DISCLAIMOR: I do not own Gundam Wing; I'm only borrowing it. Don't worry, though. I put it back where I found it when I'm done!
NOTICE: I'm going away this Saturday (June 4) and won't be coming back until June 26. In that time, I won't be able to update on my story. I'll try to post the Friday before I leave, and post again when I get back, but I can't make any promises.
Despite the fact that it was late, and the day had been long and hard, Trinity was having trouble sleeping. She rolled over for the upteenth time, turning to look out the window. She couldn't yet see the moon; it was still above the window. Yet the moonlight bathed her and her lover in its silvery glow. A slight smile crossed her chapped lips as she looked at him.
Asleep, Solo lost much of the weariness he seemed to carry with him. The tired lines on his handsome face relaxed. Night was one of the few times the young man could find peace, and it showed. Trinity wondered at how much younger he looked while sleeping. With a loving smile, she reached over and brushed an errant strand of chestnut colored hair out of his face. He stirred, and opened his cobalt blue eyes.
"Why're you smilin'?" he asked, his voice still slurred with sleep.
"Do you know how handsome you look right now?" Trinity replied.
Solo carressed her cheek with a roughen hand. "Nowhere near as beautiful as you."
"Flatterer," she accused gently. "You know you can't get your way with just that, don't you?"
"It'll work for now, won't it?" he asked with boyish innocence.
"Oh, I suppose," Trinity yeilded with a grin, snuggling closer to her lover. Solo wrapped her in a loving embrace, holding her close. They lay together like that for several moments; Trinity listening to Solo's heart beating and Solo breathing in her scent. No words needed to be spoken between them.
"Solo," Trinity began. "Don't die, okay?"
"I won't if you won't," he replied glibly.
"I mean it," she insisted in a hoarse whisper. "Promise me you won't die on me. Promise."
Solo's grip on her tightened. "I won't die, Trinity. And neither will you. When the war's finally over, we're gonna get married, have a buncha kids, grow old . . ." He trailed off, staring up at the ceiling.
"I love you," Trinity breathed, leaning up to kiss him. It was not a passionate kiss, but rather one of promise.
"Make love to me, Trinity," Solo whispered after they parted. The petite blond answered with another kiss.
"GO TO HELL!"
Bane stared up at the ceiling in confusion. Yet again, the whisps of memory trespassed into his thoughts. Their significance was lost to him, as was the reason they were persisting. The ceiling held no answers to his silent, piercing questions.
A quick glance at the alarm clock revealed the time to be three hours past midnight. The glowing, red numbers seemed to mock his ignorance, portending an important date from his past. Yet, he could not remember what it could be. He tore at his divided, incomplete memory for the answers, but none came.
He sat up and shook his head to rid himself of the fragmented memory. It had no place in his life anymore, he told himself. It was part of the past, along with his rejected family. It was no longer important. It was the past, not the future. He didn't need to remember his mother or father. He didn't need to know what had become of them after he left, or what had happened that they became so distant. It wasn't important.
Deep down inside, Bane knew it wasn't true.
"Then why is it important?" he asked the ceiling. As expected, there was no answer. In a sudden wave of restlessness, the major tossed aside the sheet covering him and began to pull his black uniform pants on. Habitually, he slid the black undershirt on, covering his muscular, scarred torso. Forgoing shoes and any other article of clothing, he walked out of his quarters.
The base was dark and empty; there was little reason for soldiers to be awake and guarding the base when they were now on the L1 Colony, which was under complete Allies control. In the lonely corridors, surrounded by soft, grey shadows, Bane felt at peace. He avoided the sections of the base he knew to be populated with the soldiers still awake, hoping to avoid answering questions.
He allowed his mind to wander on its own and let his feet take him to wherever they pleased in the base. Despite the peace, however, there was a sense of waiting in the corridors, similar to the feeling in a hospital. The silence was deafening. Bane felt as though he were suffocating in the sheer silence of the base. A profound sense of lonliness washed over him as he walked along, leaving him empty. It struck him as odd that in the misdt of hundreds to thousands of men and women he could still feel lonely; yet, as Bane looked out into the vast darkness of space, he knew he could.
A slight sound made him look around, snapping him out of his introspective funk. As he studied his surroundings, he found himself in the medical center of the base, brought there, no doubt, by the hospital feeling of the base. The dark haired young man continued looking for the noise that had roused him.
"Who's there?" he demanded softly, trying to pierce the shadows. The sound came again, with more clarity. It was a child crying. Immediately, Bane knew who it was. He quietly stode to the cracked door where the girl was roomed. Pushing the door open slightly, he peeked inside.
She lay on the bed, curled in a tiny ball. Each suppressed sob made her entire body tremble. As Bane silently stepped in the room, he realized the girl was still asleep. An unfamiliar feeling pulled at his heart, and he found himself at the girl's side, wondering how to comfort her. As gently as he could, he stroked her soft, golden curls. Rather than comforting her, it caused her to awaken. She flinched from his touch, and turned to look at him with almost too-large, ice blue eyes.
"It's okay," he told her softly. "You were having a nightmare."
She stared at him with her big eyes, looking like a frightened rabbit. Her breath came in quick gasps. Bane remained where he was, not moving. Eventually, the girl calmed, seeing that he was not going to hurt her.
"Are you alright now?" he asked, feeling slightly foolish for talking to a child. She shook her head, never taking her eyes off his. "Do you want me to leave?"
To his surprise, she shook her head, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to her bed. She watched him as he sat down beside her, then silently climbed in his lap, ignoring his feeble protests. Getting comfortable, she continued staring up at him, this time with absolute trust.
"I can't stay here all night," he informed her gently. She just stared at him, her eyes piercing into his soul. "I'm going to have to leave, understand?"
After almost a quarter of an hour of sitting in the peaceful silence, Bane tried to sit up slowly, so the girl could slide off his lap. However, she wrapped her thin arms around his neck, refusing to be set down. Standing and now finding himself holding the child, Bane tried to put her back on the bed. She allowed herself to be put down, but then adopted a cross-legged, halfway bent over and hopping dance that needed no translation.
"Ah," Bane said, eyebrows high. He picked up the little girl, intending to put her on the floor so she could walk, but she held tightly to his neck. Not wanting to hurt the girl or strangle himself, Bane just carried her down the hall. He stopped outside the bathroom and gently pryed her arms off of him so he could put her down. He motioned for her to go in, but she just stared up at him silently.
"I can't go in there with you," he told her. "You'll have to do this yourself."
She stared at him without saying anything. Sighing, Bane picked her up again, and took her to the men's room. Fortunately for him, it was empty and she was content to let him stand outside the stall as she did her business. When she was finished, she climbed up the major's legs until he picked her up once more. Resigned, Bane carried her back to her room.
Once more in her bed, she pointed to the empty glass next to it. Understanding what she wanted, he filled it with water from the tap. The girl stood once he had put it down, and wrapped her fragile arms around him again, giving him a quick squeeze. Unprepared, he stiffened, but the girl didn't seem to notice. She plopped back down on her bed and almost immediately went back to sleep, this time peacefully. Bane pulled the sheets up to her chin, then left.
Not knowing quite how he managed it, Bane was back in his own quarters. Shedding his uniform, he lay back in his bed. After a few minutes, he felt the first stages of sleep enter his mind. He surrendered to the inevitable, and relaxed, his dreams plagued with broken memories of the past.
With a sigh of long-suffering, Trinity leaned against the rought bark of the towering oak tree. She gazed up at the bright green leaves, swaying in the gentle breeze. The breeze brought with it the scent of wildflowers, hinting at an Earthen summer. Strands of her honey blond hair idly passed over her eyes, trailing in the wind.
Her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach. Earlier that day, she had been almost crippled by nausea. It was the third time that week, and the second week in a row it had occurred. Coupled with slight mood swings and tender, swollen breasts, Trinity felt she knew what the nausea was. What she didn't know was exactly how she felt about it.
"Hey, Trin!" a voice called. Shawn climbed up the path to the oak and meadow. "Trin, you up here?"
"Yeah," she replied softly, but loud enough to be heard.
Shawn heard the dark undertone in her voice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothin'," she muttered. Shawn sat down in front of his cousin, his steel blue eyes gazing at her piercingly. Trinity sighed. "I think I'm pregnant."
"Wha-?" he blinked, clearly not expecting her comment. "Y-you are?"
The petite blond nodded.
"But that's great news!" Shawn exclaimed, grinning. "I mean, you're gonna be a mother! That's great! Who's the father?"
"Who do you think?" Trinity asked sarcastically, rolling her prussian blue eyes. "Solo is."
"I don't understand," Shawn said in confusion. "Why aren't you happy? I thought, you know, women wanted to be pregnant."
"I don't know what I want, Shawn," Trinity replied with a sigh. "I guess I am happy, but . . . What about the war? I don't wanna bring a child into that. I wanna raise my baby in peace. I don't want it to have to go through the things we do."
"It won't," he told her.
"But-"
"Trust me, Trin, it won't. Solo and I won't let it."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Trinity whispered softly. She gave her cousin a firm look, one that demanded obediance. "Don't tell Solo, okay? I don't want him knowing just yet."
"Why?"
"Please, Shawn?" she begged.
He sighed, then finally nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Promise?"
"Yeah, I promise, Trin," he replied, feeling as though he had just signed a death warrant.
"Major," an authoritive voice called. Bane turned and, seeing Colonel Harrison stood and saluted. The colonel walked in the room as if he were marching, and stopped near the computer desk Bane occupied.
"Yes, sir?" he replied in question.
"We have located a rebel base on Earth," he told him. "You and a handful of men will be sent to destroy the base."
Bane remained expressionless, despite the fact the orders confused him. "Just a handful, sir? And why send me when there are plenty of soldiers on Earth?"
"Don't question orders, Major," the colonel warned. "But, just so you know, this is confidential. No one is to know about this. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Bane replied.
"Good," he nodded. "You're to leave within the hour." Colonel Harrison turned to leave, then glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and Major, one more thing. Bring back prisoners."
"Yes, sir," Bane said automatically, still confused. The taking of prisoners was almost an unspoken order; it was pointless to voice it. He stared at the door for a few heartbeats, then left to find the shuttle that would take he and his men to Earth, hoping that the ones chosen would be competent.
Looks like troubles brewing on the horizon . . .! But don't you just love the little kid? - Of everyone here, she's my favorite character . . . >.> By the way . . . is it so much trouble to read this thing? I realize it's long (and that it'll get longer, trust me) but couldn't you just spare me a review? I'm BEGGING here::gets on knees: Please, please, PLEASE tell me what you think!