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

Telepathic thoughts

~*~

For The Grace Of Knights And Angels

By Doctor Megalomania

Arch One: Bonds Made And Renewed

Part Seven: Waiting

A flower dipped in and out of her sight.

A bright red flower. Beautiful against the deep blue sky and the white rolling clouds.

It took a moment or two for her to register, that she was staring at the sky. And this flower brought that realisation. She gasped and sat up. Her mind flooding with information. Who she was. Where she was. Who she was supposed to be with. What was going to happen. What she was capable of. And a calling, a calling resounding in her head.

Come to me. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me. Come to me.

She closed her eyes and clapped her hands over her ears, "No!" She cried out, as the calling began to die down. It was dark, if felt horrible, she didn't want to do that . . . Never!

It faded, faded from her hearing, and out of her mind. A faint impulsion remained, but it was being channelled to another source, drawing her to go to another person. Him. He would protect her, she would protect him.

She shook her head as she got to her feet, swaying for a moment before she balanced again.

"I'm here!!" She murmured to him. She tipped her head back, and smiled, opening her arms to the sky. "Come to me!!"

To the onlooker, it looked like Quatre was staring out the window, with a bemused expression. But to Duo, Quatre was staring at the reflection of his mother, with a bemused expression. His mother, Quatrine was holding his hand tightly, as she leant over chatting animatedly to Faye, Trowa's mother. Although, her conversation was light hearted, and not demanding of Quatre's full attention, both held on to each other like wild horses couldn't tear them apart now. To the front of the compartment, the five scientists and Doctor Po were arguing . . . again. Une, Treize, Noin, and Zechs, along with Walker and Otto, and thirty-six of the Maganac Corps had stayed behind as the five Gundams, their new family, the Gundam Scientists and Doctor Po, Rashid and three of his men travelled to L5 to answer the call for Wufei's presence.

It had been a week. No one else had yet appeared, although Duo hadn't mentioned that Hilde had contacted him, and said to swing by L2 before they went to L5 for Wufei's sake. He cleared his throat, and decided it might be an idea to mention it now. His superiors knew of course and the pilots of the carrier they were travelling in. "Uh . . . guys . . ."

The four others glanced at him, and he swallowed. "Uh . . . I got a message from Hilde . . . We're going to L2 for a few hours . . ."

Heero blinked, a single movement which was generally understood as 'So?'

"We're picking up . . . um . . . Well, I dunno who it is yet but uh . . . one of my, uh . . ." He waved in the vague direction of Faye and Quatrine, "Them . . . people . . . have uh, appeared there and Hil wants me to meet them . . ."

Quatre smiled brilliantly, Trowa nodded once and quirked his lips, "I hope it's your mother . . . And that she likes to talk about your naked little tush as well . . ."

"Heh, I assure you it's still as cute as the day I was born!" Duo joked and then blushed, "I'm not sure who I want it to be . . ."

Wufei nodded once, and sat back, while Duo moved to reclaim his seat next to Heero. "Are you going to be okay?" Duo blinked and stared at Heero.

"I . . ." He swallowed, "I don't know. It's one thing for that toad to come back . . ."

"I heard that, Death!!" G bristled from the front.

Duo smirked, "Good!" He slumped down again, "But if it's one of my parents . . . my mother . . . it will . . . it will change everything I am . . ."

"It won't . . ." Trowa confided, as he leant over the isle. He lifted his hand, still attached to his mother, "Well . . . maybe you'll find you've become one handed . . ."

Faye broke off her conversation and glanced at Trowa, she smirked and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "I just don't wanna let you go again!" She chuckled, and turned back to her gossiping with Quatrine. Trowa glanced past his mother, and saw Quatre lean forward, and roll his eyes, shaking his head. He too, was suddenly one handed, his mother rarely letting go. But the two women were instant best friends, just like their sons, chatting and chatting whenever they were together.

 Duo looked on, "I don't know if I want it to be Solo . . . I think I'm more used to the idea that he's not coming back, and I'm living for him . . ."

Heero nodded, "You feel apprehension because you're not sure this is what he'd expect you to be like."

"A bit maybe . . ." Duo sighed and looked out, "I just don't know . . ."

Wufei leant back against his seat, listening to Duo behind him, "Maxwell . . .?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to prepare yourself, by not expecting anyone . . . The more you set yourself up, the harder the meeting is . . ." Wufei said softly, "Close your eyes and try to meditate on your feeling of apprehension . . . consider it, and throw it away . . ."

Duo sighed and closed his eyes, trying to do as Wufei told him, "Hey Wu?"

"Yes, Maxwell?"

"Are ya feelin' okay?" Duo's L2 accent deepened, a sign of his nerves, "What about you? What d'ya think's waitin' at L5 for ya?"

"I . . ." Wufei paused, and looked out the window. Through the thin space between the wall and the seat, Duo could see the man's reflection. He reached through and placed his hand on Wufei's shoulder, as the man murmured, "I don't want to begin to imagine." He continued to stare out, his dark eyes invisible in the glass, as he whispered, "Just like you . . . I lost too many people . . ."

"Noin."

She looked up as Zechs leant over her seat. "Yes, Zechs?"

"I thought you said you'd be by my side for every battle." He pouted, and lifted a finger to flick her nose. "When Walker and Otto attacked me, I noticed a distinct lack of Noin-Death-From-Above-ness." She snickered, as he straightened, "I find that highly disturbing. In fact, I think you should get me something to ease my pains . . . Coffee, for instance. Fighting off two dead men constantly for a week has made me terribly thirsty."

"Really? Poor baby."

Zechs smiled slyly as he slunk into a chair beside her. "Indeed, poor, poor baby."

"Awww . . ." Noin continued to type not taking her eyes off the screen as she felt Zechs sidled closer to her. "Poor baby better back off if he doesn't want a keyboard shoved up in the wrong place."

"Noin!" Zechs pulled back, and gasped in mock-offence, "How could you?! My delicate ears!"

"I'll give you delicate ears!" She smirked and turned to him. Noin shook her head at Zechs, as the man smirked and raised his hands in a surrender gesture. Zechs had matured a little, still keeping his pale features, and his elegant behaviour. His shock of long white hair was kept now in a lose ponytail, tied around his mid-back. The man smirked at her, displaying some of the sardonic humour that only Noin ever seemed to see in him. She's remained pretty much the same since the wars, her hair was maybe a little longer, maybe she had put on a little weight here and there; but Noin was convinced nothing awe inspiring had changed about her appearance. She glanced at her work then back at Zechs. The college jester was slowly growing within the new Preventer. And she loved it. She adored Zechs' sense of humour, and always made sure she had a snappy comeback.

Zechs held up his hands, "Don't hurt me, Miss Preventer!"

"Get out of it!" Noin slapped his arms, "You can take care of yourself, what do you want?" She folded her arms, and glared at him half-heartedly, "You want me to wipe your arse too?"

"Well . . . Now you mention it . . ."

Zechs grinned, as his beautiful partner turned away with a grunt of disgust, "I'm kidding, Noin . . . but seriously . . ." He grabbed her thigh to move her seat around to him. She stared at him, and fought a grin. He leant forward, making sure his face showed nothing but sincere curiosity. Her grin faltered, as she too leant forward, and he shuffled his seat forward, until her legs were trapped between his. He kept his hands on her knees, and stared into her dark blue eyes intimately.

"Seriously, Noin. . ." He squeezed her knee for emphasis. He swallowed for effect, and dipped his head so she wouldn't see the smirk pull at his lips. Swallowing again and straightening out his lips, he stared up at her, "Noin . . ." He breathed, and inwardly crowed as she started to look very serious. "Noin . . . you . . . you'd really wipe my arse for me?"

"Oh!" Noin's face screwed up, and she threw her head back. "Oh! Zechs, that's so . . . oooh!!"

He broke and sniggered as she threw her head back and laughed. Noin growled playfully, and pushed at his shoulders, though not hard enough to push his chair away or break his hold on her legs. "That's so unsexy, Zechs-y!"

He raised a finger, and pointed at her, "Oh, don't you be starting that again!"

Noin chuckled and bit his finger hard. She batted innocent eyes at him, and spoke around his finger, "Mwhat?"

"Ooow!" He groaned, and shook his finger, "Ow!" She chuckled, chomping harder on the abused appendage. He smirked and tried pulling his finger above her, but she hung on. "Damnit, Noin!"

"Hee, hee, hee!"

He jerked his finger toward himself quickly, and glared at her, "You think you are so clever, don't you?"

"Moshhht ovf darr timmue!" She spoke around his finger and grinned widely showing off all her white teeth, "Yesh."

"Well, I've got news for you, little missy—"

"Little Misshhy?!"

"Yes, little missy, your time as Little Miss. . . Preventer . . ." He trailed over as she closed her eyes and lightened her hold on his finger. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his finger, and slowly dragged her teeth along it as she let go. The finger popped out of her mouth with a wet kissing noise. Noin settled back in her chair, swivelling it from side to side. "You were saying, Zechsy?"

Zechs blinked, and ran his thumb over his drying finger. "I don't actually know . . . Let me confer with my brain . . ."

Noin threw her head back and laughed as Zechs dropped his head to 'talk' to his crotch.

"L2 . . .?"

Faye looked around, and smiled, "We've performed here before! If Catherine were here, I'd take her to this lovely little park we once visited together . . ." She patted Trowa's arm, "You weren't even a thought when we came here . . ."

"I've never left L4 before . . ." Quatrine murmured, her eyes wide. She blinked, and looked at her son, "Have you?"

He smiled, "I've been to Earth, and the colonies on business and when I was fighting . . ." Quatre smiled, "I think I like it best in the desert with Rashid, and the 'Corp's hidden base."

"The desert?" She murmured, and shivered, "I'd love to go back to that base you took to me, Captain . . ." She glanced at Rashid, "It's too cold here for me . . ."

Abdul nodded, "I think you'll find it true of all of the desert's children, Madam Winner!" He pulled his arms around his body and glanced at Ahmad and Auda, "Right?"

"Right!" The two nodded vigorously. Rashid smiled and Quatre and his mother shared a chuckle. Duo raised an eyebrow at them.

"You know it's seriously creepy how alike you two are . . ." He shifted a bag to his other shoulder, "Now . . . where's Hil—"

"DUUUUUUUU-OHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The braided commander turned as Hilde came running up, slightly out of breath, and grabbed on to him, "Hey Hilde!" Duo grinned, "What's up then?"

Hilde grinned, and let go of him. She looked around the spaceport's packed arrival hall, and then up to the observation deck. The café looking down on them was filled with people, she grinned up at the balcony, and got up onto a nearby bench waving madly, "HEEYYY!!! HEEEYYY!! LOOOK!! I FOUND HIM!!" As she shouted several people stood up, and everyone in the small group started to look for anyone who looked even vaguely like Duo. The people standing on the balcony looked around to see whom the loud girl was yelling to. Duo gasped as Hilde grabbed his braid and started to shake it up at them, "HERE HE IS! LOOK!!"

Duo squinted; wishing whoever he was waiting for would make some sort of movement.

The café was fairly large, and no one near the large, thick windows looked vaguely familiar. There were businessmen – something of a rare sight on L2 in the old days – Mothers with little children, couples, and a few attendants on their breaks. They looked down with a mixture of annoyance, curiosity, and humour. Coffee, tea and plates of food were suddenly abandoned as people shuffled to the window. Some looked back, calling out and describing the girl who had a friend by his hair.

One person put down her cup, and drew a breath. She stood and slowly made herself walk to the windows to look down.

She weaved through the empty tables, bemused waiters and waitresses, navigated around shiny steel chairs, and quietly excused herself as she made her way to the front.

"There!"

Wufei pointed to a small cluster of people as they parted for someone behind them, a woman in a black dress, and blond hair braided, but shorter than Duo's came to the front and stare down. Her features were shocked, but clearly glad to see him. She raised a pale hand and pressed it against the thick glass that parted the two decks. A smile slowly replaced any shock.

As Hilde continued to wave madly, Heero glanced over at Duo. The braided pilot, the man who never seemed to let anything faze him was pale . . . extremely pale. Duo blinked once with wide violet eyes, and murmured, "Oh . . . my god . . ."

The woman on the balcony pressed both hands against the glass, and silently screamed as Duo keeled over, his eyes rolling upward.

The care area was clean and—

"THIS IS WORSE THAN YOUR Museum!" G protested angrily as he, and Sally Po tended to Duo. Sally rolled her eyes and pulled back Duo's eyelid, to stare into his dilated pupil. "Well . . . Reflexes are still good. He's just had a bit of a shock."

"Hmph! Of course, he's okay! I did train him after all!!" G huffed and pushed her out the way, "Now move over . . . I'm going to—"

"Oh no, you're not!" Sally grabbed the syringe out of his hand, and pushed the older man back, "No medications!"

"We need him on his feet now! A little adrenaline glucose booster won't kill him!"

"Let him recover naturally!"

"Naturally didn't win the war!!"

"WE'RE NOT IN A WAR!!"

Wufei shook his head silently at the argument behind the doors, and looked at the quiet, small woman. She stared at the door beside her, concern rolling off her in waves. Faye and Quatrine sat opposite her, and smiled reassuringly, the other doctors were off trying to get better medical supplies, Rashid and his men fetching food and drinks, and the former pilots were sat at varying points in the narrow corridor. "Don't look so worried . . ." Hilde grinned reassuringly, "Ol' Duo's much more tougher than ya think!"

"Really?" The woman asked quietly, she fiddled with her hands in her lap, and reached up to touch the cross hanging at her neck. The black dress was a habit, and her neck and shoulders were covered modestly with the white collar of a nun. Her hair was strawberry blonde, a slightly more red than Quatre's, and she had dark blue eyes like Heero. She was just taller than Quatre and Duo, and her skin was very pale, and she had long lashes. She frowned slightly, "Will he be okay?"

"He'll be fine . . ." Quatrine leant forward and patted her hands, "These boys have survived a war or two . . ."

"The war?!" The woman looked up in horror, "Is it still going—"

"No." She blinked and stared at Heero. The Japanese boy stared back at her with intense eyes, and frowned, "Who are you?"

She smiled slightly, "My name is Helen Maxwell, I'm . . . I-I mean I *was* a sister at the Maxwell Church, a small orphanage for those we could convince to come in, or those who were brought to us . . ." she smiled slightly. Heero stared at her intently as she blinked a few times, before pulling out some reading glasses. She slipped them over her nose, and peered back at him meekly, "Are you . . ." She glanced at Hilde, "Uh, Duo's best . . . erm, buddy, Heero?"

Heero's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded.

Sister Helen smiled a little bit, and glanced at Trowa, "That makes you Trowa Barton . . ." She glanced at the smaller blonde boy, "Quatre Winner . . ." She paused and swallowed slightly, "I have to ask . . . of the Winner Family from L4?"

He nodded, "Yes, I am, ma'am."

"Ah . . ." She nodded, and looked up at the Chinese boy beside her, "And you are Chang Wufei . . . of the L5 Changs?"

Wufei blinked, "Not many people recognize the name . . . but yes."

"The Father of our church always prided our children on their intelligence, while they were with us we taught them everything, as much history as we could and asked the brighter ones to read the newspapers to the younger ones . . ." Helen smiled, "The Bartons, Changs and Winners were quite well renowned . . . I'm sure Duo was surprised to meet you three." She glanced at Heero, "And a relative of Heero Yuy, I presume . . ."

Heero shook his head, "Heero is a borrowed name . . ."

"As is Trowa . . ." Trowa sighed, "It's a long story, but I am not a part of the Barton family."

"Oh," The sister blushed, "I'm terribly sorry!"

"Don't be." Heero murmured from his seat on the floor, "It's an honest mistake."

The sister opened her mouth to ask more, but jumped as the door suddenly slammed open and Sally Po pushed Professor G out, "OUT! OUT! OUT!!" Insisted the brown haired woman, as she shoved the man. "And *STAY* out!"

G growled and turned on her, "I've trained that boy since I met him!! I know his bodily functions better than the back of my hand!! How dare you, some child fresh from clown school!"

"Why you!!" Sally screamed, her face turning very red as Wufei grabbed her arms.

Sister Helen stood and stared at Professor G. "You . . . trained him?" She asked in her timid quiet voice, as she pulled off her old reading glasses and slipped them into her pocket again.

"To be the very best at piloting Gundam, and defeating OZ!" G didn't notice the small woman's hands gripping each other tightly, "No one kills better than Death on the battlefield!" He glared at Sally, "And I trained him, and I know his reflexes and what drugs he can and can't take, and I can take better of him much better tha—"

G's tirade was cut off swiftly as Helen delivered a stinging slap to his right cheek. He slowly brought his head back to look at her with shock and amazement, when she frowned deeply, and slapped his left cheek as well. "You . . . you . . ." She began accusingly, her breath hiked as she began to cry hot angry tears, "Lord forgive my for thinking ill of my fellow man, but you evil . . . evil little . . ." Faye and Quatrine smiled encouragingly at the sister's anger, Faye leant forward, "Punch him . . . it'll make you feel better!"

The sister paid no heed, and continued to glare at the man, "You evil little . . ."

Heero raised an eyebrow at the sister's loss of words.

". . . evil little *bastard*!!" Faye and Quatrine exchanged a high five, as Sister Helen stamped her foot, and shook a remonstrating finger at him, "Why . . . if Duo is anything you describe, then years of Father Maxwell's teachings . . . all the-the . . ." Heero got to his feet as the small woman's anger drained out of her, and she sobbed openly, "All the love and care we gave him, and my . . . my dear sweet little Duo is gone . . ." Heero touched her shoulder, and the small woman spun and cried into his shoulder. He frowned disapprovingly at the shocked doctor, and raised his hands to her shoulders, as they shook violently.

"Sister Helen . . ." Hilde murmured, "You're wrong . . . the Duo you know is still there . . ."

Heero shifted uncomfortably, when Relena cried it was easy to comfort her. He just had to say a few encouraging words and maybe offered a point of view on the situation, and then she'd regain her strength. But with Sister Helen . . . he sighed, and thought for a moment, "Ano . . . there. There." He patted her back awkwardly, but softly.

The woman shifted in his arms, and glanced at Hilde, she sniffed again and pushed away from Heero. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief, dabbing lightly at her eyes. "I'm sorry." She murmured, "I just . . . I never had a child of my own . . . I was married to the good Lord above . . . but then . . ." She glanced at the open door, "Well, he never had a mother of his own . . . and every time he came back, when nobody would keep him . . . we tried so hard to be a family for him . . . show him he was always worth more than a street brat . . . I . . . I love him, he's like my son . . . and you . . ." She got angry again and turned on G, and stamped on his foot for good measure, "You hateful petty man! If you've changed him, god help me . . ." Heero blinked as the tone of Shinigami ran through the tiny woman's voice chillingly, "I'll put you in the *GRAVE*!!"

G yeeped quietly, and stepped back.

"I'm going to get a drink!"

Treize looked up as his daughter wheeled herself out the room, and smiled warmly. He looked over at Une as she worked, "Lady."

Une looked up and smiled, "Yes sir?"

He shook his head and rose gracefully. "I'm no longer a solider—"

"But you were buried with full military honours . . ." Une nodded up at him, "To me, you are still a commanding officer . . ."

He shook his head again, and sat opposite her, "Stubborn."

"And you know it." She shot back, Une pushed back and leant back in her seat. "Do you know of anything else that will help us . . .?"

Treize pressed his gloved hand against his forehead and closed his eyes, "Nothing more that will be helpful . . . just that a key to this will be discovered at L5 . . . someone there will know more . . ."

Une sighed, "You said as much earlier . . . no sense in going over old ground now . . ."

"Then how about some new . . .?" Treize leant forward, "Why is my daughter in a wheelchair, what is her condition?"

"She was shot." Treize's eyebrows shot up, and Une continued, "She was the puppet commanding officer of an invading army made up from officers of Oz, and other rebels who hadn't quite accepted that the last Wars were just that . . ." Treize nodded, and she spoke again, "Once again Gundam saved us . . . but now they've been destroyed . . ."

Une turned her chair to the side, and glanced out the window, "The Gundams have destroyed their weapons . . . if Earth is threatened again, and we need them . . . we may not be able to gather the right resources to build them in time again . . ."

"Don't."

Une blinked and looked at Treize, he was staring at her earnestly. He frowned, and shook his head, "Don't wish that you hadn't destroyed all the weapons . . ." He got up, and rounded her desk to kneel before her, he grasped her hands and stared into her eyes, "Don't wish that you didn't feel safe enough to live without them . . . Peace has been attained, and it's not up to Gundam to save us time and time again . . ."

"Somehow . . ." Une smiled gently, as she held his gloved hands back, a faint blush stealing over her cheeks, "Somehow I knew you would say something like that . . ."

Mariemaia watched from the doorway and smiled.


----------------------------

And Now It's Time to LEAVE IT TO DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA!!!

DrM: [frowns] Is it a bad thing that I am associating Yue from CCS, Vicious from CB and Zechs here with Ayame from Furuba? [twitch] too many anime characters that look too much alike . . . and before you point out that they absolutely nothing alike, remember you're talking to a girl who used to be unable to tell Bill Pullman and Michael Douglas apart . . . seriously.

Zechs: How can you mistake MEEEEEEE for THEEEEMMMM?!

Yue: HOW can YOU mistake ME for THEM?!

Vicious: How can you mistake me for THEM?!

Aya: HOW CAN YOU MISTAKE me FOR them?!

DrM: [twitch] Stop confusing me!! [falls to knees and clutches head] I just want to write and post stories, and get reviews, and draw fanart, and talk to people . . . why can't you all just stop confusing me?!

Wing From Gundammit A/Ns: [gives all of them a wad of money] Thanks guys, seriously, the 'Let's Drive DrM seriously insane' campiegn would be going nowhere without ya, just keep it up!! [turns to readers] Whaaaaaaaat? I want her insane, so? Don't you? Anyway, review please, because it's only nice, but don't mention Operation DrM. . . [tiptoes away]

DrM: [quietly from the floor] . . . I think I need a hug . . . or maybe a review . . . a review and a hug would be nice . . . but I'll settle for a review . . .