Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 37 ( Chapter 37 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G Boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot line and any other characters that appear here that are not in the Gundam Wing Universe; please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

 

Warnings: Angst, sap, fluff, violence, Mpreg.

 

Rating: NC 17

 

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xS, HxOC

 

Summary: Sequel to Chimaera. Life in the Maxwell -Yuy household has undergone some big changes when Duo brings Keitaro home from the hospital. Hilde's wedding is approaching and the guys find there's more to this baby business than they thought. Struggling to raise a child, work at Preventer and keep the home happy is certainly a trial for both guys. Add an assassin's threats to prominent government officials' lives and both men find their lives are suddenly changed. Just how far will one go to protect the ones he loves?

 

Dedication: to all my lovely readers out there who enjoyed Chimaera and have since begged, threatened, pleaded, bribed and blackmailed me for a sequel. ^_^

 

 

 

 

"Family Ties"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

Chapter 37

 

Heero strode towards the diner entrance, Wufei beside him. They entered and took a look around. It wasn't anything to write home about, booths along three walls, chairs and tables scattered about and a long counter with stools; just your average diner. There were three men sitting on the various stools and two of the booths were occupied, there was no sign of Duo.

 

A gum chewing waitress approached and gave both men a good look up and down, obviously liking what she saw. “Hey, sugar, what can I get you?” she asked with a bat of her eyelashes.

 

Completely ignoring the blatant come on, Wufei reached for his Preventer ID and flashed it under the woman's nose. “I'm Preventer Agent Fire and this is Agent Day. We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding the pick up truck out the front.”

 

“No good asking me, honey. I've just returned after two days off,” she replied, not at all perturbed by Wufei's cool tone.

 

“Are there any staff here that were working yesterday?” Heero asked, impatient to find out something - anything that might lead him to his husband and son.

 

“I think Holly was on yesterday… Oh, Sam the cook would have been here too. Hang on a sec, tiger, I'll go check.” The waitress turned and walked back behind the long counter and disappeared through the swinging doors to the kitchen.

 

“When I said interrogate the staff, Yuy, I didn't mean in the manner of which you are used to from the war. These are civilians and we need to be careful in how we ask our questions if we wish to succeed in gaining answers,” Chang snipped.

 

“I know. I'll try to be polite,” Heero replied, “But it's frustrating, Chang, I feel like I'm so close to finding Duo only to run into another brick wall.”

 

“I understand, I'm just as frustrated as you are and want nothing more than to find Maxwell, your son and the nanny, but we need to do this right. If you start questioning them in the manner Oz did to us then all we will get is silence and a request to leave.”

 

Heero sighed and moved towards the counter, perching on a stool and motioning for Wufei to sit. Chang declined, but stood next to the other agent. A few moments later the waitress returned with another waitress and a rather portly man dressed in a white t-shirt, black pants and wearing an apron and hat. At least Wufei guessed it must have been a white t-shirt at some stage, although now it was almost gray and covered in grease stains.

 

“Holly was here for most of yesterday and Sam was on the afternoon shift,” the waitress stated and then left the agents with the cook and other waitress to tend to her other customers.

 

“What can we do for ya?” the cook asked as he plonked down on a stool and wiped his greasy hands on a tea towel.

 

Chang resisted the urge to gag.

 

“The pick up truck out the front. Did either of you happen to notice what time it arrived here yesterday?” Heero asked.

 

“Nope, I can't see much from out the kitchen,” Sam replied.

 

“I'm afraid I can't put a time to it either,” Holly said.

 

Chang nudged Heero. “The photo.”

 

“Hn.” Heero reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the photo of Duo and Keitaro. “Have either of you seen this man or this child?” Heero passed over the photo, Sam about to take it when Holly grabbed it instead.

 

She studied it for a moment then looked at Heero. “I haven't seen the child but the guy looks familiar.”

 

Heero's eyes sparked a little.

 

Holly thought long and hard, then spoke again. “He came in yesterday, I'm sure of it 'cause I remember thinking about how lovely his hair was. A woman would kill to have hair like that, you know, so long and silky looking, but I'm getting side tracked. He had a coffee and sat in the booth over there.”

 

“What time would that have been?” Chang questioned.

 

“Let's see, I don't remember the actual time, but it would have been somewhere around five-thirty or six-ish. The dinner crowd was just starting to make its way in.”

 

“That fits in with the timeframe from the surveillance,” Heero stated.

 

“How long did he stay? Was there anyone with him?” Chang pushed on.

 

“He didn't stay long, just ordered a coffee, nothing to eat,” Holly replied and then thought for a moment. “Another man joined him not long after he came in.”

 

“Can you remember anything about the two of them? Were they chatting in a friendly manner? Or did they seem aggravated?” Heero asked.

 

“Let's see,” Holly searched her mind.

 

“It doesn't matter how small, anything at all you can remember would be of help to us,” Chang added.

 

“He in trouble or somethin'?” Sam inquired.

 

“No. I am not at liberty to divulge the details of the case, but suffice to say, this man is missing and it is vitally important we find him as quickly as possible,” Chang stated in a tone that clearly said he wouldn't say any more.

 

“I wish you luck,” Sam said. “I don't think I'm gonna be much use to ya, so if it's okay with you guys, I'll get back to my kitchen, there's meals awaitin'.”

 

“Thank you for your assistance, that will be fine,” Chang said and the cook departed leaving the two agents alone with Holly.

 

“Now, Holly, if you could relate to us anything at all that you can remember about this person and the one that joined him it could help us to find him,” Heero prompted.

 

“I don't know how much help I will be, but I'll tell you all I can remember from the time they came in to when they left.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“The long haired guy came in first and ordered a coffee like I already told you. He was by himself for about ten minutes, then this other guy came in and sat with him. He ordered a coffee too and they sat and chatted together. I don't know what they talked about, I'm not in the habit of listening in on customers' conversations, but the long haired guy seemed a little agitated, tense if you like. The other guy appeared calm. They talked for a while but they didn't get rowdy or loud or anything, just talked in sort of low tones. They were only in here for about ten or fifteen minutes, then they left.”

 

“They left together?” Chang asked.

 

“Yeah. Left a pretty good tip too. The long haired guy didn't seem too happy when they went, at least that's the impression I got from the look on his face. Where they went or what car they left in, I couldn't tell you,” Holly said and then relaxed back on the stool she'd sat on.

 

Wufei had his notebook out and had scribbled down all the relevant information. At least it was something to go on.

 

“Could you describe the other man?” Heero questioned.

 

“I can try, I don't remember a whole lot about him. In this game you don't tend to take a lot of notice of the customers. Unless they're really hot,” she added with a smile.

 

Heero blushed a little, Chang rolled his eyes.

 

“Just tell us anything you can remember about him,” Chang pushed.

 

“Let's see, he would have been late twenties, maybe early thirties, short hair - brown I think.” Holly's brow furrowed as she searched her memory. “He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a flannel shirt, I don't recall what color the shirt was.”

 

“Did he have a beard? Eye color?” Heero prompted.

 

“No, he was clean shaven. Couldn't tell you what color his eyes were, I didn't notice. He was taller than the other man, the one you're looking for; I'd say about six inches taller.”

 

“Anything else?” Chang asked as he wrote down the description.

 

Holly shook her head. “That's all I can think of,” she replied.

 

“Thank you, you've been most helpful,” Heero said and reached for his Preventer card. “Here, that's my card and it has my contact number on it. If you should think of anything else, doesn't matter how small, please call me. Also, if you should see either of these men again, please ring me immediately.”

 

Taking the card, Holly looked at it and then slipped it into the pocket of her apron. “No problem. I'll be sure to do that. Good luck with finding the guy.”

 

Heero and Wufei took their leave, stepping back out into the fresh air and pausing for a moment. “We need to head back to HQ, I think we have a lot to work on and Barton and Winner are waiting for us,” Wufei said.

 

“Shit!” Heero had forgotten all about Trowa and Quatre in his haste to get to the pick up truck and a possible lead on Duo's whereabouts. “I'll drive Duo's pick up back and meet you there.”

 

“Okay. See you in the garage.” Wufei took his leave, Heero following suit.

 

* * *

 

“If this is the sort of food they feed to their agents, I dread to think what they give to their prisoners,” Quatre commented dryly as he poked the food on his plate.

 

Trowa had opted to have a sandwich rather than risk the items on display in the hot food section of the Preventer cafeteria.

 

“I swear this is recycled meatloaf.”

 

Trowa glanced at his husband's plate and frowned. “What is it supposed to be?”

 

“Roast beef and vegetables.”

 

“I'd quit now before you come down with food poisoning.”

 

“Valid point,” Quatre replied and placed his knife and fork on the plate of barely touched food. His hand sneaked across and snagged one of Trowa's sandwiches. “Much better.”

 

Trowa's eyes widened a little at the blatant 'snitching' of his lunch, then he gave a sigh and resigned himself to being on a 'restricted diet' until dinner time.

 

They were finishing off their drinks when Trowa's cell began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket, the Latin answered the call.

 

“Okay. I see. Yes, we will head back now. Bye.”

 

Quatre watched his husband with an amused twinkle in his eye.

 

“That was Wufei. They're back and asked us to meet them in reception for a meeting to discuss the latest findings.”

 

“Any clues as to what is happening?”

 

“No, Chang didn't say,” Trowa replied as he swallowed the last of his juice.

 

Quatre tossed his garbage into the bin, placed the tray on top with the others and followed his lover from the cafeteria.

 

* * *

 

Nurse Brown groaned softly as she tried to get into a more comfortable position on the bed. Her wrist throbbed and ached, the swelling causing her wrist to become twice the size it usually was. The skin was red, in places turning purple from the bruising. A glass of water and another two panadol appeared in front of her and she took them gratefully.

 

“I wish there was more I could do for you,” Duo said softly, the concern in his eyes showing through.

 

“I'm afraid there isn't much anyone other than a doctor and surgery can do for me,” replied the nurse with a small smile. “At least the panadol is helping with the pain.”

 

Duo was frustrated, he hated being this helpless. Granted, if he'd been on his own he would probably have been out of here by now and the group holding them would be either dead or a very sorry bunch. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much with his son and the nanny being held too and used against him. He couldn't risk any further harm to either of them.

 

But he had made himself a promise.

 

Once Keitaro and Nurse Brown were no longer in danger he would take these miserable bastards down and make them pay severely for what they had dared to touch.

 

No one fucked with Duo Maxwell and what was his without regretting it.

 

“What I wouldn't give for a cup of tea,” the nurse sighed.

 

“If I could make you one, I would,” Duo said. “Given the provisions about all I can stretch to is an iced tea, although that won't be very cold.”

 

The nurse chuckled. “It's okay.” She smiled at the young man who stood before her, his son in his arms. “Would you like me to take him for a bit?”

 

“If you feel up to it.”

 

“Of course. Here, put him next to me, I'm sure he will have a nap very shortly.”

 

Duo had been playing with Keitaro for some time, giving the nanny a chance to get some rest and also to wear the child out a little. With Keitaro almost nine months old, he was staying awake for longer periods of time and had a natural curiosity of the world around him. He was just starting to crawl which meant Duo was like a cat on a hot tin roof, constantly watching and monitoring the child.

 

Duo understood that Keitaro had to be allowed to crawl around, to get into things and discover more about his world, but Duo wasn't too keen on the state of the basement they were being kept in. Thus he tried to allow the child to do some exploring, but kept him confined as much as possible.

 

Brushing back the hair from the child's brow, Duo pressed a loving kiss to his son's cheek and then lay him next to the nurse. Keitaro immediately snuggled against Nurse Brown and began to drift off to sleep.

 

“He'll be fine,” the nurse said as she placed her uninjured arm around the infant. “Why don't you get some rest too?”

 

“Nah. I think I'll have another go at that window,” Duo said.

 

The nurse nodded, understanding his need to be doing something positive, something that just might help them get away.

 

Walking back to the window, Duo pulled the spoon from his pocket and continued to dig away at the crumbling mortar. He'd made quite a bit of headway, but there was still a way to go yet before he would be able to use brute force to remove the surrounding wood and make a hole big enough for them all to get through.

 

But right now he didn't have anything better to do.

 

* * *

 

There was no sign of either Heero or Wufei when Trowa and Quatre entered the Preventer reception area again so they took a seat and awaited their friends' arrival. It wasn't long before Chang showed up, Heero a few minutes behind him.

 

Rather than discuss the current events in the reception area, the four went up to Wufei's office where they would have the privacy they needed. Once inside and seated, Wufei and Heero proceeded to fill Trowa and Quatre in on what had transpired since they left them at the park.

 

With all the information passed on, both Quatre and Trowa looked a little shell shocked to say the least.

 

Heero had let Wufei explain most of the information, his head was whirling with thoughts, pieces of the puzzle were all floating around, taunting him, daring him to try and fit them together. He knew they would all fit, he just needed to find the right sequence - but that was going to take time and time was something Heero didn't have a lot of right now.

 

“You believe the assassination of the L1 ambassador was done by Duo?” Quatre questioned. “I can't see him killing for the sake of it, that's just not Duo.”

 

“I'm pretty certain it was Duo,” Heero replied. “The crime scene all points to the style of execution Duo used during the war.”

 

“Don't forget the clues left behind too,” Wufei interjected. “The hair sample and the message.”

 

“And you say this person sent an e-mail to the ESUN claiming responsibility for the assassination and then made demands, but not the usual demands?” Trowa checked, wanting to make sure he had all the facts correct.

 

“Hai. Une has gone to the ESUN to discuss what they plan to do,” Heero answered.

 

“Can they trace the e-mail?” Quatre asked.

 

“Une has a team working on it.”

 

A light suddenly went off in Quatre's head. He turned to Heero, barely hanging onto the excitement in his voice. “Heero?”

 

“Hai?”

 

“What exactly were the demands again?”

 

“They said something about wanting more funding for the L2 colony cluster... Shit!” A piece of the puzzle suddenly slotted into place, Heero's eyes narrowing as he let his mind analyze the piece.

 

“Duo spoke to me regarding the rebuilding and funding that's currently going to L2. Did he mention anything about it to you, Heero?” Quatre asked.

 

Trowa was starting to look a little lost. He didn't know the entire story, just bits and pieces.

 

“Hai, he did. We had done a little work on it together but not found anything; unless...” Heero's mind began to tick over.

 

“Unless what?” Quatre questioned.

 

“The day Duo disappeared he left me a note saying he was following up on a potential lead.”

 

“I think we need to go back to your place, Heero. If I know Duo, he will have records kept somewhere of what he has found,” Quatre said with a knowing look.

 

“What are you both going on about?” Trowa asked, not at all pleased to be left out of the loop.

 

Wufei wasn't looking too impressed either.

 

Quatre quickly filled Trowa and Wufei in on what Duo had suspected. The funding for the L2 colony didn't seem to be on par with that of the other colonies. From what Quatre and Heero knew of Duo's investigations thus far, all the incoming materials and aid to L2 equaled the current expenditure.

 

“I'm certain this is somehow tied in with the guy that was found murdered at the ESUN,” Heero said. “I wonder if that was the lead Duo was following up on?”

 

“You were trying to hack the ESUN database as you believe the answer to the guy's death was in there somewhere,” Wufei reminded Heero.

 

“Hai, I am, but as yet I haven't finished getting through the security.”

 

“Duo did ask me for a copy of the donations Winner Enterprises had made to the colony rebuilding fund; I sent them through the other day,” Quatre announced.

 

Heero stood up and grabbed his jacket. “I'm heading home to see if there's any clues on Duo's computer.”

 

“We're coming with you,” Wufei stated and also stood, Quatre and Trowa right with him.

 

The four left Preventer headquarters and headed back to Heero and Duo's residence.

 

* * *

 

Wainright rolled his head from side to side and eased a little of the ache in his shoulders. Returning to the keyboard again, he continued to scan through his files and delete those he'd copied to disc. An hour later he was finished.

 

Removing the disc, he checked his computer again, pleased to note that all the incriminating files were now gone. He slipped the disc into his briefcase and then continued with his other work.

 

Evans had also cleaned his computer of any evidence and felt a lot better about the whole business now. His mind switched to the evening and his meeting with Wainright. He was nervous about how things had suddenly sped up, but he trusted the other senator and knew that now was probably the best time to get out.

 

* * *

 

Une shook her head and sighed. Really, these politicians were just plain stupid! It was obvious this person was not messing around, the death of the L1 ambassador was certainly proof enough of that. Whilst she did not agree with giving in to terrorists, she couldn't understand why they needed to have a three hour debate on the topic. To her it was simple.

 

You looked into the funding.

 

Why would this person be demanding extra funding for L2 if the colonies were all getting the same support?

 

Une liked things in black and white, to find the source of the matter, go right to the heart of it and check it out. This terrorist was demanding funding, funding that was already being dispensed, wouldn't it be easy enough then to simply check the records? See what aid had been dispensed the all colonies? Then, if there was a problem, look into it.

 

She only hoped that her agents were having better luck than she was.

 

* * *

 

Returning to the mansion, Heero immediately headed for the office and Duo's computer. He booted it up and whilst waiting for it to load, removed his jacket and got comfortable.

 

Wufei pulled a chair up next to Yuy, Trowa and Quatre disappeared to the kitchen to make refreshments, returning shortly with mugs of coffee for all. Quatre pulled up another chair while Trowa stood behind the three, eyes glued to the screen.

 

Once Heero had logged on, he set about tracing Duo's last movements on the computer. Wufei scanned over the cluttered desk and spotted a disc. He reached for it and picked it up. Turning it over, he gazed curiously at it. The words 'Sanq Foundation' stared back at him.

 

“What's that, Wufei?” Quatre asked.

 

“It's a disc. It was sitting just there,” Wufei replied.

 

“Sanq Foundation,” Trowa read over Wufei's shoulder. “What's that mean?”

 

Quatre's face crinkled into a frown. “That's Relena's foundation. The Sanq Foundation is responsible for raising money and donating it to various causes. Along with Winner Enterprises they were the other largest fund donor to the Colony rebuilding scheme. Heero, I think you should check what's on the disc.”

 

Heero grunted. “I've found what Duo was investigating, and that disc is a vital part of it.”

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...