Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply here. I do not own Gundam Wing; however, I DO own Alexandra, Adjani, Joshua, Glacia, Eve and anyone else who is unfamiliar to the show. If you should wish to borrow them, PLEASE let me know!

Series: Gundam Wing

For Eternity

Chapter Eight: Life Has a Funny Way…

Written by: Tiasha

~

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

[…]

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought...it figures

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out

AlanisMorissette, "Ironic"

~

Midii watched with little enthusiasm as Relena rushed around the kitchen before the latter finally placed breakfast in front of the two children sitting at the kitchen table. No sooner was that done, she was suddenly rushing to finishing packing lunches for the two children while hollering at Adjani to wake up. The poor girl had fallen asleep at her desk, again, reports and data charts scattered about the oak surface…or so Midii had seen when Relena had asked about the girl nearly a half an hour ago and she had gone with Relena to find her. Alex was downstairs in the basement, training as usual and the muffled heavy rock music could testify to that.

"Lena? Could I have an extra water bottle?" Miguel asked as he took another bite of his waffles. Relena made a sound absent-mindedly to let the boy know she had heard him as she moved to place another bottle of water into the boy's paper lunch bag.

"Hey!" Eve suddenly whined, frowning at the boy sitting next to her. "That was mine! Mommy! Miguel took my piece of sausage! Mommy!"

"Gods, I swear that man wouldn't last a day without me…" Relena muttered before promptly yelling, "JOSH! Get your butt down here now or you'll be even later than usual!"

Midii just shook her head, admiration for the young woman raising another notch as Eve once again whined about her stolen sausage. She had no idea where the woman found enough patience deal with this every morning. It was just one of the things that she seemed to have a gift for, acting motherly towards everyone and taking care of everyone else before herself. It was also what made her the prime candidate for pack leader… Though none of them had realized it until a few months after living together, but everyone else had begun to shift their habits and somehow unknowingly ushered her into the position of pack leader.

A smile touched her lips as she remembered that day. Alex had been grumbling about something before threatening to go off and disregard orders. Relena (along with the rest of them) had had just about enough of her attitude and before she even realized what she had been saying, had snapped out "Damn it, Alex! I'm pack leader! Know your place, bitch and follow orders!" They had all been stunned at that, including Relena but Alex had shrugged it off, giving a 'keh' in response, acknowledging Relena as pack leader.

"Miguel! Stop! It's my breakfast! You stupid jerk!" Eve whined, frowning and glaring at the boy who looked at her in slight surprise. Midii raised a delicate brow, waiting for the anvil to drop on the poor girl's head… And by the look of it, the child knew it too, for she hunched her shoulders slightly and winced when her mother loudly and promptly reprieved her.

"Eve Daniels!" Relena gasped, turning to look at her daughter in shock. "That was uncalled for! You apologize right now and Miguel, for heaven's sake, if you want more then just ask! Don't start fighting before we even get to the car, please?"

Eve muttered an apology as the boy merely shrugged and gave a 'yes ma'am' to Relena, who had now turned her attention back to getting a certain Hispanic young man out the door in time for work. Midii watched, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, as Adjani stumbled into the kitchen, blinking owlishly as Relena handed the young woman a cup of hot tea. The Greek woman plopped down into the empty chair next to Midii, sipping her tea and savoring the taste of it.

Midii's attention was turned to the braided young man sitting next to Eve as he sneakily slipped two more sausages onto the little girl's plate, replacing the two that Miguel had previously stolen. Eve beamed up at him as he winked conspiratorially at her and again Midii smiled, chuckling quietly to herself as she lifted her cup of earl grey tea to her lips. She also noticed that tension seized Yuy's shoulders every time Relena called up to Joshua to 'get a move on,' though she doubted anyone else was even paying enough attention to notice. But that tension also seemed to ease away when he watched Eve, all of the child's actions seeming to capture his attention and perhaps even his curiosity.

"Josh! Hurry up!" Relena called again, coming to the table to take Miguel and Eve's plates, the boy looking somewhat cheated as he had not fully finished his breakfast. Duo was quick to steal back one of his uneaten sausages from Eve's plate and Relena did not even spare a second glance to reprimand him. The young woman then shooed the two children to get their shoes on and grab their backpacks as she placed the dirty dishes into the sink, then moving to slip on her own shoes.

It was about this time that Joshua Anaya came rushing downstairs, straightening the tie of his Preventer uniform and shrugging on his jacket at the same time. He threw a frown at Relena as she began to shove him towards the door that led to the garage, opening it and turning to look at her pointedly. She huffed at him, hands on her hips as she stared him down for a moment. He suddenly leaned casually against the doorframe of the door, grinning at her.

"I need my laptop," he said, still grinning as she turned and grabbed the laptop case off the kitchen counter. When she turned back to him, she gave him an exasperated sigh, frowning up at him, still keeping a hold of his computer.

"What?" she asked in annoyance at the look and grin he was giving her.

"You're gonna stress yourself out if you're not careful."

She merely cocked her head to the side.

"Then you'll need to get laid 'cause you're a real bitch when you're stressed and don't release all that tension. And you know I'll be more than happy to oblige you."

Midii wondered if it was a miracle that Yuy hadn't crushed his cup of coffee in his hands or that he wasn't in any way able to witness the interaction between the two. In any case, she noticed the way he glared at his coffee with a glimmer of a promise of pain and she had an inkling that he was wishing his coffee was a certain Hispanic young man. She only prayed that Joshua had enough sense to not drag this conversation out for too long; otherwise, he might very possibly find himself with a black eye…or two…

"I'm sure you would," Relena said in a patronizing tone, before shoving the laptop case into his chest, causing the young man to grunt in surprise at the action. He quickly grabbed it before it fell and gave her a frown. "Now got to work! You're already late and you're making Miguel late for school and Eve for daycare by keeping me here! Go!"

She then turned, calling for Miguel and Eve to get into the car as she moved to grab her purse off the countertop and her car keys from the key rack. She was in the process of shooing the two out the door, asking Miguel to help Eve into her car-seat when Midii realized that Relena was about to walk off without some important items.

Clearing her throat, Midii watched as Relena gave her a questioning look. Looking pointedly at the lunches that still sat on the counter, Midii heard Relena groan in dismay at her own carelessness.

"God, I'm normally more together than this," she muttered, grabbing the lunches and looking back at Midii. "I don't trust myself this morning. Is there anything else I'm forgetting?"

Lips twitching upward, Midii motioned to the green Everest book-bag near the door. "You have class today, do you not?" Midii asked, smiling as the other woman cursed under her breath.

"Well, I'm allowed to be unprepared once in awhile," Relena reasoned as she slung the book-bag onto her shoulder; keys, purse and lunches in hand, she gave a hasty good-bye and somehow managed to close the door with her hands being full.

"Wait for it," Hilde murmured from behind her own cup of coffee.

"Shimatta [1]! That paper's due today! Kuso[2]! And no Eve, do NOT repeat what I'm saying! Miguel! Shut up! No, I mean it! Shut up! Ah screw it; I'll e-mail it to her when I get back!"

Adjani chuckled as she stood and moved to get herself breakfast. "Gotta love the mornings when she's so disorganized…though they are rare."

Hilde nodded in agreement and shared a look with Midii. Rolling her eyes, Midii slowly stood up, taking her tea with her as she slowly made her way across the kitchen. "Oui [3], oui, oui, mon amie[4]. I'll go ahead and send her paper to the professor."

"Aww, how nice of you!" Hilde chirped. "And I didn't even have to say anything!"

Midii gave the German woman a dry look, "You're pushin' it Twinkle Toes [5]."

"So are you French Fry [6]."

Incensed, Midii 'hmphed' and turned her attention back to making it to the study without pulling her muscles any more than was necessary. "One of these days, Hilde, one of these days," she threatened lightly, not bothering to see what the other woman was doing.

Hilde, for her part, merely stuck out her tongue at the retreating figure of the French woman in retaliation. Once the other woman was gone, Hilde placed her cup on the table and slumped down into her chair, giving a bemused look at Adjani when the woman came back to the table with her own breakfast. "I can't believe you fell asleep at the desk again," she said, smiling as the Greek woman massaged one side of her neck.

"Mou [7]…you'd think I'd learn, ne [8]?" Adjani answered in a light tone. "Gods, I need to just keep a pillow in there or something."

Hilde gave the other woman a sympathetic look before heaving a heavy sigh and sitting up in the chair. Oh, of all the times for the sink to clog…oh well, she could at least install that new garbage disposal Relena had bought a few weeks ago. But she just didn't feel like starting on it quite yet.

Smothering a yawn, she looked around at the other people present at the table, noting that many of them still had questions from last night. Not that any of the girls would answer them without their leader being there to oversee them and the answers that would be given. While Hilde had joined the group at a later time than the others, she was no less ignorant about the workings of the 'pack' than Adjani or Miguel, both who joined at later dates. Though it was a little odd seeing Relena so…well military-trained at times…

"I know this is probably not the best time to mention this," Adjani began slowly, looking at Hilde calculatingly, "but I think I know how to figure out why they sent 'pets' out after us last night."

Hilde raised a brow at her, "Really? Is that what you were up to last night?"

The blonde Greek nodded her head, "Yeah, and it may turn out to be a bit of a…controversy as to how we're going to go about it."

"I'm lost now," Duo interjected, gaining their attention. "What do you mean by controversy?"

"Well, Midii is out of commission for at least a week…Alex is the brawn of our group, she tends to get the 'messy' work…I'm the strategist basically, Hilde's the mechanic and Lena's well, leader."

"Wait a sec…when you say Midii's out of commission, you mean-so you're saying that-" Hilde began, starting to see where this conversation was headed towards.

"It's gonna have to be you, myself or Lena…though I have a feeling Lena's gonna be a bit hesitant to volunteer right away," answered Adjani with a curt nod. "But she'll do it without question or complaint."

"So you were able to speak with Rick I take it…he knows the ins and outs of that club, I swear…"

"Actually it was Lexie…"

Hilde blinked a few times before rearing back in surprise, "What the-how the Hell did you get information from that slut?!"

"Josh was able to sweet talk it out of her."

Again Hilde blinked and then let out a soft chuckle, "That Casanova, I swear…so that's why he was running late this morning. He was helping you last night, huh?"

"Yeah, though I didn't mean to keep him so busy with the info last night… He'll bug me about it when he gets home tonight." The Greek woman merely shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn't really a big deal to her.

Sighing, Hilde looked up at the ceiling, asking "What did she say? Was it even worth talking to her about?"

"I don't know actually, we'll have to see how well the meeting goes. I've already set up a 'deal' for the contact she gave us…she gave us some tips on how to get the guy to open up," Adjani explained, a sly smile crossing her lips as Hilde looked back at her.

Groaning, Hilde frowned at the table cloth while mulling the situation over in her head. Oh, the boys were not going to like this one bit…but how could they be convinced to not get involved drastically?

"What kind of tips? What are you two talking about?" Duo again interjected, catching both girls' attention.

Adjani was about to explain when another voice drifted over to them. "The best way to extract the information we want from this guy is to seduce him apparently," Alex stated, coming to stand next to Hilde and Adjani, a towel hanging around her neck. "And since Midii is usually the one who does that kind of extraction, we're gonna have to find someone else to do it. We can't ask Lexie because that whore isn't supposed to know about our organization or our mission."

"Then how does she know that this is the guy you need?" Heero asked almost in a challenging manner.

Alex merely shrugged her shoulders at his challenge before answering him. "She knows that Josh works with Preventer, so she probably figures that Preventer wants to crack down on animal alterations or get info on it. She probably doesn't even realize the deeper, darker dealings this guy has made."

"But you're sure that this is the guy that you're looking for?"

Adjani nodded, "From what I can tell yes, but the only way to be sure is to go and talk to the guy."

"It'll probably have to be Lena though," Alex said thoughtfully, dabbing a few beads of sweat on forehead with the one end of the towel.

"Why do you say that?" Duo asked, taking a sip of his coffee and giving the redhead a curious look.

"She's the only one who seems to fit into Midii's clothes perfectly. They're a little too small for Adjani and a little too big for Hilde."

Hilde shrugged her shoulders, sighing as she pushed out her chair and stood up. "Well, I guess we'll have to get Midii to scour our closets for it though…Lena'll need us in there too, right?"

At Adjani's nod, Hilde sighed again and stretched her arms over her head as she moved out of the kitchen to the Butler's pantry. Well, she needed to get started on that sink so the dirty dishes could be done.

---

Hilde's frown deepened as she grabbed the socket wrench and began to tighten the washers on the newly installed garbage disposal. She knew he had been watching her the entire time, she could sense it… That and he had saved her from getting covered in some nasty grime and goo once she had figured out where the clog had been. For that she was grateful since the disgusting goo looked like it would have been hell to clean out of her hair…

Tightening the last washer, she placed the wrench down and wriggled out from under the sink, wiping her dirty hands on a grime-covered rag. After standing and tucking the rag in the back pocket of her jeans, she stood and tested out the newly unclogged drain, happy to see the water flow down it with absolutely no back-up whatsoever. She then flipped the switch on the garbage disposal, smiling as it the motor turned and ran the way it was supposed to.

Turning off the disposal but letting the water continue running, she pumped some liquid soap into her hands from the soap pump by the kitchen sink, lathering it and rinsing away the dirt and grime that was on her hands. Once done with that, she turned the hot water on and plugged the sink so that it began to fill with the hot water. She then squirted some liquid dish soap into the water, mixing the soap and water with her hand in a gentle splashing motion.

"You forgot to put away the tools first," she heard him comment, humor obvious in his voice as she looked the dirty objects she had momentarily forgotten. She scrunched up her nose and muttered a 'fluch [9]' under breath as she turned off the water, then dried her hands on a dish towel. She then began to dump the tools into the open tool box and closed it once done, moving to the garage to put it away.

She had just placed it on the worktable outside when she heard an excited bark. Looking up, she saw Cindy bounding towards her, jumping up in greeting, though the little collie only came to about her thigh when she did so. She then heard Rusty barking excitedly and, curious, she moved out of the garage. Even though it was winter and Christmas was hastily approaching, it was fairly nice, comfortable day and so the garage doors had been left open after Relena and Joshua had left.

It was from there that Hilde saw Quatre playing the large golden retriever, grinning as the dog barked happily and pranced around, waiting for the blond Arab to throw the tennis ball. Cindy, now content that she had greeted one of her mistresses, ran towards the golden retriever and blond young man, only to be called over to the front porch by her name and a whistle.

Hilde watched in mild surprise as the miniature boarder collie ran over to Heero, excited that she would get her own human to play with her. It had become apparent that Heero Yuy seemed to have a soft spot for animals… Chuckling softly, Hilde wondered if it really was so bad that they were all here… The dogs enjoyed having other people to play with, the cats were content that the canines' attention was not directed on pestering them; Eve absolutely adored the majority of the young men, and the said young men seemed to understand that it was going to take some time adjust to the changes that had occurred and would occur in the future.

All in all, it seemed as if it wasn't going to be that bad living with them. Though it was awkward for Hilde since she hadn't left on the best of terms with Duo… In fact, the said young man was probably pissed off at her for having kept her position as part of a secret faction for Preventer secret. And she couldn't fault him…while he hadn't said it out right, it was obvious to Hilde that the braided young man didn't want her to have anything to do with fighting… Ever since the first Eve War, he had tried so hard to keep her uninvolved with the battles for peace. She appreciated it, she truly did, but she felt like she owed Relena for having given up on her so long ago… And wasn't that she hated fighting…she just hated not knowing if what she was doing was the right thing.

Sighing, she turned to go back inside though she did pause to wave at Quatre when he noticed she had been standing there. "Don't take your eye off of that dog! He's tricky when he wants the tennis ball!" she called out to him. He laughed when he realized that she had spoken the truth and that the golden retriever was preparing to jump for the ball in his raised hand.

"I'll remember that!" he called back to her before throwing the tennis ball for the dog to chase after. Satisfied that all was right, she returned to the kitchen where she washed her hands again and began to put dirty dishes into the soapy water.

She had probably been washing them for only five minutes when she heard Duo get up from the table and come to stand next to her. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything and she did not look at him. She noticed him pick up the dish towel and begin to dry off the few dishes she had previously placed in the drying rack. He didn't say a word, which was unusual for the cheerful and talkative young man, but Hilde had no desire to speak with him yet. She knew he would want an explanation and she wasn't sure if she could give him a satisfactory answer.

"So…why didn't you tell me?" he asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled around them for the past ten minutes or so.

Narrowing her eyes at the dish she held, she calmly answered, "I wasn't at liberty to say. No one is to know of the Erinnyes [10]."

She felt him tense next to her as she continued to glare at the dish in her hands. He hadn't been pleased with that answer at all, though she wasn't surprised really.

"Let's try a different question then," he said harshly, anger lacing his words as he continued to dry the dishes. "Why did you join in the first place?"

Hilde quickly cleaned the plate in her hand before rinsing it off and handing it to him. "I can't say."

"And why the Hell not?!" he asked heatedly, drying the dish before placing it with the rest. "Do you have any idea how confused I was? All those times you suddenly up and left because you had to 'spend time with a friend,' you were out on missions, risking your neck! And I didn't even know about it!"

She drooped her shoulders, hanging her head as she stared glumly at the dish water. "I knew you were going to be unhappy about it," she said in a defeated manner.

She saw him throw the dish towel onto the counter from the corner of her eye before crossing his arms and frowning at her. He was practically radiating his displeasure with her and it always made her feel like she had betrayed him in some manner. "I am beyond unhappy, Hilde! I am downright pissed off!" he shouted angrily.

"I don't see why," she muttered, her mood rapidly changing from glum to angry. "It's not like I'm a child and can't take care of myself. I'm old enough to make my own decisions on what I want to do with my life."

She sensed him grow even more tense and rigid at her comment but she refused to look at him. "I don't need you to tell me how to live my life, Duo. I appreciate you caring about my welfare, but as a friend, you need to let me live my own life the way I want to," she continued.

"Fine. Do what you want." Hilde heard him turn and leave the kitchen after his biting comment. She assumed that he had then headed upstairs if the footfalls on the staircase were any indication.

She let her forearms rest against the edge of the sink as she hung her head and forced back tears. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to tell him… She couldn't stand him being so upset at her…couldn't stand the thought that he might possibly hate her now… This was why she had so feared telling him at all…

She felt a hand fall on her back in what was meant to be a gesture of comfort. Blinking rapidly to make sure that her tears had been successfully pushed back, she took a deep breath before looking up to see who had come to stand next to her. Trowa Barton stared back at her with a blank expression, but she could tell by the look in his eye that he was concerned.

Sighing in defeat, she allowed her head to hang low as she answered his unspoken question. "I can't stand him being so upset at me, but…I owe Relena for having given up on her… Joining seemed like, at first, the best way to repay her, but it eventually didn't hold the same reasoning as when I had joined two years ago. It feels right spending time training with the others and helping Relena manage the place…"

"He's upset that he wouldn't have been able to protect you."

She slowly nodded before sighing. He had taken his hand off her back when he said that and so she stood up straight. "He can't protect me from everything, though."

"He knows that…but you are important to him and he would rather endure the pain of fighting for both you than for you to have to endure anymore than you already have. It is the same for me with Catherine."

Hilde smiled gratefully at the usually silent, stoic young man next to her, knowing that for him to make such a confession was extremely hard. Funny how this small act of trust made everything seem slightly better. "Thank you, I needed the little pep talk," she whispered sincerely before turning to finish the dishes.

Without a word, Trowa began to pick up where Duo had left off drying the dishes. Once done, he allowed Hilde to put them away and began to help her prepare lunch. Both worked in companionable silence for the time it took them to prepare the mid-day meal.

Terms:

1. shimatta = Damn! (Japanese)

2. kuso = damn it, shit (Japanese)

3. oui = yes (French)

4. mon amie = my friend [feminine singular] (French)

5. Twinkle Toes = nickname for Hilde because of her resemblance to a 'pixie'

6. French Fry = unwanted nickname for Midii; Midii is quite proud of her French heritage and since French fries were not created in France, she finds it somewhat annoying that they call her this, though she knows that it is all a joke.

7. Mou = an expression of mild annoyance (Japanese)

8. ne = an expression usually at the end of a sentence to mean "isn't it" (Japanese)

9. fluch = damn (German) [AN: Yay! A new language! Finally!]

10. Erinnyes = Divine avengers of wrong