In the End V:
Happily Ever After
Avatar Alchemist
So...This first scene is the most important I think. Well, the first and maybe the last. For reasons you'll see when you read. Anyways, I hope you guys like it.
Duo drove up his driveway too late in the day to have a good excuse. Had he come home some time after five he could have said he'd seen Quatre and Heero to the airport. However, it was now five hours after five and he hadn't even gone to the airport. He given into what he felt and after felt incredible guilt for it. He'd left the hotel room in tears because he realized everything in his life had gone wrong. It had turned into a lie five years ago. He'd built a new life upon a lie and now the foundation to his life was tearing up. It was rotten and putrid and he hated himself because he had let it go this far.
Everyone was right to call him a coward. That was all he was. A damned coward afraid to show his true colors and afraid to go on without showing them. He wanted so much to be dead because maybe it would be best. For himself, and less selfishly for Heero. For his wife and daughter, who waited at home for them while he had been out hating the life he lived with them. He had been out betraying them.
He got out of the car and walked into the house.
Helen and Hilde looked up from the movie they had been watching.
Helen jumped up and ran to her father, "Daddy!"
Duo dropped the papers on a table near the door and took her in his arms, "Hey, sweetie."
"Daddy, why are you so late? Did you make Heero happy, daddy? Is Heero happy?" Helen asked happily.
Tension spread through the room. Hilde stood and stared at Duo waiting for an answer.
Duo put Helen down and watched her run back to the couch where she'd been. He let his eyes wander for a long while but he eventually, and reluctantly, brought them up to look at Hilde's face. It was full of fear and suppressed pain. He could almost see her begin to shake.
"Did you make Heero happy, Duo?" Hilde asked as her eyes were invaded by tears. She didn't need to hear it, she knew. Still she asked, stupidly hoping that he would say "No". Even if he lied about it, how she wished he would say no.
"Answer me, Duo. Did you make Heero happy?" she asked after Duo's silence.
Duo glanced at Helen's confused face.
"Mommy, why are you crying?"
"Duo...?" Hilde's voice broke and she was unable to finish her question. She pressed her lips together and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't feel betrayed...She couldn't lose what she never had. She just felt so foolish.
Duo broke down as guilt stricken as ever, "I'm so sorry. Forgive me, Hilde. It was a mistake. I...I...I'm just so sorry."
Hilde slapped a hand over her mouth and let her tears run free. She turned away from both Duo and Helen and allowed herself to cry silently.
"Hilde forgive me. I don't want to loose you or Helen. Please! It was a stupid mistake. I don't know why I let it happen but please. Don't leave me. I'm begging you, Hilde."
Helen had started crying soon after Hilde and was now at her mother's side, "Mommy, why are you crying? Mommy, what's wrong? Mommy...?"
Hilde kneeled to face Helen, "It's ok, honey. Go up to your room and watch TV. I have to talk to your daddy but as soon as I'm done I'll go up and watch the movie with you."
Helen nodded, and after initial hesitation, she made her way up the stair and out of sight.
Duo waited for Hilde to speak but she didn't. So he stood, crying, too ashamed to speak again.
Hilde finally turned to Duo but still didn't speak. She had feared this moment so much but she knew it would come. In her mind she had gone over what she would say but no one ever told her it would be this hard. She couldn't speak. She was ready to forgive Duo because she loved him so much but what was the point? He didn't love her. It would always remain so. There was nothing she could do. She had always known this day would come. She had never imagined it would be this hard.
Heero won. In the end Duo had chosen Heero one more time. She couldn't compete with their passionate love. Not even being the mother of Duo's daughter had been enough for Duo. She had lost. The fight was over. She was defeated and there was no more she could do. The question now was: Was she willing to give Duo up or would she keep him at her side?
"Hilde..." Duo whispered crying and holding his hand out to her.
Hilde let out a great sigh and ran to Duo. She threw her arms around him and kissed him with all the passion she felt, "Oh Duo."
Duo began to laugh in between his sobs. He kissed Hilde back and held her as close to him as he could.
He had been forgiven and he thanked God. He felt ashamed for what he'd done but he couldn't let Hilde leave him. He couldn't loose all he knew to be his life. Things wouldn't be the same now and maybe they never would be but he'd put effort into making her happy. He'd move on completely now. He'd give his soul and life up to Hilde and Helen. They were his life now. They were what kept him going. His raison d'etre. Everything before them was nothing and needed to be forgotten.
Duo closed his eyes. Hilde had forgiven him but he could never forgive himself. He had betrayed Hilde and Helen. To a point he'd even betrayed Heero today. Always and forever the betrayal would never be forgotten. How could he forget how he betrayed himself each day?
Hilde looked over at Duo's sleeping form. She walked out of the room and went over to Hilde's room. She took Hilde from the bed and walked out of the house. As she turned on the engine of her car the words she'd said to Duo the day before repeated bitterly in her mind: "Duo, don't cry. People leave because they must. In order for you to be happy they must, but no matter what, Helen and I will always be there."
"You and me. Always and forever," Hilde said silently and drove out of the driveway. She'd be far away when Duo woke up. She'd be far enough to let him realize that what she had done was for him and that no matter what, she and Helen would always be there.
Helen stirred in the back seat but didn't wake up. In the end she would suffer that most, wouldn't she? The child who knew nothing of her father's past, nor cared. To her Duo was her father and nothing more. To her Duo was her wonderful daddy that could do no wrong. A daddy that gave the "bestest" hugs. She wouldn't understand why Hilde would dare take her away from a daddy so great. She would maybe hate Hilde and cry for her father every night. Maybe when she grew up, and Hilde told her the truth, she would hate Duo for it or maybe she would hate Hilde for hiding it. Either way both parents lost their innocent daughter and their innocent daughter lost her innocence.
In a situation like this no one really won. Duo, who got back his freedom, lost the life he'd given everything for. Hilde, who got her pride in letting Duo go, lost her love and life. Then there was Helen, who gained nothing and lost it all.
Duo woke up and looked over to Hilde but she wasn't in bed, which was strange. For all the years they had been married Hilde rarely got up before he did. He stood and put on his pair of jeans, assuming that Hilde had to be with Helen. He made his way out of the room.
The morning was quiet and dark. The clouds outside the hall window were omens of rain and a very dark day.
He went into Helen's room but she wasn't there and neither was Hilde. He began to worry. The house was to silent for them to be in it. It was too early for Hilde to have gone anywhere with Hilde. Had something happened he would have heard it or noticed things.
He made his way down the stairs. He walked to every room but none of them offered him relief. He finally made his way to the kitchen. Nothing.
He was about to burst with tears when a small envelope on the counter caught his eye. He picked it up and tore it open greedily. There was a small sheet of paper in it. The words he read echoed through his mind as his world crumbled yet again: "Duo, don't cry. People leave because they much. In order for you to be happy they must, but no mater what, Helen and I will always be there."
Duo crumbled the paper and threw it aside as if disappearing it from sight would mean it wasn't true. This was too much. In a matter of days his life had become no more than torn pieces, that he now was too tired and too lost in himself to care about. Suddenly now he felt as he hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to lay down and never get up. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up.
He drug himself up the stairs, into Helen's room, and curled up on her bed.
Then as if he'd been struck by lighting he realized something that hurt him more than anything in the moment. Perhaps it was wrong that this realization hurt him more than Hilde leaving him but it did. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that Hilde leaving him hurt him more than this horrible realization. He only wished he had never done it he knew how it felt now.
He realized at that moment when he hugged Helen's blanket to his chest that this must have been the terrible void that Heero had felt five years ago. This sense of uselessness and great loss must have been the only thing that had been in Heero's mind for day. This must have been the feeling that kept Heero loving Duo and had brought him back. This was, as mundane as it may sound, "A taste of Duo's own medicine." He had left Heero heart broken and half dead. He had taken away the life they had had for so long and left him to start over. He had done something truly evil.
That morning Hilde had done the same thing to him. She had left Duo with nothing. She had left him without a life and a reason to go on. She had taken everything from him.
Duo smiled bitterly, "Thank you."
Though, perhaps the most wonderful thing had happened today. Hilde had set Duo free. She had given him back the wings that he had turned in to her without hope of flying back to Heero. She had set him free and promised to always be there, no matter what. He hadn't lost Hilde or Helen. Not really. They would always be there his eternal friend and his beautiful daughter. He just wished he hadn't caused so much pain. He only hoped that Heero would let him back into his life. He only hoped it could be like before.
Heero sat thinking about things. The last day with Duo had only fed the fire. It had only made him hurt more when he stepped out of the shower and found Duo gone. What had he expected?
He felt like hitting himself. How many time he had asked himself that same question yet he knew what he had always expected. He had expected to wake up from the longest nightmare in his life. He had expected to have Duo hold him and tell him it was all right. The nightmare was over and life would go on as it always had. Not everything in the world was evil. Not everything was rotten and bad. Dreams still came true and happy endings did exist.
It had always been a joke between them. The happy ending. When they had moved in together those had been the words that came out of Duo's lips after they made love, "And they lived happily ever after." Heero had looked at Duo with confusion and at the moment Duo smiled it became true and a promise. It had become a seal that could never be broken. Though, all too soon it had become no more than an unattainable dream. It was too sad. He had had it within finger-tip reach and he had lost it.
After five years of thinking about it he never really comprehended how it happened. How exactly had it happened? What had eaten away at Duo that no one noticed until he was gone? People's hate had happened to him. People who were ignorant broke him and his shattered pieces were scattered away from Heero.
The door bell rang and Heero got up to answer it. He didn't feel like company and honest he didn't have the slightest idea of who it could be. Unless it was Quatre on one of his "I came to see how you are?" visits, which in Heero's mind were always, "I came to see if you finally committed suicide," visits.
For a moment he hesitated and considered going back to his room but a knock came. He closed his eyes and suddenly he had just woken up after a night on the graveyard shift and Duo was at the door announcing with his obnoxious knocking rhythm that he had forgotten his keys. Duo was home and everything was fine now.
Heero rushed to the door and opened it at fast as he could, not bothering to look through the peep-hole.
Duo got off the plane and took in a deep breath. He thanked Hilde for her love and the opportunity she had given him. He only hoped that he wasn't making the same mistake again. He didn't want the pain anymore. He hoped that when he got there that things would be forgotten. He didn't want an argument to ensue. He didn't want words of surprise or anger. He just wanted to say "I love you" and get that kiss his lips burned for.
He got a cab and handed him a slip of paper with an address scribbled neatly on it. He only hoped it was the right one.
With his nerves and anxiousness the cab had not gotten there nearly fast enough. Duo paid the driver and stepped in to the building. Things were like he remembered. Except the faces. He didn't see anyone that might remember him from five years ago.
He felt butterflies in his stomach. He stepped into the elevator and went up to the fourth floor. He walked up to the door and braced himself for what could come. He could be turned away, heart in his hand, or he could be taken into a warm embrace. Either way he gained nothing standing in the hallway. Staring at the door.
He rang the doorbell. Nothing. He knocked.
A small woman came to the door. I'm sorry you seem to have the wrong apartment. The nice young man can tell you where you can find the person you're looking for.
Duo had wanted to cry but he didn't. He went down to the clerk in the lobby.
I'm sorry I cannot display that information. It is confidential and unknown by myself.
Duo really did break down that time. What was he going to do? He could call someone but who in the world would be willing to tell him? No use crying, he told himself and went to a payphone. I've come this far. I can't go back now.
Heero stared into those endless violet eyes and felt himself break, "Duo..."
Duo smiled as a tear trickled down the side of his face. He had known what he would say but at this moment it lay forgotten. Only one thing came to mind.
"And they lived happily ever after."
[ Epilogue ]Duo took Helen's hand as she took Heero's. They had just left Quatre and Trowa's home, where they had had a nice Thanksgiving dinner.
"Mommy says that for Christmas we're going to visit Noin and Zechs in the colonies. I think it will be fun but..."
Duo smiled and let Helen's voice drift from his mind. He was glad for the way things had worked out.
Hilde had sent the divorce papers only months after the separation and she'd even called to tell him about custody arrangements. Helen spent mixed holidays with them and Hilde had to invite Duo to every birthday party and school even Helen was in. Of course it was impossible to make it to all of them so Hilde video taped everything for him. She didn't seem too broken up anymore. She was picking herself up with the eternal help of Relena, whom she'd been living with since she left. Helen had even mentioned a male teacher who fancied Hilde and had asked her to dinner. Duo was glad for her. He was glad that he didn't seem to be hurting her anymore.
Things seemed to be as normal as they would ever be and it was ok. Duo couldn't complain. He had his daughter in his life. Hilde remained ever present, as well, with comfort and support as the mother of their child. Quatre, though he hadn't apologized for anything and claimed he didn't need to, had seemed to forget the whole thing. He and Duo were working on regaining what they had and they were making some progress. Then there was Heero, Duo's forever love. Heero who had taken Duo in his arms and worked with him to get things back to how they were. Heero who didn't question the anything and just lived knowing that now they were going to live happily ever after. Heero who loved Helen and moved earth and sky so that Duo could visit Helen whenever possible.
Duo looked over at Heero. Yes, things were ok. He let Hilde's fade in again but she'd finished her one person conversation and was now smiling up at him. He smiled at her and she turned to smile at Heero who also returned her smile.
Yes, life was surely grand.
Ok so the ending was not grand. No, it did not end with a bang or anything huge and nice. I did not wrap it up with a satin ribbon but cotton is just as good. I'm sorry if you were disappointed. I really feel this was the best I could've done. Please comment and what not.