Dearka & Miriallia

Author's Note: This was one fun chapter to write. I hope you all like reading it as much as I like writing it. I'm almost done with Chapter 24, but I have to work tomorrow night, so it may be up late. Sorry. 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 23

Surprises

On Sextillis 1…

Ian stepped off another shuttle on his home PLANT. He had been searching for Cadey and Annabella for over three weeks with no luck.

"I need to find some sort of clue or a place to even start. Someone must know where she is," Ian thought as he walked through the terminal.

He was partially dazed when he ran smack into a young woman knocking them both to the ground.

"I am so sorry," he apologized standing up quickly and putting his hand out to help her.

"What is wrong with you?" the girl screamed smacking his hand away.

Ian looked at her in confusion.

"What is her problem, I apologized didn't I?" he thought bitterly.

"Why don't you look where you are going?" she yelled again pushing herself up from the floor.

"Hey wait a minute, I wasn't the only one not looking you know," he half yelled.

"Whatever, get out of my way," she said angrily as she pushed by.

"What a bitch," Ian thought angrily as he began to stock off in his own direction.

He stormed out of the terminal and to the curb to call for a taxi. As he waved one in, he picked his bag up from the ground where he had placed it to give his arm a momentary break.

"The best place to start is going to be to find some of our old friends. They should mostly be back now since the dedication ceremony is coming up in a few weeks," he thought.

He stepped into the taxi and smiled at the driver.

"I need to go to Wilmington Lane," Ian said.

"Yes sir, Wilmington Lane it is," the driver responded when Ian shut the door.

On December 4…

Cadey and Annabella were watching television quietly until the phone rang. Cadey stood up and answered while keeping an eye on young Annabella.

"Hey Kelley, what's up?" she asked.

"I just wanted to let you know Ian is back here in Sextillis," she replied.

"Ian, but no sign of Dearka?" Cadey inquired.

"Nope, just from the passenger list I hacked into, Ian is still hopping the PLANTs in search of you," she answered.

"That boy definitely has a thing for that wench. What is it about her that is making all the men so crazy?" she asked.

"Don't know since I've never met her, but she must be something if Ian is this determined to locate you," Kelley replied.

"Not to mention, I still have Yzak on my tail somewhere out there," Cadey reminded.

"Yeah, but Yzak doesn't have a clue where you are and Ian has the ability to find out. After all, if you recall we are all friends," she stated.

"I know that!" Cadey cried aggravated.

Cadey looked down at Annabella who was now stacking her blocks up one by one and then knocking them down when they were high enough. A loud giggle could be heard through the phone.

"At least she likes you," Kelley said kindly.

"We've had our moments," Cadey scowled at the little girl as if punishing her for her earlier outburst when she smashed a vase with one of her blocks during a hissy fit.

"Why? What happened?" Kelley asked.

"Let's just say I owe you a vase from Junius 2," she answered.

Kelley cringed at that response on the other end of the line.

"My mom's favorite," she groaned.

"Sorry," Cadey replied.

"Forget it, just replace it," Kelley said.

"Just do me a favor and make sure you don't say anything to Ian. I know if he finds you he will grill you to find where I am," Cadey said.

"I'll do my best," Kelley replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cadey questioned annoyance ringing in her voice.

"Cadey, I can't avoid him forever. He's going to find me and you know he won't leave me alone if he even has an idea that I know something. It's been hard enough to avoid him the past few weeks. He is searching out for all our friends. The only thing is most of them haven't been around until now. I think that's why he came back to Sextillis. The dedication ceremony is in a few weeks and people have been starting to come home," she reminded her.

"Do you think Dearka will come back for that?" Cadey said off topic.

"Can you get your mind off of him for one damn minute?" Kelley yelled feeling the hopelessness of her question.

"I was just thinking…" Cadey started.

"Do you hear yourself? You are addicted to the guy. A guy that two years ago you told me you didn't want anything to do with! Now you can't get your mind off him. In fact, your addiction is so bad, you stole his baby with another woman!" Kelley screamed trying to get her point across.

"I can't talk to you when you are like this," Cadey said as she slammed down the phone.

Kelley stared at the phone on her end after Cadey did this shaking her head.

"You are definitely crazy my dear," Kelley thought.

As Kelley hung up her phone, the doorbell rang. She walked over and looked through the peephole.

"Ian," she thought.

She took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hi Ian. What brings you here?" Kelley asked with a fake smile.

"Can I come in?" he asked with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Uh, well, I'm kind of going…" she started.

Ian looked up at her from the ground picking up on her nervousness.

"To see Cadey?" he finished for her.

Her eyes widened.

"Well, now that we've established that, can I come in now?" he asked more forcefully.

"I told her this was going to happen. Ian isn't an idiot. He knew to come here first," Kelley thought.

She let Ian enter the house and sat down on her couch.

"You can't let her do this. You know that," Ian started the conversation.

"I don't know what you want me to do. I can't tell you anything. I don't know where she is. She just calls me occasionally to see what is going on here at Sextillis," Kelley replied.

Ian could tell she was lying.

"To think, I've been PLANT hopping for the past three weeks and you kept eluding me. I should have known she would have trusted you to help her. She knows I have feelings for Miriallia so she couldn't trust me," Ian stated.

Kelley looked to the ground avoiding his eyes.

"There is a young woman who desperately misses her daughter. What if it was you? Can you really go along with this plan of Cadey's? She won't win Dearka back this way. If anything, she's driving him further from her reach," Ian continued.

"I can't help you Ian," Kelley replied.

Ian stood up from where he was.

"I'm going to find her with or without your help," Ian said annoyed.

"That's it? That's all you have to say to me?" Kelley asked shocked.

"I don't have time to waste. I've done enough of that already. If you aren't going to help me, I will find someone who will. Now I remember why we broke up in the first place," Ian retorted.

Kelley gave him a dirty look.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked lividly.

"Cadey may not be in her right mind right now, but you have the gift of reality on your side. Yet, you are choosing to let some poor girl suffer and think her child is lost to her forever. You are heartless," Ian stated as he walked to the door.

Kelley stood from her seat and ran to catch him at the door.

"Wait," she cried.

"If you aren't going to tell me what I want to hear then save your breath," he said.

"I..." she started.

Ian stared at her with his piercing hazel eyes. He stood in his place for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't know why I thought you would even care," Ian said and turned to leave.

Kelley couldn't say anything. She stood there with her tongue-tied. The words wouldn't come out no matter how hard she tried. She watched as Ian headed back to the taxi that he had waiting for him. Ian looked back at her one last time before opening the door.

"December," she cried out begging for him to stop.

His eyes softened to her before he looked into the taxi.

"Can you wait one more minute," he asked the driver.

"It's your money sir," the driver replied.

Ian pushed the door closed again and walked back up to the house. He could see the tears flowing down Kelley's face.

"The cottage?" he asked.

Kelley shook her head to answer his question. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"You won't regret this," he promised.

"I will if you are the one to bring the baby back to the girl you have a thing for," she thought knowing she possibly sealed chances with this mystery girl.

"Don't hurt her," Kelley pleaded.

Ian pulled away from Kelley.

"I'm not going to hurt her, I'm just going to talk to her. I'm hoping I can make her come to her senses," he replied.

He wiped the tears from Kelley's face and kissed her cheek softly.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

A small blush filled Kelley's face.

He pulled away from her again and walked back to the taxi.

"Good luck and be careful," she called to Ian.

"I will," he said waving back to her.

He stepped into the taxi and headed for the shuttle port to make his way to December 4.

At Miriallia's home…

Miriallia sat on the floor of the bathroom praying for the nausea to end. Mrs. Haw entered to check on her daughter.

"Miriallia, are you okay dear?" she asked.

Miriallia looked back at her mom with tear stained cheeks.

"Mom, I don't feel so good," she said holding back her convulsions.

Mrs. Haw sat down on the ground next to her and pulled her into her embrace.

"Do you have a fever?" she asked placing her hand to her forehead.

"I don't know. One minute I was fine and then the next I felt so sick," Miriallia replied.

Mrs. Haw couldn't feel any heat irradiating from her daughter's forehead. When she removed her hand, Miriallia jumped up from her spot and back over the toilet. When Miriallia finished coughing up, she fell back into her mother's embrace.

"Do you think you may be pregnant?" Mrs. Haw asked with no hesitation.

Miriallia looked back at her mother in shock.

"How can she ask me that so bluntly?" she thought.

"No, no, it's not that," Miriallia stuttered.

"So, it is a possibility," Mrs. Haw probed brushing her daughters hair to comfort her.

"No, it can't be. I had my period a few weeks ago. And I haven't…," Miriallia started.

"A few weeks ago?" her mother asked.

"Yes," Miriallia replied.

"Are you sure you weren't spotting? It was only two weeks before that you had it or don't you remember," her mother asked again raising an eyebrow.

Miriallia had sat still in her mother's arms.

"It can't be," she thought.

"Miriallia, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you've been doing," Mrs. Haw insisted.

"I haven't been doing anything," Miriallia cried pushing out of her mother's grasp.

"I'm not as naïve as your father dear," Mrs. Haw replied.

Miriallia glared at her mother before another wave of nausea swept over her.

"Should I be going to the store?" Mrs. Haw asked.

"No, I'm fine," Miriallia said in between gasps.

Mrs. Haw sat with her back against the wall of the bathroom waiting for her daughter to regain her composure.

"Then it won't hurt to make sure," Mrs. Haw replied standing up from her spot.

"Mom," Miriallia cried moving back to the floor.

"Stay up here and don't talk to either Dearka or your father. I'll be back in a little bit," Mrs. Haw said closing the bathroom door behind her.

Miriallia was about to follow and protest but was unable as her stomach felt queasy again.

Mrs. Haw walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab her purse. There she saw both men eating quietly. Mr. Haw was glaring at Dearka the entire time. Dearka kept his eyes on his food.

"I'll be back in a minute. I think Miriallia caught a flu bug or something. We don't have any medicine in the house, so I'm going out to get some. I want both of you to leave her alone though," she ordered.

Mr. Haw looked up at his wife.

"I'm not kidding," she answered his look before heading out the door.

"You heard her," Mr. Haw snipped at Dearka.

Dearka took his eyes off his food with a confused look.

"Don't bother my daughter, she's not feeling well," he said.

Dearka squinted his eyes at him with so much loathing.

"I heard her," he replied through gritted teeth and then looked back down at his meal to avoid the urge to beat Miriallia's father.

Miriallia sat still on the floor of the bathroom after her mother left.

"How can this be? It's not possible," she thought.

Her mind flashed with all the intimate moments she and Dearka had spent together a few weeks back. Not once could she remember using protection.

"What is wrong with me?" she thought with tears streaming down her face.

Miriallia found the strength to get off the floor and felt her stomach calming down. She walked into her bedroom and fell onto it lightly. Curling herself up into a ball, she began to rub her stomach.

"Is there really someone in there?" she asked softly to herself.

It had been two years since she had Annabella inside her and she didn't remember the beginning of the pregnancy at all.

"I guess we'll see when mom gets back. But what will I say to Dearka if I am?" she thought hugging her pillow tightly.

Back on Sextillis 1…

Ian entered the shuttle port again and made his way to the counter. He had done so much traveling the past few weeks he was starting to get accustomed to the terminals.

"Hi, I need a ticket for December 4 please," Ian said politely.

The attendant hit the keys on the computer keyboard and looked up the seating for the shuttle.

"There is one leaving in an hour that has a seat available. I can put you on that if you would like," the woman behind the counter said.

"Uh, yes please. That sounds good," he replied.

He handed her his card and cringed when he saw the price.

"Cadey is going to put me in the poor house soon," he thought.

He grabbed the ticket and thanked the attendant as he walked toward the security entrance with his duffel bag.

"The things I do for love," he said to himself.

He approached the entrance and passed through making his way through the terminal.

"Here I come Cadey, ready or not," he thought.

An hour later at Miriallia's home…

Miriallia heard a knock on her door and hoped it wasn't Dearka.

"Yes," she called.

The door opened revealing her mother holding a bag.

"Here you go," her mother said handing the bag over to her.

Miriallia sat up from her bed and wiped the tears away from her face. Her mother sat down beside her as Miriallia took the bag.

"Thanks mom," Miriallia choked out.

"Miriallia," her mother started.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Do you love him?" her mother asked.

Miriallia looked at her mother allowing a small smile to escape her lips.

"Yes, I do," Miriallia admitted.

"Then it doesn't matter what this test tells you today. I can tell he loves you too and no matter what happens, he will stay by your side. After all, he is putting up with all your fathers blatant attempts to get rid of him," Mrs. Haw smiled.

Miriallia hugged her mother tightly.

"Thank you mom," she said again.

"Miriallia, you are legally an adult now. You can make your own decisions. I will make sure your father doesn't stand in your way, but you have to promise to remain honest with me," Mrs. Haw winked.

"I'll tell you the results," Miriallia admitted the possibility with a smile.

She walked out of the room to take the test and Mrs. Haw remained on her bed. As Miriallia entered the bathroom again, Annabella's door opened with Dearka peering out to see what was going on. Mrs. Haw stood up and walked toward him.

"She's going to be fine, don't worry," Mrs. Haw replied to his questioning look.

Dearka took a step back into Annabella's room.

"Oh, that's good," he said.

"You were really worried, weren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, but you asked me to leave her alone, so I came up here after dinner," he said honestly.

"I don't know what it is about you that Mr. Haw doesn't approve of, but you're okay in my book," she said smiling.

A smile filled Dearka's face along with a small blush. He had Mrs. Haw on his side almost the moment she met him. He didn't think he had when she first approached him that day, but it turned out she was just teasing him, not expecting Mr. Haw to react so viciously towards him.

"When Miriallia comes out, I need to speak with her for a moment alone and then you can see her. I'm sure she will be feeling better by then. I'll keep Mr. Haw occupied," Mrs. Haw continued.

"Oh, thank you," Dearka said shyly.

"Think nothing of it. I don't mind at all. You two have been extremely patient while waiting to hear news about Annabella's whereabouts," Mrs. Haw replied.

The door opened to the bathroom and Mrs. Haw smiled at Dearka.

"It will be just a minute," she said grabbing the doorknob and closing the door to Annabella's room.

Dearka stood in his spot a little confused but decided to listen to Mrs. Haw and give her a moment with her daughter. Mrs. Haw walked over to Miriallia whose hands were now shaking with the test in her grip. Mrs. Haw put her arm around her and walked her back to her room closing the bedroom door behind her.

"I'm…" Miriallia started.

Mrs. Haw looked down at the test.

"Yes, you certainly are. But I think it's best that we don't say anything to your father right now," Mrs. Haw replied.

"Dearka," Miriallia said softly.

"Are you going to tell him?" Mrs. Haw asked.

Miriallia looked up at her mother.

"How?" she said with a petrified look on her face.

"Well, how about just telling him," Mrs. Haw advised.

"But what if he leaves?" Miriallia asked.

"I don't think he would do that. He did say if he had known about Annabella, he would have stayed with you," Mrs. Haw comforted her.

"Mom, I can't tell him. We haven't even found Annabella yet. How can I do that to him?" Miriallia cried with so much confusion tearing her apart.

"What if you told him when you were ready then?" her mom winked.

"You won't say anything?" Miriallia asked hopeful.

"Miriallia, it's not my place to say anything to him or your father. You have to do it when you feel ready," her mother said comfortingly.

Miriallia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was going to back her up on whatever she decided to do.

"I don't know how to tell him even when I'm ready," Miriallia said in sincerely.

Mrs. Haw looked at her and smiled.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something," she said as she kissed her daughter on her forehead.

Miriallia smiled again as her mother stood up from the bed.

"I would hide that if I were you, including the packaging," Mrs. Haw warned.

"Right, I will," Miriallia said.

"I'll go get it from the bathroom so you can hide it somewhere in here. I can't imagine your father would ever look through your stuff and Dearka doesn't even know he should," Mrs. Haw winked.

Miriallia stood up and hid the test while her mother went to grab the packaging to it.

"I guess we're going to have another baby," Miriallia thought happily.

She stood on a chair and grabbed an old box on top of her bookcase.

"But this time, you're going to stay with me," she thought with a smile showing on her face.

Mrs. Haw re-entered the room and handed Miriallia the rest of the package.

"Just make sure dad doesn't come snooping around in here and if he does, don't let him get this box," Miriallia told her mother.

"Okay, should I get Dearka for you?" her mother asked.

Miriallia tilted her head in confusion.

"He is worried about you and I told him he could check on you after we spoke. I'm sure he is pacing in Annabella's room about now," Mrs. Haw smiled.

"Oh, yeah, just give me another minute," Miriallia answered.

It was her mother's turn to show a bit of confusion.

"I think I know how and when to tell him," Miriallia replied.

Mrs. Haw blinked her acknowledgement and walked toward Annabella's room waiting for Miriallia's okay.

Miriallia stepped off her desk chair and moved it back to the desk grabbing a piece of paper from her note block. She began writing what she wanted to say and signed it with an all my love at the end. She folded the paper and walked to the door. Her mother looked back at her as she watched her daughter nod. Mrs. Haw knocked on the door and quickly Dearka answered it.

"If you want to see Miriallia, now is the time," she said sweetly.

"Um, thank you," he said courteously.

Miriallia was at her door smiling and Dearka could see her from where he stood.

"I think I will go keep Mr. Haw occupied," Mrs. Haw said with a bit of amusement in her voice.

Dearka walked over to Miriallia and brushed the few strands of hair that had fallen into her face away. He looked deep into her eyes as if studying her.

"Are you okay Mir?" he asked.

"I am now," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, the note tucked inside one of her palms.

She pulled away from him for a moment and he looked at her in bewilderment.

"Can you do something for me and run down for a glass of water? I'm really thirsty," she asked.

"Sure," he said turning from her.

"Thanks," she said watching him walk toward the top of the stairs.

When he was out of view she ran into Annabella's room and grabbed his duffel bag. She sifted through his stuff until she found his uniform at the bottom. Finding one of the pockets she slipped the note inside.

"When you wear this uniform is the time you will learn that you are going to be a father again. Let's just hope you get a chance to put it on before you can figure it out on your own," she thought smiling.

She quickly zipped the bag and placed it back on the ground where she had found it. She ran out of the room and entered her own to wait for Dearka's return the smile never leaving her face.

End

Author's Preview: It's the Cadey an Ian showdown that's building for all those who have been desperately waiting for someone to confront her. 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! Somewhere along the way I lost Angel of Dreams again. I'll miss you this week. And I'm hoping Writer of Dreams is okay too. You up and disappeared as well. Hugs for the two of you! 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.