Here it is, everyone! The long-awaited chapter 8 of AHHA! *cheers*
Warnings: Mild violence, some swearing, and a woman in labor. Poor Wuffie.
AHHA-Book I Chapter 8/?
"Hey, Tro! When you're out of bullets I have something for you to do! Oh, and I decked your new girlfriend." Harmonie's voice came over Trowa's comm, sounding slightly cheeky.
Trowa blinked. "What? Do I even want to know?"
Harmonie pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm. . . well, the latter can wait, but the first. . . I need you to rescue Treize and his daughter and bring them back here. And before you ask, yes, you heard me right."
"...Let me get this straight. You want me to get the leader of Oz and his daughter and bring them back to the safehouse," Trowa said, still somewhat disbelieving.
"Trowa, you're just going to have to trust me on this one. He isn't who we thought he was." Her tone left no argument.
Trowa nodded. "Ryoukai." He took out a few more suits, then paused when it finally sunk in. "She decked my girlfriend?!?"
Harmonie chuckled. "So, she really is your girlfriend now? Cool. You left your comm on. Oh, and here are the coordinates."
Trowa scanned the coordinates and nodded. "I'm almost out of bullets now. I'll be enroute in 5 minutes."
"Good." Harmonie closed her direct connection with Trowa and turned her full attention back to analyzing the battle, occasionally directing the pilots.
On another section of the battlefield, Stardancer and Sandrock were back to back, surrounded by mobile suits. Aliera cursed as she barely managed to block a hit. "Shit, am I getting out of practice or are they getting better?"[1]
"They are getting better. Oh good, there goes Trowa. Wufei, cover him." Harmonie's calm instructions were coming through at a steady stream now. Wufei nodded and covered Trowa, using his flame and trident to clear a path.
For a while they just took out mobile suit after mobile suit, slowly dwindling down the number. Somewhere along the way the Maguanacs and Sally joined by Noin showed up and were assisting the Gundams.
Aliera whooped. "The cavalry's here!" she cackled, destroying a couple of suits. "Nice to see ya, sis!"
Sally rolled her eyes in response.
"Looks like the baddies are trying to run! White jeep, east side heading south," Harmonie directed over the comm.
"Gotcha. Goin' after them now!" Aliera shot into the air and locked onto the Jeep, moving like a bat out of hell. "Bye bye! See ya in hell!" she called, launching a missile at a building that was already destroyed. With a loud crash, it toppled over onto the ground and the Jeep.
A mildly sadistic sounding chuckle came from Harmonie. "Baddies go squish."
"Compliments of yours truly!" Aliera replied, mimicking a little bow on the screen before going back to fighting in a much better mood.
Once they realized that their leader had been taken out, the remaining suits attempted to retreat, but were pursued by the Maguanacs. "Is it over?" Duo asked.
"It's over! It's finally over!" Aliera cheered. Checking for any straggling suits, she opened the cockpit hatch and twirled on the platform, doing an impromptu victory dance.
"Yes, please come home. There is a Maguanac carrier for your suits at the port and a shuttle waiting for you. Hurry. I'm here alone with a currently knocked out Relena, though probably not for much longer, and I have been in labor since about 15 minutes into the battle."
Wufei suddenly seemed to have trouble breathing. "It's....it's time?"
"Yes. Now get your ass over here!"
Wufei wasted no time and rocketed toward the port, the others following. Aliera clambered back into her suit and shot after them. "Hey, wait for me!"
******************
"Wufei, would you PLEASE sit down. You are making me dizzy."
Wufei stopped pacing for a moment and looked at Duo. "You're going to be Uncle Duo."
"I know, ain't it great?" he responded, grinning. Aliera made a face and flicked his ear. "Stop teasing him," she reprimanded.
"Hn. Heero, can this thing go any faster?" Wufei asked, ignoring Duo.
"For the last time, no. It cannot go any faster." Heero's fists tightened on the controls and Quatre made a mark on the notepad in his lap.
Trowa was muttering under his breath. "I can't believe she decked my girlfriend..." Aliera giggled and rested against Duo, who had an arm around her shoulder.
Treize looked at Trowa. "Relena's your girlfriend?"
Trowa blinked and looked up at him. "Hai. As of about four hours ago."
"Ah. She was getting hysterical. It was really quite comical."
"...I'll take your word for it," he finally replied.
At that point, it finally dawned on everyone, except Wufei who was still pacing and muttering to himself, that Treize and a little girl were on the shuttle with them.
"So," Aliera commented, stretching and popping her back, "explain to me exactly how Oz got out of your control. Last I heard, you were firmly in command."
"That is what they wanted everyone to believe. I was never really the leader. Maybe in the very beginning until I realized what scum I was working for. I attempted to resign, but then they found my daughter." Here he gestured to the little girl. "Then, I was under their control. I couldn't let them hurt her. . ."
Aliera nodded, smiling at the little redhead who was sitting in her father's lap. "And what's your name, sweetie?" she asked kindly.
She smiled sweetly at Aliera. "Mariemeia. I'm 6 years old."
"Mariemeia...beautiful name. And such beautiful hair...I bet you're gonna be a heartbreaker when you grow up," she commented. Treize paled.
"Don't worry. You still have a good 6 years before you really have to worry." Treize nodded, still looking somewhat pale at the thought of his daughter growing up.
"Everyone buckle up. We are about to land." Heero stated. Everyone complied. Wufei managed to look more nervous than before.
"Relax, man! It's just a baby!" Duo slapped him on the back.
Wufei glared at him. "We'll see how you feel when e'Kieron has her first child."
Duo's eyes widened a bit at the thought. "Oh my. . ." He looked a bit faint. Wufei smirked. Aliera simply smiled demurely and didn't answer.
******************
Harmonie calmly gathered up her things and set them in Fukaku and went back into the house only to be greeted by Relena, who was sporting a rather nasty black eye. "Good. You're awake. You can drive me to the hospital."
Relena blinked. "I beg your pardon?" Her eyes widened as she realized just what was going on. "Oh! Yes, of course!"
"Good. Let's go. Oh. Wait." She found a piece of paper and wrote a quick note. Looking around a bit, she shrugged and pulled out a small dagger from her boot and stuck the note to the door. "Alright, let's go."
Relena got into the driver's seat of Fukaku and started it up. After Harmonie got in, she floored it, speeding toward the hospital.
The pilots, with Treize and Mariemeia in tow, made it back to the house in record time, only to find it deserted.
Wufei looked around in alarm. "What the..."
Aliera looked at the door and noticed the note stuck to the door with one of Harm's daggers. She rolled her eyes, took the note and dagger from the door, and scanned it. "They're at the hospital."
"Treize, Mariemeia, Duo, Quatre and Trowa with me in the Blazer. Wufei and Allie in the Porsche," Heero ordered. Everyone got into their respective vehicles and took off, Aliera and Wufei speeding ahead in the Porsche.
Aliera and Wufei pulled up to the hospital entrance. Wufei jumped out and ran inside, Aliera following.
Wufei stopped at the information desk. "Harmonie Firefly?" he asked quickly. The receptionist nodded understandingly.
"New father, eh?" she commented. "Fourth floor." He raced to the elevator and pushed the button. When it didn't immediately appear, he turned and ran for the stairs. Aliera just shook her head and waited for the elevator.
The others pulled up soon after and walked inside. Duo blinked. "Where's Fei?"
Aliera rolled her eyes and smiled. "He got impatient and took the stairs. He's a little nervous right now." The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Everyone piled in and Aliera hit the 4. "So, do you think it's a boy or a girl?"
"Y'know, I don't know," Duo replied. "I don't think Fei really cares, though. He's nervous enough as it is."
"True." The elevator opened on Wufei trying to get a room number out of the nurse at the station.
"I just want to know where my girlfriend is, damn it!" Wufei was half- shouting at the receptionist, who looked almost bored.
"Duo, Heero, please try to calm him down while I figure out where we need to go." Aliera said, a tinge of humor in her voice.
Heero and Duo nodded and managed to pry Wufei away from the desk. Aliera grinned and stepped to the desk. "Hi. Can you tell me which room Harmonie Firefly is in, please?" she inquired politely.
The nurse looked down at a chart on her desk. "405."
"Thank you." She motioned to Heero and Duo, who were still holding Wufei. They let him go and Wufei bolted down the hall toward the room, the others following at a more sedate pace and grinning at his antics.
Wufei burst into the room, looking around frantically. "Where. . . what. . . who?" Harmonie and Relena just looked at him for a moment, mildly amused.
"Relax, love. I still have a while to go," Harmonie said, grinning. "Now come here and give me a kiss."
"Oh." He walked over to the bed and did as he was told, relaxing visibly. "I didn't miss it. Good."
The others strolled in, Treize and Mariemeia hanging back slightly. "How ya feeling, Harm?" Aliera asked.
"Hmph. I feel like I'm about to pop out a kid." Aliera snickered in response.
Harmonie latched on to Wufei's hand as a contraction hit. About that time, a doctor came in and shooed everyone but Wufei out of the room.
Wufei winced as he felt the bones in his hand grind against each other. The doctor gave him an amused look. "First time for both of you?" he inquired. Wufei nodded.
The doctor looked at Harmonie. "So, have you thought about drugs?" She nodded decisively. He chuckled a bit. "Okay. I'll be right back with the anesthetist."
Wufei flexed the hand that Harmonie clutched experimentally and determined that she hadn't broken any bones.yet. He looked down at her. "I can't believe it's finally happening..."
"I know. I'm kind of nervous. . ."
Wufei chuckled slightly. "Hai, I guess you would be," he replied. He stroked her hair back from her face.
"I mean, come on. Us? With a baby? How scary is that?"
"About as scary as e'Kieron and Maxwell with a baby."
She shuddered slightly. "Now THAT is scary."
Aliera walked in. "I heard that." She handed Harmonie her dagger. "I thought you might like this back." Harmonie grinned and flipped the dagger around a few times before tossing it in her boot that was sitting on the floor.
"I take it you're getting drugs?" Aliera asked. Harmonie nodded. "Oh, yeah. I'm not a masochist like some people."
The anesthetist entered the room and asked Harmonie a few questions about allergies and such. She sighed, exasperated. "I have no allergies or anything else wrong with me, now give me the damn drugs!" she snapped.
Wufei and Aliera just looked at her. "What? I'm in pain, dammit!"
Aliera blinked, then grinned and looked at Wufei. "Good luck," was her parting shot before she left the room. As soon as she was out of earshot, she leaned against the wall in a fit of laughter.
"What is it now?" Duo asked from where he was reclining on one of the chairs in the hall. Still giggling slightly, she made her way over to him and plopped onto his lap.
"Let's just say that you and she definitely share an affinity for the more colorful side of language," she remarked, lavender eyes sparkling with humor. Duo snickered in response. "I almost feel sorry for Wu-man." He stopped and looked at her, and in unison with her, said,
"Almost!"
********************
Several hours later, Wufei came out of the room looking haggard and ecstatic at the same time. He grinned. "It's a boy."
Duo grinned. "I'm an uncle! All right!"
"Can we see the baby now?" Aliera asked impatiently.
"If you don't, I'll be highly insulted!" Harmonie's voice floated out of the room. Wufei smirked. "Well, there's your answer."
Everyone piled into the small hospital room. Quatre was practically bouncing, Duo and Aliera were beaming, and Trowa and Heero were trying to appear indifferent. Wufei immediately went over to Harmonie, who was holding a small bundle of blankets in her arms.
Aliera sniffled, getting teary-eyed. "Oh....he's adorable..."
Harmonie smiled softly and handed the baby to Aliera. "We named him Xander Li."
Aliera took the baby, cradling him gently. "He's beautiful, you two..." Duo looked over her shoulder, grinning widely. "Xander my man, you and I are going to have so much fun."
After everyone had held the baby, Heero included[2], Harmonie shooed them all out of the room so she could sleep. Wufei sank onto a chair beside the bed and flexed his hand, sure that she had broken something.
"Fei, I didn't break anything in your hand! Now, climb up here and lay with me."
Bossy, aren't you?" he smiled teasingly and obeyed, stretching out beside her.
"Hmm. . ." she pretended to think about it, "Yes." She curled up against him and went to sleep. He stayed awake for a few more minutes, thinking about how drastically his life had changed in just a few hours before following her into dreamland.
**********************
Notes: [1]-Duo: .Is that possible? [2] Kawaii! We couldn't resist!
As far as the next chapter goes, we're still in the planning stages, but we should be writing soon, so look for it! Bai bai!
Warnings: Mild violence, some swearing, and a woman in labor. Poor Wuffie.
AHHA-Book I Chapter 8/?
"Hey, Tro! When you're out of bullets I have something for you to do! Oh, and I decked your new girlfriend." Harmonie's voice came over Trowa's comm, sounding slightly cheeky.
Trowa blinked. "What? Do I even want to know?"
Harmonie pretended to think for a moment. "Hmm. . . well, the latter can wait, but the first. . . I need you to rescue Treize and his daughter and bring them back here. And before you ask, yes, you heard me right."
"...Let me get this straight. You want me to get the leader of Oz and his daughter and bring them back to the safehouse," Trowa said, still somewhat disbelieving.
"Trowa, you're just going to have to trust me on this one. He isn't who we thought he was." Her tone left no argument.
Trowa nodded. "Ryoukai." He took out a few more suits, then paused when it finally sunk in. "She decked my girlfriend?!?"
Harmonie chuckled. "So, she really is your girlfriend now? Cool. You left your comm on. Oh, and here are the coordinates."
Trowa scanned the coordinates and nodded. "I'm almost out of bullets now. I'll be enroute in 5 minutes."
"Good." Harmonie closed her direct connection with Trowa and turned her full attention back to analyzing the battle, occasionally directing the pilots.
On another section of the battlefield, Stardancer and Sandrock were back to back, surrounded by mobile suits. Aliera cursed as she barely managed to block a hit. "Shit, am I getting out of practice or are they getting better?"[1]
"They are getting better. Oh good, there goes Trowa. Wufei, cover him." Harmonie's calm instructions were coming through at a steady stream now. Wufei nodded and covered Trowa, using his flame and trident to clear a path.
For a while they just took out mobile suit after mobile suit, slowly dwindling down the number. Somewhere along the way the Maguanacs and Sally joined by Noin showed up and were assisting the Gundams.
Aliera whooped. "The cavalry's here!" she cackled, destroying a couple of suits. "Nice to see ya, sis!"
Sally rolled her eyes in response.
"Looks like the baddies are trying to run! White jeep, east side heading south," Harmonie directed over the comm.
"Gotcha. Goin' after them now!" Aliera shot into the air and locked onto the Jeep, moving like a bat out of hell. "Bye bye! See ya in hell!" she called, launching a missile at a building that was already destroyed. With a loud crash, it toppled over onto the ground and the Jeep.
A mildly sadistic sounding chuckle came from Harmonie. "Baddies go squish."
"Compliments of yours truly!" Aliera replied, mimicking a little bow on the screen before going back to fighting in a much better mood.
Once they realized that their leader had been taken out, the remaining suits attempted to retreat, but were pursued by the Maguanacs. "Is it over?" Duo asked.
"It's over! It's finally over!" Aliera cheered. Checking for any straggling suits, she opened the cockpit hatch and twirled on the platform, doing an impromptu victory dance.
"Yes, please come home. There is a Maguanac carrier for your suits at the port and a shuttle waiting for you. Hurry. I'm here alone with a currently knocked out Relena, though probably not for much longer, and I have been in labor since about 15 minutes into the battle."
Wufei suddenly seemed to have trouble breathing. "It's....it's time?"
"Yes. Now get your ass over here!"
Wufei wasted no time and rocketed toward the port, the others following. Aliera clambered back into her suit and shot after them. "Hey, wait for me!"
******************
"Wufei, would you PLEASE sit down. You are making me dizzy."
Wufei stopped pacing for a moment and looked at Duo. "You're going to be Uncle Duo."
"I know, ain't it great?" he responded, grinning. Aliera made a face and flicked his ear. "Stop teasing him," she reprimanded.
"Hn. Heero, can this thing go any faster?" Wufei asked, ignoring Duo.
"For the last time, no. It cannot go any faster." Heero's fists tightened on the controls and Quatre made a mark on the notepad in his lap.
Trowa was muttering under his breath. "I can't believe she decked my girlfriend..." Aliera giggled and rested against Duo, who had an arm around her shoulder.
Treize looked at Trowa. "Relena's your girlfriend?"
Trowa blinked and looked up at him. "Hai. As of about four hours ago."
"Ah. She was getting hysterical. It was really quite comical."
"...I'll take your word for it," he finally replied.
At that point, it finally dawned on everyone, except Wufei who was still pacing and muttering to himself, that Treize and a little girl were on the shuttle with them.
"So," Aliera commented, stretching and popping her back, "explain to me exactly how Oz got out of your control. Last I heard, you were firmly in command."
"That is what they wanted everyone to believe. I was never really the leader. Maybe in the very beginning until I realized what scum I was working for. I attempted to resign, but then they found my daughter." Here he gestured to the little girl. "Then, I was under their control. I couldn't let them hurt her. . ."
Aliera nodded, smiling at the little redhead who was sitting in her father's lap. "And what's your name, sweetie?" she asked kindly.
She smiled sweetly at Aliera. "Mariemeia. I'm 6 years old."
"Mariemeia...beautiful name. And such beautiful hair...I bet you're gonna be a heartbreaker when you grow up," she commented. Treize paled.
"Don't worry. You still have a good 6 years before you really have to worry." Treize nodded, still looking somewhat pale at the thought of his daughter growing up.
"Everyone buckle up. We are about to land." Heero stated. Everyone complied. Wufei managed to look more nervous than before.
"Relax, man! It's just a baby!" Duo slapped him on the back.
Wufei glared at him. "We'll see how you feel when e'Kieron has her first child."
Duo's eyes widened a bit at the thought. "Oh my. . ." He looked a bit faint. Wufei smirked. Aliera simply smiled demurely and didn't answer.
******************
Harmonie calmly gathered up her things and set them in Fukaku and went back into the house only to be greeted by Relena, who was sporting a rather nasty black eye. "Good. You're awake. You can drive me to the hospital."
Relena blinked. "I beg your pardon?" Her eyes widened as she realized just what was going on. "Oh! Yes, of course!"
"Good. Let's go. Oh. Wait." She found a piece of paper and wrote a quick note. Looking around a bit, she shrugged and pulled out a small dagger from her boot and stuck the note to the door. "Alright, let's go."
Relena got into the driver's seat of Fukaku and started it up. After Harmonie got in, she floored it, speeding toward the hospital.
The pilots, with Treize and Mariemeia in tow, made it back to the house in record time, only to find it deserted.
Wufei looked around in alarm. "What the..."
Aliera looked at the door and noticed the note stuck to the door with one of Harm's daggers. She rolled her eyes, took the note and dagger from the door, and scanned it. "They're at the hospital."
"Treize, Mariemeia, Duo, Quatre and Trowa with me in the Blazer. Wufei and Allie in the Porsche," Heero ordered. Everyone got into their respective vehicles and took off, Aliera and Wufei speeding ahead in the Porsche.
Aliera and Wufei pulled up to the hospital entrance. Wufei jumped out and ran inside, Aliera following.
Wufei stopped at the information desk. "Harmonie Firefly?" he asked quickly. The receptionist nodded understandingly.
"New father, eh?" she commented. "Fourth floor." He raced to the elevator and pushed the button. When it didn't immediately appear, he turned and ran for the stairs. Aliera just shook her head and waited for the elevator.
The others pulled up soon after and walked inside. Duo blinked. "Where's Fei?"
Aliera rolled her eyes and smiled. "He got impatient and took the stairs. He's a little nervous right now." The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Everyone piled in and Aliera hit the 4. "So, do you think it's a boy or a girl?"
"Y'know, I don't know," Duo replied. "I don't think Fei really cares, though. He's nervous enough as it is."
"True." The elevator opened on Wufei trying to get a room number out of the nurse at the station.
"I just want to know where my girlfriend is, damn it!" Wufei was half- shouting at the receptionist, who looked almost bored.
"Duo, Heero, please try to calm him down while I figure out where we need to go." Aliera said, a tinge of humor in her voice.
Heero and Duo nodded and managed to pry Wufei away from the desk. Aliera grinned and stepped to the desk. "Hi. Can you tell me which room Harmonie Firefly is in, please?" she inquired politely.
The nurse looked down at a chart on her desk. "405."
"Thank you." She motioned to Heero and Duo, who were still holding Wufei. They let him go and Wufei bolted down the hall toward the room, the others following at a more sedate pace and grinning at his antics.
Wufei burst into the room, looking around frantically. "Where. . . what. . . who?" Harmonie and Relena just looked at him for a moment, mildly amused.
"Relax, love. I still have a while to go," Harmonie said, grinning. "Now come here and give me a kiss."
"Oh." He walked over to the bed and did as he was told, relaxing visibly. "I didn't miss it. Good."
The others strolled in, Treize and Mariemeia hanging back slightly. "How ya feeling, Harm?" Aliera asked.
"Hmph. I feel like I'm about to pop out a kid." Aliera snickered in response.
Harmonie latched on to Wufei's hand as a contraction hit. About that time, a doctor came in and shooed everyone but Wufei out of the room.
Wufei winced as he felt the bones in his hand grind against each other. The doctor gave him an amused look. "First time for both of you?" he inquired. Wufei nodded.
The doctor looked at Harmonie. "So, have you thought about drugs?" She nodded decisively. He chuckled a bit. "Okay. I'll be right back with the anesthetist."
Wufei flexed the hand that Harmonie clutched experimentally and determined that she hadn't broken any bones.yet. He looked down at her. "I can't believe it's finally happening..."
"I know. I'm kind of nervous. . ."
Wufei chuckled slightly. "Hai, I guess you would be," he replied. He stroked her hair back from her face.
"I mean, come on. Us? With a baby? How scary is that?"
"About as scary as e'Kieron and Maxwell with a baby."
She shuddered slightly. "Now THAT is scary."
Aliera walked in. "I heard that." She handed Harmonie her dagger. "I thought you might like this back." Harmonie grinned and flipped the dagger around a few times before tossing it in her boot that was sitting on the floor.
"I take it you're getting drugs?" Aliera asked. Harmonie nodded. "Oh, yeah. I'm not a masochist like some people."
The anesthetist entered the room and asked Harmonie a few questions about allergies and such. She sighed, exasperated. "I have no allergies or anything else wrong with me, now give me the damn drugs!" she snapped.
Wufei and Aliera just looked at her. "What? I'm in pain, dammit!"
Aliera blinked, then grinned and looked at Wufei. "Good luck," was her parting shot before she left the room. As soon as she was out of earshot, she leaned against the wall in a fit of laughter.
"What is it now?" Duo asked from where he was reclining on one of the chairs in the hall. Still giggling slightly, she made her way over to him and plopped onto his lap.
"Let's just say that you and she definitely share an affinity for the more colorful side of language," she remarked, lavender eyes sparkling with humor. Duo snickered in response. "I almost feel sorry for Wu-man." He stopped and looked at her, and in unison with her, said,
"Almost!"
********************
Several hours later, Wufei came out of the room looking haggard and ecstatic at the same time. He grinned. "It's a boy."
Duo grinned. "I'm an uncle! All right!"
"Can we see the baby now?" Aliera asked impatiently.
"If you don't, I'll be highly insulted!" Harmonie's voice floated out of the room. Wufei smirked. "Well, there's your answer."
Everyone piled into the small hospital room. Quatre was practically bouncing, Duo and Aliera were beaming, and Trowa and Heero were trying to appear indifferent. Wufei immediately went over to Harmonie, who was holding a small bundle of blankets in her arms.
Aliera sniffled, getting teary-eyed. "Oh....he's adorable..."
Harmonie smiled softly and handed the baby to Aliera. "We named him Xander Li."
Aliera took the baby, cradling him gently. "He's beautiful, you two..." Duo looked over her shoulder, grinning widely. "Xander my man, you and I are going to have so much fun."
After everyone had held the baby, Heero included[2], Harmonie shooed them all out of the room so she could sleep. Wufei sank onto a chair beside the bed and flexed his hand, sure that she had broken something.
"Fei, I didn't break anything in your hand! Now, climb up here and lay with me."
Bossy, aren't you?" he smiled teasingly and obeyed, stretching out beside her.
"Hmm. . ." she pretended to think about it, "Yes." She curled up against him and went to sleep. He stayed awake for a few more minutes, thinking about how drastically his life had changed in just a few hours before following her into dreamland.
**********************
Notes: [1]-Duo: .Is that possible? [2] Kawaii! We couldn't resist!
As far as the next chapter goes, we're still in the planning stages, but we should be writing soon, so look for it! Bai bai!
