Chapter Two: The Lady
by Clay
Quatre and Trowa were waiting in the truck when he returned. The blond hopped out excitedly once he caught sight of Heero.
"So?"
"So?" Heero repeated to the bouncing youth.
"Sooo…" he drawled, "You're almost a half hour late. What happened? Did you see her?"
"Her?" Heero frowned, climbing into the cab, "Oh. No. His chatter probably kept her away."
"His?" Trowa lifted an eyebrow as he slid over to make room for Quatre.
Heero stared at him for a minute, "Oh." He shook his head, "There was this guy at the dock. Looking for the ghost, too, I guess."
"Was he cute?" Quatre smirked.
Only Trowa caught the blush spreading across Heero's cheeks.
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"Anything you want to tell me?" Trowa was sprawled across Heero's bed distractedly flipping through a six-month-old copy of Motor Trend.
"What? What are you talking about?" Heero swung around in his chair and Trowa looked up to see him blushing again.
"So… what exactly happened last night? You've been awfully quiet…."
Heero gave him a look.
"Well, quieter than usual."
Heero sighed, closing his eyes briefly before meeting Trowa's gaze. "We talked. No, he talked. A lot."
"And?"
"And…" Another sigh and Trowa suddenly noticed how lost Heero looked.
"What is it?" Trowa scooted forward and sat up, watching his friend with concern.
"I don't know what happened… well, I don't know why. I just… I mean, he asked me…." Heero paused, "Promise you won't tell?"
Trowa nodded.
"This guy was at the dock. He looked about our age. We got to talking, and… I kissed him."
Trowa's mouth fell open, his eyes wide. "Say that again?"
"I kissed another guy."
"You - what? But I thought…."
"I know!" Heero suddenly leapt up, slamming one hand down on the desk. "I'm really confused. I just want to forget about it… maybe start seeing Relena again. But… then…" He continued when Trowa didn't reply, "part of me wants to see him again."
"Wow." Trowa was shaking his head, eyes wandering over the carpet. "We were just kidding. You know that, right?"
"I know… but it really did feel right."
"Can you see yourself having sex with him?"
"What?!" Heero jerked his head around to meet Trowa's eyes.
"If you can't see yourself being intimate with him then it'll never work. But if you can… then why not give it a try?"
"I don't know."
"Well," Trowa was suddenly all smiles, "whatever you decide, I have GOT to meet this guy. Who is it?"
"Duo Maxwell. I think he's here visiting Matthew's family."
"Let's go find him then!" Trowa jumped up, heading for the door.
Heero laughed, "You've definitely been spending too much time with Quatre; he's starting to rub off on you."
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Before they even got in the truck, Heero had his doubts, and by the time they pulled into the Maxwell farm, he had a decidedly bad feeling.
"Trowa, I don't know."
"Well," Trowa grinned again, "if you don't get out there and knock on that door, I will. Go."
With a grunt and a frown, Heero climbed out and started up the dirt driveway. He knocked on the door and a moment later it opened to Matthew Maxwell smiling at him. Tall, with dark eyes, Heero couldn't see much resemblance between Matthew and Duo except for the thick chestnut hair they both shared.
"Hey, Heero," Matthew greeted him, still smiling, "Coach send you over here?"
"Um… no… I'm looking for Duo. Is he staying here?"
"Duo?" Matthew screwed up his face. "Who?"
"Duo Maxwell? He said he was related to you."
Matthew shook his head, "Well, I don't know any Duo, but let me ask my Dad. Be right back." He ushered Heero into the living room and then disappeared up a flight of steps.
A few minutes later, Matthew returned, trailing his father. Mr. Maxwell stopped right in front of Heero and looked him over, arms crossed over his chest. "You've seen Duo?"
Heero looked from him to a shrugging Matthew and back again. "Yes. At the lake."
The man nodded. "He spoke to you? Did you… touch him?"
Heero was becoming more confused by the moment and a little uncomfortable. "Maybe I should just go. I'm sorry for-"
"Wait. Could you at least describe this Duo for me?"
Heero sighed, "Purple eyes. Long hair in a braid. Is that enough?"
"That was him. I can't believe it. He's real."
"Dad?" Matthew came around to face his father, "What are you talking about?"
He looked his son in the eye and then turned back to Heero. "You'd better sit down." Mr. Maxwell and his son took seats on the couch, but Heero remained standing.
"My Grandfather warned me about this. I didn't believe him," Mr. Maxwell laughed, the sound coming out more like a sigh, "You see, my grandfather's grandfather had a brother. The boy was… well, he was queer. And our family being a good Christian bunch, we apparently didn't get along well with him. He didn't fit it. They tried to help him, but he… he killed himself. Drowned in the lake." Mr. Maxwell looked Heero in the eye, "His name was Duo."
"You saw a ghost?" Matthew's eyes lit up, "That is so cool."
"A ghost?" A chill shot down Heero's spine, and he shook his head in disbelief.
Mr. Maxwell was nodding again, "I've never seen him myself, but my Grandfather did and he warned me that this might happen. If anyone asks, you just tell them it was the Lady."
"The Lady of the Lake?" Matthew was nearly glowing with excitement, "Are you saying that my great uncle is the Lady of the Lake?"
"Actually, yes," His father turned red, "Apparently someone mistook him for a girl and the family just went with it. He was a disgrace. I promised my grandfather I'd keep his secret and I'd appreciate it if you helped me out."
"Okay." Heero turned, unable to process all that he'd heard. He left without a word and made his way back to the truck.
Trowa turned to him curiously as he entered. "What happened in there? You look like you saw a ghost."
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"Oh. My. God." The three boys were seated on the floor of Heero's room. Quatre sprung to his feet, fueled by Heero's tale. "No wonder we couldn't find anything in the library. 'The Lady' is a man!"
Trowa nodded, "This is really strange. I can't believe this guy is a ghost."
"It has to be a trick." Heero shot to his feet as well, too anxious to sit still. He paced the length of the room to stare out his window. "He couldn't be a ghost. I mean, I touched him. I kiss--." He stopped short and looked to Quatre who was staring at him in shock.
"You kissed him?"
Heero stared back, "Well…."
"Honey, calm down."
Quatre spun on his boyfriend, "He kissed him and you knew! And you didn't tell me?"
Trowa shrugged, getting to his feet. "We knew you'd overreact. Heero has to think about this."
"Oh my God. You kissed a guy." Quatre spun back to Heero, a wide smile on his face, Trowa's words lost on him, "Did he kiss you back? Did you like it? How did this happen?"
"Let's not forget that this guy is a ghost." Trowa came up behind his boyfriend and put his hands on his shoulders. "I think we should deal with that before—"
"Oh my God, that's right!" Quatre started to bounce again, "Heero, you kissed a ghost! Wow. This is so cool."
Heero shook his head and fell back on the bed. "Any chance we can stick him in the closet?"
Quatre paused, mouth wide open.
"He'll do it, too," Trowa smiled.
"Right." Heero blinked up at the ceiling, "So what now?"
"I say we go find the ghost."
"Right now?" Heero looked from Trowa to the open window. A heavy fog swirled through the blades of grass and skittered down the street.
Trowa had a smug look on his face when Heero turned back to him. "No better time."
Despite the overly enthusiastic Quatre bouncing around and thoroughly distracting the driver, the truck made it to Opal Lake in one piece. The three boys sat in the cab for a minute in silence.
"So…" Quatre turned to Heero, the first to speak, "let's go."
Trowa shook his head, "I think Heero should go alone. New people might scare him away. Besides," Trowa threw Heero a smile over Quatre's head, "they need to talk."
"Oh." Quatre pouted, but Trowa ran a hand down his thigh.
"Don't worry. I'll keep you busy."
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Heero was back to pacing. He marched from one end of the pier to the other and back again, anxiety and confusion filling every thought. Duo was a ghost. He had kissed a ghost. The thought that he had kissed another man was still fresh and too much to comprehend at this point, so the fact that this man was a ghost was a tad bit mind blowing.
A soft voice drifted through the fog from the end of the pier, "You came back."
Heero turned to find a dripping wet Duo smiling at him, clear amethyst eyes glinting in the moonlight. He looked so real, so solid. He couldn't be a ghost.
But the near freezing cold that emanated from him as Heero approached told otherwise. He swept the boy into his arms and could feel hard muscle beneath his hands. The leather of his vest was soft and damp. The feather light brush of his bangs tickled Heero's nose as he titled his face up to meet Heero's eyes.
"Hi." He whispered, and his breath was cool and sweet.
Heero kissed him, fierce with pain and confusion. After a moment, Duo pushed away, concern plain across his features.
He searched Heero's eyes before speaking, "What's wrong?"
Heero tightened his grasp on the boy, face downcast as he whispered, "You lied to me."
"What? I never."
Heero paused and then nodded, "All right. True. You didn't. But you didn't tell me, either." He looked up to meet Duo's gaze. "You're so real."
"Oh." Understanding dawned in Duo's eyes, and he chuckled softly. "How did you find out?"
"I went to the Maxwell farm. They told me…."
Still in Heero's arms, Duo shook his head. "They lied to you."
Heero's eyes widened in hope, "You mean you're not—"
"No." Duo pulled away. "I'm… I am…" He chuckled again, and the same bitterness Heero had heard the other night flanked his words, "Why is this so hard to say?" He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just say it. I… I'm dead. I am dead, a ghost."
Heero just stared, unable to do anything else.
"But I didn't kill myself!" Duo went on, a passion coming to his voice. "That's what they told everyone, but it's not true. My father… the great reverend," he spit the last word out, "killed me. My own father." He sighed and turned his gaze skyward, "Not like it matters now."
"But…" Heero's voice was hoarse as he clung to his last wisp of hope, "But I can touch you."
"For now." Duo shrugged. "I get to be… what's the word… corporeal? Yeah. I get to be… well, solid around the time of my death. I'm always here, but sometimes I'm not solid and sometimes I'm invisible. I can't even talk. I guess this time of year I just have more energy." He turned back to Heero and stopped.
Two tears made twin tracks down Heero's cheeks. He was flushed and angry, "It's not fair. I like you. You can't be dead."
"I'm sorry, I…"
"Fuck you."
"Hey!" Duo frowned as Heero turned his back, "It's not my fault."
"I have to go."
Duo sighed again. "Fine." Heavy steps retreated and he sank to the ground, head hung, the grass blurring behind a thick haze of tears. After a moment, it seemed that Heero had changed his mind, as the sound of footfalls once again approached.
"Hey. Are you all right?"
Duo wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up to find a short blond boy smiling down at him.
"I'm fine."
The boy shook his head, "No. You're not. But I think I can help."
"I doubt it," Duo scoffed.
The boy just smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Quatre. Heero's cousin."
Eyes wide, Duo got to his feet and took Quatre's hand. "Really?"
"Yeah. He told me about you and…well, I heard everything."
"Spying on us?" Duo smiled, hope invading his thoughts, "Can you really help me?"
"I think so. I'll be back, I promise, but I have to go now before they miss me."
Duo nodded, eyes on Quatre's retreating form before dissolving into the mist.
End Chapter Two
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Author's notes: I'm glad you all seem to like this story. ^_^ I had severe problems putting up the first chapter, as any who read it can tell. Hopefully it's fixed now. There will be one more chapter after this one and then I'm considering doing a sequel. I think I will. Depends on if I have the time and the inspiration.