Disclaimers: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing nor it's characters. Merely borrowing them for a little torture.

Warnings: Shounen-ai (because I suck at yaoi) , major A.U, some OOC I think, mpreg (mentioned, implied, so on)

Reflections of the Past

Part 18

"Fine," Keiran conceded. "You have my attention, so talk." He felt ravenously hungry and had to remind himself that he missed most of his meals yesterday. Did he? His mind didn't want to dwell on the alternative.

"Your name is Duo Maxwell," the tall blond one was talking to him again. "You are a Healer for the Western Shifters a few years ago."

Keiran was already shaking his head in denial. "My name is… Keira…"

"My name is Zechs Marquise," the man continued, cutting him off. "I'm your cousin and this is my mate, Chang Wufei," he gestured to the shorter dark haired, dark eyed man lounging comfortable next to him. "That is Trowa Barton, Quatre's mate," he pointed to the tall auburn haired man who scared the living shit out of him yesterday night.

Keiran took a deep breath but gave Zechs a chance to continue his story if he needed to. When silence descended and all eyes were nervously judging his reaction, he started talking. "My name is not Duo Maxwell or whatever you want to say it is, my name is…" He sighed, noting the determination in all pairs of eyes. None of them were going to allow him to believe otherwise. "What makes you think that I'm this Duo Maxwell you keep talking about?"

"Your eyes, you face," Wufei summarised.

"Two people can have a likeness."

"Not many have eyes like yours," Trowa commented in a deep voice.

Keiran was stumped for a moment. It was true, not many had violet eyes and probably in the not so distant past, he would have been crucified as a demon for having such unusual hued eyes. He thanked God for progress and the improvement of science everyday. Therefore, he found it his duty to impress it on them, while finding out what happened to Dorothy. These people evidently knew more they let on.

"And this," Quatre laid a delicate hand over Keiran's own, which was still resting on his lower body.

"Not this again!" Keiran grated out, exasperated.

"What would make you believe that you are the same Duo Maxwell who disappeared slightly over a month ago from our village, pregnant with twins?" Quatre blurted, his seemingly infinite patience at an end.

Keiran smirked. "If I can see inside own body as confirmation, then I'll believe anything you tell me. I'll even stay here for you to prove to me this whole Shifter crap." There, that had to be something to prove them wrong. Then, he saw the glint in Quatre's eyes.

"Fine," Quatre said agreeably, exchanging a small smile with the rest of them.

"Fi… Fine?!" Keiran squawked. He edged away when Quatre leaned in. "What are you going to do to me? I won't be part of your magic tricks."

Quatre lifted a finely sculpted brow. "I thought you didn't believe in magic? It doesn't exist, remember?"

Keiran winced, trapped by his own words. If for some reason Quatre pulled this feat off, he would have to stay with them and start believing in their twisted fantasies. He decided to call Quatre's bluff. "Fine, do it. Make me believe." He flinched away from Quatre's extended hand and the blond stopped.

"It's not going to hurt." Quatre reached out and firmly took Keiran's hand in his. "You just relax."

Keiran was determined not to listen to Quatre, and thus fall deeper into his spell, but… he didn't believe in spells, did he? He focused on the smooth hand holding his own and suddenly, he had a sensation of falling… into his own body. There were blood and tissue, organs and arteries. He could see the beating of his heart, and then gentle heaving of his lungs as he breathed. His world was coloured red by his blood as his inner eye continued the downward plunge, deeper into his body, the steady beating of his heart his constant companion. Then, Keiran heard something, it was familiar, having heard it many times before, but he refused to recognise it, refused to believe. Two more heartbeats, quick and short echoed in company to his relatively slower one. He caught sight of twin shadows, curled up together, swimming in weightlessness. One little limb shot out restlessly and outside, he felt the flutter.

With a horrified gasp, Keiran's previously closed lids flew open, staring slack-jawed at a rather pleased, well, satisfied more like it, looking Quatre, who appeared a cat that swallowed a rather large canary.

"Believe me, us, now?" Quatre said smugly, retrieving his hand and crossing it in front of him.

Keiran was panting softly, his body responding to the shock of what he saw. "It… it… can't be… I'm…" A wholly unfamiliar feeling welled out of him. It took a little while, but he recognised it as awe and a sweeping… protectiveness? What the hell? "What did you do to me?"

Quatre sighed deeply. "If you are not going to believe after all that… Trowa, give me strength," he moaned dramatically.

Trowa quirked a small smile at his mate but his watchful gaze studied the pure wonder on Keiran's expression as he stared, albeit a little uncertainly at his slightly swollen belly, both hands now pressed against it. Gee had explained it to them, that Duo… no, Keiran's cooperation would help his release from the spell much better than his pig headedness. Therefore, it would be easier for them all if he believed in, at least some of the things that shaped what they were.

"Then… I'm into unorthodox relationships?" Keiran asked in a small voice, peeking up from under his bangs at the rest of them.

"Unor… I don't know that word," Wufei complained, pouting slightly and was promptly kissed by Zechs, who muttered something about his mate being too cute when he sulked like that.

Keiran could only gape at the display. Instead of feeling repulsed by the sight, he felt a stirring of excitement. "Both of you…" He looked from Zechs to Wufei and then back to Zechs again.

Zechs shrugged. "I told you we were mated."

"He's your wife?" Keiran blurted.

Wufei flushed a deep colour while the other three burst out laughing. "I am not a woman! I'm nobody's wife!" Keiran could almost see the hackles raising on the back of Wufei's neck. It was apparent they knew the connation of wife even amongst these parts. Onyx orbs narrowed in mischief. "Isn't the wife in a human mating the one who bears the children?"

Now Zechs bristled. "Are you saying I'm a woman?" He rose gracefully to his feet and glared down at his smaller mate. "Fine, no playing with Anarian for the rest of the week." He turned and walked away.

"That isn't fair! You are the one with the child bearing abilities, don't blame me!" Wufei jumped to his feet, chasing after his mate, arguing all the way.

Keiran stared after them with a frown of confusion. "Are they serious?" He looked to Quatre for confirmation, who smiled mysteriously. Keiran shook his head. "I had thought… thought…" Being flabbergasted was appearing to be permanent condition with him recently.

"Wufei may be smaller in size, but he is in no way weaker one in the relationship," Trowa explained, sounding completely amused by Keiran's obvious bemusement. "Yes, Zechs recently had a child not too long ago, which you help deliver, by the way."

The doctor was sure he did a pretty good impression of a fish right about then. "I didn't… I…" He raised his hand to his temple once more, rubbing at it as if in pain.

"Don't try to remember if it hurts you," Quatre advised, touching Keiran's head softly. There was sadness in his eyes even as he said it and it shot right through Keiran, feeling like he had somehow let them down.

Maybe, just maybe, he should try to accept? Try to understand? There was too much evidence laid out before him. At least until something tells him otherwise?

"So, if I can have children, then, I've got be married to someone?" Keiran asked, looking down at his fingers which was fiddling with his shirt, now somewhat torn and bedraggled from an entire night of travel and adventure.

Quatre's smile was like the sun coming up and Keiran realised why everyone seemed to want to keep the blond happy. Gods, even he wanted to keep the blond happy if it meant seeing that smile. It didn't take much apparently. "You believe us?"

"I'm trying," Keiran allowed. "But I need you to give me some space about this. Don't call me Duo. I'm not, or at least my mind tells me I'm not, even if my body makes you believe otherwise. Agreed?"

Quatre and Trowa couldn't agree fast enough.

"So tell me."

"Heero," Trowa muttered.

Keiran's brows drew into a frown. "What about him?" Realisation hit. "Oh God, him? Why him?"

"Why not?" There was definite shock there at Keiran's tone.

"Look at him, humourless idiot, Mr Stick-Up-His-Ass and I think he hates me." Keiran couldn't understand the look of anguish on Quatre's face. "What?"

"Reminded me of the first time you met him. You called him that as well."

"I've never met him before… Forget it. I'll take your word for it." Keiran was tired and hungry and totally not interested in arguing his point anymore. There wasn't any reason to. It wasn't like these people would let it go and believe him. "Am I supposed to do anything with him?"

"He's not going to force you into anything," Trowa said, a little harshly.

Keiran shot to his feet, realising now, what he meant and winced painfully. "I didn't mean that, I meant," he deflated. "I don't know what I mean, alright? I'm tired and really, really wishing I have something to eat right now. Can we go home now?" That came out rather easily, home. It sounded right but somehow, the surrounding wooded area was different than how he pictured it. More rugged, less tempered. He wondered if this was really his home.

"Heero wouldn't be letting you travel in your condition." Trowa noted Keiran's confusion. "This isn't our home Duo, I mean Keiran. We live on the other side of Forest. This is Zechs' home."

Home, the word brought a flash of images that rocked Keiran to the core. A little creek, a special tree, a carved knife and… Pain. It seeped through every pore of his being, pierced his temples, pulse behind his eyes, screamed through his body. He was aware of someone holding him down, feeling his back arching with the pain. A voice calling his name, one filled with love and affection.

…Duo…

A child screaming, sobbing.

Hands holding him down, someone telling him to breathe, to let it go.

…Duo…

Let go of what?

…Duo…

Through all the agony, something glimmered in his mind, something gold, his cross! His fingers closed spasmodically over the small piece of jewellery and the pain was just gone. The pressure in his mind just eased, but so did the curtain that fell over his mind. He was left feeling alone and so hollow.

Duo, that name again. That was what they all called him. Could it be really his name? Could Dorothy have really lied to him? Used him? Revenge? His memories and his life was all a lie? Why did he find everything so easy to believe? Why did he want to believe so badly?

Who was crying? There was certain fear in that wailing. It was once familiar, as was the arms around him but for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he had experienced it before.

"Duo, Duo, snap out of it. Tell me where it hurts. Please, love, tell me what to do," a voice repeated over and over.

Keiran, no his name was Duo, it had to be, he never wanted to believe so much as now. In a world of uncertainty and lies, this was the one constant, the one thing everyone agreed on was his name. He peeled his eyes open and looked up at the person holding him. Dark hair, blue eyes, scared out of his mind expression, Heero. He was clasped in a tight embrace, pressed against Heero's chest. Even if he wanted, he doubted he could move an inch. He also realised that Heero had been dropping kisses along his forehead.

Reaction kicked automatically. He may accept he was this Duo Maxwell everyone was talking about but he wasn't this person's wife, mate, whatever the hell they call spouses in this part of the woods. He did the only thing his mind told him to, he flinched at Heero's touch. He was instantly released after Heero was sure he could manage to sit up on his own. He couldn't bear to watch the pain that flashed through Heero's features at his obvious rejection but he couldn't. He remembered the pain men went through when they swung that way, the prejudice that they had to battle. Remember, that was one thing he couldn't be certain anymore, what were real memories and what was not. He just knew he couldn't take anything like that right now, mated or not.

"Sorry," Duo apologised anyway. "It's okay now. I think. Sorry."

"It's alright," Heero said, shutting off his emotion again. He stared at his mate, not coldly, but not wearing his heart on his sleeve as he was wont to do for these past years.

Duo looked over to Quatre, now holding a small crying boy in his arms, trying to calm him. "Who's that?" He asked Heero, feeling quite certain that the little boy was important to him but in what way he didn't know.

Heero looked like he really didn't want to answer Duo or he just didn't know how. "That's Odin, he wanted to see you. He missed you."

Duo shook his head slightly, not understanding why one little boy would miss him so much he would run out to the middle of the Forest to look for him.

"That's our son."

His… son? Alright, his mind was really not ready to take that yet. He wasn't over the fact that he finally accepted that his name was another word for double. "We have another son? Besides… this?" He placed his hand over his stomach, hunger no longer an issue. "Them?" Oh God, hadn't even realised that he was not only carrying a baby, but he was expecting twins. How freaking big was he going to get? He felt fat even now.

"Three years ago," Heero confirmed. "Odin, come over, your Papa's here."

Little Odin lifted his tearful face toward the couple, a little glare so like Heero's own burning in his eyes. "He's not my Papa."

tbc…

Dum, dum, duuuuuum…

Crap, over a month since I updated. So to make up for it, three fics at once.