Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Does It Ever Last? ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Relena hadn't been that far off when she said Trowa would probably propose to her while she was brushing her teeth. It had actually been while they were in the shower together, and Relena didn't leave this little fact out when she told Heero. Her face had been blushing the entire time. Heero smiled when he remembered this, once again sitting in his office. Apparently, she had also told Trowa about her being pregnant at the same time. Trowa had had to tell everybody the next day because Duo wouldn't stop asking him why he was grinning like a maniac. It had actually been kind of funny, watching Trowa's face redden when Duo had started whooping and whistling. It was even worse when he added that they were now engaged, though it had effectively shut the braided pilot up. He was too busy gawking at him, and Jenny, his girlfriend whom he was still going out with, had had to close his mouth before a bug flew into it. Heero chuckled. That was eight months ago. The wedding had been planned for after the birth of their child. Basically, it was in about three months. Relena was due to give birth any day now, so Trowa had taken off time from work to be with her. Heero had already been asked to be Godfather of the baby, something that had caught him totally by surprise. He'd readily accepted though.

Heero sighed, content with the quiet. It was interrupted all too soon by a beeping sound. Heero turned to his vid-phone. Someone was trying to call him. Turning it on, he came face to face with a frantic looking Trowa. Heero immediately knew why.

"It's time?" he asked before Trowa could say anything. "I'll be there in a few. You want me to call anyone else?" Heero asked, already standing up and getting his coat. Trowa nodded.

"Thanks," he said vaguely. "We're on the third floor. Ask the nurses. Sally and Wufei are already here." Heero nodded.

"See ya," he said before terminating the connection. Taking a deep breath, he dialed Quatre's number and yelled for Duo at the same time.

At the hospital, Trowa reentered the room and took his fiancé's hand.

"They're on their way," he whispered. Relena nodded, then grimaced and squeezed Trowa's hand as another contraction hit. Trowa winced slightly. The girl had a strong grip! He sighed, she'd barely even begun to give birth. It was going to be a long night.

Thirteen hours later, the occupants waiting outside were awakened from their dozing state by a woman screaming bloody murder, quickly followed by the high-pitched wail of a new person being introduced into the world.

Heero glanced sharply towards the door. "Do you think she's ok?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry so much, Heero," Hilde said, placing a hand on his arm. "She's fine. Most women scream like that." The words gave Heero little comfort, and he glanced nervously at the door.

Behind the door, Relena lay panting on the bed. Trowa was still holding her hand, but he was watching every move the doctors made. Sally was on the other side of Relena, making sure she was ok.

"You did well Relena," she said, smiling at the blonde on the bed. "You gave birth to a baby boy, and from what I saw, he looked perfect." Relena smiled a little, and gave choked sob/laugh.

"Can I see him?" she whispered.

"Let me get him," Sally replied. One of the nurses in the room stepped back from the baby.

"Dr. Po, could you come here for a second?" She looked worried.

"What is it?" Sally asked, hurrying over. The nurse said something to her, low enough so that the couple behind them couldn't hear. Sally looked at her, eyes wide and questioning, and the nurse nodded. As Sally rushed over to see the new baby, the nurse turned back to Relena and Trowa.

"Where is he?" Relena asked, trying to see around the nurse.

"Is he ok?" Trowa asked, worry filling his voice.

"Ms. Peacecraft," the nurse looked very nervous, "The baby you delivered is...well he's..." The nurse couldn't seem to find the right words as she stood there wringing her hands.

"What?" Relena asked, her eyes widening, and her voice rising in volume. "What's wrong with him? Where is my son?! Why can't I see him?!" she shouted, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Though Trowa had gone a few shades paler and his eyes were wide, he turned to Relena, trying to comfort her.

"Shh, Relena, honey, it's ok. Don't cry babe, come on. It's all right. Calm down," he whispered, but the words did little good. "Sally!" Trowa called out. Sally emerged from the huddle of doctors holding a blue bundle. A feeling of relief rushed over Trowa, until he realized that there were no sounds coming from the bundle, and it wasn't moving. His eyes widened he felt his heart beat speed up.

"Is that my baby? What's wrong with him?" Relena asked, desperately holding out her hands to hold him.

"Relena," Sally whispered. "He's beautiful. And he's perfectly healthy," she said, smiling a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Trowa let out the breath he was holding and sagged back in his chair.

"GOD DAMN IT!! If he's 'perfectly healthy' then why the hell can't I hold him?! I WANT TO HOLD MY SON!! What is so wrong with that?!?" Relena shouted, falling back into the pillows and sobbing. Sally looked startled and immediately gave the sleeping baby to Relena who started looking him over. Trowa cautiously looked over Relena's shoulder, and a small smile formed on his face as he gazed at his sleeping son.

"Relena," Sally tried again, "the baby's fine, except..." she trailed off noticing how happy the two looked. Trowa caught the 'except' part, and looked up.

"Except what, Sally?" His voice demanded an answer, but before he got one, Relena gasped next to him. He quickly looked back towards her. The baby was waking up because of all the loud voices, and his eyes blinked wearily.

"Sally?" Relena asked, her voice a little shaky. "What's wrong with his eyes?" Trowa blinked and looked closer to see what she was talking about. His eyes narrowed, as he looked into the foggy, glazed over eyes of his son.

"Your son is blind Relena," Sally said, trying to be as gentle as possible. Relena gasped, letting her head fall back into the pillow as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Blind?" Trowa asked, still looking at the boy. Sally nodded.

"I'll leave you alone for a while, then we'll have to put the baby in the nursery and give his momma some rest. Do want me to tell the others?" Trowa nodded.

"Please do."

"Alright. Make sure you have a name picked out. Congratulations you two," Sally said as she walked out of the room.

"Relena?" Trowa asked quietly.

"Trowa...we've been blessed."

"I get the feeling you don't just mean with the baby in general." Relena smiled and shook her head. Opening her eyes, she turned to face Trowa.

"Trowa, if anything were to ever happen to this peace, if war were to break out again, heaven forbid...our son will never have to witness all that bloodshed. He'll never have to fight in a mobile suit, he'll never have to look into an enemies eyes as he shoots them down." She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "He'll never have to see all that blood," she finished, whispering.

"You're right," Trowa said after a while, kissing the top of her head. "You are so right."

"I love you Trowa," Relena said, glancing at the now sleeping baby.

"I love you too," Trowa replied. "More than you know."


* * *


Heero looked at Trowa, eyes wide. "Run that by me again?" he said in a disbelieving voice.

"I want you to be my best man." It was two weeks after Relena gave birth to Brandon Matthew Barton. The news that he was blind had surprised everyone, but despite that, the baby was still beautiful. Behind the fogginess, his eyes had taken a forest green color, matching his father's. He had sandy blonde hair that fell in small wisps around his head.

"Best man," Heero repeated faintly. "Me? I would have thought that you'd ask Quatre." Trowa shook his head.

"Quatre will be there, but I want YOU to be my best man." Heero nodded slowly.

"I'd love too. It'd be an honor."

"Good," Trowa smiled slightly. "We'll have to get you fitted for a tux. You'll be walking Noin down the isle. She's the maid-of-honor. Zechs is handing Relena off." Heero nodded, taking all that in. "Of course, Noin's taller than you, but you don't mind, right?" Trowa asked, glancing at the slightly shorter pilot next to him.

"Ha ha. Very funny Trowa," Heero growled, crossing his arms and standing up straight. "I'm not that short." Trowa chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." Heero glared at him.


* * *


Three years later:

"How's your trip going?" Relena asked the image on the vid-screen.

"As well as can be expected," was the reply.

"You don't sound too happy," Relena said, bending down to pick up a three-year-old boy. "Say hi to Daddy, Matt." The blonde-haired toddler waved in the general direction of the vid-phone.

"Hiya daddy!" he said in an excited voice.

"Hey there buddy!" Trowa said, smiling slightly. Matt giggled, glad to hear his father's voice reply. "You taking care of your mother for me?" Trowa asked.

"I sure am!" Matt replied, smiling widely. "Guess what Uncle Duo got for me!"

"Duo got you something? Oh goody," Trowa said, sharing a look with Relena.

"It's a giant teddy bear! It's almost bigger than I am," the boy said, pointing a finger at himself.

"It's a Panda bear," Relena added.

"Yeah, it's black and white," Matt said, though he would never be able to tell if that was true or not. "And guess what else!" he said in an excited voice.

"What?"

"We're going to see Uncle Heewo today!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Really?" Trowa asked, looking at Relena.

"I told him I was taking Matt to the park today and he asked if I wanted company since you were out of town."

"Be careful. You can't be doing too much in your condition."

"Trowa," Relena laughed. "I'm only five months along! I'll be fine!" she said, placing a hand on the slight swell of her stomach. Trowa held up his hands in surrender.

"I worry, that's all."

"I'll be fine," Relena repeated, and then glanced up at the clock. "Well, I'm supposed to meet Heero in twenty minutes."

"I have to go anyway. I'll be home tomorrow night."

"You know I look forward to that," Relena said, smiling. "Say bye, Matt."

"Bye daddy!" the toddler waved.

"Bye kid," Trowa replied. "Love you," he said, looking into Relena's eyes.

"I love you too." He nodded.

"Bye then.

"Bye." Relena sighed as Trowa terminated their connection. "Come on Matt," she said, picking up the child. "We have to go meet Uncle Heero."

"Yay!" Matt cheered as they walked out the door.

An hour later found Heero and Relena walking through the park. They walked, Relena holding Matt's small hand in her own. Neither spoke, they just enjoyed the other's presence. After a while the group came to the top of a hill overlooking the rest of the park. It was the same hill that Relena had broken up with Heero on all those years ago, but that was the last thing on either of their minds.

"Duo said he would stop by to see Matt today," Heero said as they sat down in the cool grass. Relena smiled.

"That'll be nice. Matt loves him." She paused. "Did he ever ask out that one girl? Mandy?" Heero smirked.

"No, he gave up on her about two weeks ago."

"He hasn't had a girlfriend in a while."

"Not since he broke up with Jenny."

"That was a shame. I really thought they went well together." Heero nodded, watching Matt play around in the grass. "What about you Heero?" Heero looked up sharply.

"What about me?"

"Heero you haven't had a girlfriend since WE were together," Relena said bluntly. Heero looked towards the mountains in the distance.

"I know," he said after a minute. "I haven't wanted one. I'm fine right now. I've got you to talk to. I see Matt almost as much as I would see a child of my own. I still live with Duo, and believe me, that provides more than enough excitement and problems than having a girlfriend would."

"Heero, you know Duo won't stay single forever. He's the type that'll get married eventually. Then what will you do? You'll be living by yourself."

"I'll deal with that when it comes," Heero said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in the grass. It was quiet for another minute before Relena spoke again.

"Are you happy Heero?" The soft-spoken question took Heero by surprise, and it took him a while to answer.

"Am I happy?" he repeated. "I guess."

"You don't sound very sure about that," Relena said, hugging her knees to her chest. Heero sighed.

"It's just that...every time I admit that I'm happy, something bad happens. It's like I'm not suppose to be happy, like I'm not aloud to be because of all I did during the war or something. Or maybe I came into this life cursed, and that's why I became a Gundam pilot in the first place," Heero finished, scowling.

"If you hadn't been a Gundam pilot, I would never have met you. And we could still be fighting a major war," Relena said quietly. Heero thought about that.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Heero, you lived a very important life, don't think it's been worthless. But putting all that behind you, are you happy with your life right now? With the way things are? Are you happy seeing me often like this, living with Duo, being single? Everything?"

"Why do you care?" Heero asked quietly.

"Because, Heero, you are my best friend, and friends are suppose to care about things like that," Relena replied, looking over at him. His head turned to face her.

"Best friend, huh?" Relena nodded, and he smiled. Matt crawled over in the general direction of where the two adults were, and Heero swept him up in his arms, causing the little boy to laugh joyfully. He placed the child on his chest, looking him over. Matt immediately tangled his small fists into Heero's hair.

"I like your hair Uncle Heewo," Matt said. "It's brown right?" he asked, a look of slight confusion crossing over the boys face.

"It sure is," Heero replied, looking up into the face that took no notice of his. He smiled. "You know what Relena?"

"What?" she asked, looking from her son to Heero's face.

"I am happy," he replied, holding the small boy to his chest. "I think I finally am." Relena smiled.

"I'm glad Heero." The peaceful moment didn't last long, because a familiar voice sounded through the air.

"Hey MAATTTTTHHEEEEEEEEW! Where's my best bud, huh?" Heero smirked.

"And there's one of the reasons I'm happy," he said, more to himself, but Relena heard anyway.

"It's Uncle Duo!" Matt cried excitedly, searching around to discover where the voice had come from. He laughed as he was lifted into the air, and reached for the familiar braid that was usually draped over his shoulder. It was still there, as always.

"Good afternoon Relena, Heero," Duo said, swinging Matt up and sitting him on his shoulders.

"Hey Duo, it's good to see you," Relena said smiling. "Matt's been looking forward to seeing you."

"Who doesn't?" Duo said, laughing. The four remained on the hill, talking and enjoying the sunset, until Relena decided that it was almost time for Matt to go to bed, much to the toddler's dismay. So, after saying their goodbyes, Relena carried Matt off down the hill.

"Ready to go?" Heero asked Duo, turning away from the hill.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna go home," Duo said, following Heero.

"Me neither," said Heero, looking up at the sky. "Let's just drive around for a while. If we find something interesting, we'll stop." Duo nodded in agreement, and they walked out of the park.

They drove in silence for a while. Heero kept glancing over at Duo every so often. The braided pilot was leaning in the open window, allowing the wind to blow his hair back from his face.

"Hey Heero?" Duo said after a while.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Could you turn down this road coming up?" Heero looked up ahead.

"Duo, the arcade's down that road. That's the only reason you want to go down there." Duo smiled sheepishly.

"Well, yeah, duh. So can we?"

"No," Heero said, driving on past it.

"Aww," Duo pouted, "You're no fun." Heero didn't answer, and it was quiet again.

"Duo?" Heero asked a couple of minutes later.

"Yeah Heero?"

"Are you...are you happy?" Duo looked a little surprised at the question.

"Well yeah. Why?"

"Seriously Duo. Are you? Are you happy being single? You haven't dated in a long time you know. Do you like sharing the apartment with me?" Duo looked at him thoughtfully.

"Yeah I like sharing the apartment with you. As for the being single thing...I dunno. I mean, eventually I'll find another girlfriend. But I'm tired of just dating. The next couple of girls I go out with will be ones that I could possibly marry eventually. I'm in no hurry though. Hell, we're only twenty-three." Heero nodded.

"So you're happy with your life right now? Seriously?"

"What brought this on?" Duo asked.

"Relena and I had this conversation tonight."

"Ah, she asked you?" Heero nodded. "And what did you say."

"It took me a while, but I realized that I am happy right now. I wouldn't change anything for the world." Duo blinked.

"You mean you LIKE rooming with me?" Heero smirked.

"Yep. I have to say, my life would be incredibly boring without you in it." Duo smiled brightly.

"Gee Heero, I never knew you cared so much."

"Friends are suppose to care," Heero said quietly, remembering what Relena had said earlier. Duo's smile grew even larger, if that was possible.

"You know what Heero? I'm happy too. I really am," Duo said, turning to look out the window again, the smile still on his face. Heero allowed a smile to grace his face too.

That was the last thing Heero heard before his world fell apart.

It was the last thing Duo would ever say.


* * *


The last thing Heero remembered clearly was the light changing from red to green. He'd pushed down on the gas so the car would go forward, as usual. When they were driving past the side road, where there was a red light, a car had sped forward, not even bothering to stop. Heero hadn't even had the chance to slam on the brakes as the car smashed into the passenger side of the car, sending it swerving and spinning into a lamppost on the other side of the road, also hitting Duo's side. From there on, he couldn't remember a thing. He didn't remember the police coming, and then the ambulances and the fire trucks. The next thing Heero DID remember was waking up on a soft bed in the middle of the road, which he considered odd until it occurred to him that it was the type of thing that would eventually would end up in an ambulance. He tried to sit up, instantly regretting it as a sharp pain swept through his insides.

"Sir." Someone was trying to talk to him. Heero looked around, ignoring his swimming vision, trying to locate the owner of the voice. "Sir, over here," the voice said again. He noticed a man in a white uniform next to his right side.

"What happened?" he croaked, even though the answer was obvious.

"You were in an accident, sir. Your car was hit square on the passenger side by a man who we presume ran the red light." The passenger side...Heero's eyes widened.

"Where's Duo?" he asked, looking around frantically.

"Duo? Was that the other person riding in the car?" Heero nodded. "Can you give me his full name?"

"Duo Maxwell," Heero replied vaguely.

"Any living family members?"

"...No."

"Can you give me your full name?"

"He-Heero...Yuy." His head was starting to hurt.

"Sir, Mr. Yuy, stay with me. Is there anyone I can call for you?" Call? Oh, on the phone, right. The pounding in his head refused to go away.

"Can you...get my phone?"

"Was it in the briefcase in your car?"

"Y-yes."

"Yes, we managed to retrieve it."

"S-speed d-d-dial, two," Heero managed to say. His vision was starting to fade out again. "It's the Bartons. R-Relena will answer. T-tell her...t-to c-call everyone...else."

"Yes sir."

"Now...Where's D-Duo?" Heero gritted out. The man looked hesitant to say anything.

"Mr. Yuy, sir, we aren't sure if your friend will make it." That seemed to clear Heero's head for a second.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "Where is he?"

"He's in worse condition than you, sir. They're still trying to get him out of the car."

"He's still in the car?!" Heero bellowed, wincing as a sharp pang went through his head.

"Careful Mr. Yuy. We think you have a concussion," the man said, starting to wheel him to the open ambulance.

"If he's in worse condition than me," Heero practically growled, "then why did you get me out first?!"

"Sir...we were pretty certain your friend did not survive the crash, and it was obvious you were still alive, so it was our priority to get you out first. The car hit Mr. Maxwell straight on, and then he was slammed into a lamppost. The metal of the car caved in around him, and we couldn't even attempt to get him out without the proper equipment to cut through the metal," the man said bluntly, figuring that the man on the bed would be able to handle that information. Heero blinked through wide eyes. It wasn't possible! Duo was ok, he had to be! This medic had seen the wrong thing. Of course! Heero decided that's what was wrong as his vision started to leave him again. Before he blacked out completely, he reach up with newfound strength and grabbed the man's collar.

"You WILL do your absolute best to get Duo out, do you understand me? He WILL come out ALIVE. Got it?!" The man had the decency to looked scared before Heero lost all control of his vision and went completely unconscious.


* * *


Pain. Lots of it. Heero winced as the pounding in his head started again. He tried to move a hand up to his head, but found he couldn't get it to move. Trying the other hand, he was relieved to find out it moved. Pain shot up through his arm as he opened and closed his fist. Oh well, at least it moved. Heero opened his eyes wearily, and immediately regretted it as a wave of bright light made the throbbing in his head even worse. He blinked a couple times, slowly adjusting to the light. All he could see was white. He looked around. Oh, that's why. He was in a...hospital room. Yeah, that's what they were called. Hospitals. Heero blinked as he heard a vaguely familiar voice calling out his name. Wait, was that his name? It must be. Heero turned towards the sound, and found himself staring into a pair of beautiful blue eyes. He blinked again as he tried to remember who that was.

"Heero! Oh Heero, you're ok," Relena cried, tears falling from her eyes.
"You had us all worried! You've been out for six hours!"

"Heero's...my name?" he asked, his voice still scratchy. He noticed the blonde-haired girl pale.

"Heero?" she whispered. He stared at her blankly. "Oh God, Heero, you...you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The accident...that's the reason you're here! And...and D-Duo," Relena choked on a sob. Wait a second. Duo...he knew that name. Pain flashed through Heero's head and he yelled out, reaching up to his head with the hand that could move, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

"Re-Relena," he said quietly after a minute.

"Yes, yes that's me...you remember?"

"...yeah."

"What's my son's name?"

"...Matt, he's blind. And you're married to...to...Trowa. Yeah, ok. You're pregnant again too. I remember now, don't worry," Heero said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Are you ok? That was quite a bad accident, it was all over the news," Relena said worriedly.

"I'm ok," Heero whispered, feeling really sad for some reason he couldn't remember.

"You have a lot of injuries. A concussion, several broken ribs, your right arm is broken, as is your right ankle. You have a lot of cuts and bruises."

"And Duo?" Heero asked, forgetting his earlier conversation with the medic. Relena's eyes immediately teared up and she looked away to Trowa, who Heero finally noticed was also standing in the room. He nodded to him, ignoring the look of worry in Trowa's eyes.

"Heero," Relena said slowly, "they...Duo...they aren't sure if he's going to...to make...it."

"Relena," Trowa said, sharing a look with her. Abruptly she stood up, knocking over the chair she'd been sitting on. Sobbing, she headed towards the door, only to turn back and walk to Heero's bed. The poor boy looked shocked at her sudden outburst.

"I am SO glad you woke up Heero," she whispered. He looked up at her. "They said you might not. They said you might drift into a coma. I was so worried." Relena kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry Heero," she whispered again. On the way out of the room, she stopped in front of Trowa. "Can you tell him?" she pleaded, and Trowa slowly nodded his head, kissing her briefly on the lips. "Thanks. I'll go tell the other's he's up, and I'll let the doctor know too." With that, she was out of the room, leaving Heero alone with Trowa.

"I thought you weren't due back until tomorrow night," Heero said nonchalantly, as if trying to start a normal conversation.

"I came back the minute I heard about the accident." Heero nodded, not looking Trowa in the eye. "Heero," Trowa started, sitting down in the chair Relena had knocked over. "Do you remember the accident? Or is your mind blocking that out?"

"I remember it," Heero said slowly.

"Do you remember what the medic told you about Duo?" Heero nodded after a minute.

"Yes," he whispered, looking straight ahead.

"Heero," Trowa said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Duo is dead. He died seconds after impact, so there was no pain." Heero squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"No," he croaked. "He's not dead. He can't be!" Heero opened his eyes again, and Trowa could see the tears that he wouldn't allow to fall in them.

"You were the only one that survived the crash Heero," Trowa said softly.

"The other driver died?" Trowa noted that he didn't sat 'too' or 'also.'

"Yes. His last words to the medics were, and I quote, 'I should never have been drinking. I was only trying to get home.'"

"He was drunk?"

"Extremely drunk," Trowa replied. Heero closed his eyes again. "Heero?" Trowa asked. "Are you ok?" Heero didn't answer.

"When's the...the f-funeral?" Heero asked, his voice shaking.

"Whose?" Trowa had to ask, to make sure he wasn't referring to the other driver. He wanted to make sure he wasn't in denial. Heero squeezed his eyes even tighter together as his breath came in short gasps.

"D-" he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "D...Duo's," he finally whispered. Trowa had to bite his lip to keep himself from breaking down.

"Hilde said she would take care of it. She didn't take the...death very well. And her boyfriend wasn't very happy that she was so upset over her 'ex-boyfriend.' From the look on Hilde's face, they won't be together much longer." Heero nodded and finally opened his eyes.

"I don't know if I'll go." Trowa nodded. "You know what his...his last words were?"

"What?" Trowa asked quietly.

"He said: 'I'm happy too. I really am.' He was happy, and then he had to go and die!" Heero shouted, a sob racking his body. Despite himself, Trowa felt a tear slip down his cheek.


* * *


True to his word, Heero did not attend the funeral. At least he didn't go where anyone could see him. Relena was pretty sure that he was somewhere close though. She rubbed a hand across her swollen stomach, and glanced at Trowa briefly. They'd both decided on the name their next child would have if it were a boy. All too soon, the funeral was over, and everyone said their tearful goodbyes to the braided pilot that no one would ever forget. Relena couldn't remember the last time she had seen so many tears. Duo was definitely a person who would never be forgotten. Even Wufei allowed a few tears to slide down his face. Hilde stood off to the side, as Trowa had guessed, boyfriendless. Instead of heading home, Relena headed off towards the park. Trowa knew what she was doing, so he had taken Matt home to bed, allowing her the time she needed.

Yep, she was right. Before Relena even reached the hill she could see his form sitting and watching the sunset. She walked up quietly and sat down on the grass beside him. Heero didn't even acknowledge her presence. It must have been hard for him to get up here, seeing as his foot was in a cast, but then again, it was Heero she was thinking about.

"You ok?" Relena asked quietly.

"Yeah," came the gruff reply.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"...Not really." Silence. Then, "It's my fault he's gone."

"What makes you say that?"

"He...he wanted to go to the arcade. But I didn't, so I didn't turn down that road," Heero said scornfully. "If I had, he would still be here."

"Heero, it's not your fault. There was nothing you could do about it. It was the driver of the other car who you should blame. That and alcohol."

"I want him to come back," Heero whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on top of them.

"Don't we all?"

"Did Trowa tell you what his last words were?" Relena shook her head. "He said he was happy."

"Does that have anything to do with the conversation we had?"

"Yes, that's why I asked him. And he was happy. He was even happier when I told him I liked rooming with him. I haven't been able to sleep in that apartment knowing he should be in the room next to me. I just can't grasp the fact that he's gone...and not coming back." Heero's eyes were filling up with tears, and Relena could already feel the ones falling down her face.

"Heero, you should stop thinking about the fact that you," she paused. "SUPPOSEDLY ruined his happiness. Think of it this way: he died happy. There was a smile on his face when he left the world. Duo's gone on to a better place. He'll never have to deal with war or death ever again." Heero nodded. But he obviously didn't believe her as he proved with his next statement.

"You know why he's gone right? Because I admitted that I was happy. Someone heard that and figured they'd better do something to make me miserable again. It never lasts."

"Heero, Duo would not want to hear you talking like that."

"I know," Heero whispered. He choked on a sob. Relena put her hand on his back and started rubbing it in circles, trying to calm him down. It only made it worse.

"Heero, its ok to let it all go. There's nothing wrong with that." Heero shook his head stubbornly, his breath coming in short gasps.

"No," he gritted out.

"Heero," Relena said lowly. Heero clenched his teeth together and blinked rapidly. One tear made its way down his cheek. "Come on," she said soothingly. Another tear followed, and another. Heero wiped frantically at them with his good hand, and then it was like he totally gave up.

"Damn it Relena!" he cried as he let his hand drop to the ground and he gave in to the tears completely. He buried his face in his knees, ignoring the fact that Relena had wrapped her arms around him form behind and was slowly rocking back and forth. Heero looked up, the tears falling freely now, and stared out into the distance. "I didn't want him to die," he whispered.

"I know, Heero. I know. No one did." Heero choked on another sob, and fresh wave of tears came.


* * *


"Duo! Be careful! You'll hurt someone with that stick," Relena called. Three-year-old Duo Barton stopped running and pouted at his mother. "Put it down," Relena said gently.

"Aw, do I have to?"

"Do as your mother says," Trowa warned. The brown-haired, blue-eyed boy dropped the stick and sulked, walking slowly over to where his six-year-old brother was. Matt looked up when he heard Duo plop down next to him.

"You're so hyper sometimes," he stated matter-of-factly. Duo grinned.

"Thank you," he said, flipping his short braid over his shoulder. Heero watched him from afar.

"It's amazing how much he actually resembles him," he said. Hilde slipped her arms around his waist from behind and nodded.

"Especially with the braid, and he even acts like him." Trowa nodded next to them.

"So have you two decided on a date for the wedding YET?" Relena asked coming to stand next to her husband. Her belly was swollen again, but this time they were pretty sure it was a girl. Hilde chuckled. She and Heero had been engaged for the past two years, having found their way to each other through Duo's death. Neither was in a hurry to have the wedding, but their friends were starting to get anxious.

"Don't worry Relena," Hilde said smiling. "It will definitely happen before the year is over."

"Good. It's about time," Relena said jokingly. Heero smiled, and turned around so he was face to face with Hilde.

"We're taking our time," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "After all, we're only twenty-six, Ms. I'm Going On My Third Child And Not About To Stop Anytime Soon." Relena smiled.

"Damn right," she exclaimed, and Trowa blushed slightly. Heero chuckled, kissing Hilde again. Finally he was content in life again. He was...happy. But would it last this time? Heero frowned briefly, looking into the distance. He had good friends, he had finally found himself a fiancé, and he was going to become a father within the year, though he and Hilde hadn't told anyone yet. Heero smiled.

Yeah, he was pretty sure it would last this time.


¡END!



Can you believe it?! My first completely finished fic! I'm actually very proud of the way this turned out. I hope you all like it! I enjoyed writing it, though I almost made myself cry towards the end. I can't believe I...killed Duo! He's my favorite character! ARGH! Oh well, he's happy, wherever he is. Thanks for reading, please review!! PLEASE!!!! Ja ne!

*~Maxine~*