Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing or The Parent Trap.
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The Maxwell Trap
by Dorothy Winner
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Sydney and Heidi stepped out of their Isolation cabin on the last day of camp, each with the other's duffel bag over one shoulder. The two girls went down the path to the parking lot where all the campers and buses were gathered, everyone saying their goodbyes. The two girls stopped walking and turned to face each other.
"This is it," said Sydney.
"We're finally going home," said Heidi.
"I can't wait to meet Mom," said Sydney.
"And I can't wait to meet Dad," said Heidi. "Call me, okay? Audio only. Just use a different name, like… Jessica or something."
"Right. And I'm… Katie," said Sydney. The two girls laughed and hugged each other. They drew back, tears in their eyes. Sydney handed Heidi an envelope. "Here's your shuttle ticket. Dad should be there at the spaceport to pick you up. Give him a kiss for me, okay?"
"Okay. And give mom a kiss for me," said Heidi. "The key is to get them to start reminiscing about the good times. I'll ask dad about how he and Mom first met, and you can find out about their first date."
"Right." The two sisters hugged again. "I'm going to miss you so much," said Sydney. "This has been the best two months of my life."
"And mine. I'm really going to miss you too," said Heidi.
"Alexandra Yuy! Your pink limo is here!" Mariemaia shouted into her megaphone.
Heidi laughed. "I guess that means I'll be leaving first. So… wish me luck," she said, hugging Sydney one last time. "See you soon."
"Bye Sydney!" Sydney called after her, waving as Heidi got into the pink limo.
Heidi rolled down one of the windows and stuck her head and arms out. "Bye Heidi!" she yelled, waving until her sister disappeared from sight.
~*~
Sydney fidgeted nervously in her seat as the taxi she was riding in drove through the streets of Brussels. She kept reading from a well-worn piece of paper, whispering names and descriptions to herself.
The taxi driver looked at her oddly through his rearview mirror. "What're you doing, kid?"
Sydney went white and then red. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Don't worry about me…"
The taxi came to a stop in front of an elegant, 18th century townhouse. The driver got out and opened the door for Sydney. She stepped out, looking up in awe at the house. "Wow."
The driver held out her duffel bag. "Oh, right," said Sydney, slinging it over one shoulder. She handed the driver several credits. "Keep the change. Thanks for the ride."
The taxi drove away and Sydney went up the steps to the front door, her fingers crossed. "Please let her like me," she whispered to herself. She fumbled for Heidi's keys and after several moments, found a key that seemed to match the gilt doorknob, grateful that the house didn't have a fingerprint lock. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Sydney decided she liked her mom's taste in decorating. The house had a friendly, cheerful look, sun-filled and warm, decorated in soft shades of lavender and blue and filled with simple, yet comfortable furniture. A long, carved staircase gracefully curved upwards to the second floor. Sydney took a deep breath and finally spoke. "Hello?"
And for the first time in her life, she heard her mother's voice.
"Heidi?" Hilde called out, emerging at the top of the stairs. Sydney looked up and slowly walked to the bottom of the stairs as if she were in a trance. "Mom?"
Hilde held her arms out. "Oh, Heidi. Welcome home."
Sydney flew up the stairs and fell into her mother's arms. Nothing Heidi could have said could describe what it felt like to finally be held in her mother's embrace. Tears came to Sydney's eyes. "I can't believe it's you."
"It's so good to finally have you back home," said Hilde, running her fingers through her daughter's hair. She looked into Sydney's eyes. "What's wrong? Are those tears?"
"I'm just so happy it's you," said Sydney. "I've missed you so much. You just can't imagine."
Hilde hugged her again. "I've missed you too. Now, you must be hungry after that long trip back. What do you say we feed that huge appetite of yours?"
Sydney's eyes lit up. "Food?"
~*~
"Mmmmm, Mom, this is so good!" Sydney exclaimed, digging into the pasta Hilde had made with typical Maxwell gusto.
"Slow down," said Hilde, "what, did they starve you at camp or something?"
"No, not at all, but your cooking is just simply delicious!" The truth was, Sydney had had to learn to fend for herself at an early age, the pinnacle of Duo's cooking ability being macaroni and cheese, and the Sweepers' not being much better. Fortunately, Sydney had inherited her mother's cooking skills, but Hilde's cooking still sent Sydney's taste buds into a kind of seventh heaven.
"Glad to see you're still a fan of my cooking," said Hilde, laughing.
Sydney loved the sound of her mother's laugh. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from her. "Wow. I didn't know you were so beautiful. You sure you didn't get anything done while I was at camp?" she added jokingly.
"Oh, just the usual, you know, a facelift, a botox injection, plus a tummy tuck and a bit of liposuction, do you like it?" Hilde said without missing a beat.
Both of them laughed. "So, how was camp?" asked Hilde. "Was it fun? Did you make any nice friends?"
"Camp was awesome," said Sydney. "I became really good friends with this one girl. Practically like sisters."
"See, I knew you'd like it," said Hilde. Just then, the vidphone began to beep. "Now who could that be? I'll be right back, okay?"
Hilde went into her office and turned the vidphone. "Hello, Commander Une… Really? Oh no… Can't you call Ramirez or Sinclair to fix it? Heidi just came home from camp, and… I see… I'll be right there."
Hilde went back into the kitchen. "Heidi, how would you like to take a quick trip with me over to Preventers?"
~*~
TBC…