**Here's Chapter 2, now Lizzy won't have to hunt me down (hehehehe). It's very short compared to the other chapters, especially the 3, which I'm writing as we speak. I hope you enjoy this one and will review. I am very excited about the response this story has been getting, and I hope it will continue to get the same responses lol. Same pairings as before.**



Disclaimer: I wish!





Chapter 2



The excavation unit that came the next day Une had ordered was huge. The ex-Gundam pilots had checked into a hotel for the night, and had aroused early the next morning to re-enter the site to start marking off things for transport. They were to head the entire excavation mission.

Wufei, Quatre, and Heero boxed up Dr. Koji's bedroom, taking her clothes, and personal items, as well as her heirlooms and artifacts. They left the body for the medical units to retrieve. Duo and Trowa collected all of the materials, programing equipment, data associated with Project Ronin, and anything else the scientist may have had going. Duo himself took the diskettes filed with the priceless information on Project Ronin. He would be over the unit that surveyed that information, and he would be the first to read it in its entirety.

It was near dusk when the final capsule had been loaded into the last Preventer carrier for transport to base. Wufei sat on top of his jeep next to Trowa and Quatre listening to the lovers talk more of the strange story left behind by Dr. Mia Koji. Quatre had finished the diary in the hotel room he and Trowa had shared that night...with Duo. Wufei ended up sharing with Heero. Heero had been extremely sullen, and quieter than usual. He'd gone to bed before 8, and left Wufei to spend much of the night in quiet introspection.

Was he really in love with Duo Maxwell, or was it just physical lust? Duo was extremely attractive, with creamy skin that had lost its rosy tan since he'd been hurt due to being kept inside too often, wide eyes the color of amethyst crystals, long dark lashed that just grazed his cheeks and curled delicately, beautiful roasted almond tinted hair that hung down his back in a braid soft as woven silk... He looked somewhat enchanted, like a sprite, or a pixie; he looked unreal. He was indeed a handsome prize in such a tiny package. Duo was small compared to Wufei, and he could easily be bundled up in his arms like a child to be cradled, cherished, and protected. But Duo was not one who needed to be protected, the fairy child was a fierce fighter, and bit at hands that tried to pet his head and tell him how cute he was. He had the spirit of a true warrior, honorable and trustworthy, bright yet sometimes vulgar wit, and a heart of gold. His background may have been humble, but what it produced was not. Duo Maxwell was a force to be reckoned with...and Wufei felt worthy of the cause... He wanted to stand up to the challenge, to win Duo.

So was it lust or love? Duo was a challenge, a prize, but he was only a prize because Wufei...loved him so much.

'Heero's going to kill me.'

Heero walked through the hustle and bustle of many Preventer agents loading and unloading supplies for the excavation endeavor. He'd actually directed the men who'd moved the capsules, and watcher over the men who collected the late Dr. Koji's remains. He didn't know the woman, but after digging through her personal space he felt a need to make sure what was left of her corpse was shown some respect. He felt unneeded then though, his job had concluded. The capsules had already been taken away, the only people left now were scientists going through the labs looking at the equipment to be left behind, and the last of the agents that were loading carriers. He saw Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei sitting upon a jeep, Quatre and Trowa in deep conversation while Wufei looked deep in thought. He would have joined them, but they, however, were not who he wished to spend some time with.

He frowned as he thought about the previous day, and how cold Duo had been to him after they'd left the site. He was only looking out for Duo's best interest. He didn't want him to be hurt again so soon. He was just starting to really heal, it was too soon for him to be running around like he had before. If Une had thought the mission would have really turned into something like what it had, she wouldn't have sent Duo. He just didn't understand. He didn't know how to lie low, or admit when he was anything less than 100%. He was Duo, short, stubborn, beautiful, and absolutely amazing... Heero sighed, he still could not believe how hard he had fallen for the loud mouthed American with the ridiculous braid that hung well past his buttocks. At first Duo had annoyed to him to no end, but slowly, slowly Duo's endless chatter which used to drive him crazy became a soothing noise. His annoying hair that he always spent too long taking care of, using all the hot water in the shower to wash it, and taking a half hour to comb and style, became beguiling to his eyes. His manic smiles which used to heat his blood in frustration, started to heat his blood with passion. When Duo was away from him, he felt...lonely. Heero had never needed anyone, and suddenly he needed Duo Maxwell. When he finally figured that out, he'd almost lost him. He could still recall Duo lying on that cold bathroom floor bleeding his life's blood onto Wufei's uniform. He still remembered holding his small hand in the hospital willing the braided bundle to awaken. He remembered when he first said 'I love you,' and Duo told him that he felt the same. That had been the happiest day in Heero's life, but after that day all he seemed to do was mess up with Duo. His love was always so angry with him it seemed. They argued over little things that would send Duo to sleep in another bedroom away from him. It hurt Heero to not have not Duo speak to him for days at a time. It was always over Heero's overprotectiveness...always... why couldn't he just back off?

Because he... loved him so much, and he didn't know what he would do when Duo didn't need him anymore to be his strength. Unlike Heero, Duo didn't seem to be incomplete without him. He'd seen Duo move in and out of relationships like clothing. He didn't want to be just another shirt or pair of pants the American had outgrown. He knew he needed to have more faith in Duo. He'd said he loved him. Duo didn't hand out "I love you's," easily. In fact, he'd never said it to anyone else, he'd admitted to Heero, and Heero believed him. Duo Maxwell never lied. But as Heero neared the end of his grace period, the period where the relationship was so new they treated it like spun sugar, and Duo had to cling to him for support, he grew nervous. He wasn't ready to leave the grace period, and as long as he behaved as if Duo was still injured, he could stretch it out. Unfortunately, Duo didn't hold the same view. Heero sighed, all serious relationships had their rocks that made them stronger. Please let us come away from this stronger, he hesitated over the next step up in the relationship, his foot hoovering on the staircase... trust Duo...trust Duo enough to know he needs you more than he needed a crutch when he was healing. Trust Duo enough to let go.

He found Duo sitting in the double cab of a Preventer's pick up truck. He looked comfortable snuggled in the seat with his labtop resting on his knees, nibbling at a small apple in his left hand as he read the computer screen. He shivered a bit, the day had grown chilly as the sun sank lower in the sky. Heero cautiously made his way to the truck, and slowly climbed in to sit beside Duo. Duo glanced at him briefly, before Heero wrapped an arm around the boy, and pulled him close. He waited in anticipation to see if Duo would pull away from him. Duo's shoulders relaxed in his hold, and he moved closer, practically sitting in Heero's lap, and leaned his head on his shoulder. He offered Heero a taste of his apple, and smiled when Heero took a bite. "I missed you," he whispered bringing his thumb from the opposite hand up to wipe at the trail of stray apple juice dribbling down Heero's chin.

"You did?"

"Yeah.. I'm sorry I got so mad at you yesterday. I was just... I was really excited, and you were...spoiling it for me. I'm not as weak as I was Heero, I handled myself just fine in there, but you made me feel as if I was doing all of the wrong things. It was like I was incompetent or something. Everyone seems to have faith in me, but you. And your faith is the only faith that matters to me Heero. It hurts me to think that you don't trust me to know my own limits."

Heero blinked, seeing the vision of the stairs again, "I... It's not that I don't trust you. I do trust you. It's just... I.." He did trust Duo, he did. He knew he wasn't weak, he wouldn't love him if he was weak.

"It's just you, what?" Duo asked, his purple eyes beseeching Heero's blue ones.

"It's just... I... I'm scared Duo. I don't know where to go from here. You don't seem to need me anymore. You hate when I do things for you, you're never around, and when you are you're complaining about me. I... before, you.. It seemed like you loved me more before. Now all we do is fight."

"It's only because you treat me like a damn baby doll that needs to be changed and burped. I don't love you less, I'm just annoyed with you right now. The world does not revolve around Heero Yuy, and neither do I. I suppose it's my own fault though. I never should have leaned on you so hard after the hospital. It was cool then to have my own private Nurse Heero, but it isn't now. Now I want my tough partner back, Nurse Heero is...nauseating."

Heero swallowed, "I make you ill?"

"Sometimes, but most of the time you make me sad. Have I made you soft, Yuy? If so, get rid of me! I'm ruining you man!"

"No!" Heero protested. "I am not getting rid of you. I don't know what I would do if I ever did that."

"You'd continue being Heero Yuy, that's what you'd do. Be who you were before me."

"But I don't like who I was before you."

Duo sighed, "I don't mean be cold like before, but your tough guy image was sexy. I liked the daredevil in you, and now I fear he's gone. He's been scared away by Nurse Heero."

Heero glanced at Duo to find himself staring at his profile. He was studying the screen again. Heero sighed, if he stopped looking after Duo, then he would truly be acknowledging that Duo was healed and ready for action. If he acknowledged that he'd begin climbing the staircase. Trust Duo, trust that you mean as much to him, as he does to you. Trust that he loves you.

Please don't let me trip, he breathed one more sigh, raising his foot to step up again.

"If you sigh one more time, I swear..."

"You swear what?"

"I don't know, I wasn't gonna finish that sentence," Duo shrugged. He smirked at something he read on disk. "What?" Heero asked.

"One of our frozen entrees is half American," Duo mused. "Guess which?"

"The blond one," Heero said flatly. "There are no natural blonds in Japan, unless they are of mixed decent."

"Good guess, and you are correct," Duo chuckled. He ejected the disk, and popped in another. He was still beside Heero, the apple he'd been nibbling had long since tumbled from his hand as he read. Heero smiled at the adorableness of it. Duo mesmerized was dangerous, he lost sight of everything else other than what he was focusing on. One time he'd washed his teeth and brushed his face as he was focusing on a scandalous newspaper article. "Duo?"

"Hmm?"

"If Nurse Heero went away, and Tough Guy Heero came back...would he still be allowed to rub your back at night when it hurts you? Or hold when you have nightmares?"

Duo blinked, the dazed stupor he'd fallen into as he sat enthralled by science faded as his lavender eyes traveled up to Heero's. The Prussian blue eyes were serious. "Of course he can, I'm his...but he has to know when to stop."

Heero gave a slight smirk, his left foot firmly planted on the first stone step. "Of course."

"So...we have an understanding?" Duo looked eager.

"Yes."

"Good.." Duo shut the lab top down and set it on the floor, then picked up his forgotten apple and took a huge bite, "Wanna rub my back then?"

Heero chuckled, and gave him a peck on the forehead, "Baka. Lie down over my legs."

With both feet secure, he prayed to be ready for all the rocks that would be thrown his way in an attempt to keep him from finishing his ascent of the staircase.



"Looks like Heero and Duo are getting along again," Quatre said with a gentle smile, elbowing Trowa in the ribs.

Wufei looked from his seated position on the hood of the jeep, to see Heero and Duo making their way towards them. Duo was chattering away to Heero his voice excited, his smile breath-taking, and one reserved to only be directed at Heero. He would touch Heero's arm every few seconds as he gestured. Heero looked content, maybe not listening to a word Duo said, but seemingly satisfied in just hearing his voice. His eyes were warm as they rested upon Duo like he was some unearthed buried treasure.

"....so after that I decided that we should...Hey guys!" Duo stopped his monologue to Heero, and turned a smile on Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. A friendly smile that let them know he was pleased to see them, not the one Wufei's heart had fluttered at seeing just a moment ago.

By Nataku, how long was he expected to be able to endure this torture? I can't have Duo, he's not mine. He's with Heero.

*They won't last.*

You don't know that.

*They fight more than they enjoy each other.*

But look at them...

*They won't last.*

...they're glowing...

*As you will to, when it's your turn with him.*

You think so?

*They won't last. I know so.*

"The choppers waiting for us," Duo said.

Quatre nodded sliding down off the jeep, "Is Une aboard?"

"No, thankfully, we won't have to face her until the morning," Duo said looking relieved.

"You know, she's giving the whole weight of responsibility of this project to us," Trowa said in his calm manner. "She's going to want us to have talked about what we are planning on doing with them."

"With them?" Heero raised an eyebrow, "The clones?"

"Don't call them that Heero," Duo smacked Heero's arm. "They were Mia's babies, so now they are our babies."

"Our babies?" Heero started.

Wufei glanced at Duo oddly as well, "What are you getting at Maxwell?" He looked to Trowa and Quatre and realized there had been a discussion already held in the room Trowa, Quatre, and Duo had shared the previous night about the future of Gr. Koji's experiments. "You three have already come to a decision, haven't you?"

Quatre nodded, "After our babies," he paused and gave a slight grin to Duo who beamed back, "have had full medical evaluations, we think they should be revived."

"Revived?" Wufei frowned. "But what would we do with them after they've awakened? Where would they go? And what if...what if they're disturbed?"

"Well, that's where we really come in. Une predicted that we'd probably want them thawed and roused, so it's like this: They're our babies, we're responsible for them."

Heero gave Duo's braid a tug, "Duo, these are people we're talking about, five living breathing people! You couldn't even take care of a goldfish."

"Could I help it if the dumb fish couldn't tell when he was full and kept on eating until he burst?" Duo frowned, obviously sore about having that subject brought up. He had really liked that fish. "Yes they are people, Heero, but they're 16. They should pretty much know how to take care of themselves, we'd just be...mentors, sort of. We'll think of them as foreign exchange students or something. Who knows...actually Quat, Tro, and I, figured that they'd only probably be with us for a few months before they got their bearings and wanted to go off on their own anyway."

"You are very confident that Dr. Koji's project will be successful," Wufei blinked. "What if it is not? You should not become too attached."

Quatre's aquamarine eyes hardened, "I believe Dr. Koji's project is genius, and in a few weeks we will have some new house mates. I've already called and had Nina begin airing out 5 more bedrooms in the manor."

Heero was speechless, "Hn," he grunted and occupied himself with Duo's hair. Somehow he'd gotten his index finger stuck in the patchwork of Duo's braid... "OW!"

"Sorry."

Duo made a face at Heero and tossed his braid over his shoulder away from him. Then he gazed at him, eyes imploring, "What are you thinking Heero? You don't have to take responsibility for this if you don't want to. Quatre, Trowa, and I are more than willing to take this thing on ourselves. We didn't mean to go and sign you and Wufei up for babysitting jobs you don't want. I mean, we will be getting paid to keep them..because I believe Une was going to have them revived anyway to be studied, and it's easier to have us watch them than to pay scientist extra to look after them. It could be fun, but if you don't want to..."

"Do you want me to?" Heero asked softly.

Duo frowned, "It's not about what I want, Heero."

"Hn," again, then, "I'll think about it."

"Wufei?"

"I'm with Yuy on that one," Wufei nodded. Like Heero, if Maxwell had insinuated that it would please him if he agreed to help he'd say yes... But since he was being given a choice, he wasn't sure. He was only 16, he didn't want to be responsible for anyone but himself, and his friends.

"Alright," Quatre nodded, "fair enough."

Duo nodded as well smiling at Heero and taking his hand, nearly laughing at Heero's expression of surprise. Had the lunkhead actually done something that pleased Duo?

Wufei shook his head, "We'd better board our helicopter before the pilot decides we're staying and leaves us."

"I get dibs on Heero's lap," Duo proclaimed, laughing out loud when Heero blushed. Another temporary Maxwell/Yuy peace, Wufei wondered how long this one was going to last, and just how long they were going to keep fighting their war before they gave up.





**A/N: Please review! Chapter 3 will be ready in a day or so, and I'll post it ASAP.**