Dearka & Miriallia

Author's Note: Drat, fanfiction(dot)net didn't upload the story very well from the format so you can't really see the change (oh well that's the problem with html), but when I put it on my website and you download the word doc version you can all see it (sorry about that). Hope you all enjoy and the next update should be Tuesday or Wednesday. Hugs to all of you! 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 40

Assistance

"Sir, there is a call from a ship in need of assistance," the young woman said through the channel to Yzak's office.

Yzak looked up from his spot. He was angry enough that Shiho had forced him into his office before he could ream the crew out. Now, he was being bothered by the very people he was about to tell off but could still feel the glare of his girlfriend's watchful eye. He took a deep breath before speaking through his gritted teeth.

"I'm a little busy right now Marie. It will have to wait," he replied angrily.

Shiho watched him carefully. She had said before that she knew when to stay out of the way, but she also knew when he was about to go overboard and when to step in to help him to regroup before dealing with the crew.

"Sir, it seems to be extremely urgent. Are you sure you won't take their call?" Marie asked cautiously.

Marie did fear the wrath of Yzak, but it was her duty to be absolutely positive before responding to any incoming call that he really meant what he said or if he was just being grumpy at the time.

"Yzak," Shiho snipped softly making it impossible for Marie to hear her, but loud enough for Yzak to actually cringe.

He hated when she had all the power. Or it was more, when he let her have all the power. It bothered him that she was able to make him relinquish it with such ease, but in his heart, he knew he cared for her more than anyone else and knew when he was going overboard or she was out of line. This time it was his fault and he knew it.

"Fine Marie, patch me through please on the secure line," Yzak said defeated by both women.

"Yes Sir!" Marie saluted and began to hit a few buttons connecting the two ships.

DaCosta waited in his place as she patched him through and before he knew it, Yzak was on his screen.

"Commander Joule," Yzak answered switching on his call box.

It was all DaCosta heard before the door behind them swished open on the bridge revealing both Waltfeld and Lacus. Yzak's eyes' grew wide when he saw what was happening on the ship that had made it sound so imperative that they speak with him.

"You!" he cried out in annoyance.

"Long time, no see kid. You still a hot head?" Waltfeld asked mockingly.

Before Yzak could comment on Waltfeld's sarcastic remark, he saw Lacus walking out from behind him. Yzak quickly saluted to her with the respect he always had for her, even when she did defect. Although, she had been the person Dearka had chosen to follow in the last war that almost made them enemies, it no longer mattered. He didn't see either of them as traitors anymore. Then again, ZAFT had official orders to stop the so-called terrorists and as an officer of ZAFT it was his responsibility to bring them in. Yzak shook his head and thought of how Dearka would react if he treated the Eternal and Miss Clyne with such disrespect.

"What is it that you want?" Yzak asked with irritation.

Lacus tilted her head at him when she heard his tone of voice and looked around on the monitor. There was no sign of Dearka anywhere in the room. That was unless he was on the other side and out of her viewing range.

"We don't want anything, we just needed to inform you on the Girty Lue's descent pattern. It may be of use to ZAFT," Waltfeld explained.

Yzak was struck dumbfounded. How can they expect him to take their help? He wasn't an invalid. This offer felt more like a slap in the face after the damage both his ships received. Shiho could see his eyes slitting in insult and quickly moved around his desk to see what was transpiring. She dragged her fingertips across his mahogany desk and turned the corner to face the screen. She couldn't believe who was staring back at her.

"Lacus Clyne?" she asked in shock.

Yzak rolled his eyes at Shiho's childlike expression. She almost looked starry eyed.

"Why are you informing us of this?" Yzak asked now ignoring Shiho's attempts to get closer to the screen.

Waltfeld was prepared for this question and answered with all seriousness in his voice. The sound of Andrew's voice made even DaCosta shiver with the sense of fear of upcoming events.

"Just here me out. What they just pulled was a diversion. If someone isn't watching their every move, something even more tragic may occur. We knew no one would be able to follow them, so we slipped by and tracked their course. Either you want the information or you don't. I don't have time to bicker with you about it," Waltfeld stated coldly.

Upon hearing this statement Shiho backed away from the monitor and nudged Yzak. He looked away from Waltfeld's commanding eyes and to Shiho who was desperately trying to gain his attention. She moved away from the monitor and around to the front of the desk her lips moving with no sound escaping. Yzak squinted his eyes in an attempt to make out what she was saying.

When he realized what she had come up with a smirk came across his face. He looked back down to the monitor. It was true that the information the Eternal had would be of value to him, but there was something more valuable at the moment that Shiho was kind enough to bring to his attention.

"Okay Waltfeld, but we have something to ask you in return for allowing you to leave without notifying the rest of ZAFT," Yzak coaxed.

Lacus and DaCosta both looked at the monitor with a clueless expression. They couldn't imagine what Yzak could want from them. But Waltfeld, on the other hand, looked none too pleased with being cornered by his former subordinate.

"And what exactly do you want from us?" Waltfeld asked.

Meanwhile…

Dearka walked down the hall with Annabella in his arms. Her smiling face made him feel somewhat peaceful. The heels of his boots clicked on the ground as he heading back to his personal quarters, Cadey not far behind.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Cadey asked curiously.

Dearka continued to walk without looking back at the young woman. He was extremely exhausted fighting with her on the mental level. She had such a strong will, he knew things with her wouldn't end so easily.

"Do about what?" he asked cautiously.

He didn't want to bait her into one of her 'I'll win you back speeches' she was so fond of lately. He also didn't want to let her know about Miriallia or the new baby.

"How am I going to keep this from her though if she is constantly nosing around here?" Dearka thought annoyed.

"With Belle," Cadey finished.

Dearka looked down at the smiling girl as she hugged him tighter. She loved being around him now and that made Dearka feel a little more secure about taking care of her all on his own. Although it was a challenge, he was working through it. The only thing that made him worry was what he would do when something different happens.

The halls were silent with the soldiers returning to their posts and others who rushed away to work on the damage to the ship. Part of Dearka felt guilty that he wasn't out there helping with something. The least he could do was overlook the bridge until Yzak calmed down. Unfortunately he could do nothing. He hadn't been reinstated officially yet and the last thing he was going to do was trust Cadey alone with Annabella.

"I have to think of a way to save Mir too. I'm not usually so erratic and I'm going to have to get it together if I'm going to save her," he thought.

Cadey pranced behind him like a little schoolgirl with Annabella's baby backpack over one shoulder. She seemed happy enough which was making Dearka worry.

"Maybe the only way to get rid of her is to finally tell my parents about Mir, Belle and the new baby," he thought in an attempt to escape Cadey.

They stopped in front of his room and he hit the switch.

"I'm fine from here Cadey. I'm just going to play with Belle until she gets tired," Dearka insisted.

Cadey's brown eyes blinked at him in confusion. If her plan was going to work, she was going to have to force her way in.

"But you're so tired and what ever happened to you out there drained you. I can help you with Belle and you can take a nap and rest," she argued.

Dearka's eyes squinted in aggravation. She could see his jaw line lock from the gritting of his teeth making her step back.

"Here," she said defeated.

She handed over Annabella's bag as Dearka practically grunted his 'thank you' to her.

"But if you need anything, you'll call for me, won't you?" she asked.

Dearka looked back after hitting the switch to his room and shrugged. The distance between them was growing greater and she had been sure she was closing the gap before.

"I won't need anything," he said slightly cold.

What did he have to be nice to her for anyway? If he told his parents, this would all be over with. Why did he care what happened to the family name? He used to be a guy that understood the position his family was in and was proud of his name and heritage, but the name was no longer as important as the person he was holding in his arms.

The door swished shut between the two ex-lovers leaving Cadey standing at a cold blue steel door. Her eyes dropped to the ground and she sighed with discontent as she stalked away. She didn't even know where she should go now.

Yzak's Office…

Yzak continued to stare at the screen with an evil smirk on his face. One of the traits of Dearka's that had rubbed off on the silver-haired coordinator. Lacus and DaCosta still couldn't figure out what they could possibly do to help out the Voltaire. They didn't have enough supplies or manpower to help with the ship repairs.

"We seem to have an uninvited guest staying aboard the Rousseau. I can't send this person home because they will cause more trouble there and I can't keep them here because they are already…problematic," Yzak stated.

Waltfeld eyed him cautiously before speaking again.

"So, what is it you want us to do with said person?" Waltfeld asked already knowing the answer.

"Just take them off our hands for a bit," Yzak said matter-of-factly.

Lacus turned her head to the side in confusion again. She wasn't sure how to answer but moved forward to speak with Yzak directly.

"Who is this person you want off your ship so desperately?" Lacus inquired.

"Cadey White," Yzak finished.

Lacus understood why he wanted her gone as soon as he said her name. She knew from personal experience that Cadey was a difficult girl to be around. There was no more need for discussion upon hearing it.

"I will agree to take Cadey aboard the Eternal then," Lacus said sweetly.

Waltfeld turned around to look at Lacus with his head shaking and his eyes saying 'no, absolutely not', but Lacus just ignored him.

"Why is Cadey aboard your ship anyway," Lacus asked in curiosity.

Yzak flopped himself down in his chair and looked at the monitor. Although, upon hearing the clap of two hands together he looked up to see Shiho still excited that he was speaking with Lacus Clyne.

"We definitely need to have a talk about this later. She's making a complete fool of herself. Good thing no one else can see her," he thought.

"She followed Dearka," he stated.

Lacus seemed more confused now than ever. She hadn't been up to date on what was happening on the PLANTs or with Council Member children so she hadn't known Dearka and Cadey were in an arranged relationship. Athrun had kept that from her knowing her relationship with Miriallia. As Yzak updated Lacus on the turn of events, her eyes filled with sorrow for her friend.

"Poor Miriallia and now you think she was the pilot of the Valor," Lacus reiterated.

"Well, that's what he says anyway and Athrun didn't argue the fact. She went after him like a screaming banshee during the battle," Yzak said.

"Oh dear, I wonder what drove her to do such a thing," Lacus said innocently.

Even Waltfeld wondered about the accusation. She was such a sweet girl anytime he spoke with her at the orphanage. He couldn't imagine what could turn her into a vicious killing machine.

"Athrun was there?" Lacus asked in shock.

"Yeah, he's part of Faith now. The Chairman appointed him to the division himself," Yzak replied with jealousy seething from his voice.

"Oh I see," Lacus said in disappointment.

They had been gone so long that she hadn't been able to locate Athrun or find out from Kira what exactly happened to him. All she knew was that they spoke on the cliff in Crete and everyone returned quite upset. She even learned Miriallia had been there to hear what was going on but headed her own separate way. She couldn't blame her, she did have Annabella to take care of and it was more important for her to protect her child while they protected everyone else. After a brief pause, Lacus decided to speak again.

"So then, he has Annabella right now?" she asked.

"For now, but Athrun is supposed to help locate the Archangel. He's going to need their help if he plans on getting that girl back," Yzak replied.

"I see," she said now deep in thought.

Dearka's Room…

Dearka sat in his room watching Annabella on the floor. She was so adorable. How could his parents not like her? Thoughts were swirling in his head of what the encounter may hold for him. His mother was always sweet, but could be very merciless when she felt he was out of line, and boy he was definitely out of line with this one. He couldn't deny the fact that both he and Mir had screwed up that day on the Archangel. Heck, he kind of felt like he screwed up again.

"You would think I would have learned my lesson when I found out about you," he said to Annabella.

She looked up at him with a giggle and began to babble at him. Dearka smiled but began to think of what his father was going to do with him too.

"He'd probably take Belle and strangle me. Well, at least the Elsman name would continue," Dearka thought sarcastically with a smirk.

He slid off his comfortable bed and on to the hard tiled floor pulling his knees up and leaning forward on them. His arms wrapped around them as he placed his head down with exhaustion. Annabella ran around him in circles now that his back was arched leaving her enough room to scoot by him to complete the circle. Every once and a while she would stop and pat him on the head or back with a little more force than he expected.

"Owww, gently Belle. Don't hit," he replied scolding her softly.

She smiled at him and would try again. He could tell she definitely understood what was going on around her.

"Maybe I can teach her some more words. Then when I get Mir back she won't only be ecstatic to see her, but she will see what a good father I can be," Dearka thought with a little more excitement than even he never believed he would feel over something like this.

He had been a playboy for so long before meeting Miriallia and never thought he would have children of his own. Then when he met her, as much as he liked her and felt he could forget every other woman in the entire universe, his parents forced him into a loveless future. For the playboy he had been, it would have been easy, but it wasn't for the man he turned into during the war. A part of him was happy Annabella was here with him now, as overwhelmed as he felt with her.

"Come here," he said reaching behind him to scoop up the little girl.

She giggled again trying to get out of his grasp. It had become a fun game for her, but Dearka had his own way of getting her to fall into his arms.

"Can I get a hug Belle?" he asked with her still squirming.

Upon hearing the word 'hug' she stopped struggling and twisted around to jump into his arms. She laughed and squeezed him tightly as he lifted her off the ground and on to his lap, pushing his back up against the bed again. When she released her grip on his neck, he nuzzled her nose softly making her squeal with delight a second time.

"Can you say dada?" he asked her waiting to hear her response.

She tried to mimic him softly where it was barely audible in an attempt to practice. She was sort of shy when she tried to learn new things. They sat there working on different words and he listened to his little girl trying to sound them out for the rest of the evening.

End

Author's Preview: Time for Dearka to make his way home with Annabella and all alone now that Cadey is heading out. A part of him hoped she would be there, but now it's up to him to regain some of his self-confidence. 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.