An: Well I'm glad the response to this fic is doing so much better. I'm glad your all enjoying it and putting up with my pitifully slow updates. Thank you everyone who Reviewed and put me on their Story Alert. I still don't have a Beta for this story so by all means someone E-mail me or message me via Fan Fiction Messaging.

AnimeHuntress181 * NetZero . com

Chapter Two: Darkening Sorrows

It was nearly a day later before Cagalli was stabilized. Unfortunately the damage to her body had taken its toll and Cagalli could not be released from the ICU for the simple fact that it was the only 'Clean' unit on the ship. Due to the stresses her body had undertaken her immune system was left incredibly vulnerable and in her current condition if she contracted any kind of infection she would likely die. The miscarriage hadn't damaged her, luckily, and they had stopped the hemorrhaging but she had been exposed to hypothermic temperatures with a damaged pressure suit as well as the wounds sustained from the comprised cockpit of her Mobile Suit, and if that weren't enough her body had been under great mental stress while she had been pregnant with Coordinator twins. Her body was badly malnourished and sleep deprived. As a natural she simply didn't have anything left in her to fight with. Even a Coordinator in the same situation would have been hard pressed to come out of it alive much less in good health.

Plans were made with the Chairman Durandal and Cagalli would be heading to the PLANTs along with Kira and Athrun once they made it to Gibraltar. It was with the hope that the controlled environment of the PLANTs that Cagalli could heal and recover without worries, though Athrun was beginning to suspect there was more behind it. He wasn't a fool, not by a long shot, even if he was stupid sometimes. Cagalli had carried his babies under natural circumstances, even under bodily duress, and she had conceived naturally as well. She had done something that very few first generation Coordinator women had been able, and she had done so with one of the older Third Generations coordinator in existence. It was also likely that had the pregnancy been discovered and properly monitored that she would have carried the babies to term. In short Cagalli was a medical miracle for Coordinators and it was likely that Durandal didn't want to loose that. The fact that Cagalli was the Chief Representative of Orb was only icing on the cake.

Athrun sat between the two beds and felt as if he were completely helpless. He no longer had a mobile suit and Cagalli had been placed in the worst kind of danger by his own stupid actions. Cagalli was a tomboy, and it probably hadn't ever even occurred to her to protect herself. Hell he knew it hadn't, and now they had both lost something immeasurably precious. She had been so naïve in some area's and it wasn't hard to believe considering how truly sheltered her father had kept her. Maybe it was her father's way of protecting her or something, but it had been that sheltering that had nearly broken her when she had first taken the mantel as Chief Representative. Sometimes he resented Lord Athha just as he resented his own father, but such cynicisms would do nothing for him now. He was helpless to protect the ones he loved most.

"Athrun… where's Cagalli?" Kira asked with a hiss from the pain. "I could hear her… she was calling me."

"Right here… she went after you in the Rouge." Athrun whispered looking at the pale figure, covered in wires and tubes and looking anything but the hotheaded princess he had known.

"What…" Kira stared in horror. "Athrun?"

"Keep it down… she sedated but not being held under, and she needs to rest." Athrun hissed. "What did you think she was going to do Kira! I bet Captain Ramius had to lock her up to keep her from the fight with you being such an idiot! Of course she went after you!"

"That doesn't explain this… or why we're in ZAFT's custody." Kira snapped quietly. "What the hell happened?"

"There was an explosion… her suit was compromised. Maybe… Kira…"

"Athrun?" Kira frowned. "What is it?"

"She was pregnant… she lost the babies… and this is the result. They stopped the bleeding but it was the last straw." Athrun hissed darkly. "It broke her body. She's stable now… but she could relapse at any time. She doesn't have anything left…"

"What do you mean?" Kira demanded coldly.

"She didn't know Kira… She didn't know she was… Did you ever see her eat, drink, or sleep? She's always had a tendency to forget to do such things when she's stressed and worried. With her pregnant it made it all worse… She doesn't have the strength left in her to fight. If she relapses…" Athrun whispered hoarsely. "I did this to her… this is my fault."

"Athrun! They were…" Kira stared at his childhood friend in confusion, anger, and shock. "How could you!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know? Damnit Kira this was supposed to be impossible!" Athrun snarled back brokenly. "Do you think I would have left her for an instant had I known?"

"No… No I don't think you would have…" Kira whispered hoarsely. "What happens now?"

"The Chairman is having all of us transferred to Januarious…" Athrun stated flatly, careful to keep his voice down.

"…" Kira frowned. "Athrun… this isn't good…"

"I know… there's more. The Chairman left a little surprise until after the Archangel was sunk…" Athrun frowned. "He knew exactly who was responsible for Junius Seven's fall, and he kept it to himself until now."

"Athrun…?"

"They're called Logos and they are apparently responsible for all the current conflict, a group of mercenary business men who make a better profit off conflict than peace and of course the Seirans and half of the Orb ministers are on it." Athrun growled. "It was all a plot to get Orb's power, and Cagalli fell right into it."

"Damnit Athrun… what could she have done? She was loosing power before Yuna pulled all that crap. If it weren't for Cagalli the Minerva would never have escaped Orb." Kira growled glaring at his friend. "She did what she did because she had no choice. You did and you made it and you left her to deal with it. Blaming her or anyone else isn't going to change it."

"…I know…" The two words were laced with bitterness and pain.

"Cagalli doesn't know yet does she…?" Kira asked after a long tense moment.

"She hasn't woken up yet…" Athrun answered quietly.

"What are we going to tell her?"

"The truth…" Athrun frowned. "I won't add to the lies that she has been forced to live with."

Kira could only agree.

"I'm concerned about Athrun…" A voice stated calmly over a vid-phone. "He's beginning to think for himself."

"I see… so then it has been confirmed? The children were his?" A suave almost gentle voice asked coolly.

"Yes, but I think it started when we sank the Archangel and nearly killed his friend, the pilot of the Freedom."

"Indeed?" The voice sighed. "I'm afraid that might have been inevitable. Tell me how the Princess's condition is?"

"Their keeping her mildly sedated for fear of a relapse… Her condition is stabilized at the moment but it isn't strong. Her body is at its breaking point. If she relapses… she'll die."

"That isn't good… I need her. She's carried naturally beyond what most Coordinator women have achieved and her genetics are if nothing else top of the line. It's unbelievable to think that she is the Control for the Ultimate Coordinator. It seems they are both very unique and are good at becoming quite troublesome."

"Sir?"

"Keep an eye on the situation and report any changes. I will be seeing you both in Gibraltar."

"Sir if the Princess dies we will have Athrun as our most dangerous enemy."

"Oh indeed we will, but I have no intention of seeing the Princess dead. She will be obtaining the best doctors and medical care that the PLANTs can provide. Athrun's relationship to the Princess of Orb is a weakness that I intend to fully exploit." The voice chuckled. "To think that a woman with such a tomboy nature was to be a mother… amusing truly, and that she a Natural carried Coordinator children beyond anything our own Coordinator women could accomplish without aid, ironic."

"Sir?"

"There is still a way to turn all of this to our favor and I have every faith that we will be able to do so. It is but a small order to finish completely discrediting Yuna Roma Seiran and his father Unato, and with Cagalli in her weakened state Orb will be vulnerable. I expect you to do your best. You are indeed right; Athrun Zala is not an enemy I could ever afford. He is in his own way as strong a presence as Lacus."

"Right!"

The first thing Cagalli was aware of was that something was wrong. It wasn't that her body hurt and that she felt like she couldn't lift a finger let alone anything else. Something felt different and whatever it was… was wrong. She gasped and felt tears slip down her cheeks without really understanding why. Her whole body trembled and she felt as if somehow something was missing.

"Ki… Kira?" Cagalli whispered, but that wasn't right either, whatever was wrong had nothing to do with her brother.

"Cagalli!" Athrun exclaimed and squeezed her hand while leaning over to brush the hair out of her eyes. "You had us scared… I'm still scared."

"Athrun?" Cagalli blinked trying to focus, her mind was muddled.

"Yeah… it's me. Kira's here too." Athrun gave a long sigh. "Cagalli you scared the hell out of me!"

"Huh?" Cagalli blinked. "Athrun…"

"Hey Cagalli…" Kira had stood up from his bed and was sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Kira…"

"He's right you know… you scared us pretty badly." Kira exclaimed tiredly.

"Something's wrong…" Cagalli muttered frowning, reaching up with her free hand to remove the oxygen mask. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"Cagalli!" Kira exclaimed startled.

"What are you…? Cagalli you're alive and…" Athrun fought to find the words he needed to tell her the devastating truth of what had happened.

Outside the door Shinn and Lunamaria had come to see how Cagalli was doing. Well Lunamaria was and she had dragged Shinn along with her. They stopped when they heard the occupants talking. They waited quietly in the cleaning antechamber.

"Don't say it's nothing! I know something is wrong! I can feel it Athrun! Just like when my father… Something has happened! Tell me!" Cagalli shouted struggling to sit up only to collapse back down panting from pain and exhaustion.

"Don't! Don't move… Cagalli your body can't take it…" Kira shouted desperately. "It's okay… we promise to tell you."

"Tell me now!" Cagalli demanded angrily. "Damnit I know something is wrong… I feel… Tell ME!"

"I… Cagalli…" Athrun took and deep breathe and felt the tears well up in his eyes though he struggled to hold them back. "Cagalli you were pregnant…"

"That's impossible I never let Yuna touch me! Stop lying, the last person I was with was you! Hell you're the only one I've ever been with like that! It's impossible!" Cagalli snarled angrily tugging at the hand Athrun clutched like a life line.

"Cagalli, we aren't lying." Kira stated gently his usually calm voice cracking at the end.

"But… I…" Cagalli struggled against the denial and reality of her situation.

"Twins Cagalli… you were about nine weeks pregnant with twins… a little over two months… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry. God Cagalli I…"

Cagalli didn't hear him, she couldn't hear anything except the words, 'twins Cagalli, you were nine weeks pregnant with twins.' Everything seemed fold in on itself and whirl around her in chaos but she couldn't register any of it, and everything kept building up inside her until she couldn't hold it in any further, not that she wanted to either. The scream that ripped out of her was one of loss and denial, pain and suffering, and of a raw emotion to large to ever describe.

Outside the door Lunamaria was crying softly and Shinn held her tightly, he knew that scream, it was the same one that had burst from him when he had lost his family. Angrily and bitterly he pulled Lunamaria away and they left the group in peace. For the first time, Shinn understood something that a lot of people had been trying to tell him, vengeance fulfilled nothing and often was far from satisfying in the end. Shinn Auska felt no pleasure in the suffering of Cagalli Yula Athha, only bitter emptiness.

Inside the room Athrun had grabbed Cagalli and pulled her into a hug and she buried herself against his chest and wept. Carefully he maneuvered himself onto her bed, between the wall and her, careful of all the wires monitoring her vitals and held her tight. Kira moved up and held her free side and together they just held her and she struggled with the loss of the two children she hadn't even known existed. In her mind flashed a million images of what could have been and what would never be and she knew that she would never forget. Her heart and soul seemed to shatter into dust as the, would be, futures flashed through her in only an instant. For a single moment it felt as if she could have touched them and then it was gone and all she felt was a strange hollowness inside. There was nothing that could change the loss that had been suffered.

"Shinn…" Lunamaria spoke quietly. "What do we do?"

"I… I don't know…" Shinn replied quietly, his body trembling. "This… this isn't what I wanted!"

"It's not your fault Shinn… you had your orders." Rey pointed out calmly, having just stepped out of his room.

"Do you really think that makes this okay?" Shinn demanded angrily. "She's suffering and it's partially my fault!"

"I thought you hated Athha?" Rey asked cruelly.

"Of course I do! But this… this isn't what I wanted! I wanted her to know… I wanted her to know what I was feeling…" Shinn slammed his fist into the wall much like Athrun had done a couple days ago. "I wanted her to get off her high and mighty horse and know what it meant to suffer…"

"Well that's just stupid Shinn!" Lunamaria shouted.

"It's her…" Rey began but Luna cut him off. "Shut up Rey! I'm sick of your psycho babble and as for you Shinn… What do you think she went through in the first war! She lost her father Shinn, the only family she had…"

"She has that pilot…" Shinn muttered bitterly.

"Do you think that makes a difference Shinn?" Luna snapped angrily. "She didn't even know until her father told her! Hell her father only told her because he was going to go and blow himself up! What do you think she was feeling, knowing what her father was going to do and not being able to stop it?"

"I…" Shinn frowned, feeling backed into a corner.

"You're not the only one who lost loved ones in the war and you're still not the only one in this war. You can't just keep blaming her Shinn, it's not her fault her father chose what he did. I think you need to talk to her… really talk to her, and maybe you will understand that." Luna stated quietly and left the two pilots as she made her way to her own room.

"What are you going to do Shinn?" Rey asked coolly frowning.

"I think… I think I want to talk to her like Luna said." Shinn muttered and walked away down the corridor.

Rey was left alone staring after him with a dark frown.

"So she's finally awake?" Durandal asked calmly over the vid-link.

"Yes… and from her reaction I think Athrun explained what happened." Gladys stated tiredly.

"You look tired… I've been pushing you to hard." Durandal frowned with cool concern.

"Yes… but you were always one who asked for more than anyone could give... She's hurting Durandal… and I can't say I blame her. Her country has betrayed her and she's lost so much already, but this. She's only a child really." Gladys shook her head sadly. "They're all children, who should never have been burdened like this."

"And yet she has raised a country from its ashes and made it one of the most powerful nations in the world. A child she may be Gladys but one with more power than most could ever dream of, and she let it spoil and rot." Durandal stated bitterly.

"Did she Gilbert? You're forgetting I saw more of her than you… She chose to stay." Gladys reminded him quietly. "I didn't agree with it at the time, but if it weren't for her support the war would have started that much sooner. She warned me that she couldn't guarantee our safety in Orb. I think she realized how little power she had left."

"And look at what she decided to do when that power was lost." Durandal frowned. "She forsook someone she claimed she loved and married for power."

"I don't think she had any choice in the matter Gilbert. You've announced your campaign against Logos, and I saw that list. Most of the current Orb cabinet is on it. I wouldn't be surprised if they manipulated her and forced the marriage. She's a victim and I and my crew owe her Gilbert. I have no doubt in my mind that she held the Orb fleet back from attacking us in that pincer maneuver the Earth Forces put on us. If Orb had attacked in that battle the Minerva would have fallen. I also have no doubt that she truly loves Athrun Zala. They remind me a bit of you and me when we first met."

Durandal stared at her in shock for a moment before nodding. "I knew he was unhappy with playing fiancé to Lacus Clyne, I just didn't understand why."

"That's another thing we need to discuss… I am not stupid Gilbert. Why would you do something so stupid, a fake Lacus Clyne?" Gladys narrowed her eyes and frowned. "This Meer Campbell is not the real Lacus, and I'm shocked that the real Clyne daughter hasn't come out and objected all of this."

"It was merely a publicity maneuver to keep the citizens of the PLANTs calm under the face of this new threat." Durandal frowned. "She has been a great asset to me."

"She's nothing but one of your pawns isn't she… Gilbert what are you thinking?" Gladys sighed. "Have you made arrangements for Representative Cagalli?"

"The Princess will be staying in the best of accommodations on Januarious. I've found to excellently credentialed ZAFT soldiers to play guard for her and her little group. Do not worry my dear; she'll receive nothing but the best of treatment."

"I see… don't play games with her Gilbert, she's not someone you would want to cross. Don't forget she's a very competent Mobile Suit Pilot in addition to being the Chief Representative of the most powerful nation on the earth. She's an enemy you wouldn't survive."

"Her? Not Kira or Athrun?" Durandal chuckled. "Indeed she has made quite the impression hasn't she? Do not worry; I have no intention of making her my enemy."

"For some reason that doesn't reassure me… be careful." Gladys murmured and shut down the link.

In Gibraltar the Chairman stared at the blank screen and smiled cruelly, "always."

Okay there's the second chapter, and as you can see this is somewhat different from the original story. It's much closer to my original plotline and story and a bit less difficult to write, thankfully. I'm sorry I didn't realize before why I was having such a difficult time writing this story when the bubble sheet and free thought board were so easy, not to mention I got the plotline out like it was a piece of cake. Looking at the differences I can see that I was trying to rush the other storyline to the finish and this story isn't one that I can do that with, no good tale is a short and easy one as a very wise lady once told me. The context was for the lessons life gives you but hey it works for stories as well.

Anyways I hope your enjoying this more and thank you for your considerable patience. Please Review.