Disclaimer - I do not own any of the Gundam Wing characters, the only thing that is mine is the characters Allyson, Mayven and the plot. (If I forget to put this on my other chapters I apologize, I have a really bad memory for junk like this)

Rating - Safe chapter (not sure about language though)

Chapter 1 – The Battle Continues

"What's up Heero?" Quatre asked, walking into the small living room with a sandwich in hand, taking a small bite while awaiting his response. Heero remained silent for a moment, reading the message that he had been hoping would never come.

"Oz has taken over colonies L1-L3 and they plan on getting L4 and L5 today," he announced. After a moment in history that everyone now knew as the Endless Waltz, all the colonies had been renamed and were all put under the control of the Peacecraft industries, a company that Relena had started after dropping out of the political race. Relena, being the head of the council, had much power over them and would like nothing more than to put up a fight for them, but she'd need help…from the Gundams! She couldn't afford to lose these colonies to Oz because if she lost these two, she'd only have control over the last one, L6, which was the smallest and weaker of them all. She had been the one to send the message to Heero, asking for the support of the Gundam Pilots.

"Are we going to help?" Trowa asked, grabbing the seat next to him in the rocking chair, leaning back in a relaxed position, awaiting his reply. "And you do realize that if we do then we start this battle all over again, and we accomplished nothing during the Endless Waltz," he added. Heero nodded slowly, closing the message before turning to the others.

"We leave in an hour." His order was given and they all headed in their respective areas, preparing for their departure, and the first use of their Gundams since they had been rebuilt.

Nobody had actually put Heero in charge of the Gundam Pilots, but now that they were no longer under the orders of the Doctors, Heero simply stepped into the place, taking charge. None of the others had even questioned the move, they just took the orders, deciding that it would be best to have Heero has their leader then their enemy.

"Duo, are you up for this?" Trowa asked. Duo found it funny how Trowa had just fallen into the 'other brother' roll. How so much had changed, Allyson was gone, Trowa was protective when it came to any of them and Heero had become the brains of this whole operation. He brought his violet eyes up from the floor to meet with the forest green ones looking worriedly at him.

"Yeah man," he replied, smirking slightly, "I'll be fine."

"You damn well better be," Heero said coldly, turning to him, "because we need your head in this one." His voice was cold, but his eyes were soft, worried and gentle, something that had become more common of him lately. Something that Duo had grown to expect and even something that was comforting to him.

"I'll be there," he said standing to walk out of the room, "Head, heart and soul." He added as he exited the room and walked upstairs to his room to grab his jacket and other gear.

"You think he meant that?" Wufei asked. Trowa nodded this time, answering the question before any of the others could.

"Yeah, he does." He replied simply. Wufei nodded, content with the answer, for the moment being.

None of the Gundam Pilots were the same as they had been the first time they fought this battle. Wufei was more out spoken and friendlier, talking with people without hesitation and without a hint of cruelty. Quatre has surprising crueler. He stopped apologizing to everyone he killed, and was no longer the little brother figure that people picked on, he stood up for himself and had become, surprisingly, a great soldier. Duo became more silent. He no longer made jokes during battle, unless his mind forgot Allyson long enough to think up a smart remark and he had become a lot quieter since Allyson's death, not being the happy go lucky Duo that most knew and loved. Heero became less serious and learned to live for the day and enjoy life to its fullest. Although they all changed, some for the better and others for the worst, it wasn't uncommon for the old pilots to come through when the battle would get intense or when all cruel memories, of what seemed to be another life, were forgotten.

Heero held on as he took another hard hit, sending sparks and the sound of metal breaking through his ears for the third time since the battle had begun. A smile touched his lips to the memories that it brought back. He had forgotten what a true battle sounded like and had also forgotten how much he loved to be in the middle of trouble, hopelessness, and most of all, danger. He smiled widely as he ripped threw the Aries that hovered in front of him, leaving nothing but dust and small pieces of metal floating around in space.

Not only were the Gundams new and improved, but so were the Aries, Leos and Virgos that soon followed and all the Oz weapons had been greatly updated. They were quicker and more powerful, surprisingly. Heero turned around as another explosion rang through the air, this time Duo taking the shot, cutting an Aries, two Leos and a Virgo to pieces with one quick swipe of his scythe.

"Are you alright 02?" Heero asked across the interlink system. It was strange how they still used their code numbers when in battle with their Gundams, even if Oz knew their names and identities, but Heero thought it a custom that they should keep, for old time's sake.

"Of course," Duo's surprised response came though the system as the thought of Heero going soft ran through his mind, causing him to smile, "Why do you ask?" He turned the new and improved Deathscythe around to face Heero's gundam, not realizing that an Aries had picked up their conversation over their intercom system and was heading their way as they spoke to take advantage of their state of vulnerability.

"Just making sure that your damn head is still with us," Heero replied, his voice suddenly going cold as he realized that he was getting soft and caring. But again, nobody would blame him, the pilots had become the only family that he had ever known, and he didn't want any foolish deaths, like the death of Allyson, to happen again.

"Don't worry about me 01," Duo replied, lowering his weapon…big mistake…as a smile touched his lips once again to Heero's new found kindness, "I'm fine."

"I wasn't worrying!" Heero snapped, "I just don't want anyone getting hurt because you can't stay on planet Earth long enough to help yourself," Heero gritted his teeth to the thought of caring so much, but it soon turned to a smirk.

"Uhh, 01, we're in space, not on Earth," Duo replied sarcastically with a giggle, a sound that rarely touched Duo's voice, a sound that Heero had to admit that he missed, even though once he heard it he wanted to smack the tone right out of his voice.

"Shut up!" Heero snarled, the smirk now gone as he realized that Duo had just burned him at his own game. He glared at the thought of the smug look that would be across Duo's face.

Suddenly, just as the Aries came into view, a large crashing sound rang across the intercom as Heero heard the Aries grab hold of Duo's gundam, burying its large claw-like-hands into the metal. Heero's eyes widened at the sight before him. Duo's gundam's lights shut off as its power just shut down as all its systems were slowly taken over by the Aries.

"01, it's got me!" Duo's panicked voice came threw the intercom system, barely making it threw the static long enough for Heero to get the message, "I've lost all control!"

"Hold on 02," Heero replied his voice calm and reassuring as it always was. He wasted not time in attacking, hitting the Aries hard, hoping to shake it from Duo's back, knowing that if he used any of his stronger weapons he's killed both the pilot of the Aries, which didn't bother him any, and Duo.

Another blast echoed threw his ear, this time it coming from the blast that had just hit him. Damn it! He thought, turning around to face the new Leos that had joined their little gathering, blasting it to pieces with one shot from his gun. He spun back around just in time to see Duo and the Aries spiral to the Earth. The Aries pilot was obviously a suicidal pilot, taking him and Duo both to their deaths on the planet that lay below them. Heero knew the tactic well, he had been taught to use it if the moment was to arise, but he had never seen an Oz pilot take the battles serious enough to ever use it. Their was no way to stop them now, Heero would have to meet them on the planet and pick Duo, or what was left of him, up off the ground from there. Heero prayed, which surprised him immensely, as Duo's gundam disappeared into the Earth's atmosphere.

"Duo!" Trowa called out. All the Gundam pilots had landed at the crash sight after finishing off the last of the Oz pilots, which took only minutes when they worked together.

Metal and the smell of blood was everywhere. The Aries was in pieces, metal crunching under foot as they walked threw the debris, searching desperately for their lost comrade. Quatre, with Wufei's help, lifted piece of metal after piece of metal, looking for any sign of life.

"Damn it Duo, answer us!" Heero cried out in frustration, his voice etched with anger and aggravation. He sighed sadly as thoughts of burying his best friend ran threw his mind. He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the tears that had began to form. He couldn't cry now! He couldn't just give up and leave him here, if anything he owed Duo enough to at lest find his body, or what was left of it. "Looks like we're looking for a body guys," he said after gathering himself enough so not to loose it and break down in front of the others. This was a time that he had to remain strong, if not for him then for the others.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Heero spun around to see a battered and beaten Duo standing behind him, his cloths ripped and blood everywhere. Heero smiled happily, his eyes showing gentleness that Duo had never seen in him before, so gentle that it scared him. Heero wiped away the tears that had begun to fall vigorously as he scowled at the young 18 year old boy that barely stood in front if him.

"About time you answer us," he said coldly, glaring at the pilot as he walked over to him and draped the boy's arm over his shoulder, putting an arm around his slender waist to hold him firm. "Let's move out," he said walking towards Trowa who took Duo form Heero, and headed towards Relena, who had arrived only minutes earlier after receiving Wufei's call.

"You can put him in the car," she said smiling at him softly. The Gundams had won that battle, saving the colonies from Oz for the moment being, "the driver will bring him to get medical attention." Trowa nodded, heading towards the vehicle with the weak and tiered Duo limping close behind him. "Are there any other survivors?" Relena asked, turning to Heero.

"Not that I can tell," he replied, walking over to her, "thank you for coming so quickly, Duo needed that," he said, his cobalt blue eyes looking deeply into hers.

"Anytime," she replied with a smile, "but we should look for civilians," she said looking away from him to the wreck, a touch of red hitting her cheeks as she blushed. "This is a public place after all." Heero nodded slowly, feeling overwhelmed by his feelings for her. They both knew of their feelings for each other but had agreed to put them aside until Oz was completely taken care of, he didn't want to be in Duo's shoes, dealing with the death of a loved one, he could tell that it wasn't fun and had decided that it would be best for both of them to wait.

"Heero, over here, I found someone!" Quatre's voice cut into his thought roughly as he snapped his head in Quatre's direction, feeling the pain run down his spin, knowing that he had just over thrown his neck, hurting it. With a sigh, cursing his stupid mistake, he took one glance at Relena out of the corner of his eye before running over to Wufei and Quatre.

"Looks like a civilian girl," Wufei said, picking up a piece of metal and tossing it aside, "She breathing, but barely." He added, turning her over gently. She was average height, 5'4, give or take and inch or two, shoulder length dark brown hair that seemed to be died a soft inconspicuous red. She wore a pair of hip hugger jeans and a black jacket with the word Oz printed in white on the breast. Heero glared, stepping back.

"She's no civilian, she the pilot that tried to kill Duo," he said turning away and heading for the car that waited for them all, "she with Oz." he added in a cold tone.

"We can't just leave her," Wufei said, standing up and turning his attention from the girl to Heero's back, "We don't know that she's the one…the jacket could be her brother's or something, we can't be sure." He said turning to the girl, her breathing choppy and her skin burning with fever.

"Then she supports them," Heero said, his tone cruel and unforgiving, "either way, she's the enemy." He turned to the two pilots, sighing. "You want to help her don't you?" he asked, not expecting or wanting an answer.

"Bring her Heero," Duo called from the car that still hadn't left as it waited the okay form Relena, his voice raspy and tired, "We can't be sure until we talk to her." Heero nodded silently, turning away, leaving the two pilots to pick the girl up and bring her to the car.

"Let's go," Relena said as the girl was placed in the car next to Duo, her motionless body being supported by Trowa's strong form that sat next to her. Heero nodded again, getting into the other car with Relena that followed Duo and the others to the Medical facility that Relena had set up in her building, knowing that Oz could get to the pilots if they were sent to a regular hospital.

Well that's chapter one, and I promise it will get batter, I just have to set up the ground work….

R&R Please!