A/N Thank you to my reviewer(s) who reminded me that the last chappie made absolutely NO sense because I forgot I cut the prologue short. Wack! I'm smart! I'll rewrite that problem as soon as I can. I'm having issues with authenticity, because, well, I've never had a kid before, so I'm not sure what it's like to have one, understand what I'm saying? Also, I'm not writing anymore on this story. Yes, this is the last chapter for Lab Babies. I have another story which takes place right after it, and I'll be posting that A.S.A.P., so don't worry. I'm not sure what I'll title it yet, but I know it should be up soon.
5 years old
Cass stalked into the house, her father's signature glare etched into her face. Heero happened to be seated on the couch, hunched over his ever-present laptop which was sitting on the edge on the coffee table in front of him. He didn't even have to look up to know something was wrong and-- "What is it this time?" "My teacher wants to 'talk' with you" she said, her voice almost an exact replica of her father's in a higher pitch. As she went upstairs, a bell sounded at the door. Heero rose to answer it. Sometimes he was sure Cass was a mistake.
"Hi!" a young woman chirped as soon as Heero opened the door. "Are you Cassandra's father?" Heero nodded. "Yes," he answered stoically. The lady continued to smile emptily. "Cass has been writing some tall tales about you and your wife," she said as if she expected him to be concerned. She entered the house, squeezing passed him. Heero ignored the remark about his 'marriage'. "Like?" he asked testily, following her. He had already come to the conclusion that she needed to be shot, but was thinking twice about doing so on Quatre's carpet, which she now stood on in the living room. He mentally noted that if he could possibly get her to turn toward the wall, the blood spatter might not hit the oriental rug Quatre adored so much. He was drawn back into her conversation as she continued.
"Well," she said matter of factly, "if you would just read this, I think it would become quite clear that Cass is VERY confused." She held out a piece of paper which Heero ignored. "Why don't you just tell me," he suggested threateningly. The lady seemed taken aback, but she held her ground. "To be perfectly frank, Mr. Maxwell," she began almost scoldingly. Heero cut her off with a curt reply. "Yui," he corrected sharply. he was sick of where this conversation was going. He folded his arms and started to stroke the gun concealed at his side longingly. She didn't notice as she stuttered; "Beg pardon?". Heero felt a slight satisfaction of this. "Maxwell is her mother's name," he retorted.
The young lady was beginning to look very uncomfortable, and Heero got the feeling that trouble would come of this in the end. He watched predatorily as the poor woman gather her wits. "I'm sorry," she apologized desperately, "I though you were married. She speaks so fondly of her mother." Heero scoffed. "She would," he said. He wondered for a second what sort of things she talked about so fondly, and what of the rest of the pilots? The lady continued. "Anyway, Cass has been lying in her homework assignments, and to the class." "What do you mean?" Heero asked warily. "Well," the lady said tentatively, "She says things like her mother is death and you are an assassin."
Heero felt his heart sink. He thought Cass had known better. "Really?" he replied unfazed. Now she definitely had to die. "Now," she continued, "I assume that she meant her mother was dead. And I understand that many of our students have parents who were in the war, but she insists that her mother is alive and that you don't have a different job." "Hn," Heero grunted.
Suddenly there was an outburst of activity as Duo rushed out of the basement, his black robe's hood pushed back on his head and the wide sleeves falling to his elbows as he wielded his scythe like a spear. "Back, Madonna! Back! Back!" he ordered. A blonde specter was forced back into the basement as he slammed the door on it. "Duo," Heero called with out even looking behind him. "Cass's teacher is here. Seems she's been telling some tales." Duo listened as he disrobed. "So?" he said as he hung his robe on a peg next to the basement door and leaned his scythe against the wall next to it. He began to walk toward them as Heero said, "she's your daughter." "Correction," Duo said as he came up beside him. "She's OUR daughter. It took both of us ya know." Heero looked at him. Only someone who knew him well could see the traces of fondness and love he looked at Duo with. "Sometimes I wonder," he mumbled. He turned and left Duo with the teacher and headed upstairs.
Heero knocked on Cass's door. "Cass," he said, "We need to talk." Cass opened the door. "Yeah," she said dejectedly, "I know." As soon as he had closed the door behind him his features softened. "Cass, you know you can't tell people who we are," he said. "Now your teacher has to be disposed of." Cass nodded. "I know," she said. "That's kind of why I told her. That and the fact that I didn't know what to say." Heero sighed. "So you told her because you don't like her and you want her to not be your teacher anymore?" he asked. "Uh-huh!" Cass answered. "Cass!" Heero pressed. "You can't just tell people you don't like because you don't want them around. You have to have respect for human life." Cass groaned. "Okay," she whined, "but I still don't know what to tell them when they ask about you and mom?"
Heero left the room and returned in a few minutes holding a binder. "The scientists made this for you," he said as he handed it to her. "It was supposed to be your birthday present for next year, but you might need it now with all your trouble making." He left the room as she tinkered with her new toy and headed down the hall to Quatre and Trowa's room. He knocked softly on the door, "Trowa," he called through the wood. Quatre answered the door. "Trowa's in the garden, Heero," he said sweetly. "What do you need?" Heero gave him a dark look and turned to leave. "An assassination," he said. "Oh Heero," Quatre sounded crestfallen. "Who?" Heero turned back to him. "Cass's teacher," he explained. "She told her about us." He turned and left Quatre to ponder that as he went to find Trowa.
Trowa was heading in from the garden when Heero caught up with him. He didn't even need to say anything before Trowa knew. "Cass told?" he asked. Heero nodded. Trowa shook his head and headed to the driveway. 'She's young," he said. "She doesn't understand. I know she says she does, Heero; Toby says the same thing, but you look in their eyes and you can see that they don't." He turned to Heero, the sorrow apparent in his eyes. "Soldiers like us just shouldn't have kids, Heero. It forces the children to grow up faster than they should. Now come help me rig her car." Heero followed the fellow pilot out to the front of the house. He had to admit, Trowa was right; the kids were in over there heads.
A/N Sorry I botched the ending. I got bored. Hope you liked.
5 years old
Cass stalked into the house, her father's signature glare etched into her face. Heero happened to be seated on the couch, hunched over his ever-present laptop which was sitting on the edge on the coffee table in front of him. He didn't even have to look up to know something was wrong and-- "What is it this time?" "My teacher wants to 'talk' with you" she said, her voice almost an exact replica of her father's in a higher pitch. As she went upstairs, a bell sounded at the door. Heero rose to answer it. Sometimes he was sure Cass was a mistake.
"Hi!" a young woman chirped as soon as Heero opened the door. "Are you Cassandra's father?" Heero nodded. "Yes," he answered stoically. The lady continued to smile emptily. "Cass has been writing some tall tales about you and your wife," she said as if she expected him to be concerned. She entered the house, squeezing passed him. Heero ignored the remark about his 'marriage'. "Like?" he asked testily, following her. He had already come to the conclusion that she needed to be shot, but was thinking twice about doing so on Quatre's carpet, which she now stood on in the living room. He mentally noted that if he could possibly get her to turn toward the wall, the blood spatter might not hit the oriental rug Quatre adored so much. He was drawn back into her conversation as she continued.
"Well," she said matter of factly, "if you would just read this, I think it would become quite clear that Cass is VERY confused." She held out a piece of paper which Heero ignored. "Why don't you just tell me," he suggested threateningly. The lady seemed taken aback, but she held her ground. "To be perfectly frank, Mr. Maxwell," she began almost scoldingly. Heero cut her off with a curt reply. "Yui," he corrected sharply. he was sick of where this conversation was going. He folded his arms and started to stroke the gun concealed at his side longingly. She didn't notice as she stuttered; "Beg pardon?". Heero felt a slight satisfaction of this. "Maxwell is her mother's name," he retorted.
The young lady was beginning to look very uncomfortable, and Heero got the feeling that trouble would come of this in the end. He watched predatorily as the poor woman gather her wits. "I'm sorry," she apologized desperately, "I though you were married. She speaks so fondly of her mother." Heero scoffed. "She would," he said. He wondered for a second what sort of things she talked about so fondly, and what of the rest of the pilots? The lady continued. "Anyway, Cass has been lying in her homework assignments, and to the class." "What do you mean?" Heero asked warily. "Well," the lady said tentatively, "She says things like her mother is death and you are an assassin."
Heero felt his heart sink. He thought Cass had known better. "Really?" he replied unfazed. Now she definitely had to die. "Now," she continued, "I assume that she meant her mother was dead. And I understand that many of our students have parents who were in the war, but she insists that her mother is alive and that you don't have a different job." "Hn," Heero grunted.
Suddenly there was an outburst of activity as Duo rushed out of the basement, his black robe's hood pushed back on his head and the wide sleeves falling to his elbows as he wielded his scythe like a spear. "Back, Madonna! Back! Back!" he ordered. A blonde specter was forced back into the basement as he slammed the door on it. "Duo," Heero called with out even looking behind him. "Cass's teacher is here. Seems she's been telling some tales." Duo listened as he disrobed. "So?" he said as he hung his robe on a peg next to the basement door and leaned his scythe against the wall next to it. He began to walk toward them as Heero said, "she's your daughter." "Correction," Duo said as he came up beside him. "She's OUR daughter. It took both of us ya know." Heero looked at him. Only someone who knew him well could see the traces of fondness and love he looked at Duo with. "Sometimes I wonder," he mumbled. He turned and left Duo with the teacher and headed upstairs.
Heero knocked on Cass's door. "Cass," he said, "We need to talk." Cass opened the door. "Yeah," she said dejectedly, "I know." As soon as he had closed the door behind him his features softened. "Cass, you know you can't tell people who we are," he said. "Now your teacher has to be disposed of." Cass nodded. "I know," she said. "That's kind of why I told her. That and the fact that I didn't know what to say." Heero sighed. "So you told her because you don't like her and you want her to not be your teacher anymore?" he asked. "Uh-huh!" Cass answered. "Cass!" Heero pressed. "You can't just tell people you don't like because you don't want them around. You have to have respect for human life." Cass groaned. "Okay," she whined, "but I still don't know what to tell them when they ask about you and mom?"
Heero left the room and returned in a few minutes holding a binder. "The scientists made this for you," he said as he handed it to her. "It was supposed to be your birthday present for next year, but you might need it now with all your trouble making." He left the room as she tinkered with her new toy and headed down the hall to Quatre and Trowa's room. He knocked softly on the door, "Trowa," he called through the wood. Quatre answered the door. "Trowa's in the garden, Heero," he said sweetly. "What do you need?" Heero gave him a dark look and turned to leave. "An assassination," he said. "Oh Heero," Quatre sounded crestfallen. "Who?" Heero turned back to him. "Cass's teacher," he explained. "She told her about us." He turned and left Quatre to ponder that as he went to find Trowa.
Trowa was heading in from the garden when Heero caught up with him. He didn't even need to say anything before Trowa knew. "Cass told?" he asked. Heero nodded. Trowa shook his head and headed to the driveway. 'She's young," he said. "She doesn't understand. I know she says she does, Heero; Toby says the same thing, but you look in their eyes and you can see that they don't." He turned to Heero, the sorrow apparent in his eyes. "Soldiers like us just shouldn't have kids, Heero. It forces the children to grow up faster than they should. Now come help me rig her car." Heero followed the fellow pilot out to the front of the house. He had to admit, Trowa was right; the kids were in over there heads.
A/N Sorry I botched the ending. I got bored. Hope you liked.