaled and spit coffee all over himself at the same time. Quatre thumped him on the back, trying to hold back his laughter and Alex jumped the five or six feet from the tree to the ground and kneeled beside him. "You okay Heero?"
"What in blazes name were you doing ease-dropping again? Or were you spying on Quatre this time?" he roared angrily. Alex just rolled his eyes at him and lifted his head towards the sky in an askance for patience.
"Heero, be nice to him." Quatre snapped. "We were having a conversation before you ever woke up. Alex, what happened there?"
"What?" Both Heero and Quatre were looking at his neck where the very faint outlines of Heero's handprint could still be seen. "I don't know what you're talking about." Alex stated as he quickly got up and left. Quatre turned and glared at Heero who just looked at him.
"How do you think I got him to tell me those things last night?" was all he said before he followed the boy into the mansion. "Hey kid. We'll be leaving at noon. Get your junk packed up."
"And how long is the flight may I ask?"
"Six hours. Just enough time to get home, have dinner, and get the kids to bed." Heero said absently as he walked towards his room.
A few hours later they were sitting on an earthbound shuttle heading for eastern Eurasia. The flight was very uneventful, considering they were the only ones on the plane. Neither of them had anything really to say to the other so Heero ended up reading a magazine and Alex stared out into the cold blackness of space.
When they arrived on earth Pagan was waiting for them. He moved quickly and surely for someone of his age as he took their baggage from them and heaved it into the trunk of the car. In no time at all they were roaring down the highway towards Heero and Relena's vast mansion.
The mansion itself sat on a hill overlooking a lush, green valley with a large lake in its center. A forest was all you could see for miles around, unless you counted the meadow that was right behind the mansions gardens. A terrace wrapped around the whole of the bottom floor of the building and Roman pillars supported the overhanging that accompanied the terrace. Baloneys jutted out from the sides of the building at regular intervals. All in all, it was a pretty amazing sight to look at.
The car pulled up the circular driveway and stopped right in front of the door. Pagan opened the door of the car and allowed both out before he got the bags from the trunk. Alex and Heero tried to help him but he refused them respectfully. Heero finally gave up and walked in the front of his house, only to be attacked by two wild children, both wanting to be the first to get a kiss and hug from daddy.
"Kira, Daja, its good to see you again." Heero laughed as he bent down and scooped them up in his arms. As he stood Relena walked into the room wearing a semi-figure fitting summer dress. "Hey Relena, you look beautiful." Heero said as he looked at her.
She just laughed and shook her head saying, "Heero, you always say that." Then she stood on her toes and kissed him, carefully avoiding squishing her children in the process. When she looked behind him though, her smile faltered for a moment. "Alex, come in please."
"Thank you Mrs. Relena." He said respectfully as he stepped into the house and closed the door once Pagan came in.
"How long will you be staying?" Relena asked, but she pointed the question more towards Heero than Alex.
"He's leaving tomorrow." Heero said to her as he set his girls down.
"Alex!" Kira and Daja shrieked as they ran towards him. In a fluid movement Alex bent down, scooped them up, and twirled them around. Both girls shrieked with joy and hugged him. After Heero got over his initial shock he noticed that Alex's face, though usually carefully schooled to be void of anything, was caressed with a joyful smile.
"Now girls, leave him alone. He's probably tired after that trip. Leave him alone and go wash up for dinner." Relena scolded her offspring playfully. Alex put the girls down and they scampered off down one of the many halls to wash their hands.
"They're really no trouble at all Relena." He said as he watched them run off.
"You really like children don't you?" Heero asked him. 'I'm truly amazed that someone like him could enjoy children's company,' Heero thought. 'Its funny how they trust him even though they don't know him. Maybe he's not so bad as I initially thought. But there's still more to him than we know. He's hiding something. Something he doesn't want found out. Why else would he break the key off in Quatre's lock? There has to be something in that bag he doesn't want us to see. I'll have to send another update to Dr. J..'
"Heero, earth to Heero!" Relena said as she waved her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?"
"I asked you if you were going to stand there all day. Are you feeling okay?"
"Sorry Relena. Just a bit tired I guess."
"Uh-huh." She eyed him for a moment before she walked away. "Pagan will show you to your room Alex." She called over her shoulder before she disappeared around a corner.
"This way sir." Pagan started off at a pace that would have put some young men to shame. Alex was surprised that he could move that well at his age. He led him down a series of halls to a room sime-secluded from the rest of the house. "Here we are sir. Will you be needing anything else?"
"No, thank you Pagan." The man bowed and then like a ghost he was gone. Alex shrugged as he walked into the room, noticing with remorse that it had no lock on the door, and dumped his bag on the floor next to the door.
He took a quick shower and was just settling down to read the book Quatre had let him borrow when a sharp knock sounded on the door and Heero stuck his head in telling him to come to dinner.
It was a fairly uneventful night. He didn't eat a whole lot at dinner and afterwards he took the girls outside to play with them. Some of the servant's children joined them and they all enjoyed a good game of hide-and- go-seek-tag until it was almost too dark to see and the children were called in by their parents. All three of them came in flushed from the excitement and eyes dancing with happiness.
"Time for beds kids. Go brush your teeth and get your pj's on." Relena called from the kitchen. The girls muttered about early bedtimes but they hugged Alex goodnight and scampered off to their rooms. Alex shook his head a little as he stood up but when he turned around and spotted Heero his smile completely disappeared from his face and his eyes took on their normal hard stare that Heero carefully avoided.
"Play hard with them?" Heero asked.
"They're probably pretty tired."
"They give you any trouble?"
"Why should they? They're good kids." He shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
"You told me you'd rather not have me as an enemy. Stop acting so distant. I'm trying." Heero said sincerely.
"Sorry." Alex said and schooled his expression into what he hoped looked sheepish. Somehow Heero's words didn't comfort him. They stood there for a few minutes before Heero moved aside and Alex walked past him, forcing himself to walk slowly, even though he could feel Heero's piercing gaze on his back. Once in his room he quickly changed clothes and climbed into bed.
Sometime later he rolled over and looked at the clock on the beside table. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. and he still wasn't tired. He contemplated getting up and sneaking into the kitchen to get some warm milk. At 11:30 he totally gave up that idea when his stomach started to feel queasy. For a moment he thought someone had poisoned him but then he remembered what was happening to him and lay quietly on the bed as he fought for control of his stomach. At 12:00 he was getting ready to move into the bathroom just in case but he heard someone outside his door start to turn the door handle and dismissed the idea.
The door opened and a quiet shape entered the room. Though the window offered very little light and he had his eyes closed he had no doubt whatsoever about who it was. When the person started going through the belongings in his bag his anger flared but he said nothing, lest he have to explain things he didn't want to.
The shape looked around the room but upon finding nothing of interest it moved over towards the bed he was sleeping in and pulled the rumpled covers back over him. After standing there looking at him for a minute or two the person exited the room as quietly as it had entered. At 12:30 his stomach started to calm down and he let himself uncurl from the balled up position he'd been in and wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then after a few minutes he fell into an exhausted sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dream Maker: Okay, the rest of the chapters should be somewhere around this long from now on. Christa: Hey, we gotta get this posted and off to bed. Bye! Don't forget read AND REVIEW! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A sharp intake of breath made both of the men look down at the sleeping boy, but it was quickly followed by a deep sigh. "For a moment there I thought he woke up." Quatre said in relief.
"Sure, but what do you mean he's one of our children? He can't be mine because I only have girls, and he can't be yours because you don't have any at all."
"Heero, he said he came from the future. He never said how far into the future he came from. Think about it Heero. He came back here to keep us safe and he said his mother had died. It makes sense."
"Maybe, but I'm not quite sure. Why wouldn't he just tell us?" "I don't know." Quatre looked out the window as the car slowed and saw his mansion looming before them. "Looks like we're here. Alex, wake up." He gently shook the sleeping boy awake. Alex didn't jump up this time, but his eyes snapped open and he looked around before he realized where he was. "We're here Alex." Alex didn't say anything, just stepped out of the car and waited at the door to be let in. Rachide opened the door and nearly fell over from shock.
"Master Quatre, where'd he come from? This isn't him is it?!"
"Rachide, calm down. He's only staying here for tonight. Will you have a room made up for him? Oh, and are you staying Heero?"
"If you don't mind. I'll leave with him in the morning."
"Fine. Please have two rooms made up Rachide."
"Quatre, I'm sorry to be rude but do you have a door with a lock on it?" Alex asked before Rachide could walk away. Quatre thought for a moment before he hesitantly said, "Yes. I think I could arrange for that to be the room you stay in if that's what you want."
"Thank you. I would like that very much."
"Why the heck do you want a lock on your door kid?" Heero asked suspiciously as they entered the mansion and were lead to their rooms.
"I like my privacy. And, though I may trust the others, I don't trust you. Now answer me. Do you have a sufficient answer to why you're so suspicious of me?"
"I have orders to keep an eye on you." Was all Heero said as they stopped in front of a room.
"Heero, here's your room and the child's is right next door." Turning to Alex he handed him a key. "This will let you in. I take my leave now unless either of you have anything you need."
"No, thank you Rachide. We'll be fine." Heero stated, obviously more than ready to get rid of him for some reason. Rachide only bowed, turned, and walked away. Alex watched him a moment before he inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. But as he was turning the key back so he could take it out of the lock, it snapped off, leaving him holding the end of the key. "How did that happen?" Heero demanded.
"I told you I like my privacy. I know you can pick locks and I didn't want to be intruded upon. I'll get him a new lock later." With that he stepped inside the room and closed the door. But before he had a chance to lock it Heero thrust it open and stepped inside the room. The light was still off but Alex could see that Heero meant business when he looked at his face. Quicker than he'd expected him to move, Heero had him up against the wall with one of his hands around Alex's throat.
"If you ever pull a stunt again like you did today I will make you wish you were never borne. And if you try to run, I will hunt you down." (Okay, btw, we don't own those lines either. They belong to Miss Congeniality, although we did slightly modify them.)
"What stunt are you talking about?" Alex played innocent, hoping that it would get him out of trouble.
"You were awake in the car and I know it. You were ease-dropping on us."
"So? Why didn't you call my bluff in the car?"
"I didn't want to make Quatre angry with you."
"So, you're not as stone hearted as you'd like me to think. Heero, I don't care what you think of me but it would be nice not to have you as an enemy. I'd hate to make life miserable for you tomorrow."
"I want the truth and I want to now Alex, was one of the Gundam Pilots your father?"
"Maybe. But you also can't rule out the possibility of Zechs now can you? He wasn't a Gundam Pilot."
"So Zechs was, I mean is your father?"
"That would make you my uncle but no. I never said who my father was nor will I ever if I have a choice. They would think they had to act as my parents and that would be an attachment. I can't have attachments here. It could get me killed or it could distract me with feelings I don't need if I have to sacrifice them for the good of the future." Heero started at him in utter disbelief.
"You'd kill your own parents?"
"If it was better for the people then yes. If it was not, then no. Remember Heero, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I was trained for this mission and I will carry it out. Now, if you would kindly put me down." He stated it more than asked and Heero obliged. "Now, unless you have something else you want cleared up, get out." Heero walked out shaking his head. Alex quickly changed his clothes and drew the covers up to his chin as he climbed into the soft bed that he'd be sleeping in. He went to sleep wondering if he'd said too much.
~*~ (Day 2)
Quatre wondered the mansion looking for any signs of life. Heero was still asleep, along with most of the servants, and Alex we nowhere to be found. "Where could he have gotten off to? I didn't think any kid his age would be up this early by choice. I know I wasn't." he muttered to himself as he wandered out into the immense garden at the back of the mansion. He wandered through it taking in the sounds, smells, and sights as he walked.
He headed toward the back of the western part of the garden. Of all the beautiful places in the garden, that was his favorite. A massive oak tree was planted there and he loved to sit in its shade on the grass and read a book as the wind tousled his hair. It was especially nice in the morning when the "sun" was just beginning to rise and the light played over his face, making colors dance before his eyes whether they were open or not. Although his mind was drifting to other places, his feet still took him to the oak tree. But when he sat down his mind came back to the present and he got a feeling of someone watching him.
He looked lazily around but saw no one. Only when a leaf drifted down in front of his face did he look up to see a figure watching him from the branches above. "Morning Alex. I wondered where you'd got off to."
"Morning Quatre. Sorry if I scared you."
"Not at all. I just came out here to enjoy the sunshine. What are you doing up so early?"
"I don't know."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"You might say that." Alex said flatly. Quatre got a feeling there was more to it than that but he didn't press the subject.
"Alex, this may seem rude, but what are you doing here? I mean, how can you tell if what you're doing is the best thing for the future?"
"My memories. I can tell how good or how badly the people from my memories of what I've seen."
"How did you get here?"
"I'm not quite sure myself exactly." Alex said. As he watched Quatre he could see that he was fighting with himself about something. "You have more questions. Ask them. I'll answer them if I think they won't jeopardize my mission."
"Thank you. Heero and I talked last night.."
"Yes, one of you is my father. You were right about that. Will I tell you who it is? That answer is no. Will I tell you what gender your future children will be? No." Alex stated before Quatre had a chance to finish.
"Okay, with that answered, are you sure you would sacrifice your own parents? I mean knowing them, your father before he made any big mistakes, knowing your mother at all, isn't that important to you?"
"I." he couldn't finish what he was about to say. "I don't know. I was sent here to protect them, to protect all of you, but I think I would give both of them up again for things to go back to normal."
"Then there was another reason that you came back?"
"No!" Alex said a little too quickly but Quatre felt, just for a second, a real live emotion from him. Pain. Intense pain that comes from loosing everything. Along with it came a long buried memory.
***(Flashback that Quatre sees)
"Hey. Thanks for coming over."
"No problem. Anything for a friend. I'm sorry about your pop. Dad will be here to pick us up tomorrow. I'm suppose to help you pack." Alex saw his friend look around the room at the bare shelves and walls and forced a grin onto his face.
"I'm already packed. I have his best suit ready for the funeral and all my stuff fits in two suitcases." The friend tore her eyes away from the walls.
"Then what do you want to do now?"
"How about the club? I could use something to take my mind off of today. It was truly pathetic."
"Hey, wait." He turned around and his friend looked at him. "You were hurt. Sure you don't want to go see a doctor? My parents would kill me if anything happened to you."
"Huh?" Alex reached up and touched the side of his head. "Oh that. That's not my blood. I thought I'd washed all that off." he said as he went into the bathroom and washed the rest of it off. A single tear slid down his cheek but he wiped it away angrily and looked in the mirror for a split second before he walked out the door with his friend. Even though he put on a brave appearance, by the time they got to the club he was more than angry. Emotions warred within him making him even madder at himself for feeling. He knew better.
Hours flew by as he danced out on the floor, neon lights flashing, heavy metal music blaring from the loudspeakers on stage. The band was really good tonight. Just then a tap on the shoulder made him turn around to see his friend standing there.
"Hey, can I have your coat? I need some air. These weird guys with freaked out tattoos have been stocking me, asking about you."
"Yeah, sure. Take it. I'll be out in a few." He replied as he took off his coat and handed it to her.
"Thanks." She said as she walked off into the crowd. But a few seconds after she's gone it dawned on him that she'd said something about weird tattoos. He tried to hurry through the crowd but an especially obnoxious song started and everyone went mad, making it nearly impossible to move.
Fearing for his friends life he pushed and shoved his way by people who responded with rude signs or suggestions. Once one person even tried to fight him but a bouncer came along and grabbed him. Alex followed in the bouncers wake, praying that he'd hurry up.
Finally he stepped out into the cold night air and looked around. Not seeing his friend made the heavy pressure of fear knot itself in his stomach. Then he heard a blood-curdling scream from a side ally. As he rushed to help his friend two members of the viper gang caught him.
"Where do you think you're going?" One of them sneered as a scream was heard again.
"Hey, this isn't the one!" the leader shouted but then laughed wickedly. "But that should teach 'em not to mess with us again." He laughed again and as he ran past, signaled his goons to let Alex go. Instead of chasing after them like he usually would have Alex scrambled over to his friend. She lay entirely still and he thought she was dead. He reached out to touch her and a small groan escaped her throat. Alex quickly propped her head up on his lap and bent over her.
"Are you okay? What did they do to you? My god, I am so sorry." She was still wearing his jacket. The jacket! They'd mistaken her for him!
"I have to go now. It's okay. I have to go now." she said to him, her voice growing fainter with every word until her words stopped and her breathing stilled. But her lifeblood continued to flow out of her onto the pavement. Her braid had come partially loose and her tresses seemed to gather about her face, silhouetting it. The peaceful expressions on her face made her look, even more so now, like the angel she's always been to him.
Rain started to pour down on them and he thought it was fitting that the heavens should cry when an angel was taken before her time. Lightning flashed overhead and fire blazed in his eyes as he saw the knife lying on the ground next to her broken body. He lifted his head towards he heavens and yelled, "Why her? Why not me?! How dare you!" He notified the police and went inside, after being questioned, to call someone. Three rings later someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Quatre?"
"Listen, I told you last time that I don't have time to baby-sit so stop calling me! See if one of the others can take you, you ungrateful runt!"
"Quatre please-!" but he'd already hung up, which was evident by the buzzing of the dial tone in his ear. ~*~
He was running down the street chasing after three boys. All of the had severe knife wounds already. Finally one tripped and he stood over him with a look of triumph on his face.
"Please, don't hurt me!"
"You should have thought about that before you killed my angel." Alex said. The knife flashed downwards and he cur the viper many times before he finally dealt the killing blow. He went after, caught, and executed the other two in the same fashion.
~*~
He was running away. The police were after him for the murder of the mayor's son and two of his friends. Alex darted down different ally ways trying to try to confuse them but they stayed right with him. Suddenly something hit him from behind and his world went black.
~*~
"Are you ready now? Have you gotten yourself into enough trouble? Or do you want to have us turn you over to the police."
"To undo what was done I will undertake this mission."
"Dr. J! There's someone else in the timeline already. He has been for a while I guess."
"Dr. M, how could you not have detected him before?!" turning back to face him he asked, "Are you still willing?"
"To stop what will be done I will undertake this mission."
"Good. We have taught you well. Though you could have been less thorough with those boys. It was a bit of a mess. Your name will be Alex. Remember, trust no one. Your family is of no true importance. You know what to do if the time comes. Don't hesitate to kill, though you've already proven that you don't have a weak stomach about it. That will serve you well. Now my perfect little avenging angel, go and fulfill your destiny."
***
Quatre blinked and looked up towards the silent figure sitting in the tree above him. He'd thought the boy was troubles since he'd come but now he was more than sure of it. "Quatre, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Did.." He choked back a sob. "Did I really say that to you?" Alex's eyes widened. He'd just relived his worst memory and evidently, Quatre had with him.
"You saw?!"
"I didn't mean to. That's never happened before though. I wouldn't have done that if I'd know how to stop it."
"Its fine Quatre. Just please don't tell the others."
"Did I really say that?"
"Its my fault. I should have known not to bother you when you were in the middle of something as important as a business merger. I deserved what you said."
"No, no one deserves that."
"If you don't like it just remember that its your future, not your past."
"Who was that girl?"
"Please don't Quatre."
"It was Duo's daughter Matty wasn't it?" Alex winced, confirming the fact for him.
"I should have been there for her."
"She's the reason you came back isn't it? It wasn't your fault."
"But it was, don't you see that? It I had paid more attention, if I hadn't given her that stupid jacket she would still be alive." Alex snapped. Quatre sighed and thought, For a boy so young he had too much guilt on his soul. "You called her your angel. Were you in love with her?"
"Yes and no. I loved her but not that way. She was like a sister to me. When I first stayed with her she was an angel of mercy. That's why I called her that." He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin there, looking at a rose in the flower garden across from them.
Changing the subject Quatre said, "The man in the time stream is the one you don't want to find out isn't he?"
"Yes, but he's different from the one that attacked you the day I first met you. He was under orders to kill me because someone had hired someone else to kill Relena. They had the room bugged. That's why they knew where I was."
"Morning Quatre, sleep well?" Heero asked cheerily as he walked towards them with a cup of coffee in each hand. He didn't notice Alex up in the tree at all.
"Yes, I slept very well, thank you Heero." He took the cup of coffee that was offered to him and sipped at it. Heero sighed and Quatre gave him a quizzical look. "What's up?"
"I just wish today was tomorrow. I don't want to brink that kid into my house. I'm afraid something might happen to Relena or the kids."
"Well at least I went from punk back to kid." Alex said as he looked down at them. Heero nearly inhaled and spit coffee all over himself at the same time. Quatre thumped him on the back, trying to hold back his laughter and Alex jumped the five or six feet from the tree to the ground and kneeled beside him. "You okay Heero?"
"What in blazes name were you doing ease-dropping again? Or were you spying on Quatre this time?" he roared angrily. Alex just rolled his eyes at him and lifted his head towards the sky in an askance for patience.
"Heero, be nice to him." Quatre snapped. "We were having a conversation before you ever woke up. Alex, what happened there?"
"What?" Both Heero and Quatre were looking at his neck where the very faint outlines of Heero's handprint could still be seen. "I don't know what you're talking about." Alex stated as he quickly got up and left. Quatre turned and glared at Heero who just looked at him.
"How do you think I got him to tell me those things last night?" was all he said before he followed the boy into the mansion. "Hey kid. We'll be leaving at noon. Get your junk packed up."
"And how long is the flight may I ask?"
"Six hours. Just enough time to get home, have dinner, and get the kids to bed." Heero said absently as he walked towards his room.
A few hours later they were sitting on an earthbound shuttle heading for eastern Eurasia. The flight was very uneventful, considering they were the only ones on the plane. Neither of them had anything really to say to the other so Heero ended up reading a magazine and Alex stared out into the cold blackness of space.
When they arrived on earth Pagan was waiting for them. He moved quickly and surely for someone of his age as he took their baggage from them and heaved it into the trunk of the car. In no time at all they were roaring down the highway towards Heero and Relena's vast mansion.
The mansion itself sat on a hill overlooking a lush, green valley with a large lake in its center. A forest was all you could see for miles around, unless you counted the meadow that was right behind the mansions gardens. A terrace wrapped around the whole of the bottom floor of the building and Roman pillars supported the overhanging that accompanied the terrace. Baloneys jutted out from the sides of the building at regular intervals. All in all, it was a pretty amazing sight to look at.
The car pulled up the circular driveway and stopped right in front of the door. Pagan opened the door of the car and allowed both out before he got the bags from the trunk. Alex and Heero tried to help him but he refused them respectfully. Heero finally gave up and walked in the front of his house, only to be attacked by two wild children, both wanting to be the first to get a kiss and hug from daddy.
"Kira, Daja, its good to see you again." Heero laughed as he bent down and scooped them up in his arms. As he stood Relena walked into the room wearing a semi-figure fitting summer dress. "Hey Relena, you look beautiful." Heero said as he looked at her.
She just laughed and shook her head saying, "Heero, you always say that." Then she stood on her toes and kissed him, carefully avoiding squishing her children in the process. When she looked behind him though, her smile faltered for a moment. "Alex, come in please."
"Thank you Mrs. Relena." He said respectfully as he stepped into the house and closed the door once Pagan came in.
"How long will you be staying?" Relena asked, but she pointed the question more towards Heero than Alex.
"He's leaving tomorrow." Heero said to her as he set his girls down.
"Alex!" Kira and Daja shrieked as they ran towards him. In a fluid movement Alex bent down, scooped them up, and twirled them around. Both girls shrieked with joy and hugged him. After Heero got over his initial shock he noticed that Alex's face, though usually carefully schooled to be void of anything, was caressed with a joyful smile.
"Now girls, leave him alone. He's probably tired after that trip. Leave him alone and go wash up for dinner." Relena scolded her offspring playfully. Alex put the girls down and they scampered off down one of the many halls to wash their hands.
"They're really no trouble at all Relena." He said as he watched them run off.
"You really like children don't you?" Heero asked him. 'I'm truly amazed that someone like him could enjoy children's company,' Heero thought. 'Its funny how they trust him even though they don't know him. Maybe he's not so bad as I initially thought. But there's still more to him than we know. He's hiding something. Something he doesn't want found out. Why else would he break the key off in Quatre's lock? There has to be something in that bag he doesn't want us to see. I'll have to send another update to Dr. J..'
"Heero, earth to Heero!" Relena said as she waved her hand in front of his face.
"Huh?"
"I asked you if you were going to stand there all day. Are you feeling okay?"
"Sorry Relena. Just a bit tired I guess."
"Uh-huh." She eyed him for a moment before she walked away. "Pagan will show you to your room Alex." She called over her shoulder before she disappeared around a corner.
"This way sir." Pagan started off at a pace that would have put some young men to shame. Alex was surprised that he could move that well at his age. He led him down a series of halls to a room sime-secluded from the rest of the house. "Here we are sir. Will you be needing anything else?"
"No, thank you Pagan." The man bowed and then like a ghost he was gone. Alex shrugged as he walked into the room, noticing with remorse that it had no lock on the door, and dumped his bag on the floor next to the door.
He took a quick shower and was just settling down to read the book Quatre had let him borrow when a sharp knock sounded on the door and Heero stuck his head in telling him to come to dinner.
It was a fairly uneventful night. He didn't eat a whole lot at dinner and afterwards he took the girls outside to play with them. Some of the servant's children joined them and they all enjoyed a good game of hide-and- go-seek-tag until it was almost too dark to see and the children were called in by their parents. All three of them came in flushed from the excitement and eyes dancing with happiness.
"Time for beds kids. Go brush your teeth and get your pj's on." Relena called from the kitchen. The girls muttered about early bedtimes but they hugged Alex goodnight and scampered off to their rooms. Alex shook his head a little as he stood up but when he turned around and spotted Heero his smile completely disappeared from his face and his eyes took on their normal hard stare that Heero carefully avoided.
"Play hard with them?" Heero asked.
"They're probably pretty tired."
"They give you any trouble?"
"Why should they? They're good kids." He shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
"You told me you'd rather not have me as an enemy. Stop acting so distant. I'm trying." Heero said sincerely.
"Sorry." Alex said and schooled his expression into what he hoped looked sheepish. Somehow Heero's words didn't comfort him. They stood there for a few minutes before Heero moved aside and Alex walked past him, forcing himself to walk slowly, even though he could feel Heero's piercing gaze on his back. Once in his room he quickly changed clothes and climbed into bed.
Sometime later he rolled over and looked at the clock on the beside table. It was nearly 11:00 p.m. and he still wasn't tired. He contemplated getting up and sneaking into the kitchen to get some warm milk. At 11:30 he totally gave up that idea when his stomach started to feel queasy. For a moment he thought someone had poisoned him but then he remembered what was happening to him and lay quietly on the bed as he fought for control of his stomach. At 12:00 he was getting ready to move into the bathroom just in case but he heard someone outside his door start to turn the door handle and dismissed the idea.
The door opened and a quiet shape entered the room. Though the window offered very little light and he had his eyes closed he had no doubt whatsoever about who it was. When the person started going through the belongings in his bag his anger flared but he said nothing, lest he have to explain things he didn't want to.
The shape looked around the room but upon finding nothing of interest it moved over towards the bed he was sleeping in and pulled the rumpled covers back over him. After standing there looking at him for a minute or two the person exited the room as quietly as it had entered. At 12:30 his stomach started to calm down and he let himself uncurl from the balled up position he'd been in and wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then after a few minutes he fell into an exhausted sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dream Maker: Okay, the rest of the chapters should be somewhere around this long from now on. Christa: Hey, we gotta get this posted and off to bed. Bye! Don't forget read AND REVIEW! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
