"Pidge is where?" Maggie asked in low even tones. Heero stood his ground before her as Duo took an involuntary step backwards.
"She is back on a Colony getting treatment." He said.
"Who gave you the right to make this decision?" Maggie demanded as she stood up with the aid of a crutch.
"Because we have to protect the princess of the Sac Kingdom." Heero countered.
"So go find Relena then." Maggie said angrily.
"No, Maggie." Trowa said putting a hand on her arm. "Bridget IS a princess of the Sanc Kingdom."
"Huh?" Maggie said uncomprehendingly as she looked at her friends around the room. Julie pushed past Heero and quickly relayed the conversation she and Duo had. Maggie's eyes widened then narrowed at Heero. "Well then Julie and I ought to be protecting her so why aren't we?"
"Because she is more protected on that colony without the rest of us there to call attention to her." Trowa said gently.
"You're backing him on this?" Maggie rounded on the circus performer.
"Someone's in trouble." Wufei said softly as he sat down to "enjoy" the show.
"Yes." Trowa said standing his full height though he knew it wouldn't help him one bit. "Maggie we need her to get better and she never seems to get better when she's at the Estate." Here he paused to give Kat a sympathetic look, which was waved away. "On that colony she is just a hurt civilian, not wanted by Oz, not a friend of the Gundams, not a princess. She is just a hurt girl who needs help. When she is better Sally is going to get her and bring her back. Till then YOU have to let your ankle heal. Then we can all protect her when she gets back, alright?" Maggie narrowed her blue eyes at him and then slumped her shoulders.
"Your logic is sound, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Fine you win, Barton. But don't think it's going to become a common occurrence." She warned with her crutch.
"I never would." He said with a smile.
"Good." Maggie said and sat down again. Suddenly she smiled at Julie and waved her over. Heero raised an eyebrow and Kat even looked up as they whispered to each other and then Julie burst out laughing. Julie helped Maggie up and they started out the door.
"And what mischief are you two going to cause?" Wufei asked as he put out his legs to block them.
"None at all." Julie said sweetly. "We're going to find a wheelchair for Maggie so she doesn't have to hobble around and can recover more quickly."
"Wheelchair?" Kat asked with a smile starting to come on his face.
"You don't need a wheelchair you crazy onna." Wufei said to Maggie. "You just want to cause trouble and be mobile at the same time."
"I would never do that." Maggie said, eyes wide with innocence. "Now if you don't mind moving you damn legs I have a chair to hunt down." She said and gave Wufei a sharp shot to the legs with her crutch. Wufei reluctantly put them down and let the girls pass, both smiling sweetly at him. When the door shut behind them he glared at Trowa and Duo. "You better keep and eye on them. Onna is their conscience and she isn't here right now."
"They can behave without Bridget." Duo said easily. They heard a load crash outside. "But maybe we ought to give them a tour of the ship anyway." He said quickly as he and Trowa bolted out of the room. Heero grunted and shook his head. Wufei had a smug look on his face as he threw a clipboard at Kat.
"Don't look so worried, Winner. Onna will be fine, after all I trained her." Kat smirked and rolled his eyes at Wufei.
"MAXWELL!!!" Wufei roared. "LOOK WHAT YOUR WOMAN HAS DONE!!!"
Duo skidded into the room and watched in confusion as Julie bodily lifted Maggie and deposited her in a wheelchair. "Um.. what did she do, Wu-Man?"
"SHE HAS MADE THE SHE-DEVIL MOBILE!!!" Wufei ranted. "Does ANYONE see the INJUSTICE to this?!"
"Here, Julie," Maggie grinned, "Help me duct tape this crutch to the arm to make a battering ram!"
Heero sighed a bit as he heard a crash downstairs. He didn't even bother to try to figure out what it was; Wufei had made the mistake of trying to break Maggie's new toy and had become her new favorite target with it. For two days now the Chinese boy had been getting the training of a lifetime with a cackling Maggie and Julie never far from him. Heero shook his head as he heard Wufei yelling about playing by some rules and injustice. Somehow with Wufei it had turned into more of a game when most people would be fearing for their lives. Heero then turned his laptop on and started to search, once again for files that he wasn't sure even existed.
Though he would never let anyone know it Heero was trying to find something, anything on his past before Oden. Every time though the search had come out with less then glowing results and left an irate Heero Yuy in it's wake. This time his fingers paused over the keys.
Why not? he wondered to himself, a small smile starting to creep over his face. It just may work and even if it doesn't it would be more entertaining then watching Quatre mope and Wufei play obstacle course.
Later that night Heero jumped over a fence and let his eyes search a compound. He slowly got up and then ran toward a door when a voice silenced him.
"Good evening Heero, what took you so long?" Heero turned to see Doctor J standing behind him with a smile playing on his face. Heero glared at the crazy old man. "Well don't just stand there boy, Oz could be watching. Get inside so we can start our pleasant little visit." Heero doubted it would be all that pleasant but stepped inside anyway. "Take a seat," Dr. J offered, although he knew Heero would allow no such breach of security.
"I'll stand," he answered back in a low tone, placing his back against the wall.
"As I suspected. So, what brings you back to me, Heero?"
"I want to know about my family. I'm sick of this cat and mouse shit." Heero said as he crossed his arms.
Dr. J pursed his lips. "Ah, direct and to the point, as usual. I believe your mother and father suffered an untimely death during the war of the colonies- quite tragic." His mocking tone made Heero want to pull his gun and shoot the old man where he stood, but that would never do. Not so early in the proceedings. Perhaps he was learning something from Relena, after all. "Your sister, however, did survive, if I am not mistaken." Heero was startled, although he did not show it.
"Sister."
"Younger by 10 months, actually. I believe she was taken in by a prominent family to become bodyguard and companion to some royalty or other." Dr. J waved a negligent hand. Heero's heart stopped. He had the worst feeling in the world that he knew EXACTLY what kingdom took his sister in...and who his sister was.
"Was it the Sanc Kingdom?" Heero growled.
"Entirely possible," Dr. J agreed. "It very well could have been. Why do you ask?" The doctor asked without looking at the young man before him. Heero's mind was working too swiftly to answer for a moment. His mind was methodically matching Maggie's appearance with his own, marking identical hair color, eye color, skin color, and build.
Fool, he thought to himself. "Because the girls assigned to protect that Kingdom died years ago," he lied glibly. The last thing he needed was to lose his sister- even if she WAS insufferable- because the Drs. found her to be leverage. Not to mention Trowa killing him. Although- he wasn't sure he wanted a sister of his dating a Gundam pil- What am I THINKING?! "So my family is dead," he said in a deadpan voice.
"It would appear so, Mr. Yuy. My condolences-" the doctor began half-heartedly.
"Are not needed. I am unfeeling- the way you taught me." And with that, Heero disappeared to head home to his sister- who had no idea who she was. The irony of it was, Heero thought with a touch of humor, they already fought like siblings.
Heero got back to the Estate while it was still dark and his mind was still racing. He had a sister; he had family who was alive. The thought of it was still dizzying. So dizzying in fact that he tripped over something. He didn't have to even look up to know what it was. Maggie's laughing was more then enough of a clue. He stood up and looked at the giggling girl in the wheel chair before him. He wondered what HE would do if he was given the chance to be in a wheelchair and create all kinds of chaos. He smiles internally as he realized he would do just what she was doing...perhaps just on a larger scale. Maggie was staring at him now.
"What's wrong with you? Aren't you going to curse at me or aim your gun at me or anything?" Maggie asked. "I was expecting the wrath of God, here ya know. Are you sick?" She asked, blue eyes suspicious in case it was a trap.
"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." He said and started up the stairs. He paused when he heard Maggie counting.
"Oh.My.God that was more then four words and NO cursing. Yuy, are you positive your ok?" She asked as she wheeled herself to the foot of the stairs. Heero ignored the question and continued to his room. Maggie frowned a bit. With a deceive nod she wheeled herself into her room on the main floor and put on her computer.
Upstairs Heero was already starting a new search. His blue eyes fell onto the small warning that had started to flash to warn him of someone else being able to fallow his search step by step. Normally Heero would then have taken a few seconds to program them on a false trail but tonight he knew who was following him. He continued his search quickly.
"What the fuck?" Maggie muttered to herself as she watched the ascreen. "Why is he searching for people who were born ten months after that date. Is that his birthday? Damnit I need Julie or Pidge...they where the fanatics about all of this." Maggie whispered, knowing full well if they ever got home she would be just as, if not more fanatical herself. Both pairs of eyes scanned pages, looking for clues.
"Hn." Heero said after this had been going on for about an hour. He understood that many records where hard to find because of the destruction of so many colonies but they had to be somewhere. He knew every Colony put records into computers and there for had to send them! He was starting to think of giving up for the night but Maggie was still there, if he didn't find what he was looking for she would ask him too many questions. Suddenly his fingers stopped. "What?" He asked himself as he looked at the family.
"Father was predominate in the colony...mother a former Resistance fighter....two children that where ten months apart before the colony was destroyed...maybe." He clicked on the names. Maggie's eyes widened as the page changed to that of a picture of a family with a small boy and girl...both babies. She read the background history and found herself starting to reel. The worlds "predominate man" kept appearing to describe the father. Her and Heeros eyes both widened as they read, "Their daughter was agreed to go and live with the Peaceraft family of the Sanc Kingdom to be not only the princess bodyguard but friend. However when the colony was destroyed there was no evidence of survivors. Some people believe that both children where taken from the Colony earlier but that also has not be proven." Maggie blinked and leaned back in her chair as Heero reread the words to himself. It fit. It all seemed to fit. Suddenly Maggie's face appeared before him through the communications line.
"What the hell are you doing, Yuy?" She asked. "I know that you know I witnessed this search. Your not that stupid, so why did you bring me to this page?"
"Because I needed to know and I figured it would save me a lot of talking if I just let you fallow me." He said coolly.
"I never save you from talking. What is this all about?" She demanded.
"The only person who I ever remember taking care of me was an assassin, in fact it was the assassin who killed the real Heero Yuy." Heero said and much to Maggie's surprise seemed be settling himself in to tell a story. "When he was killed I met Doctor J who told me to come with him. There I was trained to be an emotionless solder. I became a Gundam Pilot and met Relena and the other pilots. What they don't know is that I have been trying to find out about my family for years now. When I heard what Trieze said about you all having to come from here it reminded me of my search. Tonight I went to Dr J and he told me a very sketchy version of what we just read; that I had a mother and a father who ere killed and a sister who was sent away to some kingdom to be a bodyguard." He paused and looked at her. "YOU were sent away to be Bridget's bodyguard at the Sanc Kingdom. YOU had family here but they are now dead. YOU happen to look and think quite a bit like I do. Put two and two together Maggie, you'll find out it still equals four." She tried to glare at him but couldn't. Heero watched as she looked over the information again and then to him.
"So your saying that you think we're brother and sister?" She asked.
"Yes, we can ask sally to take a blood test for us. She'll keep it a secret." Maggie nodded at him.
"Good idea. Then we can know for sure." She said. Heero nodded and was about to sign off when she said "Heero, just so ya know. Of all the guys you're the one who I would most want to be my brother." He nodded.
"Rodger that." He said and disappeared from the screen.
Maggie sat back in her wheelchair. "Heero's my brother," she said aloud softly, trying out the sound of it on her tongue. Suddenly the animosity she felt toward him made total sense.
"What?!" a startled voice said from the doorway.
"Shit," Maggie said softly as she wheeled the chair around to come face to face with Kat. Quatre was staring at her with a sudden air of alacrity.
"You- and Heero?"
"Yes, it's true," Maggie, said softly.
"But- that's- HEERO?!"
"Yes, Kat, Heero. And Me. And I'd REALLY appreciate it if you didn't tell Trowa. I'm not sure how he'll take it, and I'd like to tell him myself." She said with a sigh. Trowa edged away from the kitchen door silently, reeling. Maggie and Heero what? Were they having an affair? Was Maggie going to let him down easy? He couldn't believe it- and yet, acting like they wanted to kill each other was the perfect way to hide the fact that they were- Trowa swallowed- lovers. Trowa didn't know what to do. Sighing, he squared his shoulders and went up to Heero's room. He knocked.
"What?" Heero grunted from inside.
"Can I come in?" Trowa asked through gritted teeth.
"Hn," Heero said noncommitally. Trowa swung the door open.
"Heero, I just wanted to tell you that the masqurade is over. I know abotu you and Maggie." Heero sat up on the bed.
"Did she tell you ALREADY?"
Trowa shrugged. "I overheard her telling someone else." Heero scowled.
"Does that girl have any concept of the word 'secret?'" Trying to ignore the fact that his blood was starting to boil, Trowa plowed on, "And I hope you two are happy- if you hurt her, I will kill you." Heero nodded.
"I reciprocate that sentiment." Trowa didn't hear it, however, because he was halfway down the stairs toward Maggie to tie it off nice and neatly. Trowa encountered Maggie trying to reach for the jar of cookies on the counter.
"Trowa!" her face lit up. "Get me a cookie, will you?" Trowa kept his face completely still.
"I wanted you to know," he began, facing the countertop, "That I know about you and Heero, and I'm going to save us both pain by lettign you be with him. I hope you two will be very happy."
"I don't knwo what you're talking about, but can you get me a cookie PLEASE?" she asked.
"Why don't you ask HEERO to get the cookie for you?!" Trowa finally snapped. "Seeing as he's your lover."
"My..." Maggie began to laugh hystrerically.
"My- My LOVER?" she gasped out between giggles. "Oh, Trowa, you don't honestly think that I would EVER- ew!"
"I heard you tell Kat," he said staunchly.
"Trowa," Maggie said calmly, "Heero is my BROTHER." Trowa glared at her.
"Maggie, don't try to makes exscuses-what? Your?"
"My BROTHER. Come here." She said and led him, reluctantly to her computer. She showed him the page that was still up. "Doctor J told him that he had a sister, Trowa, a sister who is ten months younger and was sent way to a kingdom to be a bodyguard. Look at this page." Trowa's green eyes widened as he read the page. He looked at her and she smirked at him. "I was telling Kat that he's my brother, Trowa. He's going to ask Sally to come and administer a blood test for us later today."
"Oh God." He said and put his head in his hands. Maggie laughed a bit messed his hair.
"Asnd here I thought that I was going to be the jealous one. Oh this is just to Star Wars for words." She said with a laugh. "I can't wait to tell Pidge. She'll DIE."
"It's not funny." Trowa's muffled voice responded. Suddenly he looked up. "What's Star Wars?"
"You don't know what Star Wars is? Oh, poor Trowa you are so deprived. If you get me a cookie I'll tell you all about it." Maggie said and gave him a hug.
"Maggie, I am so-"
"Trowa, I know. It's ok. You misheard, just next time come to me before you start jumping to conclusions. I love you, Trowa. I really do." She said and kissed him. "Now get me a cookie and all will be forgot...well no it won't be forgotten because I still have to tell the girls but I won't let them make fun of you."
"What about Heero?" Trowa asked. Maggie put the cookie down.
"What did you say to Heero?" She asked.
"I don't think he understood what I was implying. I didn't want to actually say it to him."
"Well, then I'd just assume he thinks you know about us being siblings, which you do, and leave it at that." Maggie said with a smile. Trowa looked worried.
"Ummm...."
"Trowa, it's fine. Now look, it's 5am, why are you up?"
"I got up to make coffee, why are YOU up is the more appropriate question."
"I didn't go to bed yet." She said sheepishly.
"Maggie!"
"What?! It's hard to break bad habits!" She grinned. "And it's fun to make new ones- like harassing my brother!" Trowa sighed.
"You should REALLY get some sleep... Miss Yuy."
Maggie made a face. "Ugh... dunno if I'm too fond of that one."
Trowa smiled. Maggie Barton is far nicer, he thought. He took the handles of her wheelchair and began pushing her towards the living room.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm going to pull out the bed out of the couch. Then I can watch the news, and you can get some rest."
"Hey Trowa?"
"Yes?" he asked as he tucked her into the bed, having fetched Mr. Bear and Trowa tiger.
"When can I talk to Pidge? I miss her." she said sleepily.
"Soon, Maggie. She'd got to get better, and so do you."
"Kay," she murmured before turning over and instantly falling asleep. Trowa sat with the TV on, but he really watched her. Unbeknownst to both, Heero was perched on the roof, watching his newfound sister through the skylight as the sun came up.
Sally hummed as she started up the walk to the Estate, medical bag in hand.
"Afternoon Sally!" Julie cried as she jumped out of the Mobil Suite she had been training in. Sally grimaced at the site and wondered if maybe she just ought to live on the Estate to give Dr. Baith a break.
"Afternoon Julie, Duo. Where's Maggie? Heero said she needed me." Julie smirked a bit.
More like HE needs you. She thought to herself. Not that he would ever say that.
"In the house on the couch." Duo said cheerfully as he opened the door. "Trowa got her to camp out there around five o'clock and it's only noon so she may still be asleep..." He paused as he heard noise coming from the living room. "No she's up."
"Die, onna!" Wufei cried as he threw some popcorn at Maggie who was hiding behind a pillow, her own bowl of popcorn on her lap.
"HA! You missed me." Maggie cried and with a smirk threw the entire bowel at him. Wufei kicked it away and started to advance toward the couch with his own bowl in his hands.
"Wufei?" Sally asked, with an amused look on her face. Wufei stopped and spun around. He took in the sitiuation and shrugged.
"The movie Quatre put in was boring." He said simply and then when Maggie wasn't looking tossed the popcorn in her face.
"Bastard." She sputtered and looked for something to retaliate with. Sally's eyes widened as Wufei started out the door and Maggie took Trowa's flute case and aimed. BAM! The case connected with the back of Wufei's head. "HA!" Wufei spun around, black eyes narrowed.
"YOU.ARE.GOING.TO.DIE!" He said in a low voice.
"Enough." Heero said as he came down the stairs. He surveyed the mess that was once Quatre's living room with a stoic look.
"It wasn't us for once." Duo said with his hands up in the air.
"That's a surprise." Heero said as he walked over to Maggie.
"Come on Duo, Wufei, we're going outside." Julie said as she pulled Duos braid and started out the door.
"What? Why? It's just a checkup." Duo asked.
"I'm not leaving." Wufei said as he crossed his arms.
"Wufei, don't you think we need to train more being that you just got slammed in the back of the head by a popcorn bowl?" Julie asked with a smirk. Wufei seemed to think about this shortly.
"Fine." He said and followed Julie and Duo.
Sally watched them leave and then steeled her gaze on Heero who didn't seem to be leaving.
"I have the feeling that this is going to be more then a regular checkup isn't it?" She asked with a smile.
"Why couldn't we stay inside and Heero did?" Duo asked.
"Because Heero will be quiet." Trowa said from where he was making repairs on Heavyarms. Wufei looked at the house.
"There's something going on that we don't know Maxwell." Wufei said to Duo. Duo looked around at Julie, Kat and Trowa who were all busying themselves.
"Your right, Wufei. No one will tell us just yet. We'll find out soon though." Duo said with a smile. Wufei nodded.
"Of course we will. We find out everything anyway."
Sally put the last tube carefully in her bag.
"Well Maggie, your ankle is healing fine and I will bring you back these results by tomorrow." She paused and smiled at them. "Though I hope that your suspicions are right."
"Thanks." Maggie said as she resettled herself and looked around the room. "Tell Wufei to get in here and clean this up before Kat sees-"the back door shutting cut her off, Kat walked past, stopped and looked in the room again and sighing. "Too late." Maggie said and smiled at Kat. He nodded at her and shook his head.
"Everything all right?" He asked as he stepped in.
"Fine." Sally said with a smile.
"Wufei helped make the mess." Maggie said looking guilty.
"It's fine, Maggie, its just popcorn we can get that up easily." Kat said with a smile. "I'll walk you to your car." He added to Sally.
"Thank you, Quatre. I'll be back tomorrow." She said and followed him out the door.
"He really misses her doesn't he?" Heero asked as he stood up.
"Huh? Oh yah he does miss Pidge. Don't you miss Relena when you're not around her?" Maggie asked. Heero gave her a glare.
"No." He said and left the room.
"HAHAHA. Yes you do and it's not nice to lie to your sister." Maggie called.
"Sister?" Maggie jumped a bit to see Wufei and Duo in the doorway.
"Well now that is a juicy bit of gossip." Duo said as he put his arm on Wufei's shoulder. Wufei nodded.
"See Maxwell I told you that you wouldn't regret coming in here to help me clean up."
"You literally held me at gunpoint."
"Yes but now we know the secret."
"Oh! I bet Bridget doesn't know yet. We can tease her with the knowledge." Duo said excitedly as he got out the vacuum cleaner.
"I'm still sitting right here." Maggie said. "Besides you should be nice to her she lead the rescue for your sorry asses."
"That is true." Duo said with a pout.
"Well if I can't tease her I'll have nothing to say to her." Wufei said as he crossed his arms.
"Call her your highness I bet that would piss her off." Julie said and hit Wufei on the arm.
"Oh, Julies your right it will." Maggie said. The two of them started to laugh when Kat came back in looking downcast. Everyone quieted down and looked at him.
"What? There's just no word it. Why are you looking at me?" He demanded.
"Nothing." Julie said quickly. Kat frowned at her and sat in a chair to watch Duo and Wufei attempt to clean up the room while Maggie told them pieces they where missing. Maggie smiled as she got to order the boys around.
God, it's good to be home. She thought. Hopefully tomorrow's news will only make it feel homier here.