Rain on the Roses
Chapter 10: Reunion
By: Starlight-x1

There were too many strangers, too many loud voices, too many faces staring at him, asking him questions he didn't understand. Eddie clutched his lion closer and shrank back into the comforting arms of the older woman holding him. She smelled nice Eddie decided. Like Grandma smelled when he went to visit her. Thinking about Grandma reminded him of his mother. She still hadn't come. The nice lady had promised that Mama would come soon. So had the man who had given him the lion. Eddie could feel tears filling up his eyes again. He looked up at the nice lady. "When's Mama coming?"

"Soon sweetie." The woman gave him a comforting pat.

Eddie twisted up his face, considering whether he should cry or not. After a moment he decided not to. It hadn't really done any good so far, but he couldn't seem to help it. More fear then he had ever known before in his young life had seized him when that bad man grabbed him and had yet to let him go.

"Eddie!" A deep voice called out.

Eddie looked up. He knew that voice. His blue eyes focused on the tall figure rushing towards him. He slipped from the nice lady's lap. "Unca Mil'ardo." He started to run and was soon caught up in his uncle's strong arms. The tears he had decided against earlier came and he clung tightly to his uncle as he cried. His uncle held him close and murmured something over and over.

In the middle of his cry Eddie thought of something. Unca Mil'ardo would take him to Mama. He pushed back, looking up at his uncle's face. "I want Mama."

"I know." His uncle's eyes were wet as he smiled at Eddie. "And she wants you. Let's go see her."

Eddie settled his head against his uncle's shoulder.

00000

Relena awoke slowly, convinced someone was calling her name. Blinking, she took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. The fog of sleep still encompassed her brain. Someone was lying beside her, their arm flung protectively over her. Quatre.

"Relena, wake up."

"Noin?" Quatre had stirred as well. Relena felt him sit up. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong." Noin paused, taking a deep breath. "Eddie's been found."

Relena sat up like a shot. "What! Eddie? Where is he?"

Quatre reached out a calming hand, touching her shoulder gently, she leaned back into his touch although all her attention was focused on Noin.

"He's fine Relena." Noin assured her. "Zechs is on his way to get him. He'll be bringing him straight back here."

"I've gotta go." Relena lunged off the bed, scrambling for her shoes. "I have to…"

"Relena, relax." Noin pleaded. "Zechs is going to bring him back here, I promise."

"I know that. I know, it's just, I have to see him…" Relena stopped and buried her face in her hand, breaking down into sobs of relief. Quatre slipped off the bed next to her and pulled her close.

"How soon until Zechs gets back?" Quatre asked.

"I don't know." Noin shook her head.

"Do you know where he went to pickup Eddie?"

"Yes."

Quatre looked at Relena. "Get your shoes on. I'll take you."

"Thank you." Relena wiped at her eyes and pulled out her shoes.

Quatre caught Noin's look and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "If he was your son you would want to go." He said softly.

Relena finished tying her shoes and stood up. "I'm ready."

Quatre smiled at her and smoothed her tussled hair. "All right." He turned to Noin. "Where to?"

Noin gave an acquiescent nod. "Very well." Her cellphone rang. With an apologetic glance at the impatient Relena she answered. Her face brightened immediately. "Zechs!"

Relena's face whitened. "Does he have Eddie?"

"Yes hon. I understand. Fine." Noin nodded to answer Relena's question even as she spoke to her husband.

"Let me speak with him. Please." Relena held out her hands pleadingly.

Noin relayed the request and then turned to hand the phone to Relena.

"Eddie, sweetheart are you there?" Relena gripped the cell tightly, her eyes filling with tears. "Yes honey, I want to see you too. Is Uncle Milliardo bringing you back? Good. I know honey. It's all right." Relena shook slightly, tears rolled unheeded down her cheeks as she spoke to her son. Quatre came to stand next to her, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

"Milliardo? How long before you get back? Okay. Yes. Uh-huh." Relena wiped at her face with one hand while she held the cellphone out to Noin with the other. "Zechs wants to talk to you again."

Noin took her phone back and began speaking to her husband again. Relena turned back to Quatre. "Milliardo said they'll be here in about ten minutes."

Quatre grabbed her hand, wrapping his fingers protectively around her smaller ones. "Come on, let's go wait outside."

Relena gave him a grateful look and followed him out of the house. Quatre used the remaining time trying to keep Relena occupied while they waited for a glimpse of Zechs' car. When the vehicle finally turned into the driveway Quatre had to restrain Relena from running out to meet it. "Wait until it parks."

She nodded but he realized that she wasn't really listening. Once the car stopped he released her and watched as she flew to the car, flinging the door open to get at her son. Zechs climbed out of the car and watched his sister hug her son. Eddie had started crying at the sight of his mother and Relena joined him even as she tried to soothe his sobs with kisses and comforting words.

Quatre felt a great sense of relief wash over him followed by a tight knot of anger. This shouldn't have ever happened. Ever. And so help him it would never happen again.

00000

He was so extremely lucky. Trowa sat next to his wife's hospital bed and stared down at her. The danger each of their jobs entailed had been something he was most certainly aware of, but the reality of it had never hit him so hard before.

"You're staring again." Middie said, somewhat irritably.

"I was just thinking how pretty you looked."

Middie sighed. "You didn't even hear a word I said did you?"

"Mm?" Trowa blinked slowly and reached out to smooth some of Middie's golden hair away from her face.

"I said, you should really go and get some rest. I don't think anyone's going to come after me anymore. The one thing that was really predominant about Vengeance was their desire to keep a low profile. That's why this whole thing with Eddie getting kidnapped doesn't feel right, it just doesn't fit with the way they've conducted themselves so far." Middie shifted and looked at the clock on the wall. "The nurse is going to be coming in with my pain meds pretty soon. I want you to go home and get some rest. I don't care what you say, that chair can't be very comfortable to sleep in."

Trowa leaned over and kissed Middie on the cheek. "All right hon." He said quietly.

"It's not that I don't want you around, but I don't believe there's any danger and I want you to be able to get a good nights rest. You still have your job to do after all." Middie smiled. "Now give me a proper kiss."

Trowa grinned and leaned in. After a moment he straightened, looking down at the flushed face of his wife.

"That was definitely a proper kiss." Middie breathed. "I love you."

"I love you too." Trowa brushed the back of his hand down Middie's cheek before he turned and left. Outside of her room he nodded at both of the Preventer agents standing guard. Middie might believe she wasn't in any more danger but others higher in the authority structure had yet to be convinced. Trowa shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. If there hadn't been anyone assigned to guard her, there would've been no way he would've left his wife.

Determination hardened his deep green eyes. It was time to go culprit hunting.

00000

Quatre stood watching as Relena rocked her son back and forth. Eddie had yet to loosen his grip on his mother and Relena held him in as tight a grasp. Quatre smiled fondly at both of them.

"Someone was kind to him." Relena murmured, brushing her son's dark hair back from his forehead and pressing a kiss there.

"Hmm?" Quatre looked his question.

"That lion." Relena indicated the worn out stuffed animal that lay discarded on the floor. "That isn't Eddie's. I've never seen it before. Someone must've given it to him."

"Really?" Quatre leaned over and picked up the toy. Turning it over in his hand he frowned slightly. "It looks handmade."

"It's been well loved." Relena smiled.

"Yes." Quatre agreed. He stared at the worn out button eyes. "Do you mind if I take this?"

"Not at all." Relena rested her head against the back of the chair.

Quatre paused to kiss her lightly before leaving the room. He found Wufei, Zechs and Trowa in Zechs' office. The three were quietly discussing something but paused with Quatre entered the room.

"Trowa, how's Middie?" Quatre asked.

"She's doing okay." Trowa answered. "She'll be sleeping by now and there are a couple Preventers on guard duty."

"So, you think she was the target?"

"That's one theory." Wufei nodded.

"What do you know so far?" Quatre looked over at Zechs.

The older Peacecraft looked weary. "Not much. We have a few faces from when Middie infiltrated but most of the names she learned turned out to be aliases. Not to mention the fact that they abandoned their hideout after she left so we don't know where they're located right now. We have the composite drawing Hilde helped us put together." Zechs pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to Quatre.

The blonde accepted the paper, turning it over to view the portrait drawn on the other side. He frowned slightly.

"We were very lucky." Zechs continued. "Hilde was able to give quite a detailed description."

"Yes, you were." Quatre murmured.

Trowa had been watching his friend's face closely. "Quatre, do you know who that is?" He gestured toward the paper Quatre held.

"I think so." Quatre stared at the face for a moment longer before looking up with a firm nod. "If this is a true likeness then this is the youngest son of a very prominent family in the L4 colony cluster." Carefully he set the drawing down on Zechs' desk and folded his arms. "He disappeared a little over a year ago. Ran away. His family has been looking for him as discreetly as possible but they haven't found any leads."

"If he joined Vengeance not long after he left home then it's not surprising they couldn't find him." Wufei observed. "That organization is very good at hiding and erasing tracks."

"Do you know any reason why he would join a group like Vengeance?" Zechs asked.

"No, but I can find out easily enough." Quatre said confidently. "Just let me at a computer."

"Easily enough managed. You're welcome to use mine." Zechs indicated his system.

"Good enough." Quatre sat in front of the computer, ready to get to work. He paused and tossed the lion at Zechs, who caught it easily. "There's another clue. Relena told me that wasn't Eddie's. Somebody gave it to him while he was missing."

Zechs frowned at the toy. "Maybe the woman who ran the daycare gave it to him. I'll find out."

00000

The sound of crying roused him. Duo sat up, wide awake as he registered Leann's weeping.

"What's going on?" Hilde lifted her head from the pillow and peered up at him through blurry eyes.

"Nothing to worry about babe," Duo touched her face gently. "Leann's just having a nightmare. Go back to sleep, I'll take care of her."

"Mm-kay." Hilde burrowed back under the covers again.

Duo smiled indulgently down at his wife before padding softly to his daughter's room. Leann was curled in a little ball, clutching her security blanket and trying to stifle her sobs. "Hey, what's the matter? What's scaring my girl?" Duo sat down on the bed, lifted his daughter onto his lap and smoothed back her hair from her face.

"The man came who took Eddie and… and… he was gonna take me… and I cried for you but he made you hurt like Aunt Middie and Pagen." Leann explained through half released sobs and shudders.

"Aww honey." Duo leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I will never, ever, let anybody take you away. You're my little girl and I love you very much. Besides, Eddie was found. Remember, Mommy and I told you about it at dinner."

"Uh-huh." Leann sniffed. "I remember, but Daddy, what if someone hurted you?"

"I still wouldn't let anyone take you away, even if I was hurted." Duo cuddled her close.

Leann was quiet for a while and Duo thought she had fallen back asleep when she sat up abruptly. "Daddy?"

"Yes pumpkin?"

"Who's gonna take care of Eddie? He doesn't have a daddy to make sure no one takes him away again."

"Well," Duo began slowly. "His mommy'll take really good care of him I'm sure. And Uncle Zechs, and Aunt Noin, and Uncle Trowa, and Uncle Quatre."

"Uncle Quatre can't, he lives too far away." Leann said decidedly.

"Really?" Duo asked, amused by his daughter's reasoning.

"Yeah." Leann nodded her head. "Maybe he should move."

"Maybe, and maybe you should go back to sleep." Duo tickled her ribs before tucking her back into her bed.

00000

Quatre sat back with a sigh. It had taken some time but he had finally begun to pull it all together. Now he was beginning to see a reason Glenn might've joined Vengeance. Absently he glanced at the clock and was surprised to discover it was two in the morning. He saved what he'd been working on in a file and closed it up before standing and stretching. "Well, that'll do it for tonight I suppose." He made his way out of the office, flipping off the light as he left.

Upstairs he paused at Eddie's room, pushing the door open quietly to peer inside. Relena had fallen asleep in the rocking chair, still holding her son. Quatre smiled. Someone had covered them both with a blanket. Noin or Zechs, Quatre decided.

Turning he left the room quietly, not wanting to disturb either sleeper as he sought the comfort of his own bed.

00000

Chris stood staring out his window, brooding. "Damnit, fool kid." He swore softly. Even with Eddie returned to his family safely he doubted Preventer would give up looking for his group. Yes, his group. He had made it his own. He had taken the rough unformed elements of rebellion and had fashioned them into something worthwhile. And that stupid kid had ruined it with one impulsive act.

Turning away from the window he stared at Layla who lay asleep on the bed, one hand tucked under her cheek in child-like fashion. She carried her own grudges against certain people like everyone else in the outfit. What exactly they were Chris had never been able to find out. Layla was notoriously tightlipped regarding her past. But she worked for him with unquestioning loyalty and was a decent bed partner, not asking for more then he was willing to give. Chris smiled slightly. He supposed he had become fond of her in his own way.

But he couldn't let himself get distracted from the goal he had in mind. And there was no way he would ever let anyone get in his way. Not even himself.

"Chris? You still up?" Layla asked sleepily, rolling over to look at him.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Chris replied shortly.

Layla pushed herself up on her elbows and stared at him. "Still trying to figure out what to do?"

"Mmm." Chris gave a grunt and a slight nod.

"Sleep on it." Layla advised. "Sometimes you get your answers easier that way." She gave the bed beside her an encouraging pat.

Chris sighed and acquiesced. But even as he relaxed in preparation for sleep he knew he had already come to his decision.

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A/N: Another short filler chapter, but necessary as I prepare for the end of this story. How will it end? Ah, to tell you now would be cheating. Especially since I'm not entirely sure myself. :) Sorry about the long wait. Hopefully I will be quicker with the next chapter but I'm not promising anything. Well, see you in the next chapter!