Hey-o, and welcome to my Lil' World of Weirdness!!
I state for the record that I don't own Gundam Wing, or the wonderful characters that will be gracing this story. . . I do however lay claim to Ensign Saratone *again*, and I use him here purely as a replacement for your average Nameless OZ Minion. Other Characters I lay claim to are Faye Bloom, the wizened old man, Chang Xiao Fao Lan, and the Angels.
Let's just say . . . when my writer's block breaks, it's like a dam breaking . . . [shakes head slowly and winces]
Parings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 . . .. Eh, heh, not that anyone reads up here, but I realised I'm giving away certain parts of my story with these!!
Okay, that's the legal stuff out the way!!
Please ENJOY AND PLEASE R&R!!! THANK YOU!!
Also, thanks to my beloved Bluegoo for her ever wonderful betareading, I thank her for the many hours that she has put in with me on this one, be it correcting my terrible grammar and spelling, or listening to me mumbling large chunks of it down the phone to her . . . You're great, Blue!! Even if you are Commander and Chief of the Apostrophe Gestapo . . . [ducks and runs off, screaming over shoulder] GO READ AND REVIEW HER STORIES!!
//Thinking//
"Speaking"
*Stress/Emphasis*
Writing/Dream sequence
~*~
For The Grace Of Knights And Angels
By Doctor Megalomania
Arch One: Bonds Made And Renewed
Part Six: Message In A Bottle
"Hello . . ."
"Hello . . ." Treize knelt down beside the little girl, "Mariemaia?"
Mariemaia smiled shyly, and nodded. Treize smiled at her bashfulness, "How are you?"
"Well, sir." She replied politely, she glanced at Une, who stood nearby, "Lady Une has been caring for me, and she is a wonderful mother."
Une started, Mariemaia had never told her that she considered Une's care as that of a mother. She blinked as Treize chuckled, "Something tells me that Lady Une didn't know that . . ."
Mariemaia smiled, "She knew in her heart." The two looked up at her, their appearances almost mirror like, Mariemaia's hair was beginning to loose its deep redness at the roots in favour for some more of the dark blonde tones of her father. The two smiled at her, and she felt herself smile back warmly. Treize nodded, "Then I have a lot to thank her for . . . for taking care of a daughter I have never known, but have always missed . . ." He looked at Mariemaia, "And a budding artist I believe . . ."
Une stepped out of the cubicle, and walked into the main part of the lab, she glanced around. Sally and the five Gundam scientists were arguing . . . again. Sally was stood, shaking her notes at Doctor J and Professor G, as the two men ranted back. H was snorting every so often and shaking his head. Doktor S was showing something with a syringe, and O simply stood over Sally, and ranted down at her. She looked like she was in a loosing battle.
"My God!" Une frowned and stepped next to Noin, "What is it now?"
"Correct way to take a pulse . . ." Noin smirked, "Don't let Sally fool you! She's loving every minute with them . . . it's been a long time since anyone has had the gall to stand up to her in the scientific community . . ."
Une nodded, "I can believe it." She motioned out the door, and the two women stepped out, walking into the corridor of the medical department's wards. Noin paused at the window looking in on Treize and Mariemaia. "It's beautiful."
"I know," Une agreed, "Allowing them to know each other like this . . . so very wonderful . . ."
Mariemaia motioned something with her hands, her father paying every inch of attention purely to her.
"Treize would have made a wonderful father." Une smiled a little sadly, then she frowned slightly, "It's weird . . . Having to talk about him in present and past tense . . ."
"Such is life . . ." Noin nodded, and crossed her eyes, "And after-life . . ." She shook her head, and they moved on, "I got a message from the L5 rebuilding company . . ."
"Hmm?"
"They've got something that they want Chang Wufei to investigate . . ."
"Why Chang?"
Noin glanced into another window, Zechs, Otto and Walker were messing about again, Noin swallowed an laugh as Walker pretended to be sad, Une shook her head, "It's truly peace time . . . grown men playing at being boys . . . rather than the Gundam children training to be men . . ."
They continued walking as Noin continued, "I think it's something that will affect Chang personally, so it might be best to agree to their request . . ."
Une nodded, "I'll think about it after Captain Rashid of the Maganac Corps arrives with his mystery guest for Quatre . . ."
They paused at another room, which held the Gundam Pilots, and Trowa's new family. Trowa looked . . . Une smiled, Trowa looked alive for once. He'd never quite lost that dead look he always seemed to have in his eyes but now – Catherine swotted the back of her brother's head and shook a finger angrily at him, while he leant back into his mother's shoulder – Lady Une smiled, "Well . . . whatever this thing that's coming is . . . I'll tell you one thing . . ."
Noin looked up at the new determination in Une's voice. Une looked at her.
"Whatever it is . . . it *won't* destroy this Earth so easily. They –" She jerked her head, and motioned down the corridor "– won't let it happen."
"So . . . it is time . . ." He observed, and stretched, waking himself for his centuries old sleep.
"Hmm." Her voice echoed around the stale stone room. "Time for awakening."
"Will the knights be ready?" Their quietest pondered.
"They will be, we must trust them," Another's hushed female voice praised, "Truly a blessed time, my friends."
"We . . ." There was a sigh from the fifth, ". . . can only begin to pray . . ."
Her slipper touched the hard concrete.
Rashid reached out, offering his large hand to steady her, and she smiled, "Thank you . . ."
She climbed down slowly, slightly apprehensive at what she might find. She looked up at the bear of a man who was her son's self-confessed protector, and wondered what kind of boy he was . . . he commanded an army, was in complete control of her husband's former company, and yet . . . she was stunned to realise he was a boy of eighteen. She shook her head, and pulled up her hood, as the wind lashed at the landing pad on top of the Preventers building. Abdul, Ahmad and Auda closed up the carrier craft and attended their captain and his guest. She smiled at the men; they talked a lot about her son, almost as if he was some god to them. They spoke of his unerring kindness, and his unstoppable faith in his work.
She touched her heart and reached out with as much of her Empathic ability as she could.
She couldn't wait to meet him.
Faye stopped talking.
In the next room, Treize looked up and smiled.
The room across, Zechs blinked as Otto and Walker glanced each other, and asked if the other had felt that.
The doctors stilled, and forgot their arguments.
All slowly turned their heads upward, only Faye having the courage to say anything.
"She's here."
Rashid stepped aside as the blonde haired woman's eyes snapped open. From the moment he had met her, he thought she was frail. But now . . .
She walked forward, each step sure and strong. The wind whipped at her, but she ignored it. Her blonde hair, falling to just above her breast, twisted as the wind tried to pull it from its ties, and the hood away from her head. The coarse brown cloak flailed around her as she stepped forward, showing flashes of her long white skirt, and her beautifully embroidered slippers. His three men glanced at him, and he nodded.
They followed her, as she walked unguided to the door.
Une and Noin looked around as doors opened simultaneously, and the recently un-dead started to peek out. Faye stepped out totally, and looked back into her room. "Commander Winner?" She said calmly, "Whoever she is . . . she's here now . . ."
"How do you know?" Quatre asked in a quiet voice as if he knew the answer but wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"You felt her too . . ." Faye tipped her head in a very 'Trowa' motion, she folded her arms, and nodded, "You share her power as well."
He touched his heart, and swallowed stepping out into the corridor. All waited, curiosity in the air. They stared at the elevator as it started to descend to the medical level.
Quatre swallowed as it slowed to a stop at the level, and chimed.
The doors opened, and Rashid stepped out first followed by his men.
Finally a woman stepped out, and she paused. The hood of her all encompassing cloak hid her eyes, and only a flash of blonde hair and a white ankle length skirt atop of silken looking blue shoes was visible.
"Who . . ." Quatre swallowed again as she lifted her hands to her heart in a familiar gesture, "Who are you?"
The woman dipped her head as if listening. A gentle, knowing smile spread of light pink lips. The woman's chin was just like Quatre's, Heero noted; he glanced at Quatre and estimated she was around the same height, if not half an inch shorter. He frowned as she started forward purposely. As she got faster, Quatre saw that she was wearing something very delicate under the hard cloak. He blinked and stepped back as she came towards them.
The woman stopped as she approached Quatre, stopped and peered into his face, her own still hidden from sight. "You look nothing like him." She murmured softly. "But my, how you have grown. . ."
"Oh no . . ." Quatre blinked as Instructor H groaned, he looked over in time to see H cover his eyes, "You are supposed to be dead!"
The woman glanced over, and growled. Trowa shivered involuntarily as the woman's voice took on the same inflections as Quatre's did when he was under the influence of the Zero system. He glanced from H to the new woman as she spoke. "You . . ."
Rashid frowned as she stepped away from Quatre and started to stalk slowly toward H.
"Hamareda Jamul." The woman whispered dangerously. The doctors glanced at their comrade, sensing another of their number was about to get a roasting and sensibly took a few steps back. H held up his hands.
"He's perfectly fine, and I made sure he never went on any seriously dangerous missions, and I didn't force him, I merely put the suggestion in his head."
"Hamareda Jamul. You *knew* the Winner family are pacifists, Hamareda. You *knew* I wouldn't approve, Hamareda. You *knew* Raberba would never have allowed you to stay under our roof if he'd known you'd go through with it, Hamareda." The woman moved forward slowly, reminding everyone of a cat about to pounce. "Didn't you . . . Ha-ma-re-*da*?"
"Well . . ." He winced, "Yes but---GAK!"
The woman launched herself at him, and once again Rashid was surprised by how much he had underestimated the woman. Instructor H went sprawling as the woman landed a very impressive kick to his chest. Faye walked up to the woman as she removed her hood, and revealed a head full of the same coloured hair as Quatre, it reached about the middle of her back, tied loosely at the nap of her neck. "Hmm . . ." Faye hummed and folded her arms, surveying the damage the blonde woman had wreaked. "Sister?"
The woman shook her head, her voice strong but absent sounding as she continued to glare at H. "Mother."
"Murdered?"
The woman glanced at Faye, "Childbirth."
Faye winced, "Oh, that's a shame."
"I know." The woman nodded, returning her glare back to H, "But I insisted on the name. No child of mine is running around annoying the world, with 'Hi! I'm Raberba Winner Junior!' . . ."
"I should think so!" The gypsy woman smiled and held out a bangled hand, "I'm Faye Bloom, Trowa's mother."
A pale hand shot out and shook Faye's hand, "Quatrine Ayrissa Winner, Quatre's mother."
"Mo-mother?" Quatre stuttered, and the woman turned around and smiled at him. More than one mouth fell open at the sight. The woman was the mirror reflection of Quatre, only with long hair. She had the same fringe; she had the same eyes and the same face. She smiled, and Duo was freaked out to notice it was exactly the same as Quatre's.
"Quatre and Quatrine? You named your son after yourself?"
"Not exactly, after my father actually, from whom I was named. Silly name I know, but still."
"Mother?" Quatre's eyebrows looked as if they were ready to hide under his hair, as the two women continued to chat amiably.
"Really? Well, Trowa's real name is Triton—"
"I had an uncle named Triton!"
"Really, it's a popular name, particularly in the circus folk . . ."
"Circus? Oh! That would explain these beautiful clothes!"
"Mmhmm . . . The shawl was my mother's and her mother's before her . . . I was going to give it to my daughter . . . but I don't think they wear it any more . . . times have changed . . ."
"Haven't they just! Apparently the wars are over!"
Quatre looked to his friends, "My mother?"
"Yes, and not a mobile suit in sight!"
"Really?! Allah be praised! I thought I'd never live to see the day!"
"Well, technically you haven't . . . which is a real shame!"
"I know what you mean, I know if I'd been around *this* odious little man would never have been able to use my Quatre the way he did!"
"Yes, that's what I thought at first too . . . but then where would they be now?"
"Oh, good point! Certainly not saving the Earth from itself."
"Mmm!"
Quatre looked at Rashid, "I have a mother?" Quatre smiled brilliantly as the tall man nodded, and it started to sink in. "I have a real mother!"
"Well, of course, you do!" Quatrine looked over at him, and frowned, "Didn't your father ever tell you about me? . . . he said he would!"
Quatre shook his head, "He never said a thing . . . I always assumed I was just like my sisters . . ."
"You certainly were not!" Quatrine pouted with irritation, "I certainly did not just go through sixteen hours of labour with *you*, for my amusement, Mister Yes-I-know-I'm-due-anytime-now-but-I-think-I'll-wait-another-two-weeks!" She glanced at Faye, "If I die again, I'm going to give that man hell, he promised me on my heart . . ." She tossed her head lightly, and raised a finger, "Sixteen hours, and two weeks over due! By Allah's will, the boy would not come out come hell or high water . . . stubborn from the start!"
"Trowa was a big boy, *huge*!" Faye folded her arms and shook her head, "I thought Catherine was bad enough but Trowa! I almost broke my husband's hand, squeezing it like I did!" She winked, "And then seven hours later . . . POP! Landed straight in our ringmaster's arms!"
"Aww!!" Quatrine tutted, and clasped her hands, "How precious!"
"Uh huh!" Faye laughed happily, "And then the Ringmaster held him up and said 'this one's going to be a clown', as was tradition with our troupe, the Ringmaster's rarely wrong . . . he always knew what our children would be best at. And then my husband slapped his naked little tush . . ." She paused and leant forward, "And not a sound. Not a single peep! He was just hanging there, upside down, his little green eyes wide open and an expression saying 'what the *hell* was that for?!'!!"
Hilde hummed to herself as she pushed her apartment door open.
She put her groceries on the table and reached for an apple, she smiled as she glanced over the newspaper, she didn't know why she bought it anymore . . . it was mostly just good news now, with the journalists just reporting on minor, normal bad things like scams, and the price of fish. Relena Peacecraft and Dorothy Catalonia were visiting L3 as part of the colony improvement scheme. They were redeveloping the colonies, especially the poorer ones, as well establishing better trading channels between themselves and Earth. She grinned and sank her teeth into the apple. Things were going brilliantly, and she and her buddy, Duo, were apart of it. They were doing their best both at the Preventers, and here on L2, the small scrap yard she'd come to own.
She blinked as the doorbell rang, and she sprinted for the door. "Hello?"
The woman turned and smiled, "Hello . . ." She tipped her head, some of her strawberry blonde hair falling over her shoulder, "Where could I find Duo?"
----------------------------
And Now It's Time to LEAVE IT TO DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA!!!
DrM: [waves] Konnichiwa!! Sorry for taking so damn long with updating!! But it's the last few weeks of the semester, and I'm off home again for the month!! YAY!! UNLIMITED INTERNET ACCESS!!! And on the good side. . .
Hilde: [grinning] or the bad, if you're a Gundam Wing character, or indeed a character in any of the animes DrM likes . . .
DrM: . . . that means more regular updates, so don't be surprise if there are more updates like this one, with double chapters posted. . .
Hilde: but that's because you are way ahead of your self and you need to post these chapters before you start creating plot holes by going back and changing them don't you?
DrM: shush!
Hilde: in fact, she's almost at the end of the story, and do you want to know how long it is so far? [takes a deep breathe]
DrM: [claps hand over Hilde's mouth, and hisses] You continue like this and the next chapter will be the last you are ever heard from . . . EVER!!
Hilde: [mock gasp] ARE YOU SUGGESTING A MAJOR CHARACTER IS GOING TO DIE, DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA?!
DrM: [claps hands over eyes] announce it to the world, why don't you? [blinks] hey, wait, I'm not hinting that to anyone! I only suggested that YOU won't appear in ANY more chapters, miss I'll-spill-all-of-DrM's-plot-in-the-sixth-chapter!!
Hilde: oh, I wouldn't worry, I doubt if more than three people are even reading this, that's including you, Grace and bluegoo.
DrM: [scowls at her, and turns pleadingly to the readers] hey, why not give a poor writer a little ego boast? Please review!!
Hilde: [reads over next few chapters] oh . . . so that's what's going to attack the earth, [whispers to readers] if ya really wanna know what's going to happen, it's all explained in chapters 8 to 10!!
DrM: [hollers] BITCH!!