Dearka & Miriallia
Author's Note: I LOVE this chapter! I had so much fun writing it, I hope you guys like it just as much. Sorry, no parents yet. They are still on their trip after all. Depending on how fast you guys review, I will get the next chapter finished, no set minimums this time. Thanks again for the support everyone!
Disclaimer: It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)
Chapter 19
Into The Lion's Den
Dearka sat back in the seat and reclined back slightly never releasing Miriallia's hand. She looked over at him and smiled.
"He is so adorable. I can see where Annabella gets some of her cute traits from," Miriallia thought.
She had never spent too much time around Annabella because of the constant reminder that Dearka had disappeared without a word. Every time she looked at the little girl, her heart would ache.
"Why did I punish Annabella for my mistakes? It was so wrong of me. I know I was never that type of person," she thought.
Dearka looked over at Miriallia as he felt her hand become clammy.
"Are you okay Mir?" he asked concerned.
"Fine, just fine," she said as if she was short of breath.
"You sure? You don't look fine. You look sort of pale," he replied.
"I said I'm fine," she snapped.
"Whoa, what was that about?" Dearka thought.
He eyed her one more time almost afraid to speak again. She noticed how uncomfortable she had made him and closed her eyes to regain self-control. When she opened them back up she forced a gentle smile on her face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just nervous about telling my parents about, you know," she stated.
"You're nervous?" he asked mockingly.
Her body relaxed a little at his joke.
"I can't even imagine how you feel," she said realizing how selfish she was being.
"It's okay, I'll be all right. I've handled tougher situations than this," he replied.
She raised her eyebrow to him.
"So, how many parents have you had to tell that you knocked up their daughter, left her and then were the main contributor in the disappearance of that same baby?" she asked trying to make him squirm.
Dearka's eyes widened at the thought.
"Yeah, yeah, you made your point. This is definitely going to be harder than any mission I've ever been sent on," he said with a nervous laugh.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease you like that. I just don't like it when people hide how they really feel. If you're nervous, it's okay to feel that way," she answered.
He smiled at her again. She had a way of making him feel comfortable no matter what the world outside threw his way.
"Hey wait a minute, main contributor? I had nothing to do with Annabella's disappearance, " he said taking offense.
"Well, if you hadn't left me, you wouldn't be with Cadey and she wouldn't have found out about us and stolen Annabella. Therefore, I hold you responsible," Miriallia said with a smirk.
"Somehow, I don't think that's fair," Dearka replied with his brow furrowed.
"Too bad, life isn't fair," she said tapping him on the nose with her finger.
Dearka wrinkled his nose at the feeling of her touch. It had slightly tickled and Miriallia was laughing softly at him.
"Now what?" he asked confused by her quick switch from cruel mocking to tender laughing.
"You're cute, that's all," she said.
Dearka's face blushed at her comment. He sat quietly staring into Miriallia's eyes as the shuttle prepared for take off.
"She's so beautiful. But what happens if her parents don't like me? How can they like me? I don't have the best track record in their eyes. Miriallia is right, they're going to shoot first and ask questions later," Dearka thought his flush red face turning to pale white.
Miriallia tilted her head toward his face trying to regain contact with his eyes. She waved her hand in front of him while calling his name.
"Hello, Dearka, you in there?" she asked.
Once again his eyes focused and he saw Miriallia's beautiful face inches from his.
"Wow, you keep zoning in and out. I don't think I've ever seen you like this," she said.
"Sorry, I have a lot on my mind," he replied.
"Apparently," she stated.
"I think I'm going to close my eyes for a little if that is okay with you. I'm still pretty wiped out from yesterday and this morning. I barely slept thanks to that nightmare I had," he answered.
She looked at him with concern in her eyes.
"Nightmare?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah. When you woke me up, I think I was having a nightmare," he answered.
"About what?" she inquired.
Dearka began to open his mouth and then thought twice.
"Definitely not something I want to bring up. If I tell her I dreamt of being married to Cadey and that Annabella was my daughter with her, Miriallia may kill me. Then again, I wouldn't have to worry about meeting her parents after that," he thought joking to himself.
"I don't really remember. All I know is it felt scary," he answered.
"Oh," she replied sadly.
She was really curious to know what Dearka would have nightmares about.
"You don't mind do you?" he repeated his question.
"Oh, uh, no. Go ahead," she smiled brightly.
He returned her gentle smile and leaned back in his seat closing his eyes.
"Thanks," he said as he began to fall unconscious.
Miriallia just watched his handsome features as he fell into a deep sleep. She sighed deeply to herself and reclined her own seat with her free hand. Dearka hadn't let go of her yet and she didn't want him to.
On the Sextillis PLANT…
Ian disembarked from the inter-transporter of the PLANTs and looked around.
"I'm home and of course I didn't think of having anyone meet me here," he thought depressed.
He walked toward the baggage claim and picked up one of the car service phones. For the first time in his life, he felt pretty lonely.
"It doesn't feel the same here without my friends around. Soon I'll find you though Cadey and I promise I'll make sure you are happy," he thought.
He didn't want to see his close friend hurting and was definitely positive that he didn't want Miriallia hurting either.
"It's kind of hard to help both of them out when they both seem to want Dearka. What is it with that guy that he can get so many girls banging down his door," Ian thought jealously.
Ian called for a car to bring him home. He planned on spending a few days with his family while he figured out his next move to find Cadey's whereabouts.
"I'm sure you aren't on Sextillis, but I have to figure out where else you could be hiding. I know you are smarter than to stay where people will recognize you with ease," he thought as he walked to the exit to meet the car.
He looked at the artificial light that lit the PLANT sky and then walked to the car placing his sunglasses on.
"Time to go home," he said out loud stepping into the car.
Back on Earth…
The shuttle had landed in Rana and Dearka stirred lightly from the touch down.
"Hey sleepy head, it's time to wake up," he heard Miriallia call softly.
His eyes opened slowly to see her staring at him. A small smile broke on his face as he looked down to see her hand was still in his.
"I could wake up to her beautiful face everyday," he thought happily.
As the announcement was made that it was safe to stand from their seats, he felt Miriallia pull him up with her.
"Don't want to let go of me, huh?" he asked teasing her.
"Not this time," she replied contentedly.
Dearka tried to grab his duffel bag from the overhead compartment with his free hand. It slipped out of his grasp and he pulled Miriallia into him releasing his hand from her grip just in time to catch it. Miriallia had buried her head in his chest fearing the heavy bags fall. Dearka smiled down at her.
"Thanks," she said slowly looking up at him.
"Not necessary. It was my fault it almost hit you," he said feeling her arms wrap around his waist.
He dropped the bag to his side and heard someone clear their throat behind him.
"Yeah, yeah, we're going," he replied to the man.
Miriallia released her grip from Dearka's waist and could hear the man behind starting to mumble something about these damn kids and where were their parents. She started to laugh to herself as they moved off the shuttle.
"Let's go," she said grabbing Dearka's hand again.
They moved off the shuttle and into the port. Dearka was pulled through the crowds of people as Miriallia maneuvered her way around. Once they were away from most of the people, she stopped on the side of the walk.
"What are we doing now?" he asked.
"I need your duffel bag," she replied.
"My bag?" he asked.
"Just give me it," she said snatching it from his shoulder.
She dropped it to the ground and unzipped it. Dearka watched on with confusion. As he saw her pull out Annabella's bag he tilted his head at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I need my keys to the car and my house," she replied digging through the bag.
"You put them in Annabella's bag?" he asked in wonder.
"Well yeah. I figured if my camera was stolen," she glared at Dearka for a moment.
"I didn't steal it," he replied.
"Anyway, I figured if my camera was taken from me by force then no one would touch a baby's diaper bag and I wouldn't lose my keys on top of losing my camera," she replied winking at him when she found the keys.
She flung them around her finger and caught them in the palm of her hand.
"Impressive, but I didn't take your camera by force, Ian did," he replied to her reiterated statement.
She looked up at him raising her eyebrows at his response.
"Only because YOU ordered him to," she replied.
"Whatever," he said rolling his eyes.
"What, no witty comeback? I guess that's because I'm right," she said smirking.
"Can we go now?" Dearka asked impatiently.
"Come on, I'm out in Lot D," she said following the signs.
He followed behind her looking around at his new surroundings. He had never been to the Rana Shuttle Port and was kind of interested to see where Miriallia traveled from in her time away from him. There were plenty of shops in this shuttle port too and he saw another camera store. He stopped in his tracks and Miriallia felt his presence no longer near. She turned quickly to see him staring at the store.
"No," she said as she walked back and grabbed his hand.
"I don't know why you just won't let me replace it," he answered.
"Because, I don't need it and it's more fun to torment you about taking my original one. If you replace it, I won't be able to do that anymore," she winked at him.
"Oh, I get it. It's only so you can torture me," he replied.
"Yup," she smiled.
"I love her, I love her, I love her," he thought smiling.
Dearka enjoyed when Miriallia teased him. She was much more playful than Cadey was and had his sense of humor. She didn't want anything from him and could always make him smile. She was an enigma to him when he first met her on the Archangel, but in the short time they were together, he was able to put the pieces together and understand her like he had done with no other woman.
"There's my car," she said moving toward a silver BMW 645Ci Convertible.
Dearka walked toward it with his jaw dropped.
"That's your car?" he asked stunned.
"Yeah, why?" she asked.
"You mean to tell me, you have a car that is worth over $75,000 in Earth currency and you didn't have money for the shuttle?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, that. My wallet was in the glove compartment of the rental car," she said meekly.
Dearka glared at her for a minute.
"What kind of girl did I fall in love with?" he thought.
"So, how did you afford this? You are only a war photographer, right?" he asked.
"How did you afford that dress for Cadey?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I get it, your family's loaded," he replied.
"So is yours," she snapped back.
"Well, yeah, but…" he started.
"You know, you don't have to rule a country to be well off," she stated opening the door to the car.
Dearka threw his bag in the back seat and slid in the passenger side. Miriallia dropped into the driver seat and turned the key in the ignition.
"I'm still going to buy you that camera someday," he stated.
"I'm sure you will," she replied smiling at him.
She pressed a button and the top opened on the car creating the convertible. The sun was shining so brightly Dearka had to squint his eyes. Miriallia grabbed her sunglasses from the holder and put them on with her left hand, steering with her right.
"I guess that answers my question of why you weren't upset that we didn't grab the other stuff out of the rental car," he said.
"Stuff?" she asked.
"The car seat and whatever else you left behind," he replied.
"Yeah, well. I can buy a new one when we get Annabella back," she said.
She drove off toward her home and Dearka leaned back in the plush leather. He watched the scenery flash by him as they drove into the countryside.
"Not a city girl?" he asked.
"Well, I was once," she answered.
He kept his eyes on her waiting for an explanation.
"Heliopolis," she reminded him.
He had forgotten how big it was and that though it wasn't on Earth, it was considered one of the most populated satellite cities in space, even going head to head with some of the main cities in PLANT.
"Right," he answered looking back over the mountainside.
The ocean was a gorgeous blue and he turned to see Miriallia's hair softly swaying with the breeze. Feeling his own hair ruffling, he ran his fingers through it.
"I like it like that," she said.
Dearka looked at her with a confused look when she looked back in his direction she smiled again.
"Your hair. I like it long like that," she finished.
"Oh," he said with a blush.
"You look even more handsome the way it curls on your neck," she said blushing herself now.
"Thanks," he said smiling.
In that moment all he could think of was a conversation he had with Cadey not too long before. She had desperately wanted him to cut his hair shorter. She didn't like it getting that long. But Miriallia was different. She thought he was handsome no matter what he did to himself. His heart felt like it was going to burst with the love she kept filling it with.
45 minutes later…
"Right outside, huh?" he asked.
"Well it was close enough," she said slamming her door shut and walking up to the house.
Dearka stared in awe again. The house was as big as his, yet felt more personable, like a cozy family home just in a larger scale. He had no doubt that the inside would feel just as homey. Unlike his home or Cadey's for that matter. Miriallia walked to the door and unlocked it with her key. Dearka turned to look at the yard again as he waited for Miriallia to get the door.
"Looks like Annabella had everything a child could dream of," he thought.
As he scanned the yard he could see toys everywhere. His little girl was definitely spoiled. She had her own swing set and a cute little train that seemed to go around the perimeter of the home. As he stared at all the toys in the bins, Miriallia tugged at him.
"Are you coming or are you going to stay out here all day?" she asked mockingly.
He turned to go inside and walked into the amazing house. It was just as he suspected. The décor was so warm and welcoming. Plush fabrics lined the hallway with beautiful hard wood floors. It made Dearka feel so comfortable and relaxed as soon as he entered.
"Wow!" he said in astonishment.
"I take it you like my parents home," Miriallia replied.
"I guess you could say that," he said with his mouth wide open.
"Come on," she said grabbing his hand.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
She pulled him toward the stairs and smiled lightly.
"I think you'll like what I have to show you," she replied.
They moved up the stairway near the door and Dearka caught a glimpse of the kitchen on the way up. As they turned the corner Miriallia started to point out the rooms to him.
"There are a million and one guest rooms," she said sarcastically.
He looked around to see all the doors and then to the walls that had portraits everywhere. A few were of his little girl and he couldn't help but smile at them.
"But, this is the room I think you'll like the most," she said swinging the door open.
Dearka's brow furrowed as his eyes adjusted to the change in light. Miriallia flipped the switch to lighten the room.
"Sorry, I left the blinds closed when I left," she said apologizing for the darkness.
When the room lit up, Dearka's eyes widened. It was the most amazing room he had ever seen.
"This is…" he started.
"Our daughter's room," she finished for him.
Dearka walked in slowly and looked at all the stuffed animals and toys. He could smell the sweet scent of his little girl lingering in the room. Miriallia leaned up against the door with one foot up against it and her hands behind her back.
"You know, I never really came in here much," she said truthfully.
Dearka couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He saw pictures of Annabella all over the room with so many different people. They all looked as though they loved her very much.
"I'm sorry," Dearka said.
Miriallia looked up at him from her place at the door.
"Why are you sorry?" she asked.
Dearka looked back at her from where he stood at Annabella's crib.
"It's my fault you didn't want to be close to her," he said seriously.
She shook her head and looked back at him with tears in her eyes.
"Uh-uh, it's not your fault. I had a choice and I made the wrong one. Now I'm being punished for it. You can keep looking in her if you want. I'll be back in a minute," she said pushing off the door.
"Uh, where are you going?" he asked quickly trying to stop her.
"Don't worry about it, I'll be back," she replied.
She moved out of the room and shut the door behind her. Dearka looked around the room from where he stood and sighed to himself.
"I'm going to find our daughter, I promise," he thought.
Dearka walked over to the bookshelf and saw a few photo albums. He took one off the shelf and sat on the daybed in the corner of the room. When he opened the album he saw the cutest picture of Miriallia fast asleep on her bed with a cute round belly. Under the picture someone had written, 'Baby's first photo'. Dearka smiled at adorable Miriallia was and then he flipped to the next page. There were pictures of the Ultrasounds and then more candid pictures of Miriallia carrying his little girl.
"She probably didn't even want any pictures and this was the only way they were going to get them. I really hurt you, didn't I?" he thought as he continued to flip through the album.
When he finally flipped to the end of the album he saw the first moment of Annabella's life. She was cuddled in Miriallia's arms and Miriallia had a smile on her face looking down at the little miracle.
"Well, it doesn't look like you didn't love her to me," Dearka thought.
He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf where he had found it, grabbing the next one. Slowly the pictures of Miriallia with the baby seemed to disappear making Dearka a little sad. As he flipped through, more and more pictures of Annabella with other people and someone he thought might be Miriallia's mother began to appear.
"That's when I realized you weren't coming back," she said scaring him a little.
He hadn't noticed her return when she had spoken to him. His heart was beating faster from being startled. She walked over to him and sat on the daybed to look at the album.
"Sorry, I just…" he started.
"It's okay. She's your little girl too. You have the right to see the pictures," she replied.
He looked at her with a smile that faded when he saw the look in her eyes.
"I don't understand," he said.
"What don't you understand?" she asked.
"I don't understand how you didn't have many pictures of you before she was born and then there are so many of you with her the first month, but after that, you begin to disappear," he finished.
"I didn't really want my picture taken when I was carrying her. I was pretty scared when I found out. My mom thought it was cute to take all those candid pictures. I tried to get rid of them, but she hid them until she put the album together," Miriallia said smiling to herself.
She looked into Dearka's eyes before speaking again.
"Then, the most amazing thing happened. When Annabella was born and I saw her little face for the first time, I fell in love with her. I was so happy and she was utterly adorable," Miriallia said.
"But that doesn't explain how you got to this point," Dearka mentioned.
"As she got a little bigger, she looked more and more like you. I had realized you weren't coming back and I couldn't stand to look at her anymore. Every time I saw here, it tore my heart out, so my mom brought me to see someone," Miriallia continued.
"To see someone?" Dearka asked confused.
"Yeah, a psychiatrist. She and the doctor both thought I was suffering from postpartum depression since it can affect women for almost a year after giving birth. I refused to take the medication he prescribed and he told my mother that it was safer if I didn't interact with Annabella unless I took the pills. My mother realized I wasn't going to take them and stepped in to take care of Annabella. I know she kept hoping I would come around again and she was extremely patient with me for these past two years. I'm just afraid of her reaction when she finds out Annabella is gone. All this time, she has waited for me to get myself back together and now that I have, I don't have Annabella to hold in my arms," Miriallia said tears now falling from her blue eyes.
Dearka put the album down and grabbed Miriallia in his arms. He didn't know what else to do to comfort her so he just held her close.
"We have to find her Dearka. We just have to," she said now sobbing.
Dearka's shirt started to become damp from the falling tears and he pushed the album onto the ground leaning back on the daybed.
"We'll get her back Mir, I promise. You'll have another chance to hold our little girl," he said soothingly as he rubbed her back.
She closed her eyes still unabashedly bawling into his chest. He continued to hold her until her body started to relax. She had fallen asleep in his arms after over a half an hour of crying. Dearka had his own tears in his eyes that slipped down his cheeks when she had passed out. He closed his own eyes now in the attempt to rest, leaving the light to the room on. He didn't want to move Miriallia from where they had both become comfortable. It had been a long day for both of them and he was going to need his strength for when he had to face her parents.
End
Author's Preview: Ooohhh, Dearka is still so cute. I love writing him in a sentimental light. Ian is finally back on the PLANTs and Dearka has entered Miriallia's home now they wait for the return of her parents. Cadey in the meantime has found a place to settle down with her little girl, Emma. (Yes, she is still partially delusional) Please read and review for me so I can continue on my happy way.
Reviewer Response: Hello to all my wonderful reviewers. Thank you so much for all your support and reviews on all my chapters thus far. I love you all so much! Unfortunately due to possible changes in TOS (which is still unconfirmed) all responses are now located on my personal website. Please click on my profile page to link to the website. Thank you.