15-June-02
A Matter of Heart: Heirs to the Legacy
By: Andrea Readwolf
Email: andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com
Rating: YA/Mature
Families: YMC Fam (Yuy-Maxwell-Chang Family: Trinity, Mara Jade, and Dylan);
Winner Fam (Quatre + Trowa, Triton&Tristan, and little sis Calista)
Peacecraft Family (Zechs Marquise/Milliard + Lucrezia/Noin Peacecraft, Kit/Katarynna, Adrian, and Nicolette/Nicole)
Mazzolla Family (Mariemeia + Jake Mazzolla {OC}, Julien)
Catalonia-Dorian Family (Dorothy Catalonia + Relena Dorian, Regina)
Une-Po Family (Lady Une + Sally Po, Marie Une*, Michael Braddocks, Mark Braddocks, Matthew Braddocks)
Archive: Yes-- www.gwaddiction.com
Warnings: The following story contains scenes that are humorous, sappy,
fluff, with Incoherence, random PoV switching, and Sexual innuendos abound.
Original Characters are presented; all characters are IC according to the
author's interpretation of them. Mainly heterosexual situations, with hints
of YAOI and YURI.
Spoilers: Previous Matter of Heart Series Arc stories: "Dance of the Heart"
Arc and "Oh Baby, Baby" Arc. Built off of "Traditions".
Feedback: C&C is always welcomed and adored.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Bandai, Sunrise
and Sotsu Agency and are only being used for non-profit entertainment
purposes. References to printed texts, films, sitcoms, musical
pieces, and/or other fanfictions don't belong to the author either.
Original Characters, including but not limited too, the Berh
Siblings, Jake Mazzolla and "the chibis", are original and hence, the
author's own creation.
Notes: This is the story of the children, the nine children of the 6
gundam pilots (Heero--Zechs) plus the grandchild of Treize
Khushrenada. This story will not focus primarily on the characters
from the series, but rather, the generation after them. This story is
not for all die-hard fans, but runs along the lines of a more
original piece.
***These stories and the ideas contained within are copyright of the author. No reprinting or posting without permission of said author.***
~The Night of Trinity's and Adrian's Engagement Party~
"Well, here's to the first," Wufei slurred slightly, clinking his tumbler-full to his husbands' glasses before sloshing what must have been his sixth drink down his throat.
"You know," Duo mumbled, pulling the Chinese man into his lap so he could play with the loose dark hair, "I really think you're taking this the wrong way, Wu-bear." Absently, he noted the graying strands that were running more rampantly through the dark silk in his fingers. Man, they were getting *old*... how the hell did *that* happen? "I mean, we're not loosing a daughter; we're gaining a son, right?"
"A son who's taking her away from us," Heero pouted from the other end of the couch. "Moving away to another country." The Japanese man contemplated the amber liquid in his glass as if it held the secret to keeping his baby girl home forever.
"Yeah, but look!" Duo protested. "Our baby's gonna be a queen!" He snuggled into Wufei's back in utter self-indulgence.
"Queen schween," Heero's grumpy voice replied. "She's leaving home; that's what it amounts to."
"Not for another year, at least," his longhaired lover tried to reassure him.
"Less than that," a new voice intruded upon the three men's solitude. The father of the groom looked no better than the fathers of the bride as he poured himself another drink and found an empty chair across from the heavily occupied sofa. "I just heard them tell some of their friends: December wedding."
"December!" Duo shouted--much to Wufei's torment since the man's ear was in close proximity to the other man's mouth.
"But that isn't enough time to plan and execute a wedding," Wufei added, sitting up and away from Duo, his frown deepening.
"Well, it's not like she'll lack for support," Zechs grumpily reminded them. "My sister has decided that this needs to be some royally grand affair and Lord knows what's going to happen because of it!"
"I don't want that woman interfering with my daughter's wedding!" Wufei snapped. "Let her find a husband for her own daughter and meddle there!"
"Auh, Wuffers, that's not very nice," Duo grinned, secretly agreeing with his husband's assessment.
"Hn."
But Zechs was chuckling-Heero was, too... or, what could be considered chuckling for the Japanese man when he was in a decidedly bad mood. "Trinity's a smart girl," the silver-haired man complimented. "She knows what she wants and is good at getting it. Besides which, she's an excellent manipulator--She'll make a superb queen. People naturally flock to do her bidding and bend over backwards to please her."
"What do *you* think about all this King-Queen business?" Heero finally asked, his voice gruff with annoyance. And though he would probably never admit it, he was rather proud of Zechs's opinion of his daughter's ability to be queen-after all, the former Prince of Sank *was* in a position to know, wasn't he?
Zechs didn't answer Heero for what seemed like the longest time, though, and no one seemed to want to press around the question so they remained quiet until, finally, Zechs made a sound. He looked at the three men across from him and nodded solemnly. "They'll do good together," he told the fathers of the bride. "They make a good team, you know. Probably our fault. Shouldn 't have let them share a crib when they were babies," he tried to joke, and even won a small smile from the three other men. "Still, Adrian was never groomed for nobility-"
"It's ingrained upon him," Wufei interrupted with his own thoughts on the matter. "You could tell, even when they were young. It's a part of who he is, even if he was never groomed for the duty."
There was another lapse of silence as the men contended with this new thought, and then Duo tried to change the subject, asking after the mother of the groom. "I thought I saw Noin out there--how she doin'?"
"Yes," Zechs nodded, frowning slightly. "She came in last night so she could be here today. She'll leave again tomorrow--her mother really isn't doing well. From what she's told me, the woman wont be with us for the wedding. What about your mother, Heero? Will she be joining us?" Zechs quickly changed the conversation's focus.
Heero snorted. "Trini called her last week and got her to promise to come." Hiroshima Jackson was a genetic scientist whose research was responsible not only for the gundam pilots' advanced capabilities, but also their status of fatherhood. Trinity was her first successful male-mother baby, not to mention her first grandbaby.
The door open before either man could add, and Trowa's head popped in, scanning the room quickly before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I see you're hiding out. Quatre's carrying the conversation out there and if you don't do something, Relena and he will be the ones in charge of planning this wedding, not Trinity and Adrian."
The four men in hiding shared a resigned look. The young couple could have easily held their own against one or the other... but if Relena and Quatre had teamed up, Trinity and Adrian would *really* be outmaneuvered.
Sighing and groaning accompanied the pushing out of comfortable positions in order to save their offspring.
She escaped as soon as she could--smiling and nodding to friends, family, and people she only knew because she sometimes hung out with her sister, before making it safely to the back staircase. One of the best things about Emerald Gardens was the fact she had her own bedroom here. At home, she had had to share with Trinity until her dads decided to remodel and give her her own room. Still, she hadn't adjusted very well to suddenly being alone in her own room at home. But here, at Emerald Gardens, this had always been her own bedroom.
Her sanctuary.
If she was at Whispering Pines, she would have retreated to the Meditation Room where the soft tinkling of a water fountain stand and incense danced phantoms on the air. Here, it was the heady scent of fresh cut flowers in the vase on her bureau and the sweet soaps from the bathroom. It was the comforting sound of a hundred voices two floors below that lulled her and reminded her she wasn't alone. Not completely alone, anyway.
Gods! What had she been thinking! To have let Tristan kiss her--! Worse: to have kissed him BACK? Was she sick? Did she have a fever?
She looked at her reflection in one of the mirrors. She *did* look a little flushed. Gods-! What had she *agreed* to!?
Mara Jade flopped onto the bed and hid her face in one of the soft, downy pillows.
He weaved in and out of the crowd, chatting happily, carelessly; making small talk to everyone he stopped near. He looked the carefree, playboy, younger son of Winner Enterprises that everyone thought him to be.
On the outside.
On the inside, his emotions were rocketing, and only two--those who knew him well-- would have had a clue to the deception that was being played on everyone there tonight in that room. One--Callista--caught his eye for a few precious seconds. Enough time to convey her worry for him before the deligatory she was conversing with moved between them. He pretended not to notice, turning his back towards his sister and continuing his middling with the populace.
It didn't take long, however, once the flag had been tossed. Tristan was in the middle of complimenting a middle-ages dowager when an insistent hand touched his elbow.
"Pardon moi, bonne madam, mais mon fere et j'avons {something to discuss}. Pardon, sil vous plait," Triton said from beside him, lifting the woman's hand to his lips and smiling charmingly. [Excuse me, good lady/woman, but my brother and I have something to discuss. Excuse, please.]
Tristan didn't even protest as his brother deftly navigated them through the press of humanity that had beset their home and out into the clean open air of the patio.
"What's wrong?" his 17-year-old sister asked, coming out from another direction, sincere worry marring her pretty little face.
"Nothing's wrong," the younger twin replied, giving her a shit-faced smile.
Worry quickly dissipated into anger. "Don't bull shit me, Trist. I'm your *sister*, not some stupid yuppy!" Her head jerked back towards the main house indicated just *who* young Callista Winner considered to be the 'yuppies'. "You're upset. Why?"
"I'm not upset," he protested, still maintaining his grin.
"You're lying," the curly-haired blonde snapped before their older brother could place a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Please, Callie," Triton said as he eased her back away from Tristan's face. "What happened between you and Mara after we left?" he asked, turning back to face his 'little' brother.
"I told her I loved her," Tristan answered, still grinning.
"What?!"
Even his normally soft-spoken brother had shouted, Tristan noted, somewhat impressed. He nodded and took a seat on the bench next to a fountain. "I kissed her," he informed his siblings, "And told her I loved her." He looked up at his stunned brother and sister. "She kissed me back and agreed to go out on a date with me. We're... We're going to give it a shot."
"Trist! Wow! That's great!" Callista Winner exclaimed, launching herself forward to glomp her brother around the neck, almost tumbling them back into the fountain.
Triton, however, was not so exuberant. In fact, he was frowning.
"...Are you sure that was wise, Tris," his twin asked, crossing his arms and looking down to his chest thoughtfully--a pose they'd all adopted from their lean, acrobatic father for serious deliberations. "I understand your feelings for her, but I thought you were just going to try and end this personal war between you two; not confess those feelings and ask her out."
Tristan grinned--he couldn't help it. "Why not kill three birds with one stone, Tri?" he quipped. "We won't be fighting any more if we're dating, no da? 'Make love, not war'," he quoted, flashing the other a peace sign and winking.
Next to him, Callista's shoulders were shaking as she struggled not to giggle. "This is going to be one interesting summer!" she prophesized, kissing Tristan's cheek before heading back inside to the waiting throng of young men she'd set out to charm tonight.
Triton waited until the French doors closed behind her before starting up again. "Don't start a scandal, Tris."
"Auh, now, where would the fun be in that?" his younger twin returned.
Pleading blue eyes looked into the shining counterpart. "There are hundreds of men and women out there who you could have in an instant, Tristan. All you'd have to do is snap your fingers, and you know it. Please, Tris, don't start something you're not ready to finish."
He stood up and faced his mirror image, his smile small, but still there. And then he stepped forward, his arms moving around Triton as Triton's came up around him. "I'm ready," he told his brother. "I don't want to finish it. Not with her. But I definitely want to start it."
End Part 6
Sorry about the French translation--my translator got bogged down with RL and my French is four years' old. >.<
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com