Title: Pass It Forward
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Pagan + Duo + Milliardo
Notes: Challenge 237. Baby Series 4 #162. Takes place approximately 8 hours following Mayday!.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Extended Length
Many thanks to ShenLong Deb for betaing this set of fics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Title: Pass It Forward
"The airwaves are garbled, but every now and then it clears enough to make out the distress calls. Thus far we have identified as many as seven individual alerts, and an additional four automatic distress beacons." Pagan set a tray of tea on the table's surface.
Duo subtly shuffled a little closer to the fire, taking advantage of the opportunity to warm his backside before he had to return to the children for his turn at entertaining them. They took the caring role for the palace children on a loose roster, to give all of the adults a breather. Even the King had taken his turn and Duo had no doubts Milliardo more than enjoyed that duty.
And it was not just Stephan that drew Milliardo's attention. He was attentive to all of the children they sheltered within the strong walls and deep shelter the palace offered. In particular he paid attention to Jamie, spinning some kind of subtle magic around the boy that held him enthralled whenever the King was present. Duo had not expected it when he had brought Jessica and Jamie to the palace to shelter, but he was grateful to the man for welcoming the waifs.
They would have died had they not been found. Out there, in that freezing wind, amidst the wild ice storm that raged. He had no idea how deep their sheltering cave had been, but they would not have been deep enough to last. They had lived a hand to mouth existence. Scavenging food, wearing cast out rags, scrounging the forests for wood to light their meagre fires. No, they would not have survived the first few hours of this storm that seemed unrelenting in its ferocity.
They would have been unable to send out distress signals. No one would have known about them and they might have been forever buried, unknown, in the cave high on the cliff overlooking New Port City.
He had been like that, having only himself and a few others who shared his hand to mouth existence on the streets. To his knowledge he was the only survivor of that little band of waif's. The plague, drugs, gangs... That might have been his fate had it not been for that old priest and his nun. And the Sweepers. They were his survival, his salvation and he had not had to send out a mayday call.
Well, he supposed he had, just not one over the airwaves. In retrospect he had been more than lucky in his life. So fortunate that they had not hesitated to take him in and adopt him as one of their own despite his wildness. And he had been a wild young thing in those long ago days.
They had taken him in as he would do now; for Jessica and Jamie. He had not asked, nor accepted help eagerly, but now it was different. He was older, wiser and he was not alone. He had been given the chance to survive and he would give these kids that same opportunity. They might not have broadcast a mayday call, but that made no difference. He could make a difference and he would.
They would not need to ask, he had witnessed for himself the stiff pride in Jamie, but that did not matter. They, Jamie at least, might not appreciate his efforts... But the boy was fascinated by Milliardo and that might just ease the fight Duo expected to eventuate when he spoke to the boy. He had seen the resentment and anger of the 'have nots', for the 'haves'. The insult taken over the assumption that one could not fend for oneself and one's dependents. But he would not permit them to go out on the streets and live hand to mouth again.
He would pass it forward, the chance he had been given in his childhood.
And he did not think Milliardo would permit them to fade back into the darkness of homelessness either.
End
Karina Robertson 2015