Author: Sparkle Itamashii
Title: Inheritance
Warnings: Respect the rating. Please see my profile for details.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing AC is NOT MINE.
Chapter Two
There was no way Heero could have a child. He'd been with me the past four years! He hadn't visited Relena alone since I'd shown up here. This little girl was not possibly over three years old and yet… there was no denying her heritage now that it had been pointed out to me. Although she had Relena's slight build and the same dusty blonde hair, those deep blue eyes were the same eyes I woke up to every morning. Those eyes… were unmistakably Heero's.
I groaned, trying to keep myself from being sick.
Had Relena told him?
Had he known all along?
No way. If he knew he would have told me. …Right?
I tried to calm myself, taking a deep breath. Blood was singing past my ears from the way my heart was pounding. Heero was standing only a few feet away, staring passively at the little girl as if he didn't know who she was. She stared right back with wide eyes, not quite ready to cry but not ready to give up the idea either. Quatre stood nervously at my side, as if he expected me to fly into a rage or collapse on the ground or do something more than just stand there, gaping.
"Duo…?" He finally prompted quietly, touching my elbow with the backs of his fingers.
"What does that mean?" I responded, though my voice sounded strained even to my own ears. "If she's…" I let the sentence falter because I was sure he knew what I was trying to ask.
"We're not sure yet." Although he sounded worried I could hear the note of relief behind the words. "The lawyer says nothing is going to happen right now. She'll be in protective custody for at least another week until they get everything straightened out."
"After that?"
He shrugged helplessly and turned his eyes to the girl, who had offered her cookie to a very confused looking Heero. "She doesn't have anywhere to go. Relena and Milliardo were the last Peacecrafts. If no one can find Milliardo… They won't have a choice in outing Heero as the father. He'll have to decide if he wants to keep her or not."
"It's not like he really has a choice, is it? She can't bloody well live on her own." I shot.
"Adoption." He said simply. "She'd have to be put up for adoption. From there we could always try to find someone we know to take her, so at least they could teach her who she really is."
I closed my eyes briefly, already knowing that I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could have prevented a child from having to go through all that. "What did Heero say when he heard all this?" The look Quatre gave me suggested that… "Heero does know all this, right?" I asked weakly.
"He heard the same words we just did, but I think he got a different idea about what it means. I don't think he understands. I don't think he realizes what he is going to have to do, whatever he chooses."
It didn't take a genius to hear the nervous edge in Quatre's voice. He didn't want to have to try and explain it to Heero any more than I did. The only difference was that he could get out of having to while I… could not. I groaned, looking up as my eyes closed. After a pause I sighed and shook my head in defeat.
"Fine." I gritted, moving forward. "I'll tell him…"
Heero looked up when I reached his side, giving me a curious, sort of detached look. I knew what that meant- he had removed himself from the situation and taken a stance as an observer only. Great. Trying to get through to him now was only going to be the second most difficult thing in the entire world.
The first thing being, of course, getting him to care once he understood.
"So…?" I prodded gently, hoping against hope that he would cooperate with me to get this worked out properly.
"What?" His innocent tone made me want to murder him- like he didn't have a single clue as to why I had come over to talk.
"What do you make of this situation, Heero?" I asked, exasperated.
"It can't stay with us." He said simply, fixing me with a warning look.
"She, Heero. She's not an "it"; she is a she." I hissed, not wanting the little girl to overhear us. Thankfully Trowa had taken over distraction duties and was occupying her attention. "Where else is she going to go?"
"I don't know!" He exclaimed, sounding irritated. "Where-ever little kids go."
I felt a hot spike of anger flare up inside me. He was talking of abandoning her, even though he knew she was his child. I knew Heero had no idea of what she was going through. True, he had lost his caretaker, Odin Lowe, when he was very young but despite that connection he was still clueless. He had never had a home, never had real parents, or even had foster parents. No one had put him into an orphanage so he had never had to face what they were proposing we put Mara through in short order.
"We are not leaving her behind, Heero." I said with as much control as I could muster. "She is in this world because of you, and you are damn well going to take care of her."
Five minutes- hell, even one minute- before he'd basically said he wanted to get rid of her, I might even have been willing to agree. We weren't ready for dealing with children; not even just one! Neither of us knew the first thing about taking care of anyone so young. I mean for God's sake he'd used the pronoun "it" to describe her! Taking her home could only end up in total disaster.
The way he said it, though, the tone he took… I couldn't handle it.
I couldn't leave her behind, if only to teach Heero a lesson.
He gave me a scathing glare, one that would have made any lesser person back down immediately. "It's not coming home with us." He grated, eyes never leaving mine.
"Yes, it- she is." I returned, seething now.
I really want to tell you that the avid declaration was the end of the conversation and that Heero backed down to my superior arguing skills… but sadly, we were interrupted when Mara burst into tears again. I whirled around, looking at a very bewildered Trowa. He gave me a helpless look and remained where he was crouched.
"What did you do?" I demanded harshly.
"Nothing." He defended in an even tone.
I took a step toward them but before I could do anything a little old lady swooped down out of fucking nowhere and scooped the child into her arms, murmuring soothing words. Mara went quiet instantly, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck. I glared uncertainly at the stranger, wondering if I should be getting angry with her or be relieved that she'd gotten the kid to be quiet. She gave me a hard, searching look and lightly bounced Mara in her arms, keeping her quiet.
"That is the second time tonight you've made this little girl cry." She informed me sternly. "What's your name?"
Although I wasn't so sure I wanted to tell her my name, I did so automatically. "I'm Duo. Who are you?"
"Bernice." She didn't offer me her hand. "I'm with child services and I have been taking care of Miss Peacecraft for the past few days." It sounded so strange to hear the surname on her tongue like Relena was still alive when I knew very well that she was not.
"Well… Heero here will be taking Mara as soon as he can." I ignored the muttered "no I won't." when it came and smiled politely.
She gave him an appraising look and didn't seem impressed in the least. "We'll see. No one can take her anywhere for another four days."
"Four days?" I said, hating how pathetic I sounded. Four days was for too long; there were way too many chances for me to chicken out and take back my words. "Are you sure?"
"No. I'm lying." She said dryly. "Four days. I'm sure we'll be in contact." With that she whisked away the now sleeping Mara, joining up with two men in black suits as she reached the door. I watched her say something to them and make a few hasty gestures in our direction before I turned back to Heero.
"We're leaving." I said decisively, in no mood for arguments. "Now."
Either he wanted to leave as well or he was too lazy to object because he did not resist. I didn't bother saying goodbye to Quatre and Trowa- I would be on the phone with one or the other later that night. Wu Fei was nowhere to be seen and anyone else was of no consequence at that point. I was barely keeping myself together as it was and I needed out, fast. Heero marched sullenly after me, his glare practically tangible against the back of my head.
This was going to be a long night.
/End Chapter Two, Inheritance/
