Dearka & Miriallia

Author's Note: Hi there everyone. The next update will be on Thursday or Friday. 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 43

Showdown

Dearka shifted uncomfortably as his mother's gaze pierced through him. Dearka was about to open his mouth to speak until his mother put up her hand to him.

"Don't you say one word young man," she said angrily.

Immediately after saying that she looked back to the study where his father was still working on some papers. Changing her mind, she stepped out of the door and onto the landing. Making her way behind Dearka with Annabella in his arms, she pushed him up the stoop and into the house.

"Get in here, now!" she yelled at him.

As she entered the house behind him, she slammed the front door. Dearka cringed when the striker met the metal plate. Tad looked up from his paperwork to see his son standing with a baby in his arms and he stood up. As he began to walk from the study into the foyer, Dearka felt both of his parents' eyes focused on him and his little girl.

"I haven't even said anything yet and I'm already thinking Yzak was right about this," Dearka thought.

"Well, say something," Dearka's mother insisted.

Dearka furrowed his brow in agitation. It had only been a moment ago that he was about to say something when his mother told him not to and now she was demanding him to speak.

"Hi," was all he managed to say.

Mrs. Elsman was stunned to silence by her son's response. Did she hear him correctly? Did he just say hi? She was in no mood for his sarcasm at this moment. Especially not when she already knew what he was there for.

"Dearka?" his father began to question pointing at Annabella.

"Yeah, what you're thinking is right," he replied.

"But how? No wait, not how. I know how. Why would you do this to us? What about Cadey? I know this little girl isn't Cadey's. I've seen her too many times in the past two years," Mrs. Elsman cried out in confusion.

Dearka's father walked up behind his wife and put his hands on her shoulders. He jerked his head to motion Dearka into the living room to the left of the foyer. Dearka complied, carrying a giggling Annabella in his arms. She looked completely unfazed by the events.

"Calm down dear, I'm sure Dearka has a VERY GOOD explanation for this," Tad said gently.

Mrs. Elsman was now shaking furiously. Her anger was rising at what was happening and she felt as though her whole perfect world was about to crumble around her.

"What are we going to do? Everyone will know. Our family will become the next on Halli's gossip list. This is so embarrassing," Mrs. Elsman thought as she was led into the living room.

Dearka himself was starting to become angry. He had actually hoped his parents would be a little more welcoming. As he sat down on the sofa, he felt the fluffy cushions rise around him enveloping him in soft satin. His mother entered the room being maneuvered by his father and he watched as he helped her to a seat across from the sofa.

"At least the coffee table is in the way. Less chance for them to choke me to death," he thought sarcastically.

"Go ahead Dearka. Explain what is going on," his father said finding his own seat.

By this time, Annabella had decided she no longer wanted to remain in her father's arms and struggled to get loose. Dearka fought her a bit, trying to keep her steady in his arms. Mr. Elsman noticed the difficulty his son was having with the little girl and sighed.

"Why don't you put her down and let her explore the room a little," he said kindly.

Horror filled Mrs. Elsmans' face as she looked around the room to see priceless porcelain décor scattered all around. Mr. Elsman shook his head at her with a warning and Dearka could feel the air becoming colder. He gently placed Annabella on the floor as she gave an ecstatic cry to be free. She turned on her unstable legs and began waddling around the room immediately honing in on one of the porcelain objects Mrs. Elsman had been so worried about.

"Belle!" Dearka cried gaining her attention before her fingers hit the priceless piece.

"I want," she said reaching for it again.

Dearka stood up quickly and ran over to her with his parents looking on.

"Belle, look at me," Dearka ordered.

Belle turned with a pout on her tiny face. She only had a few words in her vocabulary, but they were all words she could use to express her thoughts to her father standing before her.

"I WANT Dada," she said again.

"Belle, no," Dearka said more calmly now that he had the ability to stop her if she went for it again.

She turned from him in defiance and grabbed for the piece making Mrs. Elsman stand from her chair. Dearka grabbed Belle's hands before she could get a hold of it never turning to see his mother's worry about her precious collectibles. He kept his eyes focused on Belle's and remained calm as he waited for her attention to return to him.

"Please, I want," she pleaded.

Something he learned from sitting with her is that the Haw's were definitely teaching his little girl manners. Whenever she really wanted to do something or have something, she would add please to it, expecting to get it.

"No Belle. No touch," Dearka replied.

"Please Dada, I want," she begged again trying to turn toward the item.

"Belle," Dearka said more sternly regaining her attention once again.

She blinked at him innocently and in less than a second changed into a little demon. Her eyes glazed over in frustration and she pulled from her father's grip. When he let go of her little hands, she smacked his as payback for his no's. He grabbed her hands again and dragged her closer to him, keeping his eyes on hers at all times.

"Belle, we don't hit," he yelled at her.

This had done it. It had been a long day for the little girl and she wasn't used to not getting her way. In fact, Dearka couldn't even think of a time that he had been so strict with her, but with his parents watching, the last thing he wanted was for them to think he couldn't control her. The tears began to pour from her little eyes and she tried to push herself free of her father's grasp. Her eyes became red and swollen and her breathing was erratic as she huffed in air between sobs. Dearka picked her up again and held her close to him. Unfortunately for him, this wasn't going to work this time because it was he himself that she was upset with.

"Maybe we can have Gerald take her for a while so that we can all talk. He can put her in your room and let her lie down on the bed. She can sleep in a regular bed I assume. It seems as though she is hitting her terrible two stage after all," Mr. Elsman replied standing from his seat and walking over to a desk in the corner of the room.

"I don't know. I've only ever had her in a crib on the ship," Dearka replied with Belle still screaming in his ear.

"You had that child on a warship! Dearka, I know you are smarter than that," his mother scolded with malice in her tone.

Dearka turned to see his father shaking his head as well and he already felt as though the two were beginning to surround him for the attack.

"Gerald, would you come in the living room for a moment. I need you to take care of someone for us," Mr. Elsman replied through the communicator on his desk.

His hand let go of the button on the device and he walked back toward his seat. He sat down calmly as Gerald immediately rushed in. Dearka rolled his eyes at Gerald. The guy was like a lap dog that came whenever he or his parents insisted it. The part that amazed him the most was after all these years, he was still doing it.

Gerald walked over to Dearka and held out his arms for the screaming girl. Dearka willingly let her go hoping this would help calm her down.

"Please take, uh…" Mr. Elsman started.

"Belle," Dearka answered.

"Yes Belle to Dearka's room and let her lie down. I think she's a bit tired," Mr. Elsman ordered.

"Yes Sir," Gerald replied walking out with a still bawling Belle.

"Belle? Very informal, wouldn't you say?" Mrs. Elsman replied with a dangerous look.

"Her name is Annabella," Dearka answered his mother with his own threatening tone.

"Will the two of you calm down! Dearka, sit," his father ordered.

Dearka sat following his father's command to do so feeling like a lap dog himself now. He looked around the room and noticed something had changed. He was amazed he hadn't noticed before, but they had redesigned the entire room. From the walls to rug and most of the furniture was even different. All but the sofa he was now sitting on and the coffee table with matching chair set.

"You changed the room," Dearka said trying to avoid their stares.

"Dearka!" his mother snapped.

He looked back at her in defeat and saw the look his father was now giving him as well.

"It's strange, I thought you would have been the one more upset with me right now," he said looking at his father.

This is the first time in his existence that he had angered his mother so much that his father had to step in and play mediator. Normally he and his father would be going at each other's throats and his mother would be separating her 'boys' as she liked to call them when they argued.

"I can't change it, can I? Now I just need an explanation so I can figure out how to fix the situation you've gotten this family into," his father replied.

Dearka knew with that statement that he would have no allies in this household. He had hoped his mother would have lovingly accepted Belle. In all honesty, he knew he still needed help and only said those things to Yzak to put on a brave act.

"What do you mean fix the situation? There's nothing to fix!" Dearka said angrily.

He watched his father shake his head in disappointment and his temper began to rise faster. It was now going to be much easier to fight back without Belle in the room with him.

"Don't you dare use that tone with us!" his mother yelled.

Dearka stood up with that statement. He wasn't a child anymore and he didn't need his family telling him how to live his life.

"Look, I just came to tell you about Belle and let you know that Cadey and I aren't getting married. I won't be forced into something I never wanted in the first place!" he snapped at them.

The mood in the room became even grimmer as his father looked dangerously at him. He knew what was about to happen might not be good.

"Sit down Dearka," his father threatened.

Dearka was now baffled by his fathers' order, but even he knew better than to challenge him. He threw himself back onto the sofa like a five-year-old child and huffed crossing his arms. With his mother so obviously not on his side either, he would have to think of some way out of the house with Belle soon before things got too out of control.

"First of all, you and Cadey are in an arranged marriage and neither of you can just decide you don't want to go through with it," Dearka's father scolded.

Dearka opened his mouth to object but was shot down quickly as his mother rose from her seat.

"Keep it shut!" she warned.

His eyes glazed over in resentment for the way he was being treated. He wasn't a child anymore and he had his own daughter to worry about. Not to mention Miriallia was still out there somewhere waiting for him to save her and their new baby.

"Great if they aren't taking this news well, how are they going to react if I tell them about another baby?" he thought worrying a bit.

Once again he was feeling as though he couldn't stand up to his parents. What was it about this situation that made him shy away from taking them head on? He couldn't figure it out and it was beginning to drive him insane. It didn't help that Belle was pretty far from his reach right now either. All he could do was sit there and listen to his mother yell while his father talked down to him.

"It was an agreement that both of you also consented to. If you didn't want to do it then, you should have spoken up from the beginning," his father continued.

"As if you would have given me the option," Dearka scowled.

"Second, you will not mention this little indiscretion to anyone else. I will have it taken care of," his father spoke over him.

Dearka couldn't believe what he was hearing. What was he really going to do to change the fact that Annabella was here?

"Let me guess, you're going to buy your way out of this," he said sarcastically.

His mother had repositioned herself behind the sofa while his father had been talking. Dearka hadn't noticed she moved until he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

"What the hell was that for?" he cried out jumping from his spot.

His mother was becoming so furious with him and couldn't believe she had done that herself for a moment.

"For acting so incredibly obnoxious and completely opposite of the way I raised you!" she yelled at him.

Dearka could hear a ringing in his ears with how hard she hit him in the back of the head. He could only fall back onto his main defense, sarcasm.

"You didn't raise me, the nanny did," he said folding his arms in front of him.

He didn't even need to turn around to see how angry his mother was. He rarely made her so mad, but he could already see her face in his head. Neither of his parents made a sound after his comment but stood there staring.

"It's about time the two of you shut up," he said pushing them to the limit.

He moved from his spot and began walking out of the room. Before he made it to the door his father regained his composure to speak.

"Dearka Elsman!" he yelled.

Dearka turned to see the tears in his mothers' eyes but his scowl never faded. It was now or never if he was going to tell them all about Belle and everything about Miriallia. He had nothing else to lose, especially if his father was really planning what Dearka thought he was.

End

Author's Preview: Dearka faces off with the parents. And he thought dealing with Mr. Haw was rough. 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! Again, sorry for short replies, I was a little late getting this chapter up because I've been so tired this week. LOTS OF HUGS! 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.