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"Can't Have It All "Written By: Dragonmistress_7 Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Boys. Summary: A single night of comfort turns into
Relena's lifetime commitment to the children who came of it, but when
their father's identity comes out, it's hard to see where other important
people in their lives will fit into this strange picture, and if,
somehow, they can all become a family.
Can't Have It All Chapter 8 Duo stared as Quatre spoke, not quite letting himself grasp what he was hearing. If he understood, he would believe it, and if he believed it, that would make it true. Relena couldn’t possibly have taken the little girls who meant more to him than his own life, and simply disappeared. He sat down heavily on the bed. Damn, he understood it anyway. “It’s not forever, Duo. She just needs some time. The further you get from something the smaller it seems. She’s trying to put the situation into perspective,” Quatre hastened to assure him, small hands clasping his. He knew Quatre was right, and even if he wasn’t, there was little he could presently do about it. So, mend the faucet today and face the flood tomorrow. “Hey, Quatre…are we okay?” Quatre smiled a small smile. “I hope so, Duo, but--I feel like I owe you an apology. I was mad at you, and it wasn’t my place to be. I should have trusted you.” “You don’t owe me anything. You didn’t have much reason to trust me, did you? I wasn’t exactly straightforward and honest with you.” “I don’t need an explanation. I will admit to being curious as to how this all came about, but you don’t have to tell me anything.” “I will tell you, one day, but I think Heero has the right to hear it first, and Relena.” He stood and put his arms around his friend. “I’m glad we’re okay, Quatre. That means a lot to me. Now, come on. I’ve got to find Relena, and I’ll need your help. She tries to throw people off with that innocent princess act, but she’s got resources and the brains to use them properly. There are a million places she could be, and those are just the ones she owns.” Relena looked around carefully, but the waiting area was empty save a few strange faces. She put down the girls, making sure each had a firm hold on her skirt as they stood beside her. She simply couldn’t carry both of them and their bag any longer. She didn’t know how she’d get herself, both children and their luggage to a cab, especially since the grey sky had just let go of a cold rain. As she reached out to place the bag on one of the empty seats, a hand caught it by the strap. “I’ll take that. You just see to the children. I will get your luggage, as well.” Relena released the bag and threw her arms around Wufei’s neck. “Thank you so much for letting us come stay with you. I didn’t expect you to come pick us up.” Much to her own astonishment, she was crying. Wufei didn’t seem to mind too much, for one arm went around her gently. “It’s no trouble. You can hardly be expected to do everything on your own.” Relena started to reply, but the tears redoubled and her throat clogged up. She’d never had to take care of her children by herself before. Duo and Heero had always been there to help her, and suddenly she felt so alone. She firmly told herself not to dwell on it. What would Wufei think, standing there while she held a private pity party? He’d think she was weak, unable to look after herself, much less the toddlers who stared up at them. Everyone would think that. Oh, God, but she was losing it. “It will be fine. I’m here to help you. You’ll be fine, Relena,” Wufei soothed. After a moment, Relena calmed, thoroughly ashamed of herself. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m terribly silly. I really do appreciate what you’re doing, especially since you didn’t have to get involved.” To her surprise, Wufei chuckled. “I would not go so far as to say that. Besides the call from Trowa to let me know what was going on, the one that prompted me to call you, I have received six calls since we last spoke.” Relena stared at him blankly. “From who?” Wufei ticked them off on his fingers. “From Duo, because he didn’t know Trowa had called; from Heero, to let me know you were missing; Duo again, ranting because you were missing; Quatre, because Duo had forgotten to ask if I’d heard from you, which was supposedly the purpose of the call; your brother, trying to get me to help look for you; and Duo again, just to make sure I still hadn’t heard from you.” “And you lied to all of them?” she asked, horrified that he’d deceived his friends on her behalf. He smiled at her. “No, I didn’t lie to Heero or Zechs. In fact, we should get going, because I promised your brother I would help look for you, and I cannot do that if I’m hanging around here all day. Why don’t you go wash your face while the children and I collect your luggage?” By the time Relena returned, the luggage was taken care of and Wufei was lifting Aiko into a car seat in the back of his car. “By the way, how is it that you didn’t lie to my brother if you told him you would help look for me?” Wufei looked up from the straps and buckles he was trying to secure to where Relena was buckling in Kyoko with little difficultly. “It is very simple. I said I would look. I never said anything about telling him if I saw you.” Relena laughed a little bit. “I don’t know why you decided to let me come, but I’m glad. I know we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but…” “I understand your need for time away. It will be better for all of you if you have a few days to think about what you want before making any decisions. I still consider Heero and Duo my friends, perhaps the best friends I will ever have, but Duo especially has always been- impulsive. They should reflect, as they would not if you were there with them. You are my friend, too, I hope, and I am glad to help you.” Relena remembered what had been said the last time she and Wufei had met, the day her daughters were born, as she slid into the passenger’s seat of the vehicle. “You are my friend, Wufei. I’m sorry about the things I said in the hospital. I was out of line. You weren’t wrong, I was.” Wufei checked the mirror and put the car in gear. “Forget it. We were both different people then, I think.” Relena thought about that and nodded slowly. “You were my last hope back then. I don’t suppose there’s any way you could have known it, but it’s true. The others all seemed to be falling apart. For a while, I thought Duo was…but then that illusion came crashing down. After that, I hoped against reason that you really had everything figured out, that you were as self-possessed as you always seemed to be.” “Why?” he asked, startled and confused. “Because then there was hope for me. I would figure it out, too, and life wouldn’t seem scary and uncertain anymore.” She smiled. “I’ve discovered since then that there is nothing to figure out, and life is scary and uncertain.” He glanced at her. “Anything else?” She looked at him, and her smile widened, “That’s
the best thing about it.” ~ * ~ |
