Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Remember when... ❯ Open Road part 1 ( Chapter 7 )

We do not own the rights to GW! Never have and never will!

Warnings: Angst, language, slight OOC

Archived at: AFF, MM, and www.templeofthegoddess.com

Part one of 'Open Road' by Sparkling Diamond PG-SSM & Raven Layne

January 13, 200 A.C.

Duo cast one last look around the empty apartment that he had called his home for the past couple of years. All of his and Aleana's personal belongings were packed away in the back of an old station wagon that Mrs. Gregory had given him before she left.

Mrs. Gregory had moved just three months ago, to be with her youngest daughter to help with the set of twins that she was about to deliver. Duo understood how happy it made the older woman to be needed by her family, especially since it had been nearly four years since the last of her children had left home, leaving her alone in the city. She had "adopted" him shortly after he had moved into the run-down apartment complex, so to him, having Mrs. Gregory watch Aleana was like leaving her with her grandmother. He was happy that she would be with her real family, but the afternoon spent packing up her possessions before her son-in-law arrived to move her to the Seattle area was bittersweet.

Not long after her leaving, the braided American found his life nearly spinning out of control. The desperation that was closing in on him was almost as bad as when he first moved to Earth, but rather than alcohol and a feeling of disconnection from the world, this time it was even more personal. It was the daily battle of juggling work and school, and it was the feeling of guilt he had every day that he had to leave Aleana for hours on end. She was getting older, and wanted more attention from him than he was able to give her. The bottle started to beckon him nightly in his dreams.

The holidays were anything but happy. With Mrs. Gregory gone, it was a struggle to find decent childcare that could accommodate his hours, and when he did find it, he found that it cost an arm and a leg. He wouldn't trust just anyone with his Sunshine, though, so he felt it a worthy expense, and paid the high fees.

He was laid off from his security job at the beginning of December, and he failed an English class. To top it all off, money was beginning to become tight again. He had received a huge settlement from the hospital that evidently Quatre had fought for, but a large chunk of that was given back into the poor community, mostly to the children's clinic where he had first found Miranda. The majority of the rest was put away, locked into a trust fund where he couldn't touch it. That was all for Aleana when she was old enough. Of course he had kept some for himself and Aleana to live on; he didn't think it was wise to save a large amount of money for her adulthood, but have her suffer as a child, but even his skills at budgeting were failing him, now.

The day that really shook Duo to the core was seven days in to the New Year, the morning he woke to find himself lying on the kitchen floor, an empty bottle of whiskey shattered close by. He remembered the whimper that escaped his throat, a hand coming up to muffle the noise as he tried to scramble himself up on shaking legs.

"What have I done? Oh, God!" He squeezed his eyes tightly, hoping that when he opened them, he'd find that it was nothing but another of his dreams. No such luck. He looked at the shambles of his kitchen, broken glass on the floor, refrigerator door standing open, one of the chairs at the table overturned. He heard a small sound coming from the back of the apartment that broke his gaze from the room around him.

He found his daughter curled up in her crib, her beautiful face streaked with tears, and her hands clutching her favorite bunny close to her chest.

"Oh, Aleana. I'm so sorry, sweetie. Daddy is so damn sorry." He groaned, running his fingers gently through her messy red curls of hair. Her green eyes blinked, swiveling to meet his.

"Dada…" Her voice was raspy, nothing more than a whisper, no doubt caused from crying and screaming through the night. Duo choked on a sob, shaking his head in disbelief. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have done this to his precious girl?

"Jesus! Oh, Sunshine. Please forgive me? Please, please forgive Daddy for what I've done to you." He choked again, lifting the one year old out of the battered second hand crib. He held her close to his chest, rocking her in a soothing motion. She mumbled incoherently against his shoulder, her small hands grabbing at the long braid.

"I promised I wouldn't drink again…damn it! How could I?"

The rest of that day, Duo spent wallowing in guilt. He noticed the blinking light on his vid-phone, signaling that messages were waiting, but he was too chicken shit to do anything about them. He deleted them without another thought.

Now here he stood, six days later, with his bags packed. He didn't have the foggiest idea of where he was going, but he figured he would find out when he got there.

_________________________________________________________ __________

Heero punched the disconnect button on the vid-phone; a concerned look crossed his face. He had been trying to reach Duo since after the New Year, but with out any success. He left messages, waited patiently for the braided American to call him back, but each time…nothing.

"Damn it! Where could he be?" Heero muttered under his breath, leaving his office in the security room of the WEI Headquarters. He needed to talk with either one of his lovers. He hoped that maybe one of them had talked to Duo recently.

Stalking past businessmen and women who literally jumped out of his way as he passed, Heero headed straight for the elevator bank, jabbing a finger angrily at the top floor button. He wanted to know where Duo was, and he wanted to know now.

Quatre sat at his large mahogany desk, shuffling papers and talking on the phone as Heero entered. The blond smiled warmly, holding up a finger for his lover to wait a moment until he finished his conversation.

"I don't care, Larry, just make it happen." He said in an exasperated tone. "Yeah, just do it. Thanks." Quatre snapped, forcing himself not to slam down the receiver of the phone. He raked his fingers through his hair, sighing before looking back up at his lover.

"Hey. What are you doing up here? Not that I'm complaining…" Heero didn't wait for his partner to finish his comments, launching right into what he was there for.

"Have you spoken with Duo lately?"

"Well, the last time I spoke to him, he was very busy."

"When was that?"

"Just after Christmas. I wanted to know if his and Aleana's gifts had arrived all right. We didn't speak for very long, though." The blond frowned, thinking back on the conversation. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I've been trying to reach him for some time now. Today I received a disconnected notice when I dialed his number."

Quatre nodded. "I see why you're concerned. He didn't mention anything out of the ordinary to me when we spoke. Has he been in contact with Wufei or Hilde?"

"Chang is away on a mission. Sally stated that he left shortly after the holidays, and was not expected back until after the 22nd of this month."

"And Hilde?"

"Not since Christmas day."

"I wonder if he didn't pay his phone bill, and it was shut off? Long distance isn't cheap."

"I thought of that already. I got into the phone company records, and found that Duo, himself, had canceled the service."

"That's not good." Quatre sat back in his chair, cradling his head in his hands. "Shit, is he running and hiding again?"

"Maybe, I don't know for sure."

"Damn it."

______________________________________

Duo pulled into a rest stop a quarter past the hour of midnight, just outside the city of Albuquerque, with a rumbling stomach and a cranky babe in the backseat. He thanked his lucky stars that the old car and air conditioner had held out for them thus far.

Grabbing the diaper bag, and his own backpack, he scooped up the small redhead, and headed for the restroom building. The girl smiled, probably in relief to be out of the car seat she had been riding in since very early that morning.

"Let's get you changed and we'll find something to eat in those vending machines we just passed."

The rest area was deserted, allowing Duo to set Aleana down to toddle around while he had a sink bath of sorts, and changed his clothes.

"Icky! Daddy really did smell bad, didn't he, Sunshine?" She smiled a toothy grin, clapping her hands at him. He smiled back, throwing a tee shirt over his head, and pulling his long braid out through the neck.

"Your turn!" She giggled loudly as he assaulted her tummy with tickling fingers. Hoisting her up, he sat her down on the edge of the sink, popping her shirt over her head and washing her down quickly with a cool washcloth.

"This will make you feel a lot better."

"Dada!"

"Yup, that's my name, don't wear it out!" Aleana squirmed, testing Duo's ability of dressing her. With a quick move, the shirt went over her head, her curls bouncing back into place.

"Done! Now to raid those vending machines! I'm sure we can find a hotel to stay at in the next town we come across."

_________________________________________________________ _______________

Trowa was just returning from the large kennels outside of the main part of the house when he spotted his chocolate haired lover sitting on the back patio, laptop on the marble topped table. This was not unusual, but the furrowed brows, and determined look on his face was.

"Find anything yet?" He kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb Heero's concentration.

"No. It seems all services to his apartment have been shut off. Ashcroft Security's files show that he was laid off at the beginning of December. The Daily Grind, the coffee shop he works at, hasn't seen him in over a week, but he hasn't notified them that he was quitting."

"There might be a good explanation for all of this. Don't worry yourself too much."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Heero asked, closing his laptop. Trowa's lips quirked upwards into a tiny smile as his hands caressed his lover's tense shoulders.

"Because he's a big boy, and can take care of himself. Have faith in him, Heero. I'm sure he'll turn up soon. Until then, you and Quat have to calm down, and stop worrying like a couple of mother hens."

"It's hard not to worry." Heero sighed, swiping at some of his bangs. "Especially after everything that has happened."

"Yes, but I have faith in him. You should as well. Come, it's almost dinner time, and you know how Quat gets when we're late."

"True. Wouldn't want to make the master wait for us." Heero pushed back his chair, claiming a kiss from his tall lover before retrieving his laptop and hurrying inside.

"Master, huh? I'll show both of them, tonight, who the real master is." Trowa smirked, pushing the chair against the table, following the same path his messy haired lover had taken.

______________________________________________________________________ _

The outskirts of Amarillo seemed like a good place to stop for a late lunch. The small roadside diner looked friendly enough, but the multitude of motorcycles that stood out front worried the braided American just a little. He could keep driving until the next town, and listen to his daughter whimper in the back seat, or they could stop and hope that there wouldn't be any trouble.

Pulling up next to some classic roadsters, Duo parked the car, getting out to stretch himself before opening the back door to get Aleana out. The babe was all smiles as Daddy lifted her out of the car seat, the cool wind and bright sun caressing her unruly red hair.

Taking a deep breath, Duo entered the small diner, the chime of bells tinkling as the door opened. Some of the patrons turn to look at the newcomers, but didn't spare a second glance as Duo made his way to an open table, grabbing an old high chair on the way.

He placed the high chair at the end of the table, moving it closer to himself and away from the excessively tattooed, burly gang of bikers that took up most of the diner's seating. Some were loud, a little on the rowdy side, but the back half of the dining area seemed quiet for the time being.

"Hi, what can I get you today?" Duo looked up in surprise, somewhat startled to have a server at their table so quickly in such a busy place.

"Uh, yeah." Duo snatched up a dilapidated menu, skimming it quickly before putting it back in the little rack near the bottled condiments.

"How about the burger and fries for me, and a small side order of fries for the ray of sunshine here." Duo beamed his mega watt smile at the middle-aged waitress as she took down the order.

"Anything to drink?" She asked, pencil poised over the small tablet of paper in hand. Duo cringed at the question, his mind still raw with the knowledge of his drinking binge just over a week and a half ago.

"Water, please. Oh, and if you have any juice, a small glass would be great." Duo requested politely, digging around in Aleana's diaper bag for her training cup.

"Sure. I'll bring that right out." The waitress smiled, ripping off the order from her tablet to send back to the kitchen.

Duo didn't have to wait long for the drinks to arrive. He immediately put the apple juice into Aleana's training cup, and placed it on the tray in front of her. She cooed, grabbing the cup with enthusiasm. He shook his head, a silly grin plastered to his face.

"Now is as good a time as any." Duo noted, pulling out a small note pad with a running column of numbers being kept there. He had allotted himself so much money for the trip, and while he still had plenty left, he didn't want to see any of it go to waste by any means.

The last hotel had been a bit more expensive than the rest, but it was important that they had some place comfortable to unwind and sleep. He felt twinges of guilt rise in his chest. He had broken into a few vending machines along the way, not taking any money, just snacks and drinks to satisfy them on the long road in between towns and cities.

He frowned to himself, it seemed his street persona was slipping back into place along the way. Was that really what he wanted his daughter to see? In the past couple of weeks, he'd regressed back to both drinking and thieving. He'd come so far away from the person that he'd been before he'd been back on Earth, and he knew that he couldn't allow himself to slip back to those old habits if he wanted to raise Aleana properly.

Duo's attention was snapped back into the present when he realized someone was talking loudly, and it was directed towards him.

"Hey, man. Didn't you hear me?" Duo turned his indigo eyes toward the muscular man that was turned in the booth just in front of him.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Duo replied, in semi-shock as he looked towards Aleana, seeing that she was giggling up a storm. What really shocked him was the big guy in the same booth playing a game of peek-a-boo with his daughter.

"I asked what her name was." The biker stated once again, pointing towards the baby, who had a huge toothy grin.

"Oh, it's Aleana." Duo replied after hesitating a moment. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to talk with such people, but he was afraid that if he didn't answer, something might happen.

"She's cute. I have a niece about her age up in Minnesota." A third biker piped in.

All in all, the stop at the old roadside diner was good. The bikers were all friendly, and the food was great. Aleana especially enjoyed her two hours of freedom from the hellish car seat. The bikers suggested routes for the braided American, pointing out the best roads, places to stay, and where to watch for speed traps.

Duo paid his check, balancing his daughter on his hip as he made his way back to the station wagon. He smiled and waved as some of the bikers left the parking lot, their destination unknown.

"Hey, this is for your kid." Duo turned in surprise, noting that it was the one they called 'Bear' the oldest biker of the group. The sun bounced off his black leather riding attire, as he strode towards them, a small stuffed teddy bear in hand. He smiled through his straggly salt and pepper beard as he handed the soft plush animal directly to Aleana.

"Whoa, thanks. Can you say thank you, Aleana?" Duo coaxed, smiling brilliantly.

"Da!"

"No, thank you. Have a safe trip, Duo Maxwell." Duo's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't mentioned his name to any of them.

"How?"

"War heroes never fade away, and are never forgotten. God speed." Bear started his motorcycle and was gone, leaving a stunned Duo standing in the parking lot.

______________________________________________________________________ _

Duo smiled, turning the radio up a little louder. It was mid-day, and the road stretched for hundreds of miles in front of him. They were just entering the fifth state on their travels, and all seemed right.

The hotels that they'd been staying at were second rate, but all he wanted was a comfortable bed and a warm shower after driving so long. Aleana certainly didn't mind; she was too young to demand silk sheets and French soaps, Duo mused. She had her moments when all she wanted was to get out of the car, and just walk on her chubby little baby legs. Duo didn't blame her. He needed to get out and stretch sometimes, too.

The front seat of the old station wagon was littered with candy wrappers, empty potato chip bags, and soda pop cans and bottles. The back seat was faring a lot better than the front, but the seats still had crackers and cereal that little Aleana had dropped from her tiny fingers. Duo had shrugged it off. He could clean it all up when he got to where he was going.

Duo sang off key, bobbing his head to the music, his only form of entertainment for the young lass in the back seat. She laughed, clapping her small hands. Sometimes her Daddy was really silly.

"Now entering Missouri." Duo murmured, his hands tightening on the wheel. He knew where he was going, but he didn't want to admit it to himself just yet.

"Ok, Stinkerbutt. Next town we hit, we're going to get some warmer clothes for both of us. Can't believe I forgot what kind of weather we'd be driving right into in the middle of January!"

_____________________________________________________________________

Trowa found his dark haired lover in his private room, fingers clamoring away at the keyboard once again. Ever since Duo had come up 'missing', Heero spent nearly all of his free time trying to track the former DeathScythe pilot. The atmosphere in their grand home had become tense in the past few days, as both of his partners were frazzled and worried over the disappearance of one Duo Maxwell.

"You know if Quatre sees you with that animal in here, he'll make you sleep on the couch." Heero stated, sparing a glance at Trowa, and the young panther in his arms.

"Maybe so, but it isn't like I'm getting any action, anyway. What's the difference?" Trowa shrugged, juggling the long black cat in his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Heero growled, eyes never leaving the computer screen in front of him.

"Exactly what it sounded like. The way you and Quat have been lately, I can just forget about having a sex life. Both of you are either too busy chasing down the elusive Maxwell, or have your noses buried in your work." He shrugged again. "Nothing I can't handle by myself."

"Don't tell me you're not worried about this."

"Honestly, Heero, I'm not. Like I've said before, Duo's a big boy, he can take care of himself and the baby just fine. I don't see why you're devoting so much time and energy into this. Duo will show up where you least expect him."

"Yeah, like a morgue or a hospital." Trowa shook his head at his lover, his frustration rising even further. Why couldn't he make his partners see that Duo didn't need a baby sitter?

"Fine, whatever. If either one of you need me, I'll be on the couch in the library." The tall acrobat stalked out of the room, heading back out to the large kennels to put away the cat.

The study that Quatre used as a home office was still brightly lit as Trowa strode down the hall. He didn't even bother stopping to talk with his blond lover. He was even more stubborn than Heero at times, and this was one of them. Why waste his breath on either of them? Nothing useful ever came of talking to brick walls.

He had his own theories as to what was happening, but they were constantly shot down every time he mentioned them. Personally, considering all the problems he'd had over the past six months, and all the interference from the well-meaning, yet very nosy Heero and Quatre that Duo had been putting up with, Trowa knew that he'd probably disappear for awhile, too. You simply can't go from broken hearted to cheerfully happy overnight. He didn't blame Duo one bit for needing some space to heal, away from the prying eyes of his lovers.

"I'm surprised that they haven't called up a shuttle to go to Earth yet." A wistful smile appeared on his lips. "I shouldn't say that too loud, they just might."

______________________________________________________________________

It was after 3 am, and he was bone weary. The mission had been a success, the bad guys were locked away, and all Preventers involved in the case had entered their final reports and headed home. Commander Chang Wufei dropped his duffle bag near the front door of his modest two-bedroom apartment in Baltimore, Maryland, and sighed in relief.

First item on his agenda was a hot meal, then a hotter shower, and finally a long date with his mattress. Everything else could wait until he woke up some time the next afternoon.

Shuffling his feet into the kitchen, he yanked open the refrigerator door, inspecting his supplies. He wasn't surprised to find it empty of everything but condiments, batteries, and a couple of cans of beer. He had been gone nearly a month, and cleaned all the perishables out before he left.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath, closing the door, and walking towards the pantry. He knew he had some instant noodles that, while lacking much flavor, would at least fill him up.

"Catch up on the bills, buy some groceries, and send my uniforms to the cleaners. And here I thought I'd get a day off." He grumbled under his breath, snagging the elastic band from his hair. He scrubbed his ebony locks in frustration before getting a small pan out, and filling it with water for the package of instant noodles now laying on the counter top.

After eating his tasteless ramen, he spent half an hour in a blissfully hot shower. He had slipped into his favorite terry cloth robe, and was towel drying his hair when the buzzer of the front door sounded. Glancing towards the clock on the bathroom wall, Wufei huffed in irritation.

"Who the hell would be visiting my ass at this time of morning? I swear if it's Sally, I'm going to…" Wufei threw open the door, his rant died in his throat when he saw who was standing on the other side.

"Hey Fei. I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by." Duo smiled sheepishly, managing only a tiny wave with a sleeping baby in his arms.

"Duo? What the hell are you doing here? Especially at quarter after four in the morning." Wufei asked, hand still frozen on the doorknob.

"Well, if you'll let me in, I'll be glad to tell you. It's a little too cold out here to be discussing stuff." Duo's eyes looked to the snow at his feet, before once again meeting the surprised dark eyes of his friend. "It's winter here on the East Coast, ya know?"

The Chinese teen nodded, stepping away from the door to let the braided boy inside.

Duo glanced around the entryway leading into the warm looking living room, adjusting his hold on Aleana ever so slightly. He couldn't believe he was there, standing in Wufei's apartment.

"Duo, what are you doing here?" Wufei asked again, carefully taking the sleeping girl into his arms so that Duo could take off his winter coat.

The braided American hung the coat on a peg in the entryway, then followed Wufei into the living room to take a seat on the couch next to him. Duo hesitated slightly, looking down at the Chinese boy who held his daughter so carefully, stroking the sleeping girl's curls tenderly.

"Well, would you believe me if I tell you I'm on vacation?" Duo asked hopefully, sitting down on the comfortable sofa, knowing quite well that his friend would shoot that explanation down in a heartbeat.

Wufei shook his head with a negative grunt, his loose, damp hair settling in his line of sight. There was no way he would believe that story at all. He knew Duo better than that.

He tossed his head back to get the offending hair out of his face, careful not to disturb the cherub in his arms.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Well, I…"

"Never mind. That was a stupid question for me to ask. I have a spare bedroom, although all that I have in there is a futon mattress. You can use that if you like." He stood up to guide his friend to the guest room, but stopped when he felt the sleeve of his robe tugged lightly.

"Is this a bad time, Wu? I'm really sorry to have just showed up on your doorstep, I guess I didn't put much thought into coming here without calling first." Duo's brow furrowed with anxiety, his lips formed just the slightest of pouts.

Wufei let out a breath, and slumped his shoulders. "No, of course not, Duo. I'm happy to see you, and am pleased that you came. I just got home from a very long mission a little over an hour ago, and I'm exhausted. I'm afraid that my host skills are a little lacking right now."

The braided boy smiled a tired smile up at him, and let go of his robe. "Ok, I'm glad you aren't pissed at me for just showing up. I think we both need some sleep, then maybe we can talk tomorrow or something? Aleana has been asleep for a while now, and I've been driving for almost sixteen hours…"

"I can tell, Duo." He said, wrinkling his nose dramatically. "Follow me, and we'll get Aleana down on the futon, then I'll show you to the bathroom. You could use a shower, too; you're ripe."

Duo snorted, but got up to follow his friend to the promised shower and rest.

Twenty minutes later, his guests were resting peacefully in the spare room next to his. Wufei blew out a sigh, still baffled as to why Duo had shown up unexpectedly at his doorstep. The mystery of Duo's obvious cross-country trek was enough to raise many questions as to why Duo was running, and whether something had happened to the boy or his daughter to spur the trip to see him. As physically exhausted as he was, he knew that he wouldn't find sleep easily with so many thoughts and questions whirling in his brain.

He sat down at his desk, in a small study just off of the kitchen, and began booting up his computer, and scrolling through the messages that were waiting on the vid phone. He took notice of the number of e-mails and phone calls that had come from the same two people. Heero Yuy and Quatre Winner.

He had just clicked on the first e-mail from Heero when his vid-phone rang, startling him.

"Shit, this is turning into a circus." He grumbled, hitting the receive button on the vid-phone.

"Chang."

"Yuy." He grunted back. "You'd better have a good reason for calling me this early."

"It's Duo. Have you had contact with him? I know that you just returned from a mission tonight. I've been keeping in contact with Une and Sally, hoping that maybe one of them had heard from him."

"Duo seems fine. He and Aleana just showed up at my doorstep less than an hour ago." Wufei didn't miss the look of utter relief that passed over Heero's face. "He didn't tell me why he was here, though. He just said he had driven sixteen hours today, and was exhausted, and he'd tell me the morning. What's been going on?"

"I hope you have a few minutes."

"I do. Now tell me why I have Duo and the baby here…"