Category: Angst, AU

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4

Rating: R (?)

Disclaimer: Standard. You know them all by now so I won't bore you with a repeat.

Notes: This takes place in a world of my own making, where things can and are twisted into strange things. So what doesn't seem possible is. There are M/M relationships in this fic (I'm very much a 1x2/3x4 fan.) so if boys being together (and I do mean together) bothers you don't read.

New Beginnings Part Three

By SilverLady

Duo groaned as he sank into a chair. Out of the mouths of babes.

Ken, seemingly oblivious to the bomb he'd just dropped, shoveled the last of his breakfast into his mouth. "Daddy?"

Duo turned his head slightly. "Yes?"

"Can I go now? I cleaned my plate."

"Yes, you can go."

"Hooray!" The boy scrambled down from his seat and ran around the table to hug Duo. "Love you, Daddy."

Duo smiled as he returned the hug. "I love you, too."

Ken beamed happily as he waved at the others. "Bye."

As he dashed from the room, he paused to give Heero a quick hug. "Bye."

Heero stared at the door for several minutes before turning to look at Duo. "You told him?" There was an odd catch in his voice.

Duo slowly nodded.

"When?"

"Last night."

"Why?"

"Because he asked me. I couldn't lie to him."

"As you've lied to him in the past?" A hint of anger crept into Heero's voice. He had moved across the room and carefully sat down in Ken's vacant seat.

"I never lied to him. I just never told him more than I thought  he needed to hear."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Wufei interrupted abruptly. "And why the hell did he call Heero Daddy?"

Quatre nodded in agreement to Wufei's question, glad that someone had found the voice. He was still stunned by the innocent comment.

Trowa looked at Heero then at Duo. "Because Heero is Ken's father."

Duo's head shot up at the quiet comment. "You knew?"

"Heero told me. The day you lost the baby. He was stewing on the couch and it was upsetting Quatre."

Duo sighed. I guess it's time to come clean.

Quatre looked at Duo. "That's what's been bugging you about Heero being here?"

Duo nodded. "I really never expected to see him again."

Wufei started at him for a moment. "You're the one."

Duo frowned slightly. "The one?"

"The one Heero damn near tore the town apart looking for. Drove everyone crazy too."

"Why did you leave?" Quatre asked softly.

"That was my fault," Heero responded, trying not to cringe at the look that flashed across Duo's face at his words. "I was behaving like an ass and never stopped to think about he might feel about all my great plans. I hadn't told him about my upcoming marriage, partialy because I didn't want to think about it and partialy because I honestly didn't think it was that important. I had finally found someone that….  made me feel alive. I didn't want to intrude on that with reality."

Duo sighed. If he had just stayed insteading of running away, maybe things would have been better. "I heard a lot of people talking in the market one day. I had planned a special dinner to celelbrate. It was the six month anniversary of our first night together and I wanted to do something special. Heero had bought this small place for us to meet at. I couldn't believe what everyone was saying. I was sure that he would tell me about something as important as him getting married. I waited for hours for him to show up and when he did I confronted him."

"I told him it was true, but that it didn't change how I felt and it wasn't important. That I had found this small cottage outside the city and I wanted him to move into it. I wanted him to have all the things he hadn't had before." Heero looked over at Duo, willing him to understand the motives behind what he had done.

"But all he made me feel was like a cheap whore. A dirty secret that he would hide out in the country like all the other nobles did. And I couldn't make him understand that. He didn't see any problem with his plans. Everyone else did it. And when he touched me, I couldn't think straight anymore. So I left. It was the only thing I could think of to do. It hurt so much to leave, but I had too much pride to stay." Duo sighed again. "I think that was the night Ken was conceived."

"But when you found out you were pregnant. Why didn't you tell him?" Quatre asked, trying to understand exactly what had happened between his step-brother and his new friend.

"I thought about it, but I couldn't. It wouldn't change anything and I couldn't bear the thought of trying to explain to my child why Daddy didn't stay with us all the time. It was better to sever the connection completely that to continuously open old wounds. Plus, I didn't want to see Heero married to someone else." The last was spoken in a soft whisper.

He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I made so many damn mistakes when it came to us and I've continued to make them since we got here," Heero spoke softly. "But I never stopped loving you. I really would like to see if there is anything left to salvage between us. Maybe this time I can keep my head out of my ass and pay more attention to what you are saying, not just what I want to hear."

Duo scrunched his eyes shut at Heero's words. "I…. I want to, to, but…"

"It's enough for now."

Duo raised his head to stare blindly at Heero, tears welling up in his eyes. "Is it?"

Heero gently wiped the tears away. "Yes."

Quatre glanced at Trowa and Wufei, who both nodded to his silent question. With the utmost stealth, the three slipped from the room, leaving the two former lovers to try and start again, without an audience.