I don't know if this is exactly what you were expecting, but I tried. I hope you like it, it's a little strange and I left added something new to the plot. (About time, huh?) So R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

"Mom! We're home!" Arashi pushed the old wooden door open. "Mom? Dad? Where is everybody?"

Duo glanced around. The house was dark and empty; the only light came from the setting sun. A deserted feeling hung around the house and Duo stepped back to the door.

"Let's go outside, this is giving me the creeps."

Arashi laughed, "You and Solo can go out. I'm going to check and see if they left a note in the kitchen. I'll come out in a minute."

Duo glanced around as they stepped into the light. The yard looked exactly as it had when they'd left earlier that morning, the apple tree full of green apples.

"Duo? Did mom and dad leave us here? And Mèmerè?" Solo stared up at Duo with big eyes.

"Nah, of course not. They probably went to the store and thought we'd be home later. Why don't we play catch?"

Solo nodded and Duo dug through a box of balls next to the door. He came up with a tennis ball and tossed it lightly into the air. "This'll do." Solo stood at one end of the yard and Duo at the other and they threw the ball back and forth.

"That's strange…there's no one here." Arashi sat on the steps. "And no note. I checked in the kitchen, in Mèmerè's sitting room and in the library. Nothing."

"They did leave us!" Solo wailed and ran into the house. Duo growled deep in his throat and followed.

He found Solo staring around the main room. To his left a staircase spiraled up to the second floor and a lamp glowed cheerily.

"Kids, you're home!" Their mom stuck her head through the kitchen door. "Go wash up, supper's almost ready."

Solo turned back to them and Duo opened his mouth. "No." Arashi stuck her hands into the air. "No, I don't want to know. I don't care. I'm going to go take a bath, none of this is happening. This is all just a weird dream and I'll wake up and we'll still be in the hotel."

"'Bout time you took a bath." Duo pinched his nose and waved at the air. "Man, they must be able to smell you in Japan."

Arashi slapped the back of his head and called into the kitchen that she wasn't hungry. Duo shook his head and grabbed Solo, putting him in a headlock.

"Hey, what's that for?" Solo squirmed to get out of Duo's hold but Duo held fast.

"I dunno you're just fun to put in headlocks. This did happen, right?"

Solo shook his head, "I'm with Arashi. Let's just forget it."

Duo released his head and turned to the library. "I wonder what's in there."

Solo took his chance and ran upstairs. Duo wrestled with the library door until his dad came down the stairs.

"You know, Duo, there's another door in that room." He pointed to the door next to Duo. "The door in there's easier to open. What's your sudden interest in books?"

Duo smiled innocently, "Just curiosity. Hey, Dad, have we ever been here?"

William's pause wouldn't have been noticeable to a normal person but Duo heard it before his dad said, "Yes. Once, before Solo was born. Arashi asked the same thing and I told her we hadn't. I forgot about that time, your mom brought you when I went on a business trip."

Duo nodded to him. "Thanks. I'll be in the library then."

The library looked like most libraries, shelves and shelves of books with the dusty, booky smell. The room covered half of the bottom floor and every inch was covered in books. Duo sighed and stared around at the room. "I hate books."

He took a deep breath and stepped between the closest shelves. The books were bound in anything from red leather to paperbacks. He wandered down the aisle, waiting for a book to catch his eye. The shelves ended and he stared around. The wall in front of him caught his eye and he stared.

Five portraits lined the wall. The farthest on the left was of Mèmerè, the next one his mom, then his dad, then Arashi and him. All of them were dressed like they lived in the eighteen hundreds, with big dresses and bonnets on the girls and stiff, starch white shirts.

"Mèmerè has always been fascinated with old things like that." Duo spun, automatically going into a crouch and facing Arashi. "She hired an artist to come up here and paint us. Took him three weeks."

Duo gave a sigh of relief and straightened, "So, you remember getting these pictures?"

Arashi laughed. "Yeah. Mèmerè told us that if anyone ever asked, we were to tell them that these are the ghosts that live in the house."

Duo nodded and turned back to the pictures with interest. "Good, I thought this was another creepy picture." His shoulders slumped as he realized the only lead they had had just died.

"Cheer up, Duo." Arashi patted him on the back and stared around the room. "What are you looking for?"

"Clues?" Duo shrugged. "I dunno. Just a thought, I guess."

Arashi shook her head and left the room, leaving Duo to the shelves and shelves of books. He pulled off the closest one, a green, leather bound book, and flipped it open on his lap.

Half an hour later he had three stacks of books surrounding him and a white book on his lap. The book was opened at its center and Duo was leaning on his hands with his elbows on his knees.

"I don't care.I'm cutting it off. Today." Duo looked up at the sound of Mèmerè's voice. "I said I don't care. There's too much danger involved."

"They needn't know." The second voice was a deep one that Duo didn't recognize.

"They're finding out on their own."

Duo stood up carefully, wincing as his leg muscles protested from going from sitting so long to moving, and tiptoed to the door. He peeked through the crack between the doors he'd made earlier. Mèmerè and a man in a black overcoat stood talking. The man had red hair and held a hat in his hand.

"Surely you can throw them off. You are the best."

Mèmerè shook her head. "Duo knows something's wrong, and it's difficult to change that. I don't want to, anyway." Mèmerè's eyes narrowed. "You may go now; I've said all I'm going to say."

"Then you quit?" The man put a hat on his head and inclined his head to Mèmerè. "Consider carefully. I would hate for something to happen to this family."

Mèmerè stared coldly at him as he left and said, "So would I, for your sake. I would hate to have to do something...regrettable."

"Same for me." The door closed with a soft click and Duo retreated carefully to the pile of books. After a few minutes he heard Mèmerè start up the stairs and he hurried into the hall. The door swung silently as he pushed it and stepped onto the porch.

The man was standing at the corner and staring at the house. His gaze dropped to the porch and he inclined his head to Duo before turning a crossing the street.

The whole them not being there probably won't be a big thing, I just thought I'd do something weird like that. I hope this answered a few questions, and it should if you look really closely.