Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Place In Time ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

AN Much longer chapter and a much longer wait to go with it -winces- I am so sorry but RL has really been busy lately. Anyway hope the longer chapter makes up for it and I can practically guarantee that the next chapter won't be as long a wait, and I know I've said that before too… but here's hoping.

 

OK, answer to a question posed in a review by Wolf, this showed up as a HP/DM because they are two of the main characters in this fic, thanks so much to everyone else who reviewed, I swear reviews make my day.

 

As always thanks for reading, I get the feeling I don't say that nearly enough.

 

Disclaimer/Summary/Rating - Please see first chapter

 

A Place in Time

 

Chapter 7

 

“What's this about Yuy?” Wufei questioned in annoyance as he quickly warded the small room.

 

Much to his chagrin he was ignored and instead Duo turned to Quatre and whispered. “Maybe we should bring Sal in here too, if nothing else she should be able to tranquillise him once he finds out.”

 

Quatre frowned, clearly seriously considering the suggestion.

 

“I don't need a minder Maxwell!” He spluttered in annoyance, “now will somebody please tell those of us who don't know, namely Barton and I, what the hell is going on?”

 

“I'm in love with Zechs and Treize.”

 

Silence.

 

“Sorry, what was that?” Wufei asked weakly.

 

“I said I'm in love with Zechs and Treize.”

 

Trowa's eye widened and Wufei's jaw dropped.

 

“Well,” Duo muttered, rolling his eyes, “that was blunt, nothing like breaking it to them gently is there and that was nothing like breaking it to them gently…”

 

Heero didn't turn to look at him; he kept his gaze centred on the two pilots who were watching him without blinking.

 

“You mean that was true?” Wufei's voice was getting louder with each word, “You mean that wasn't a joke? That was true? You're in love with ZECHS MARQUISE AND TREIZE KHUSHRENADA?!”

 

“How long?” Trowa's quiet voice broke in for the first time in the conversation.

 

“Since the beginning, I stopped seeing them though, on August first.”

 

“The day after you became Harry,” Duo murmured under his breath suddenly making the connection.

 

“You stopped seeing them?! You were together in the first place in order to be able to stop seeing them?!” Wufei's' face was getting redder and his eyes were getting angrier.

 

“I think we should get Sally.” Quatre agreed with Duo's former statement.

 

“I'm fine Winner!”

 

“Wufei, how did you feel when you first met Duo?” Heero interrupted.

 

Unwillingly Wufei's eyes moved from Heero to the braided boy he loved more than anything else in the world. “That's not the same,” he snapped, tearing his gaze from the violet eyes back to Heero

 

“Yes it is. How much do you know about soulmates?” Heero's prussian blue eyes were boring into him and all of a sudden Wufei couldn't look away.

 

“Enough,” he snapped again, defensively, “I did some research when you and Quatre first mentioned…” He broke off suddenly, understanding and disbelief dawning on his face. “But you're not saying? You and…”

 

Heero nodded, “with one minor difference,” his eyes glittered coldly and Wufei frowned, it almost looked like he was fighting tears but that was impossible, right? “You got to propose to your soulmate, I got to kill one of mine and watch you kill the other.”

 

While Wufei obviously tried to deal with that piece of information Trowa turned to look at his blonde lover with an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“You knew about this, I take it.”

 

Quatre met Trowa's eyes, a sudden, fearful expression in his own. “Trowa I…”

 

“Quatre… I don't think I want to hear it. You knew this could endanger us and you didn't say anything. It doesn't matter that everything worked out you put all of us in danger, you should have told us, we probably would have understood. It's not like Heero was going to tell us, he trusts about as much as I do.”

 

Quatre's eyes widened in horror as his lover turned away from him, wincing at the none-so-subtle reminder of how hard it had been to gain his partner's trust.

 

Trowa's eyes glanced over Heero's and he stopped and looked at him calculatingly. “Congratulations I guess Yuy, you deserve someone you can love, you should have told us but I understand why you didn't. I hope you'll be happy with them.” He gave an unconvincing half-smile at Heero's expression. “I saw you after the battle, in the hospital bay on Peacemillion, you didn't look too good, you must really care about someone who can get that kind of reaction from you.”

 

Heero coughed and then changed the subject. “You staying?”

 

“I…”

 

“Don't leave,” Quatre broke in sounding desperate, “You don't have to stay with me, speak to me or even look at me but don't leave.” Trowa didn't move. “Please Trowa!”

 

Still not looking at the Sandrock pilot he turned to Heero who nodded and snapped his fingers. Instantly a house elf appeared blinking in surprise.

 

When he noticed the occupants of the room he dropped into a hurried and low bow.

 

“Dobby is sorry sirs but he never noticed you in the room sirs, Dobby will…”

Hurriedly cutting him off before the elf could get too carried away Heero spoke to him, “Dobby I need a favour.”

The little creature's eyes widened until they were impossibly large, “But of course sir, anything that Dobby is being able to do for the great Mr. Harry Heero Yuy Potter sir, Dobby will be doing.”

 

“I need you to sort out the rooms for the people in this room and the people in the next room, Lady Une, Sally and Noin will need one each, Relena and Dorothy will need one, one for Duo and Wufei… and a separate ones for each Trowa and Quatre.”

 

The elf's eyes widened even further in confusion but, like any good house elf, he didn't question his orders. His eyes unfocussed briefly for a second and then he burst into tears.

 

All the pilots stared.

 

“What's wrong with him,” Duo hissed out the side of his mouth.

 

Heero shrugged and, approaching the wailing Dobby cautiously he asked the same question.

 

“Wrong?” the eyes looking up at him were incredulous, “nothing is wrong Mr. Harry Heero Yuy Potter Sir, nothing can be wrong on the day that you, of all people sir, entrusted your friends to Dobby…”

 

Quickly he moved to hug the knees of a startled Heero tightly and then flashed away, still sobbing loudly.

 

“But…” Duo's voice was bemused, “He's looked after us before, it's not like this is the first time we've been here, what's he on about.”

“That's the way he's reacted every time I've asked him to take care of you, he's just always disappeared before I could find out why he was crying.” Heero's answer was full of dry humour and when he'd finished all of the pilots turned back to look at the place where the elf had disappeared.

 

“House elves are weird,” Duo remarked convincedly. Heero nodded and Duo laughed, slightly uneasily, partly due to amusement and partly to break the tension in the room, it didn't work. Luckily a bubble appeared in the air suddenly that announced that Trowa's usual rooms were ready and that the guest quarters were being prepared for `Mister Draco Quatre Winner Malfoy Sir'.

 

“Good service,” Trowa commented.

 

“We get the best, Heero said quietly, watching the blue bubble shrink and then disappear. “Trowa, do you want to stay for the explanation or should we tell you later?”

Still carefully not watching the blonde who was obviously working to prevent himself from reaching out and holding onto him Trowa turned and walked out the room, closing the door behind him. Heero turned to follow but Wufei snatched at his jacket sleeve.

 

“Hang on a minute Yuy, I still have to talk to you, I'll listen to what's happened when you tell Barton later but now, I have some things I need answered.”

Heero didn't say anything but he stopped and looked at both the other pilots, Duo, who's worried gaze was alternating between an, obviously heartbroken blonde who was still staring after his lover, and the two of them. He nodded though.

 

“Ok, Q and I will do the talking thing but no bloodshed in here, `k `Fei?”

 

Wufei dipped his head and, biting his lip, Duo left the room, pulling a desolate Quatre after him.

 

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

 

After watching the door swing shut behind the others Heero turned back to Wufei. “Look…”

 

He was caught off guard by the fist that came swinging down to meet his face, surprised but not losing his composure he winced slightly and tentatively reached up to pat around his eye, there'd be a lovely bruise before too long.

 

“Ok, I deserved that.”

 

Abruptly Wufei snatched his wrist and jerked it, forcing him to look at him.

 

“Oh you deserve a lot more than that Yuy but I promised Duo that there wouldn't be any blood shed, I'm not going to go back on that, I just had to hit you once or…”

“I know…”

 

“Do you? Really?”

 

Heero looked at him, he'd been betrayed yes, but never by someone he really trusted. “No, not really... Do you know what I went through when I realised that I loved them?”

 

“You expect me to feel sorry for you?”

 

“No. Just ask yourself this; what would you have done if Duo had been on OZ's side when you'd met him?”

 

Wufei bit back the natural response that said he would never have behaved in the same manner as Heero had done, as he actually begun to consider the question, if there was one thing he wasn't it was a liar.

 

Sensing his hesitation Heero gave him a sad smile.

 

Wufei groaned, letting his head fall back, smacking the wall he was leaning against it the process.

 

“Why don't you tell me what's been happening round here recently.”

 

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

 

The quietly speculating members of the room all looked up at the sound of the door opening.

 

Face completely blank, Trowa Barton walked through the room quickly and left the Room of Requirement.

 

Worried, Minerva made to stand up but the five shaking heads of the females in the room deterred her. It wasn't that they didn't look worried, quite the contrary all five of them looked like they were about a second away from jumping up and hugging the stoic teenager.

 

They watched as he nodded once to her and the other Professors before continuing to walk out the room.

 

“Do you think he's ok?”

 

“Did he look ok?” Dorothy turned to stare at her lover.

 

“No.”

“Then there's your answer, now the question is what the hell's happening in that room?”

 

Eight sets of eyes swivelled back to the door that was looking so innocent.

 

Shortly it opened again, Duo was pulling, an almost lifeless, Quatre with him and alternating between looking worriedly at his blonde friend, worriedly out the door Trowa had vanished through and worriedly back in the room. The expression didn't really seem to fit his cheerful face.

 

“Where are Wufei and Heero?” Sally knew better than to ask about Trowa.

 

“Having a little chat.” Duo answered shortly. “Now. Q here is gonna explain what the hell's been happening round here and then we're all gonna go to bed and talk about it in the morning.”

 

As if on cue a blue bubble appeared in the air again, announcing that Queen Relena and Princess Dorothy's room was ready as well as Miss Noin's.

 

“Good, I wish it would stop calling me queen though.” Relena remarked. All eyes turned to her and she shrugged, self-consciously. “Usual rooms is it Quatre?”

 

“I don't know about that.” Dorothy murmured, amused, “I quite like being considered a princess.”

 

Duo rolled his eyes at the teasing, hinting tone of voice before answering the question. “Yeah `Lena,” He replied, “should be anyway. Now Quatre I thing that's your cue, everyone here's tired and is seriously ready for some sleep but I think we should hear this tonight…”

The blonde looked up, his eyes were tired, “ok, to cut a long story short…”

 

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

 

“So let me get this straight. Zechs and Treize just appeared, as in fell-out-of-the-sky appeared, after being dead a month, in their battle clothes and with their mobile suits still in tact, or as intact as they were after the battle anyway.” Wufei's disbelieving face was staring at Heero, “I know that's gotta be true cos if you were gonna make something up than I know you could have done a lot better job than that… At least I seriously hope you could have done a lot better than that...”

 

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

 

“…And that's basically it.”

“Incredible… and it could only happen to us couldn't it.” Duo snorted in wry amusement and shook his head. “I tell ya, this is not what I was expecting when I signed up for the whole gundam gig.”

“But since when have our lives ever been normal?” Dorothy muttered.

 

Duo pretended to think about it, “Not anytime as far back as I can remember.”

 

Dorothy gave a small smile and then a yawn. “God, sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize, it is late and if I know you then you've had no sleep last night either, am I right.”

 

Relena blushed but Dorothy leered right back at him, “you're right but unfortunately not about the reason why, Relena and I spent the whole of last night going through several years of records of budget cuts.”

 

No one in the room could keep the distaste from playing on their features.

 

“Well that sounds like fun” Duo remarked sarcastically.

 

“Oh it is I assure you, unfortunately we're just too busy to sleep so if you wouldn't mind I think we'll take our leave. Send us a wakeup call tomorrow and Lena can go and see her brother and I'll go see my cousin.” Her eyes narrowed suddenly, “I kinda hope he's awake, I want to have a serious chat with him about trying to kill family members, namely me. Night then.”

Laughing slightly at the, now commonplace, expressions of shock on the Professor's faces she stood up, pushing her girlfriend off her lap gently before they both walked from the room. Followed closely by Noin who also bade the others goodnight.

 

“Night everyone,” Relena called over her shoulder, “thank you for your hospitality Professors.”

 

“Hospitality?” Severus questioned suddenly. “And what did she mean by usual rooms?

 

“Um… Yeah, look…” Duo looked uneasy all of a sudden. “We've all been here before, some of us have been coming here since September, either for a place to lie low or just to get a rest, some of us have been coming more recently like Dorothy and Une but this isn't the first time any of us have been here. In fact we've been here before so many times we've all got our own rooms... and speaking of rooms I think that you should be getting back to yours Quatre.”

 

Silently the blonde acquiesced to the brunette's gently worded order. All eyes worriedly watched him exit the room.

 

“You don't think he's going to do something stupid do you?” Sally remarked suddenly.

 

All eyes turned to Duo, who seemed to be the best one to answer the cautious question. “What? You mean like slit his wrists or AK himself or something? Nah, Q wouldn't do that… I'll put some monitoring spells up though, just in case. It's a good job he's staying in the guest quarters, it'll be easier to bug than the dorm room would have been”

 

Sally, as well as the others, looked relieved. “Thank you.”

 

“No probs Sal.”

 

The blue bubble appeared again, announcing this time that the remaining rooms were ready.

 

Sally waited till it had finished listing their names and had winked out before she continued. “Just one thing. What happened?”

“Can't tell ya yet, soon but not yet, it all depends on what we decide to do after all and on how badly `Fei decides to react.”

 

Unconvinced but nodding anyway Sally too stood up, nodding at the Professors and leaving the room.

 

The only ones left now were Lady Une, Duo and Severus, Minerva and Albus.

 

“Lady…” Duo prompted gently.

 

“You don't think you will do you? Kill them I mean.”

Duo blinked, startled, “I shouldn't have thought so Une, not if Heero has anything to say about it anyway.”

Much to his surprise she smiled slyly, “I'd been wondering about them, I was right then?”

“That depends on what you mean by `right'.”

 

“I think you know what I mean, how have the other's taken it?”

Grimacing he answered her, “as far as I'm aware `Fei's expressing his aversion towards the situation right now. Q already knew and Tro's more concerned with the fact that Q knew and didn't tell us. Anyway, why don't you care, I mean I can understand now but before when you were… I mean…”

“When I was the Colonel,” she enquired. Embarrassed, he nodded. “Even then all I wanted was for him to be happy, after all,” her eyes hardened suddenly. “I knew he wouldn't betray OZ, and if he did it was over for us anyway, if, on the other hand, he got his fool self killed as a consequence of hooking up with the enemy then it's his own fault isn't it?”

 

“Er… if you say so Lady.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Erm… ok then... Colonel…?”

“Relax,” she laughed suddenly, seemingly more at ease now she knew that her friends weren't facing imminent death. “I'm not going to try anything, you can sleep safe tonight, I promise, night Duo, night Professors.”

As she swept out of the room elegantly every eye followed her. Then, suddenly she turned round. “Oh and Maxwell, I'll give you a bit of a break because of this but I still expect a mission report by tomorrow night.” Then she was gone.

 

“That woman is evil.” Duo muttered. “I spend years, years, having, `do not leave any records, if you leave a paper trail you'll wake up dead' drummed into my head and then she's in charge for a month and she's got me filling in little ticky-box forms. I'm a terrorist I do not do `little ticky-box forms'… Anyway, how are you all feeling? You've all been pretty quiet but than again this has to have been a real culture shock for all of you.”

 

Surprised by the sudden redirection of the conversation none were ready for the question.

 

“Er…”

“I think it has but I also think we'll get used to it,” Severus interjected smoothly over his female companion, “and as for being quiet. I think we realised we'd learn more tonight by just listening to you than by getting involved.”

 

“You're right, you probably did learn more and about getting used to them,” he grew serious all of a sudden, “to be honest I don't think you have much of a choice if you want them to stay here, you have to understand though that they're not the ones you knew, they've seen things that I'll wager none of you could even imagine.”

 

“I think I agree with you,” The soft words from the Headmaster made every eye in the room turn to him, including those of the two who had just entered form the back door, “I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it, you're just children. All of you, you shouldn't have those shadows behind your eyes.”

 

“That would depend on what you consider a child, I don't think you're determining age the same way we do, yes we look like teenagers but we're mentally ancient.”

 

Wufei spoke up from the door and Duo spun round, jumping to his feet, rushing closer and assessing both, searching for any injuries. His eyes lingered on Heero's black eye and he frowned disapprovingly.

 

“You said…”

“…No blood, I know. But I didn't hit him that hard and there has been no blood spilled, it could have been worse.”

 

Duo didn't look happy, “but… Yeah, yeah ok, thanks for not flying off `Fei.”

 

“I promised didn't I?”

 

“Yeah, you did.”

 

“You two should get some rest,” Heero's voice broke into their conversation. “Go to bed, I'll see you tomorrow when we get to show the Professors just how dangerous we are now, nothing like a demonstration is there?”

 

Duo laughed lightly, “no there's not, I think you're right though, see you tomorrow Yuy, oh, I've got some monitoring spells on Quatre by the way.”

 

The frown that none of them had really noticed lessened slightly at this.

 

“He'll be fine, Trowa will forgive him. He loves him.” Gratefully Duo turned to look at his lover.

 

“Thanks Fei, I think I needed to hear that.”

 

“Bed, now!”

“Okay, okay. Night Heero.”

“Night Yuy.”

 

“Night.”

 

As the two left Heero turned to look at his old Professors, finding it hard to believe that life really could change so much in twenty-four hours.

 

“Are you not going to bed?” Minerva enquired politely, undeniably wary of one of her favourite students.

 

Heero met her eyes and, with relief, she noticed flecks of green in their cobalt depths that she hadn't seen before; Harry was still in there, albeit changed but he was still in there.

 

“I'll be spending tonight in the hospital wing,” noting the expressions he frowned, “well someone has to sit with them.”

 

“Yes, someone does, just in case they wake up but it's more than that isn't it?” Piercing blue eyes locked onto his and Heero double and triple checked the shields around his mind before he replied, feeling slightly gratified at the Headmaster's expression.

 

“Would that be a problem?”

 

“No, just a surprise, you've never really seemed to consider it before.”

 

“Things change.”

 

“Yes they do,” the absent minded murmur came from Severus and brought all eyes to stare at him, he didn't really seem to realise he'd spoken.

 

Heero looked away from him and gestured for the Professors to leave.

 

“Oh Headmaster?”

 

Albus turned round and froze as he met blisteringly cold eyes. “Yes Ha…Heero?”

 

“Never try to look through my mind again, in fact don't try that on anyone here, you might not like what you find.”

 

Three Professors watched as their collective student walked out of the door and then, silently, they followed him.

 

End Chapter 7

 

AN -looks back over chapter- wow, this has to be the longest chapter Ive ever written, nearly 4000 words and I'm quite proud of it, not too sure if the reactions are realistic but I don't think they're too bad, please review and tell me what you think.