Chapter Forty-Eight: Said I Loved You.
(Author's notes: Oh, wow..look.it's Anna.the original author. ^_~ This chapter, like Chase's chapter 'Foolish Games' is a semi-song fic chapter, but for Anna/Duo. With a small twist. Gotta put a plot twist in here. Enjoy.)
Wufei, Sparky, Anna, and Duo arrived in Chicago twelve hours later, tired but in one piece. Jack Avis was being transferred the next day, by a medical plane.
They rented three cars, one for each of the adults, since Duo and Wufei didn't have cars in that time, and Anna's had been left somewhere. Not that she minded. She took a black mustang convertible, Duo took a black Mercedes (leftover funds from missions came in handy), and Wufei took a tan Acura.
It was five in the morning as they pulled away from the airport. Anna was in the lead, Duo behind her, and Wufei had Sparky with him in the back. It was still fairly dark, as the sun had not yet chosen to rise on their side of the earth.
Anna rubbed her right temple, resting her left hand on the steering wheel. She stared more at the gold band on her left ring finger than the road in front of her, making the straightness of the road a blessing. She and Duo had agreed to wear the old ones before they got new ones. She loved him, she was sure of that; and she knew that he loved her. Some things you couldn't mask, even in the best of circumstances.
/You are the candle, love's the flame. A fire that burns through the wind and rain./
Duo watched the car in front of him intently, and he watched Anna's movements. He didn't want her swerving off the road in a mixture of exhaustion and pain medication. He hadn't told her how much it hurt when he found out she'd tried to annul the marriage, even if he understood.
They had a lot of trust to build up in each other again. He would have to be so much more careful in the days and fights ahead. He knew she loved him, because she had waited. She had somehow known he would come for her when she needed him most. They would always love each other. He only hoped it would always be enough.
/Shine your light on this heart of mine till the end of time./
Always. Always was her promise to him. It was the promise she gave to the people she cared most about. Always was a long time, and Anna knew it. Duo smiled. That's why she'd said always after 'I do.'
He knew he wanted her the moment he saw her bound out of her gundam, grin plastered on her face. She had loved the rush of battle as much as he had, and she excelled at it. They went well together from the beginning, which is why she had become his mascot, his angel, so quickly. They kept each other minimally sane. She stabilized him, and he liberated her.
/You came to me, just like the dawn through the night; just shinin' like the sun./
His angel. How quickly that had happened. They had just been fighting together, side by side, and she had launched her gundam into an attack meant for the Deathscythe. The mobile suit had been blown into a million pieces from the Star's attack and space had been quiet.
Anna smiled softly. He'd appeared on her screen, looking as shocked as she had felt. What had she done, and why? 'Angel.' his words echoed still. She loved him. She always would.
/You are the one, You are the one./
Anna picked up her cell phone, cutting off the "Clowns" jingle. "Hello?" she asked.
"Anna? It's Meg."
"Hey, Meg. What's up?"
The woman on the other end of the phone sighed. "I have some.news."
Anna tilted her head. "News? Is it Trowa?"
"No, it's you, Anna."
Anna frowned. "What about me?"
"I thought it was a glitch in the tests we ran, but I was wrong." Meg was reluctant to share this. It wasn't going to be pretty.
"Meg, quit beating around the bush."
"You're pregnant."
Pause.
"WHAT?!" The black convertible swerved out of control and Anna stepped hard on the break. The tires squealed, leaving marks on the road until she came to an abrupt halt.
Duo threw on the breaks behind her. "Anna, what the hell?!" he exclaimed.
Anna leaned against the steering wheel. "That's not very damn funny, Meg."
"I'm not joking. Are you okay?"
"No! What.I.I can't be." Anna groaned. A baby. Just great.
"Whose is it?" Meg asked, studying her fingernails.
Anna sighed. "Mirek is the father."
"The only possibility?"
"Meg! What kind of woman do you think I am?!"
"Sorry. Well, then, there's only two options." Meg said.
Duo got out of the car.
"Two?"
"It could be Duo's."
Anna's eyes shot to the man approaching the car from behind. "Meg that's impossible.we haven't.not in ten years."
"Dr. J fixed that."
Anna's eye's widened. "What?! Damn the man.even dead he won't leave me be." she groaned.
"He made a program that would activate when you showed up in the A.C. universe again. You would resume your pregnancy as it was. If you were all ready pregnant, it would speed up the current pregnancy to the point where you were. So it could be."
Anna stared wide eyed at the road ahead. Her worst nightmare. She was going to have a baby, and she didn't know who it belonged to. "I have to go. I'm going to kill him." She murmured.
"He's dead, Anna." Meg reminded her.
"You think I care?" came the annoyed reply.
"I'm sorry, Anna."
The young woman sighed. "Me too." She hung up the phone.
Duo placed his hands on the car door and looked down at her. Anna looked up at him.
"What was that about? You sacred me to death." Duo said, looking at her intently.
Anna stared at him. His son. What was she going to do if it wasn't.but that would mean it was her son.Jack. "I."
/Said I loved you but I lied Cause this is more than love I feel inside Said I loved you but I was wrong Cause love could never feel this strong./
He framed her face with a hand. "What's the matter, tenshi? You want me to drive?"
Anna smiled at him. "Iie, Duo-chan. I'm all right. I just wasn't paying attention to the road."
Wufei's car pulled up next to him. "You two all right?" the Chinese man called.
Anna looked at him and their eyes met. She had to look away. Wufei had been right. He knew. He always knew.
Duo waved at them. "It's okay."
Anna smiled up at Duo and pushed him pack at his car. "Let's get going." She mumbled.
"You sure?"
"Hai."
They stared off again. As they drove away, Anna began to cry, silent tears streaking down her face. She had told him she'd made mistakes. Just how big of a mistake had she made? She couldn't fall in love with him all over again just to have this happen.
The worst thing was, she couldn't even explain the program to him. He'd died before he ever knew that he was going to have a son the first time. Only Wufei had known..as only Wufei knew now.
She slammed an angry fist into the steering wheel.
/ With all my soul I've tried in vain
How can mere words my heart explain
This taste of heaven so deep so true
I've found in you/
Duo got back in his car and pulled out behind her. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He could always tell when her smiles were fake, he could always tell when she was hiding something. Whether it be fear, pain, or regret, she always tried to cover it up with a smile. He ran his fingers over the cross around his neck. Nothing would separate them again. Nothing.
He had fought long and hard to find a way back to her. He and Heero both and fought to get back to the women they loved. And whatever happened, it wouldn't separate them again. They had their whole lives together now.
/ So many reasons in so many ways
My life has just begun
Need you forever, I need you to stay
You are the one, you are the one/
Anna wiped the last of her tears away as the three cars pulled into the parking lot of her townhouse. There wasn't time for that now. They had research to do, and a half-dragon to find. But a baby. Anna got out of the car and straightened her blouse. She could do this. She could do this because she loved him, and because he loved her.
Shingami and his Angel.
/ Said I loved you but I lied
'Cause this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you but I was wrong
'Cause love could never ever feel so strong
Said I loved you but I lied /
(Author's notes: Oh, wow..look.it's Anna.the original author. ^_~ This chapter, like Chase's chapter 'Foolish Games' is a semi-song fic chapter, but for Anna/Duo. With a small twist. Gotta put a plot twist in here. Enjoy.)
Wufei, Sparky, Anna, and Duo arrived in Chicago twelve hours later, tired but in one piece. Jack Avis was being transferred the next day, by a medical plane.
They rented three cars, one for each of the adults, since Duo and Wufei didn't have cars in that time, and Anna's had been left somewhere. Not that she minded. She took a black mustang convertible, Duo took a black Mercedes (leftover funds from missions came in handy), and Wufei took a tan Acura.
It was five in the morning as they pulled away from the airport. Anna was in the lead, Duo behind her, and Wufei had Sparky with him in the back. It was still fairly dark, as the sun had not yet chosen to rise on their side of the earth.
Anna rubbed her right temple, resting her left hand on the steering wheel. She stared more at the gold band on her left ring finger than the road in front of her, making the straightness of the road a blessing. She and Duo had agreed to wear the old ones before they got new ones. She loved him, she was sure of that; and she knew that he loved her. Some things you couldn't mask, even in the best of circumstances.
/You are the candle, love's the flame. A fire that burns through the wind and rain./
Duo watched the car in front of him intently, and he watched Anna's movements. He didn't want her swerving off the road in a mixture of exhaustion and pain medication. He hadn't told her how much it hurt when he found out she'd tried to annul the marriage, even if he understood.
They had a lot of trust to build up in each other again. He would have to be so much more careful in the days and fights ahead. He knew she loved him, because she had waited. She had somehow known he would come for her when she needed him most. They would always love each other. He only hoped it would always be enough.
/Shine your light on this heart of mine till the end of time./
Always. Always was her promise to him. It was the promise she gave to the people she cared most about. Always was a long time, and Anna knew it. Duo smiled. That's why she'd said always after 'I do.'
He knew he wanted her the moment he saw her bound out of her gundam, grin plastered on her face. She had loved the rush of battle as much as he had, and she excelled at it. They went well together from the beginning, which is why she had become his mascot, his angel, so quickly. They kept each other minimally sane. She stabilized him, and he liberated her.
/You came to me, just like the dawn through the night; just shinin' like the sun./
His angel. How quickly that had happened. They had just been fighting together, side by side, and she had launched her gundam into an attack meant for the Deathscythe. The mobile suit had been blown into a million pieces from the Star's attack and space had been quiet.
Anna smiled softly. He'd appeared on her screen, looking as shocked as she had felt. What had she done, and why? 'Angel.' his words echoed still. She loved him. She always would.
/You are the one, You are the one./
Anna picked up her cell phone, cutting off the "Clowns" jingle. "Hello?" she asked.
"Anna? It's Meg."
"Hey, Meg. What's up?"
The woman on the other end of the phone sighed. "I have some.news."
Anna tilted her head. "News? Is it Trowa?"
"No, it's you, Anna."
Anna frowned. "What about me?"
"I thought it was a glitch in the tests we ran, but I was wrong." Meg was reluctant to share this. It wasn't going to be pretty.
"Meg, quit beating around the bush."
"You're pregnant."
Pause.
"WHAT?!" The black convertible swerved out of control and Anna stepped hard on the break. The tires squealed, leaving marks on the road until she came to an abrupt halt.
Duo threw on the breaks behind her. "Anna, what the hell?!" he exclaimed.
Anna leaned against the steering wheel. "That's not very damn funny, Meg."
"I'm not joking. Are you okay?"
"No! What.I.I can't be." Anna groaned. A baby. Just great.
"Whose is it?" Meg asked, studying her fingernails.
Anna sighed. "Mirek is the father."
"The only possibility?"
"Meg! What kind of woman do you think I am?!"
"Sorry. Well, then, there's only two options." Meg said.
Duo got out of the car.
"Two?"
"It could be Duo's."
Anna's eyes shot to the man approaching the car from behind. "Meg that's impossible.we haven't.not in ten years."
"Dr. J fixed that."
Anna's eye's widened. "What?! Damn the man.even dead he won't leave me be." she groaned.
"He made a program that would activate when you showed up in the A.C. universe again. You would resume your pregnancy as it was. If you were all ready pregnant, it would speed up the current pregnancy to the point where you were. So it could be."
Anna stared wide eyed at the road ahead. Her worst nightmare. She was going to have a baby, and she didn't know who it belonged to. "I have to go. I'm going to kill him." She murmured.
"He's dead, Anna." Meg reminded her.
"You think I care?" came the annoyed reply.
"I'm sorry, Anna."
The young woman sighed. "Me too." She hung up the phone.
Duo placed his hands on the car door and looked down at her. Anna looked up at him.
"What was that about? You sacred me to death." Duo said, looking at her intently.
Anna stared at him. His son. What was she going to do if it wasn't.but that would mean it was her son.Jack. "I."
/Said I loved you but I lied Cause this is more than love I feel inside Said I loved you but I was wrong Cause love could never feel this strong./
He framed her face with a hand. "What's the matter, tenshi? You want me to drive?"
Anna smiled at him. "Iie, Duo-chan. I'm all right. I just wasn't paying attention to the road."
Wufei's car pulled up next to him. "You two all right?" the Chinese man called.
Anna looked at him and their eyes met. She had to look away. Wufei had been right. He knew. He always knew.
Duo waved at them. "It's okay."
Anna smiled up at Duo and pushed him pack at his car. "Let's get going." She mumbled.
"You sure?"
"Hai."
They stared off again. As they drove away, Anna began to cry, silent tears streaking down her face. She had told him she'd made mistakes. Just how big of a mistake had she made? She couldn't fall in love with him all over again just to have this happen.
The worst thing was, she couldn't even explain the program to him. He'd died before he ever knew that he was going to have a son the first time. Only Wufei had known..as only Wufei knew now.
She slammed an angry fist into the steering wheel.
/ With all my soul I've tried in vain
How can mere words my heart explain
This taste of heaven so deep so true
I've found in you/
Duo got back in his car and pulled out behind her. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He could always tell when her smiles were fake, he could always tell when she was hiding something. Whether it be fear, pain, or regret, she always tried to cover it up with a smile. He ran his fingers over the cross around his neck. Nothing would separate them again. Nothing.
He had fought long and hard to find a way back to her. He and Heero both and fought to get back to the women they loved. And whatever happened, it wouldn't separate them again. They had their whole lives together now.
/ So many reasons in so many ways
My life has just begun
Need you forever, I need you to stay
You are the one, you are the one/
Anna wiped the last of her tears away as the three cars pulled into the parking lot of her townhouse. There wasn't time for that now. They had research to do, and a half-dragon to find. But a baby. Anna got out of the car and straightened her blouse. She could do this. She could do this because she loved him, and because he loved her.
Shingami and his Angel.
/ Said I loved you but I lied
'Cause this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you but I was wrong
'Cause love could never ever feel so strong
Said I loved you but I lied /
