August 14, 2000
Rating: Mature audience only, please...
Pairings: 3+4, 1+2+5, 6+9, S+11
Warnings: Yaoi and Yuri themes. Sappy in some. Angst in other areas. Language. Pregola--pregnant g-boys! Major confusion! Out of control characters...
Feedback: C&C is always welcomed and adored. Flames may be met with hexes and curses though! ^_^
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 me either.
Notes: For time-line purposes, "Oh Baby, Baby" is approximately 8 years after "Have You Ever..." (203 AC), placing the boys at ~23-24 years of age.
Wufei has volunteered to become pregnant. Heero wasn't too happy about that--poor baby. Wufei convinced him that it would be okay. Meanwhile, Sally and Noin (Lu--short for Lucrezia, ne?) have also traveled to the Behenna Satellite where they run into some... old friends. Doce Behr is the older sister of Jack, Kat, Nita, and Carina. You all remember them from "Have You Ever..." ne? ^_^ And just think: there are two *other* sisters we haven't even *met* yet!
"There are a lot of files under top security that I haven't been able to get into," Doc was saying as she set her tray down beside the other two women at the cafeteria table.
"Hmm, I bet you whatever's in those files are 'top security' for a very interesting reason," Noin said as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"I bet," Sally murmured. "So, you haven't been able to gather anymore information?"
Doc gave her a sad smile and shook her head. "No, I haven't. The little I managed to send out to Anne was what I was able to get out of the one doctor I was sleeping with." She shrugged. "When we broke up, I lost any chance to learn more... If Nita was here, she could get into those files without hassle..."
"Heero could probably do it, too," Noin said, shooting a look towards Sally.
Sally frowned. "He could... but are we sure we want to bring them into this yet?"
"What do you mean *yet*?" Noin hissed. "All five of those boys are already more 'into' this than anyone else!"
"They don't know," Doce put in hesitantly, drawing both women's attention back to her. She bit her lower lip, her eyes shifted to make sure no one was within earshot--though both Noin and Sally had chosen their current table to ensure that exact reason.
She licked her lips and then returned her focus to the two women at her table. "Listen, there's something big going on here, and it's all wrapped up in those files." She licked her lips. "I don't know what Dr. Winner and Dr. Jackson have told those boys, but whatever it is, it isn't the truth. Or--" she licked her lips again. "Or at least, not the whole truth."
Her eyes shifted around once more, noticing the young man and woman who had walked in and sat down at a table three tables away. She leaned in closer. "I heard--" She licked her lips again. "I heard that one of them has *volunteered*..." the last word was hissed out.
A look flared in two pairs of eyes.
"Volunteered for what?" Noin asked hesitantly.
Doce shook her head. "I'm not sure what, but--" she licked her lips again. "But I do know all five left blood samples behind before they left for--"
"Dr. Doce Behr? Dr. Doce Behr? Please report to Laboratory 2. Please report to Laboratory 2."
Doc jumped as her eyes darted to the speaker. "I guess I gotta go," she was saying, standing up with her untouched food. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you more," she said, shaking her head. "If Nita was here..."
"If we can get Nita here?" Sally asked, an urgent note in her voice.
Doc darted a look at both her and then Noin. And then tensely nodded. "She'd be able to crack them. No sweat. I might not approve of her hobby, but she's good, I'll give her that."
Sally nodded. "We'll get her here, then."
A scared look flared in those hazel eyes and then she, too, nodded. "I will send word when they leave again--it wouldn't do for them to be here when Nita arrives."
Sally thought for a moment and then nodded. "Done, then." She stood up, shaking the woman's hand. "It was good to see you again, Doc."
The older woman pulled her into a hug. "It's not safe here, Sal. Don't look around on your own. Just get out of here. Promise me?"
They pulled away from the hug. Doc turned to Noin. "Lu, it was a pleasure meeting you. Now if you'll excuse me...?" She turned and left them.
Noin watched the woman leave before speaking. "Now what?"
Sally frowned. "Now we go home. We've learned what we needed to."
Noin shot her a look. After a moment she nodded, picking up her tray. "Let's go then. I'd like to beat Zechs home if possible."
The taller one grinned, picking up her tray. "Oh, I think we can out-race any civ-shuttle," she said, dumping the tray on her way out of the cafeteria.
"So what's the problem?" the man asked leaning forward onto his elbows, his folded hands propping up his chin. "Why can't you seem to stay out of trouble, huh?"
The kid--a fifteen year old boy with straight black hair that fell just past his chin but didn't yet reach his shoulders and shifty hazel eyes--leaned back in the chair, arms crossed. "I ain't got a problem," the kid mumbled.
"What was that? Can't hear ya?" the man leaned forward a bit.
"I said I ain't got no stinkin' problem," the kid shot. "What? You deaf or something?"
The man smiled and leaned back also, his hooded violet eyes never wavering from the boy. They made him uncomfortable, those weird eyes on him.
"No, I'm not deaf," the man said, also folding his arms. "But we *do* have a problem here. One that we've got to fix before it gets out of control. Know what that problem is, Jake?"
The boy's mask hardened into a deadly stare. Unfortunately for him, it had no effect on the man. But, then, he had no experience with a Mr. Heero Yuy. "Me," he finally said, dropping the dead-stare-mask in favor of a well-pleased-with-himself one. "I'm a problem. Always have been, always will be," he said, sounding smug.
The boy fell forward onto the table. "That's why I don't see why Ms. Lexie keeps trying to keep me here."
Duo Maxwell sighed, shaking his head. "Jake, you don't get it, do you?" The boy glared at him but he continued. "You're not the problem, your actions *are*."
He leaned forward so that the kitchen table held little distance between their two faces. "You're a good kid, Jake. *That's* why Lexie tries her damnedest to keep you here and not in some crummy old juvenile detention center. Unless that's what you really want..."
Duo leaned back in the kitchen chair, his eyes never leaving the boy--that's why he saw the 'look' that flashed in those young hazel eyes before being steeled away.
"I don't care," Jake retorted, flinging a strand of jet-black hair back with a toss of his head. "It can't be worse than other places I've been."
Duo sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes. "You really *don't* get it. You don't know how bad it *can* be... You don't know how *good* you have it right now!"
"No, but I bet you're gonna tell me, right?" the boy sneered.
"Why should I *have* to?" Duo returned. "You have to know. I mean, where else are you going to have a guaranteed roof over your head and a bed to sleep in and *good* *warm* food to eat? You have it a lot better than I did growing up. Why the hell would you want to throw that all away?!"
Jake said nothing, just continued to sit there with his arms crossed, not looking at the man, scowling.
"What?" Duo asked suddenly after a minute of silence. The question brought the boy's attention back to him.
"What would it take?"
"Huh?"
Duo shrugged. "Well, you obviously want something. What is it?"
The teenager gave him that look that said 'what the hell are *you* smoking?'
"Listen," Duo said, leaning forward, focusing that violet gaze on the boy fully. "I'm willing to negotiate here, but you have to tell me what you want."
"Hn, like what I want matters worth a damn to you or anyone else." The kid looked away.
Duo closed his eyes to gather what little remained of his unraveling patience. 'Was I this obstinate when I was his age?' he wondered briefly, one again asking himself why he'd told the others that he'd be fine, he could handle this by himself. He sighed one more time and looked back at the kid.
"Maybe it does, Jake, and maybe it doesn't," Duo said, shooting the kid a look he couldn't decipher. "But are you going to take a chance that this might have been one of those times?"
Jake's eyes narrowed.
"Take a chance on me, Jake. Go head, hit me with it. What's your list of demands?"
Jake shifted in his seat. "Okay," he said finally, a smug look on his face. "I want off this colony. There ain't anything for me here, anyway."
Duo thought for a second and then nodded. "Fine. That can be arranged. Where you *want* to go? Another colony?"
The kid sneered a smile. "Uh uh. I wanna go to the Earth." Jake watch for the reaction that would come as the 'No, no way, kid. You're dreaming.'
Duo stared at the teenager, his face a mask. 'The Earth, huh?' he thought. Well, he knew of a couple of good orphanages on Earth, as well as a couple of good boarding schools....
"Is that all?" Duo asked after another moment.
Jake eyed him, his mind racing. "No, no," he said after a moment. "I don't wanna go to school anymore, either. And I don't wanna be put in another stinkin' orphanage."
Duo frowned. "Then, what exactly do you plan to do on Earth?"
The kid paused. "I--I hadn't thought of that yet."
Duo nodded. "Okay, tell you what. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime," he stood up, "I want *you* to stay out of trouble. Help Lexia around here. And I'll have a definite answer for you in four days. Deal?"
He held out his hand. Jake eyed it warily, but then reaching out and shook on it.
"Good," Duo said, taking up his duster and leading the boy out of the kitchen. At the front door to the orphanage he said goodbye to the manager of the facility, Lexia, giving the young woman a bear hug.
"Nothing's gonna change," Jake said as he stood at the door watching the man join two other guys at the end of the walk.
"If Duo said so, that it will be," the woman beside him said. "I've known Duo nearly all our lives, and he's never lied to me or anyone else I know." She looked down at the boy who was almost taller than her. "I don't think he'll start now."
She closed the door on the scene of the three men, closing the teen inside the orphanage.
"So how was your day?"
Quatre looked up, the warm, greeting smile on his face freezing as he took in his four friends and lovers. "Uh-oh. What's wrong?" he asked, resuming in toeing off his shoes and slouching out of his jacket.
"Nothing."
"Maxwell has another hair-brained idea."
"Hn."
Considering that all three replies were orchestrated at the same time from the three bodies on the common area sofa left a smile on the blond boy's lips.
He left the jacket draped over a chair, loosened his blue and silver tie--letting it fall ... somewhere--and plopped down unceremoniously on the other sofa.
"As long as it doesn't involve Duo cooking, going out to another exotic bar, or getting a pet, I don't care," he sighed, leaning back against the arm, lifting his legs up and plopping them over Trowa's lap.
"Oh, c'mon! You *know* you had fun that night!"
Quatre lifted one arm so he could shoot a glare in Duo's direction.
Duo huffed and crossed his arms. "Well you *did*..."
Quatre just moaned, hiding back under his arms. "What is it this time?"
A full minute of silence passed. Quatre peeked out from under an arm again. Heero sat at one end of the sofa, arms crossed, frowning, not saying a word. Okay, that's nothing out of the ordinary. On the other end of the sofa Wufei sat in a mirror image of Heero--arms crossed frowning.
In between the two scowling boys sat a grinning Duo Maxwell, his legs crossed under him. Since he was the only one Quatre could catch eyes with he shot a questioning look to the grinning young man.
"Wellllllll... it's like this..." Duo kept grinning, shooting a sheepish grin to either man at his side.
"Duo wants to bring one of the children from the orphanage home with us," Trowa said finally as he began massaging Quatre's sock-clad feet.
"What?" Quatre sat up, kicking Trowa in the process. "Oh! Sorry! Sorry!"
"Hn."
"Heero, would you please say something more than just 'hn' every two minutes?!" Wufei snapped.
"Hn."
"Oh, c'mon!" Duo said wheedling. "It's not like it's that big of a deal. It's one kid. How much trouble could he be?"
Quatre eyed Duo. "How *old* is this one kid?"
"Fourteen," Wufei supplied.
"Fifteen," Duo corrected. "He's fifteen."
"He wouldn't happen to be the reason you had to come here, would he?" Quatre asked wearily.
"Yes."
"Oh, c'mon guys!" Duo whined. "He's one fifteen year old kid! How much trouble can he *be*?"
"May I remind you of what *you* were like when you were fifteen?" Trowa asked calmly.
Duo glared. "It's not like any of us were normal teenagers," he growled. "C'mon, you can't tell me that five ex-gundam pilots can't handle one teenager?"
Quatre bit his lip. "We don't know the first thing about taking care of a teenager, Duo..."
"We're gonna have to learn eventually," Duo retorted sing-songingly. "I mean, with Wu-babe getting pregnant and all--"
The Chinese boy turned a shade of red on one side of Duo as the Japanese boy on his other side frowned harder.
"Which is a perfect reason why we *shouldn't* even be *thinking* of bringing a stranger into our home," Heero grounded out.
********** End of "Oh Baby, Baby" Part Eight **********
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com