By : angelofvenus_l3
CHAPTER THREE
When Trowa arrived at the Winner mansion, he was immediately greeted by Quatre's head butler who then led him to the study room where the other former pilots, with the exception of Duo, occupied. When Trowa entered the room, he noticed there were several wine glasses and an unopened champagne bottle in a bucket of ice on the coffee table where his friends were gathered. As he mentally made a vow to walk out of this room as sober as possible, Quatre's face broke into a wider smile as he stood up to greet him. The others joint suit but less enthusiastic, of course.
They exchanged brief pleasantries and later the conversation led to the issues regarding the headquarters current investigations. Quatre wasn't exactly a member of the Preventer but he served under them just the same only when his intervention was needed and was also considered as one of the most reliable people to complete an impossible task. The heated discussion soon took a different course when Quatre suddenly brought up Heero's engagement.
"So, have you and Relena set a date yet?" Quatre asked with grin.
Heero appeared nonchalant toward the subject, though a small yet unmistakably a smile was evident. "Yes. We're getting married in a month."
"A month?" Quatre echoed in amusement. "Wow, that's earlier than expected."
"Quite expected, actually," Trowa put in. "From the rate both of them are going, it surprises me that they're merely engaged."
"I have to admit, I did not expect your engagement would ever happen," Wufei simply stated. Seeing that Heero's eyes had suddenly narrowed to slits, Wufei quickly continued with a shrug, "But it had. So it does not matter why I think so. Anyway, my heartiest felicitation to you and your fiancée. I do hope that you will notify any upcoming gatherings in advance. I do not appreciate last minute conduct. It is much too often I receive invitations that require my presence in a few days, especially when it is organize by a certain pilot friend of ours. But I've decided to make an exception for him, though." He grimaced and added, "Due to several bitter experiences which I rather not mention, I have learn a long time ago not to accept any invitations or offers where he is concern."
Heero grunted. "And somehow you still manage to end up there. Not to mention, drunk and was actually participating in one of his crazy antics."
"In my defense, I was drunk!" Wufei cried, scowling. "I was conned into one of his drinking games and don't you dare judge me. You all were drunk, too."
"I think if Duo ever decide to have one of his grand parties, I doubt you'll be able to miss it," Quatre pointed out to Wufei, snickering. "Not when he lives across the hall in your building."
"So are we invited then?" Trowa inquired, regarding Heero with a wry smile.
Heero smirked. "Of course. I've been to enough weddings to know that any firearms aren't exactly appropriate for matrimonial ceremony. So I need you guys there to hold him back from giving his humiliating best man speech."
"Duo's the best man?" Quatre cried incredulously with a laugh. "If I recall correctly, you wanted to relinquish all your decisions of the wedding to Relena, which includes the privilege of picking the best man. What change your mind?"
Heero scowled. "He did, obviously. He's been very persuasive ever since he accidentally received the news by email which Relena had sent for Hilde. It wouldn't be such a torture if he hadn't plead me over the phone continuously for the next three days and then, jamming my laptop with his emails while I was in outer space. I, however, didn't intend to share the news with anyone until the invitations are being sent out."
"I thought you've already sent them out," Trowa retorted, looking at him skeptically. "Duo was shoving one to my face the other day…"
Heero looked puzzle at first, then realization dawned across his features and he muttered in annoyance, "That fool must have stolen some copies from the apartment…"
"Speaking of the devil, where is he anyway?" Wufei demanded with a scowl, peering momentarily out the window. "Shouldn't he be here by now? It is quite rude to leave the host waiting this long without any excuse to support his tardiness."
Quatre glanced at his wristwatch, then rose to his feet and headed to his desk. "I suppose you're right. He mention something about picking up his car from the shop but it shouldn't take him that long. I'll give him a call…"
Suddenly, muffled voices raised from the door, seemingly to be in a heated argument and just when the pilots exchanged glances with one another, the double oak doors burst opened to reveal a man in his late fifties, glaring angrily straight at Quatre since he was in the perfect line of his vision. The other three pilots jerked their heads toward the new visitor and shared a questioning look.
"Master Quatre," Quatre's head butler suddenly exclaimed as he pushed past the angry man and bowed apologetically to his employer. "Forgive me, I told this gentleman you were in the midst of entertaining your friends but he refuse to leave until you see to him…"
"It's alright," Quatre told him, already preoccupied with the sudden appearance of this elder man. "He's my uncle."
After he dismissed the butler, Quatre calmly returned his attention back to Mr. Aino. However, when he finally got a good look of the elder man, Quatre instantly shrunk back from the his angry glare. He had never seen his uncle this angry before and he had a dreaded feeling he was the cause of this man's rage. Which was odd, since he hadn't been in contact with his uncle for years.
For a former Gundam pilot and a powerful politician, he was actually afraid of Minako's father. His uncle had been rather strict with Minako's upbringing, although that didn't stop her from sneaking out at night or playing outrageous pranks. However, among all of Minako's friends, Duo had been the most afraid of that man. He had dated Minako for a few months back then and within that period, Mr. Aino had warned him the outcome of disobeying his rules that he established upon seeing his daughter(which was not to have any single contact with Minako). Mr. Aino's glare alone would have done Heero proud, much less his 'threats'. So when their relationship didn't work out, Duo had been in hiding from her father ever since, believing immensely that Mr. Aino was looking for him, although it was Minako who decided to end the relationship.
Trowa was equally shock to find Minako's father there. Suddenly, his chest was heavy with dread because he knew why the elder man was here. Drawing a steady breath, he braced himself, preparing for the worst and the inevitable. It was understandable enough, he deserved the wrath this man was about to unleash upon him, although the timing could have been better. Much, much better.
"Mr. Aino," Quatre stammered, swallowing the lump in his throat as he tried to speak with his usual ease and dignified tone, "I-I have not seen you here for awhile …Is there a reason for this unexpected visit?"
"A reason?!" Mr. Aino bellowed incredulously as he stalked over to Quatre and towering over the blonde man. "I never step foot on this mansion without a reason!! How dare you! Allowing my daughter to drink and party here with the rest of your guests without regards to …." He paused when he detected a movement at the corner and when he finally realized of Trowa's presence, his face became full of rage and disgust.
"You!!" he cried in outrage before stomping towards Trowa who had immediately rose to his feet. "You are the reason why her future's ruin! It's all your fault! Do you actually realize what you have done?! Taking advantage of an underage girl while she was drunk, it's preposterous! I ought to kill you!!" He emphasized his threat by grabbing Trowa's front shirt and shook the young man vigorously.
"Trowa did what?!" Wufei cried indignantly and in disbelief as he shifted his puzzled gaze to Trowa.
"Chotto (wait)," Quatre intruded, trying to pry Mr. Aino's hands from Trowa's shirt collar. "W-what did he .…I mean, what do you mean he took advantage of Minako ..…"
Mr. Aino had his eyes fixed intensely at Trowa alone that he didn't seem to hear Quatre's plead or even noticed the others' presences. Or anything else, for that matter. "It is your recklessness that led her to this!! She's already facing enough problems on her own and now she's pregnant because of you!! Our reputation will be ruined because of you, you impudent little punk!!"
Quatre's eyes went wide with shock and he backed away in alarm. "M-Minako's pregnant?" Then, horrified, he turned to Trowa and demanded, "Trowa, is this true?"
Trowa only managed a helpless glance at Quatre but he made no attempt to answer, which led Quatre to stagger back in bafflement.
"Of course it's true!!" Mr. Aino cried incredulously. "It's your bloody fault that got her into this mess! My daughter's pregnant at this age and she barely even have her life sorted out! Having a baby out of wedlock is unacceptable, everyone knows that!! Now, people will treat her with contempt and our whole reputation will be tarnished because of this!! I strictly told all of you to keep away from my daughter, now look what happen!!"
"Wait, I don't understand," Quatre interrupted in helpless confusion, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two men. "Trowa would never do such a thing, and neither would Minako. How did this happen?"
His statement seemed to infuriate the man even further and Quatre stopped abruptly when Mr. Aino shifted his glare to him. "Quatre," Mr. Aino began in a deadly soft voice. "When I allow my twenty year-old daughter to attend one of your banquets, I expect you to take care of her and especially keep her away from…" He tossed a disgusted look to the other three occupants in the room and spat, "…these people you call friends." Then, his voice rose to a higher octave that caused Quatre to flinch. "But you heard, escort my daughter, let her wander about for a drink or two and get her into bed with him!!"
To emphasize his anger, he shove Trowa back roughly, scowling as he watched the young pilot calmly regaining his composure, his expression cool and unfazed, which infuriated the elder man even more at Trowa's lack of empathy.
Silence reigned in the room as the occupants stared at the two figures facing each other. While staring face-to-face with the angry man, Trowa had considered defending himself for his 'misguided' action but when he viewed the situation from another angle, there was no excuse strong enough to support his behavior.
Mr. Aino closed his eyes momentarily to collect himself and drew in an unsteady breath, as though regretting his previous actions for not handling the situation well enough. He could have deal with this better if he hadn't let his anger controlled him. Although that discovery didn't console him whatsoever or even ease the growing apprehension he felt for his daughter's future.
Forcing himself to calm down, he spoke to Trowa with a tone that was carefully controlled to ease the resentment in it, "I am not certain whether you have spoken to her about her future in this state, but I gather you already know of her pregnancy and being an intelligent pilot that you are, the outcomes should have crossed your mind. This burden of carrying a child will be too heavy for her to handle, and I honestly think neither of you are ready for it. You may be an experienced soldier but I seriously doubt you are educated in the matters of raising a family, especially when you never even have one to begin with." Trowa features hardened into granite at that remark and Mr. Aino added gravely, "So I hope that you will come to realize that soon enough and make certain that she get rid of the baby before it's too late."
Trowa narrowed his eyes to slits, feeling his own rage building at such ludicrous suggestion. "I will do no such thing."
"I don't suppose you are satisfy with merely an order," Mr. Aino commented scathingly. "The average pay of a Preventer barely comes any higher than the minimal amount of the staffs in my company earn. How much are you after? A million? Ten million?"
Trowa clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. Still, he kept his anger under control. Chances of facing life imprisonment or worst, a possible death sentence was very high if Mr. Aino's mangled body was found. Not to mention losing child custody and the possibility of Minako refusing to speak to him for as long as he lived (which shouldn't be long at that stage). Besides, there were too many witnesses in this room and he doubted he could take each and everyone of them down. Except maybe for Quatre but it would undoubtedly leave him at disadvantage if these three decided to team up (not that he seriously considered taking them down but at least he had other options).
"I care a great deal of your daughter more than what you have in mind," Trowa told him calmly. "At least one of us does. She is, after all, no longer your concern."
"I hope you will consider your choice of words better next time, Barton," Mr. Aino persisted in a warning tone as his eyes blazed with contempt. "Especially if you wish to justify your inappropriate behavior with an underage student."
"There's nothing I can do, much less say that will justify the consequences, except that I take full responsibility as the father to our child," Trowa said with conviction. "Which I intend to do, especially now when she's abandoned by her own set of family."
Mr. Aino's jaw clenched and Trowa could tell this man was also fighting to control his rage. However, unlike the rest of Minako's boyfriends who cowered at the very thought of facing her father, Trowa appeared to extend a silent yet eloquent challenge to this strict and cold man.
Quatre, sensing the inevitable that would ensue in his study room, made an attempt to ease the growing tension in the air. "Please, I'm sure we can come up with a perfect solution to remedy …"
"We already have a solution," Trowa insisted with a hint of impatience.
Ignoring Trowa, Quatre persisted with cool dignity that stemmed from his pacifist nature, "Mr. Aino, as a high profile entrepreneur with many impressive conquests, you are well aware that a reputation is very vital in the business world. If news about Minako's abortion reach the press, for obvious reasons, it will not look entirely pleasing on your part. Why not simply allow Trowa to take responsibility for his action? After all, he has known Minako for years …Not that he had spent that much time with her," Quatre quickly added when Mr. Aino's features hardened in disapproval. "But they're well acquainted, which is very imperative at this point of time, even more so once they are married. Taking into consideration of both Minako and your status, this will undoubtedly be an issue but the solution is appropriate and most suitable in this state, provided no one reveal more than necessary to the public. Besides, many couples are married while they are still carrying their babies, this situation will be no different …"
Trowa's eyes widen briefly in alarm at Quatre's conclusion and much to his dismay, Mr. Aino seemed to consider that idea as well. However, before he could stop himself, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "I didn't say I agree to marry her …"
Quatre's calm demeanor gave way into confusion. "What?" he demanded quietly, this time facing Trowa. Forcing out a nervous chuckle, he added, "You're joking, right? You said you'll take responsibility as the father."
"That's right, as the father," Trowa confirmed grimly. "Not as her husband."
For a moment there, Quatre seemed to have difficulty finding the right words to express his bafflement. Glancing helplessly at the other two silent pilots at the corner for some sign of comfort or reassurance, they appeared indifferent towards the issue, except for the glimmer of interest and mild curiosity reflected in their eyes. They, of course, didn't intend to interfere in this private issue.
"Why not, Barton?!" Mr. Aino yelled, now completely furious as he shove Quatre aside. "You have two options here and you've already eliminated one. I may not find this marriage appealing under these circumstances but you are not getting away that easily by feeding her empty promises!!"
"I did not feed her empty promises," Trowa snapped back, irritated with the false accusations he had been receiving since fifteen minutes ago. "Mr. Aino, I can't bring this matter up yet, as she seems to be needing more time to adjust herself in her current state of pregnancy. But if she agrees to this marriage, then I'll go through with it."
"Well, the way I see it, it's either that," Mr. Aino retorted flatly. "Or an abortion. Do what you want, just as long as this doesn't get to the press."
Trowa knew this was the finality of the discussion, because no matter how they presented their arguments, the outcomes would remain the same. Legitimate or not, Trowa was determined to raise the baby and Mr. Aino could do only so much to influence Minako's decision. Their decision.
Turning away, Mr. Aino walked swiftly to the door and stopped abruptly when his hand grasped the doorknob. For a moment there, he didn't seem to move and neither did the pilots as they waited for some sort of reaction from the elder blonde man.
Gripping the doorknob tightly until his fist shook, Mr. Aino said quietly without turning his back, "See to it that her future is well taken care of." His voice then trembled as he added, "Please."
That last word was a silent plea from a helpless father who was thrust into a position where he was no longer in control of his daughter's life. Despite his concern for his reputation and the effect it would have on his empire, Mr. Aino cared more about Minako than he had led on. The fact that he had failed to influence Minako's choice of lifestyle was a failure on his part and he blamed it solely on his negligence towards his role as a father. To make matters worst, Minako's own rebellious nature had challenged his patience and drove him to the edge where eventually, he was forced to let her go. They had so many meaningless arguments and he had lost more than he cared to admit, but the fact remained that she was the price and he had already lost her a long time ago.
So the only thing he could hold onto now was his pride. And he was not going to lose that, even if it meant he had to watch someone else took over his role.
After the door slammed shut behind him, Quatre waited ten seconds before his calm façade cracked and immediately pounced on Trowa "Trowa, how did you get Minako pregnant?"
Trowa sighed helplessly. He was getting very tired of receiving the same accusing look and explaining himself over and over again. "Naturally, it takes two persons to …."
"Not that!" Quatre cried in impatience despite the faint blush coloring his cheeks, then he stammered in confusion, "I mean, how …. Why did you …I mean, both of you …." There were too many questions swarming his head right now but instead, he had to settle with a very concise yet seemingly insignificant one, "When did this happen?"
Trowa looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, do you remember that party when you found that snake in your bed, courtesy of Duo's uninvited guests?"
Quatre's eyes shot up in alarm, his expression crestfallen. "That party?"
"No, it was the party the following week," Trowa explained sheepishly at his lacked of description. "I fail to recall the reason why you had that one …."
"Ah, yes, I remember that party, I think that was the first time I saw you that drunk," Wufei pointed out ever so 'helpfully'. "I'm quite impress you are still able to show up for work the next day. You were forty five minutes late, though."
That was the amount of time it took for him to reassure Minako that everything would be fine between them. And to remind her that both of them were late for their engagements on that day.
He had learnt a long time ago that everything came with a price, especially after spending a wonderful night entangling himself between the blanket and a woman in a drunken stupor. The morning after was painful for his head and the awkwardness between him and his partner was nerve-wracking but it was worth it. To him, at least. Despite the fact that he had suffered a splitting headache that morning and his only 'deliverance' was at least three cups of coffee and some aspirins to prepare him for the meeting with Lady Une (which he arrived fifteen minutes late but since it was his first offence, Lady Une decided to let him off with a warning), he had surprisingly pulled it off quite well. He sneaked back home after that.
"Well, I suppose you all are wondering what exactly happened …"
"Not really," Heero said. "Most of the details have explained itself."
"We better keep this champagne away from his vicinity," Wufei told Heero in an unusually lighthearted tone, motioning his head towards the unopened bottle on the table. "We wouldn't want any angry fathers to come storming into the room and demand that one of us take responsibility for their pregnant daughters."
Narrowing his eyes in annoyance but still keeping his bewildering emotions under control, Trowa managed to reply in a grim voice, "You know, Wufei, I think Duo's finally rubbing in on you."
"I should say the same for you then," came the swift and impassive remark. "Seeing as how you got yourself into this mess in the first place."
Heero glanced at Trowa. "I know it's not any of our business but what do you plan to do about this? Are you affirmative with your decision? To raise the baby?"
"Yes. We've already agreed that Minako will carry the baby while I settle the financial aspects."
Wufei snorted. "You make it sound so easy. Are you sure you have everything sorted out?"
Trowa shrugged. "Technically, I have. It should be enough to ensure her confidence about going through it for the next eight months. She's still trying to adjust herself and I do not want anything to jeopardize her willingness to have the baby. Until she's entirely sure of herself, I refuse to discuss the details regarding the aftermath of the birth."
"But that's the most significant area of the discussion," Quatre suddenly persisted, drawing the others' attentions back to him. "Are you actually aware the difficulty of raising a baby? When you first started babysitting Catherine's kids, you put on their diapers upside down and you completely ruined the formulas."
"Alright, I admit it was a grave mistake on my part on the formulas," Trowa said indignantly. "But it was Duo who was in charge of putting the diapers."
A puzzled look crossed Quatre's features briefly but he wasn't about to give up and hastily pointed out, "Well, it took you almost an hour to get the babies to stop crying."
"Weren't you the one who provoke it with that Halloween mask you bought to scare Trowa?" Wufei interrupted with a frown.
"That was a miserable attempt," Heero reminded him, his eyes twinkling in good humor at the memory. "And Trowa wasn't even in the room."
"How was I suppose to know he was taking care of the twins at that time? I've been traveling from one colony to another for weeks, you have to tell me these things!" Quatre exclaimed in defense, seemingly about to cry. And combined with current matter in hand, he was at the verge of hyperventilating. "But how can you take this lightly? This is my cousin we're talking about. I suspect that something like this would happen in the future with Duo but I never seriously consider the possibility of it happening. And ironically enough, Duo wasn't even involve in this in the first place."
"Kat, calm down…"
"I am calm!" Quatre insisted stubbornly. Trowa winced at his shrill tone, immediately regretting his lame attempt to console his friend. Quatre was actually a very gentle and understanding person but when his best friend had crossed the boundary by sleeping with his cousin whose relationship with the blonde man could be deemed as brotherly, it was understandable enough that he was clouded with disbelief and rage, although he made a lousy attempt to hide it. "I'm just worry about Minako's condition. I have the right, I am her cousin, after all. But I just find it hard to believe it happened at my party ….Hold that thought, I find it hard to believe it even happened, especially with one of my close friends. She's so young, she has so many things to look forward to …." He was pacing back and forth across the room now and his arms were furiously gesturing and waving about as he spoke. It wasn't like Quatre to behave with such vigorousness and this was beginning to disturb Trowa a little. "Of course, I blame myself for this. After all, I was the one hosting an illegal party flooding with alcoholic beverages of all sorts …."
As Quatre continued to babble incoherently about the situation, Wufei leaned towards Trowa and whispered, "Wasn't it a private banquet with very small amount of champagne?"
Trowa nodded quietly. "Yes, but I think in his state of mind right now, that comes very close to binge drinking."
"Good thing he didn't know about Duo's five crates of wine and vodka…" Trowa and Heero agreed immensely.
"…. I knew I should have at least make sure she goes home safely, even in her drunken state. Oh god, I cannot forgive myself for this. It's all the result of a silly party which I didn't want to conduct in the first place! This is what you get for ignoring your instinct! Now that I think about it, half of my guests went back home drunk …. To think I blamed it on the caterers. Poor Minako, I can't forgive myself for this. She's too young …..It's all my fault, it shouldn't have happened …."
"Kat, it's not your fault," Heero consoled with heavy reluctance as he wasn't exactly used to comfort people. "You weren't exactly cheering them on when it happened. You were too busy dealing with your guests. Anyone could have gotten themselves into Trowa's situation." Trowa raised an eyebrow and Heero shrugged. "Well, anyone who's under the influence of drugs or alcohol. What's done is done, there's no sense in worrying about it now, not when there's already a solution in hand. No one's to blame for this mess." Then, Heero lowered his voice and added solemnly, "Except for Duo." He received a collective nods of agreement from his two comrades.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. The point is," Heero hastily elaborated before Quatre caught on. "It's not your fault. Trowa could have easily gotten drunk at any bars or some place with alcohol and the same thing would happen anyway." Trowa glowered at Heero for the unnecessary implication. He was certainly not the type of person who drink, everyone knew that. He even rarely went on dates.
"Although I disapprove the idea of having a baby out of wedlock," Wufei suddenly spoke up, crossing his arms. "I have to say I agree with Heero. However, as concern as we are about the situation, it is not a matter that we should interfere. What Trowa did was wrong, that I won't deny but the only thing he can do to justify the consequences is to take responsibility for it. And he gave his word that he will so I don't understand why is there still any need to relate to the past anymore."
Quatre let out a sigh and raked his hair. "Look, I know it was purely accidental …."He paused to cast a dubious look at Trowa, which actually caught Trowa by surprise at this accusation. "At least I think it was but I can't help worrying about Minako. She's my cousin and Trowa's my friend and …." He let out another helpless sigh. "I don't know why it's so hard for me to accept. I can understand it if Duo was the one behind this, after all, they used to date but of all people, Trowa?!"
All jokes aside, what the heck was that suppose to mean? Trowa wouldn't take the insult personally if Quatre hadn't hold up his hands in a exaggerated gesture to beckon answers from the majestic powers from above. It would have been extremely comical and funny if it wasn't at his expense.
While trying his hardest to appear commiserated or at least indifferent towards the current situation, Wufei was snickering and slowly, his shoulders were shaking from the effort it took to hold back his mirth. And surprisingly (or maybe not), so was Heero. Their manly giggles eventually erupted into genuine laughs, as though they were merely sharing a warm camaraderie between two good friends, all the while avoiding Trowa's death glare at their lack of empathy to the severity of his predicament. Never mind Quatre's currently harassed mental state, these two could afford to amuse themselves. After all, they didn't get anyone pregnant or even know anyone who was. Either way, it was definitely not at their expense.
So Trowa consoled himself by thinking about Duo's next cocktail party which would undoubtedly leave his two friends at the mercy of Duo's powerful homemade alcoholic beverage and the tragic pranks that would befall on them. However, as much as he loved to revel in the light of his friends' future humiliation, he had a problem to settle.
"Alright, Kat," Trowa exclaimed gently but firm enough to indicate his disposition. "While I appreciate your 'support' in my personal affairs, I think that's enough encouragement I need for today."
Quatre threw him an incredulous look and demanded weakly, "Trowa, how could you?"
Trowa sensed the bitterness and disappointment in that tone and it struck to him that in spite of his accusation, Quatre was seriously taking the blame for Minako's ordeal. It shouldn't surprise him considering how obviously protective Quatre was of his cousin but he seriously didn't expect Quatre's to react 'violently', albeit verbally to his ordeal. It was a good thing this gentle man opposed violence, especially in his household.
Quatre wanted to add something else but he changed his mind and instead, shook his head in disappointment and stalked over to his desk, feeling the need to distance himself from his friends. Trowa caught his eloquent gesture and restrained his own sigh. Turning to the other two pilots, he said politely, "I appreciate it if I can talk to Quatre personally about this."
They didn't need anymore encouragement, the air was already tensed enough between the two best friends. So Wufei and Heero excused themselves to the dining room. After the door closed, Trowa surged to his feet and crossed the room to Quatre's desk, his eyes leveling with Quatre in speculative silence. Disappointment and disbelief were painted across the blonde pilot's face, reminding Trowa how sensitive and gentle this blonde man really was.
"Honestly, Kat, is there any need for me to explain myself?" Trowa queried once he was seated. When Quatre didn't answer, he continued disconsolately, "I understand why you react this way and I can only apologize…"
"You think you can exonerate yourself with an apology?" Quatre snapped but his eyes revealed his doubts.
"I'm not trying to exonerate myself from anything," Trowa retorted gently in a careful attempt to guide logic into Quatre's mind. "Frankly, I'm not even sure if I owe you an apology. If I were trying to exonerate myself from this, I would have insisted that Minako get rid of our baby. I'm not going to deny anything that you accused me of and I admit, whatever happens between Minako and I were an accident." He leaned closer to Quatre, his voice lowered in conviction to emphasize his seriousness on the issue, "But it wasn't a mistake, Kat. It's anything but that."
Quatre was taken aback by his confession. "What do you mean? Are you saying that there's something between the two of you?"
Trowa hesitated, then he shrugged, seeing as there was no point in denying it anymore from his friend. "If given the time, there might be," he murmured softly but with full conviction. Then, he felt the tips of his ears grew warm upon his next confession. "We're having a baby together, I thought ….maybe we can work something out. For the baby's sake, I mean."
Quatre's expression slowly softened, although he still looked uncertain. "Then why do you still refuse to marry her? I don't think your previous excuse is valid in this case because usually that's what people first talked about when their thrust into your position. Of course, she needs time to accommodate with a life growing inside of her and I'm sure she will need your support from time to time like any expectant teenage mothers, what better way than to do all those than marriage?"
"That's not necessarily the right thing to do."
"Not the right thing?" Quatre echoed in disbelief. "If anyone's having a baby, they should be married. What do you mean it's not the right thing?"
Trowa suppressed a wistful sigh and declared solemnly, "It means that she still has a chance to be in a relationship that she's always dream about." Locking his eyes with Quatre, he added with conviction so that Quatre realized how serious he was about everything, "Kat, I don't believe in divorce. You do realize that your cousin is the Senshi of Love, right? Now, do you think a loveless marriage appeals to the reincarnation of Aphrodite? From what she's gone through in her past, I highly doubted she will accept anything less in a relationship, let alone marriage. She deserves to be happy and if given the chance, I would like to be the one to make her happy." He drew in his breath to reassure himself and a flicker of disappointment passed briefly across his face before he dismissed it with a shrug. "But I can't place our marriage at risk in case it didn't work out the way it should."
It hurt him to admit it. His heart ached as he spoke but that was the truth. As much love as he had stored for her, what good would it do if she doesn't feel the same way? If their marriage faltered drastically, there would be some delicate issues regarding the baby's custody and it would obviously affect the people around them, which would make the situation even worst. That was why he needed time, time to get her heart to slowly accept him back in her life before they took a step further into matrimony. If he could convince her he was everything, or at least half of the 'knight in shining armor' she always dreamt about, then maybe their marriage would blossom into something worthwhile.
"You really did think this through," Quatre murmured in subtle amazement. Then, a smile slowly worked its way on his handsome features, immediately clearing whatever bitterness and tension left between these two men. Chuckling, he added, "I can't believe I actually thought you will run out of her."
"I understand why that occurred to you," Trowa replied, a faint smile played across his lips. "However, just to be clear, I am not planning to run out on her."
Quatre smiled in appreciation. "I'm glad." Then, he looked at Trowa apologetically. "Trowa, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you a hard time…."
"It's alright," Trowa assured him warmly. "I understand."
"Thank you," Quatre said graciously, his eyes then twinkled meaningfully as he added, "However, for the sake of the future, I do need you to promise me something."
Trowa frowned in puzzled. "And that would be?"
AN : Thank you for all your reviews and I appreciate all your comments, suggestions and pointers. And note to SVZ, I'll work on my spacing on the next chapter. It just so happen that I was already more than halfway through this chapter when I got your review. Anyway, thank you so much. I know there isn't much climax in this chapter and the boys are a little OOC but it's really difficult to anticipate how the boys would react in this situation. The next chapter will be a little more interesting, because that's when the Senshi finds out about Minako's pregnancy. Anyway, hope you enjoy this fic and please don't hesitate to comment^^