18-Mar-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Guests to be announced*
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
THIS SECTION: *LEMON warning*
NOTE: Heero POV in Italics
Heero cupped the warm water in his hands and poured it over Duo's back. Spreading his fingers against Duo's warm skin, he moved them down and then back up again. The shower had quickly turned into a bath at Heero's insistence. Time was precious and he wanted to treasure what he had with the braided pilot.
"Whatcha thinkin' about, Hee-chan?" Duo asked quietly, indulging in the nickname for the first time in several days.
Heero took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He took a moment to capture his thoughts, then said, "You, me, ...everything." Sliding his arms around Duo from behind, he pulled him back and rested his chin on Duo's shoulder. "I can see things in their eyes," he said. "Yours, too. I don't want this to all go away."
Duo shifted a little, just enough so that he could turn his head to brush his lips across Heero's for a moment before meeting his lover's eyes.
"I meant what I said downstairs. No matter what, I'll be here with you. I'll get us all through this, koibito. You couldn't pry me off with a buster rifle," he said with the hint of a grin.
Heero looked at Duo with a wry grin. "Buster rifle, huh?" he said, "Ok. And we'll all work together. That's my goal." He hugged Duo from behind, letting his eyes wander over his lover's heart shaped face.
Duo's grin widened into a smile, warm and inviting, the kind he reserved only for Heero. "It's a good goal," he said before letting his eyes drift shut with a happy sigh. He leaned into the hug, his own arms coming up out of the water with a soft splash to reach up and wrap around Heero's neck for a small hug of his own. "Love ya... know that?"
Heero nodded. "Yes," he said, turning his head to kiss Duo's arm. "I love you too," he replied, pressing his lips to Duo's neck. "You said I scared you."
The braided pilot's eyes didn't open as the smile faded a little. He sighed softly before replying. "A little," he agreed.
Heero moved his fingertips over Duo's chest absently. "Hn," he remarked. "Did I apologize for that yet?"
Duo cracked one eye open to peer at Heero, the smile thinning into a calculating smirk. "I think you mentioned something about it down in the kitchen... but I'm not sure..." he said, his voice trailing off a little.
"Hn," Heero remarked again, then closed his mouth over Duo's neck, tasting the warm skin there. "Gomen nasai.. for making you scared," he said softly.
As Heero's lips closed over his throat, Duo's eye slipped shut again, and a quiet groan slipped from his slightly parted lips. His hands, still clasped behind Heero's neck, flexed, and then ran down his partner's spine as far as he could reach behind him, fingertips just barely ghosting over the wet skin. "Is that all?" he asked, his voice somewhere between an impish snicker and a childish whine.
"And," Heero said, lifting his mouth briefly, "...for nearly killing you on the street today." He moved to the other side of Duo's neck and began feasting there.
"So how are you-" Duo paused as Heero hit a particularly sensitive spot, and his whole body tremored faintly for a moment before he could get himself back in control again, "- going to make it up to me?" he asked breathlessly. His arms drifted down Heero's shoulders, running along the arms wrapped around him to come to a rest with his hands loosely clasped over Heero's.
Heero moved his hands up Duo's chest, brushing against the braided pilot's nipples briefly, teasing them. "Hn," he said, as a slight grin traced itself on his lips. Then, he sighed and dropped his hands into the water. "No," he said, firmly. "I promised I wouldn't use sex as a weapon."
Duo's eyes popped open, his face a study of comic bafflement. "Huh?" was his brilliant response.
Behind him, Heero flashed a brilliant smile, then moved his arms around Duo again and flattened one hand against Duo's stomach. "Well, I did promise you that downstairs," he said. Sliding his hand just beneath the water's surface, Heero curled his fingers around Duo's manhood. "So, this is not that."
Duo shuddered, his whole body melting limply into Heero's arms. The retort he had planned died in his throat as Heero's hand gripped him, drowning the burgeoning words in a moan. He took a long, stuttering breath before finally gathering his wits back about him enough to speak again. "You've been taking lessons... on how to tease," he accused gently.
Heero kissed the lobe of Duo's ear as his hand moved against the loose skin back and forth. "I think I got them from you," he said, against Duo's ear.
"Hmm... Best to learn from the master," Duo agreed in a murmur. He shifted, squirming unabashedly against the insistent press of Heero's erection behind him, while his hands slowly massaged up the Japanese youth's thighs.
"Hai," Heero whispered, feeling himself tighten as he massaged the hardened flesh in his hand. "Love you," he said, his voice thick and raspy.
"Love you... too..." Duo groaned. He turned his head again, seeking Heero's lips almost blindly for a deep, desperate kiss.
Heero kissed back, sharing Duo's intensity. Moving his free hand down to join the other, he soon pleasured his love in time with Duo's rhythm. His own breath came in deep, ragged gasps as he felt his own erection pressed against the softness of Duo's rear.
Duo broke off the kiss suddenly, shifting away from Heero's grip long enough to turn around. He crouched between Heero's legs, his hands burying themselves in the thick dark hair behind his lover's head as he leaned in to fasten his mouth on Heero's once again for a hungry, demanding lip-lock. He settled his weight on his elbows, forcing Heero back against the tub as he pressed their bodies together.
Heero moved his arms around Duo, holding him against him as they kissed. Doubts and recriminations drifted to a place far away as the world narrowed to two.
Duo finally broke away, his breath rushing from him in a harsh growl as he peered into Heero's deep blue eyes intently. "I need you," he managed to whisper as he sucked in a ragged gulp of air, "More than... than life..."
Heero looked into Duo's eyes. His chest moved up and down rapidly as he swallowed hard. "You are life," he managed. "Let's get out of here before we drown," he growled, never taking his eyes away from Duo's.
Duo's reply was not vocal, but definitely an agreement. He finally broke away from Heero to push himself up to his feet, balancing in the tub as he helped his lover to stand as well. The dark hunger within him pressed forward again, pinning Heero against the back wall for another searing kiss, while the braided youth's hands wandered freely along the taut muscles of his lover's body. When he finally had to break for breath, he tossed Heero a wicked smile, and then hopped out of the tub, striding quickly to the doorway where he paused to snatch up a towel and flip a taunting grin to his partner.
Heero growled deep in his throat as his head bowed down just a fraction. Target acquired, he thought, then moved quickly to capture the braided one. He had needs as well.
Duo's grin widened as he saw the predatory spark kindle within Heero's deep Prussian eyes. Snatching up the tip of his braid to keep it from becoming a hostage, he spun and dodged into their room, knowing full well how Heero would respond to so blatant a challenge.
Heero didn't think. He moved, allowing Duo a step or two of lead time. He knew all he had to be was patient and wait for the right moment to act. His eyes focused on the braided pilot. This would be fun.
Duo bounced into the center of their room, making sure the floor was relatively clear of impediments like shoes, clothing, the assorted weapons or explosives, before turning to face the bathroom door again. He dropped into a crouch, waiting for his lover's next move, while his hands gripped the towel he'd snatched up in his flight. He couldn't contain the sultry chuckle or the wicked smile as Heero appeared.
Heero's eyes swept the room briefly, then settled back on Duo. He saw the braided pilot's posture and marked areas on his body. He kept his breathing shallow and his body as loose as possible, ready to move in any direction. Naked and wet, he noted the bed and marked any possible exits. The only thing which gave away the excitement he felt was his aching erection, which bobbed and swayed lazily as it arched in Duo's direction.
The braided pilot followed Heero's quick survey of the room, having also instinctively sought his target, the bed, and the distractions, the exits. He spun the towel languidly in one hand, knowing that his partner wouldn't even pay any attention to it, seeing it as an attempt to distract him. Which it would have been, if Duo didn't know his lover so well. His other hand trailed down his chest, fingertips lightly grazing over his damp skin where Heero's hands had wandered but a few moments before. His eyes narrowed as he peered at Heero, the amethyst depths sparking mischievously. One fingertip gracefully circled his navel once, before dipping lower to barely stroke along his length. He chuckled lowly, and then backed up a single step, eyes never leaving Heero's.
Heero's nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. He caught the movements of Duo's fingers and licked his lips. He saw Duo take a step back and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Duo shook his head, flipping his braid over his shoulder to lay against his chest. The hand that had been occupied with the towel caught up the tip and deftly worked the tie off. While that hand carefully worked the braid out, loosening his hair into a shimmering curtain of chestnut, his other fist wrapped around his erection, thumb running over the slit teasingly. When his hair was fully freed, he withdrew both hands, holding them out emptily towards Heero as he licked his lips.
Heero watched every movement as if mesmerized. He hesitated a step, then moved towards Duo's outstretched hands. Once he got closer, Heero moved in between Duo's arms and closed his mouth over the braided pilot's mouth, moving him against the wall and pressing his body flat against Duo's. He held nothing back, as his own body expressed its desire and need.
Duo's arms wrapped around Heero, pulling him tight, their bodies a long line of almost liquid fire against each other. He moaned wetly into Heero's demanding kiss, not even bothering to try and maintain control over his spiraling need. He shifted a little, squirming in the way that always seemed to drive coherent thought from his lover.
After a short while, Heero moved his head back, allowing them both to breathe. He slid his hands into Duo's hair and felt the silken strands move through his fingers. "Koi," he whispered urgently, grinding his hips against Duo.
"...mmm?" Duo managed to whimper in reply, his eyes fluttering open again. At least until Heero shifted against him, and his eyes snapped shut again, his breath rushing from him in a surprised, heated hiss.
"Still... need me?" Heero asked, hardly aware of his own words.
"More..." Duo breathed in answer, his hands flexing along Heero's muscled back in entreaty.
"Hai," Heero replied, reaching underneath Duo's thighs and lifting him slightly off the floor. Moving, a few steps, he deposited Duo on the bed. He then spread over Duo as his hand reached out for the nightstand. "More," he said softly, bending to kiss Duo briefly, before retrieving the tube of flavored lubricant that they had been given in Arcadia.
Duo's eyes opened again, fastening on Heero hungrily. Something flashed in the violet depths before he took a long, calming breath.
"Need you more.. than even this," he said quietly, indicating their passion with a slow wave of his hand. "Love you. Love you more... even than this... Understand?"
Heero paused for a moment. Then, taking Duo's chin in his hand, he kissed the braided pilot hard and deep. Moving back, he looked into the violet eyes and nodded. "Yes," he said clearly. "Ai shiteru, Duo," he said.
Duo's expression softened, need and desire warring with a fierce protectiveness and a tender devotion. "Ai shiteru, Heero," he whispered, his voice thick.
Heero leaned forward and kissed Duo once more. This time the kiss was tender, lingering and filled with a different kind of passion. Feeling the heat flare between them once more, Heero reached down and grasped Duo's wrist, bringing the braided pilot's hand to his aching flesh. "Yours," he whispered, moving back.
Duo smiled wickedly, pumping his fist along Heero's cock a couple of times. His other hand reached up, pulling Heero forwards again, over him as he spread his thighs invitingly. "Take me... please?" he pleaded, his voice breathless.
Heero moved down and placed himself at Duo's entrance. Sliding forward slowly, he looked into Duo's eyes, feeling Duo's warm body accept him. "No need to beg," he said softly, kissing Duo's lips. "I'm here for you."
Duo's head rolled back on his shoulders, collapsing against the bed as he felt his lover complete him. His hands ran gently down Heero's arms, sliding past the wrists to worm under the Japanese youth's hands. He clasped Heero's fingers tightly as he looked back up into those endless Prussian pools that held him captive. "Us," he breathed, "Together... family."
"Hai," Heero breathed, "Family."
Moving back a little, he then thrust forward as his body took over. With each movement, he felt Duo's words ring through his soul, calling him to the present. For Heero, it would always be that way. No matter what he had gone through or would face, he knew that Duo held the power to call him back from the darkness to the here and now.
As Heero began moving against him, Duo gave up conscious thought and just let himself... feel. No matter how many times, how often, or how many ways Heero touched him, each moment of contact was singular and brilliant, etched in shining silver in Duo's memories. He felt a wave of almost savage protectiveness surge up within him. Heero was his, and Duo wouldn't allow anyone, or anything, to take his love from him. The children were his, the family was his, and Duo was tired of losing the important things in his life. No damned artifact would stand a chance against him if he had any say in the matter. He leaned up and claimed Heero's mouth roughly, grounding himself back in the moment. "Mine," he growled when he finally pulled away.
Heero answered Duo's declaration by thrusting deeper and faster into the warm passage in his body. He growled, feeling his body at the brink. His hands clasped Duo tightly as he shuddered and released deep into the braided pilot's body. "Duo," he moaned against his lover's ear.
Duo bit back a shuddering gasp as Heero spasmed against him. He could feel the wave of his own climax rushing in on him, like a firestorm racing through his soul, burning him up from the inside out. It struck like lightning, flashing through him furiously, setting him ablaze for another shining, silver moment, drawn out unbearably thin. Distantly, he felt the warm splash of his own release spill over the both. But then his senses were consumed, leaving him unaware of anything but his lover above him.
Heero moved down slowly, his mouth searching and finding Duo's. He kissed Duo deeply, but without the former urgency. Slowly, he felt his body calm and gradually diminish. "Mine," he said quietly, feeling a sense of peace in Duo's arms.
Duo was drifting, mindless in his own afterglow, like a leaf floating on a gentle wind. The press of Heero's lips slowly called him back to the moment, grounding him carefully in reality again. A sated, warm smile spread across his face at Heero's declaration. "Yours," he agreed, tightening his grip on the Japanese youth for a moment, reaffirming.
Heero moved back a bit, settling both of them in the bed. Wrapping his arms around Duo, he held him in the darkness of the room, feeling sleep overtake them both...
He said he loves me. He said it and I believe him. Duo never lies.
I've been putting together some things in my head. I have to do this because I don't want to end up in the same spot with Duo, the kids, Wufei and Sallah on one side and me on other. I've been doing that thing I told Zechs I hated. I've been being weak, indecisive and not trusting. I know I'm weak. Everyone is weak. That's not the important part. Sure it makes us human, but humans make decisions. It doesn't matter to me if there is an excuse to use, something else to blame. What matters to me is that what I've been doing is harming the people I love and therefore it is not needed.
Carter... he gave me permission to feel scared. What's the big deal? I've felt scared before. I've welcomed it. It's an indication that you aren't complacent. Lately, I've felt as though it were some shameful thing. Never show fear. I've done that too, but I was aware of it. Not like this time...
Duan... Big, lavender eyes, like Duo's.. unescapable. He knows... He doesn't trust, but that doesn't mean he doesn't hope.
Tryan... Understands...Unafraid to call me out...
Wufan... I get comfort. He wants to help me be ok. He accepts what I show as real and gives back, but it doesn't mean he believes... just wishes...
Sallah.. She wants to help, but isn't sure of the right method to approach.
Wufei... Suspects, but he's like the ocean... You can't push against water and win.
Kenny... Has his limits... his boundaries. He will give and does... but I suspect that if I came to close to his koi, whatever bond we have could be severed...
Duo... He loves. I've done the one thing I swore not to do. I hurt him. I claimed it was in the name of loving him and wanting to protect him, but something dark lies underneath that. Something moves inside and doesn't show it's face... It feels familiar... like I've felt something like it before... It brings anger, paranoia and hunger... It's like a snake, low to the ground... ready to strike...
So, I've gotta get these things straight and lined up in my head.
One. Duo loves me. It doesn't matter what I think about it on a moment to moment basis. He said it. It's a fact. There is no middle ground. He matters. He does not lie.
Two. The kids need me to protect them. I think we've been misreading that one... I think they don't need hovering parents. They need support and guidance... We can do this. I know we can do this. We don't have to be standard, normal to accomplish this. We just need to be what Duo said... We need to be ok.
I need to be ok. If I'm not, they will be able to tell. It affects them. It hurts them all.
So, three... Be ok.
Packing for five small boys as well as themselves was kind of an interesting adventure for the responsible adults... which ended up being mainly Duo and Sallah. Heero hadn't thought much about packing. Kenny, when asked about what he wanted to take, said his pocket-knife.
However, the task was accomplished and the kids settled in the study with some last homework assignments to be emailed to school before they left.
Sallah made her way to the kitchen once the kids were settled for a drink and discovered Wufei sitting there with a small pot of tea, gazing out the window beyond the big tree in a slightly distracted fashion.
"Hi there," she greeted softly as she went to the fridge for a soda. "Um... do you mind company for a moment?"
Wufei looked up, blinked and then shook his head. "Um, some tea, Sallah?"
"Sure, why not? Healthier for me anyway," she said closing the fridge and getting a cup out of the cupboard. Joining Wufei at the table, she chewed her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "Ah, I just... I wanted to apologize for putting you on the spot the other night, when I was asking all those questions..."
Wufei looked for a second as if he didn't know what she was talking about, then his eyes widened slightly. "Oh... yes... that... I... I wasn't very helpful. I wasn't expecting..." He shook his head slightly. "There was nothing incorrect about your asking. I wasn't... prepared to answer but you deserve some answers. It's hard to know where to begin."
"I understand." She winced slightly. "Pouncing on you didn't help, I'm sure... I guess... it's my interpretation that something's changed with Heero recently. I just am concerned..." she broke off, looking uncertain. Toying idly with the end of one braid, she finally continued. "I wondered if it might have had something to do with the bunch of us." She shrugged, a bit at a loss for words.
Wufei tilted his head. "It might. But it probably has more to do with... other things." He took a breath and looked inward for a moment, very far inward, then turned to face her more directly.
"You've been reading books on the history of the Colonies and Earth, haven't you? I've noticed you studying."
Smiling, Sallah nodded. "Can't help myself... I want to understand, so I've been researching a bit."
Wufei smiled slightly. "A worthy habit." His expression became more serious. "There are a lot of things that you won't find in those history books and tapes. I've seen most of them. A few names pop up at the end of the Eve Wars, but they come out of nowhere. Previous regimes, Oz to be specific, tried to eradicate mentions of certain details of our history and the records have not been completely set straight, in part by the choice of some of us. You know there was a conflict that began between the Colonies and Earth during the days of the Alliance. After the fall of the Alliance to Oz, to all public appearances, that conflict ended, aside from skirmishes with splinter groups, one of which nearly cost us the Earth itself. What the history doesn't record in any detail was what that initial conflict entailed. The Colonies had no armies, nor any central government. Certain scientists, backed in some cases by small groups, created weapons and sent them to Earth to take the Colonies' message of non-submission directly to the oppressive military power that controlled the situation. There were five of these weapons, mobile suits similar in design to the ones that, I am told, Heero and Duo destroyed at your base. More advanced, and made of an alloy only produced in space - gundanium. The five Gundams carried out a guerrilla war on Earth. Each was piloted by someone chosen from a different Colony sector. The five pilots were myself, Quatre and Trowa, Duo and Heero."
Sallah nodded to herself slightly. "Ah... this explains some of the things I've heard the three of you talk about. Explains a bit of Kenny's fascination with mobile suits and that sort of thing," she muttered under her breath.
Wufei watched Sallah for a moment. "That was... less than two years ago. A lot... happened. We had a little stretch of peace, then other events occurred." He dropped his eyes, looking inward again. After a moment he looked back. "Of the five of us, some were trained to be fighters, or forced to be, from early ages. Others became so by necessity. But," he added, his dark eyes clear, with a subdued, but unmistakable sense of pride, "We were the best."
"That I don't doubt," Sallah said, her expression serious. "I may have not known you all very long, but..." she shrugged one shoulder, "I can tell that's true." She looked down for a moment, as if turning over the new information in her head and looking at it from many angles. "I understand what effect these wars must have had on you all..."
Wufei held up his hand. "No you don't," he said simply, without rancor. "Any more than I can understand what it must have been like for you to live underground for so many years. But the effects are not as important in this as the fact that we were who we were, and to all intents and purposes, we are still the same people. But the world... the Colonies, and Earth together, has changed. The changes have not been drastic... only the end of conflict and military rule. And it may... not last... so do we try to become 'peaceful', and fit in with this new world? Or do we wait for some possible future need? Or do we really have a choice at all?" He stood up and took her hand, pulling her easily to her feet.
"Come with me. There's only one thing I can do that may show you in some way..."
Sallah nodded, following as he led her out of the kitchen. "I... I don't mean to be difficult. It seems the closer I get to understanding, the farther away I actually am."
Wufei stopped, his fingers making a warm ring around her wrist. He looked into her eyes searchingly for a moment. He seemed about to say something, then changed his mind. The words that came out were different that what he'd been thinking.
"Be... difficult," he said quietly. "That is the only way you will find out what your place is in this world."
Then he turned and led her to his room down the hall. He closed the door behind her and locked it.
His room was spartan, and he went to a small metallic box and opened a coded lock to get into it. He removed a set of disks and took them to a small laptop computer sitting on a low table. Putting one of the disks in, he pressed a few keys and the picture going to the screen was projected onto the wall for a larger view.
It was a recording of a space battle. There were mobile suits, more than she could count or even easily imagine. There was a large object in the foreground, so immense it seemed out of scale, and beyond, a wide blue disk she recognized after a few moments of staring as the Earth.
What she was seeing, in sequence after sequence, were raw, unedited recordings from the cockpits of various mobile suits. At first what she was seeing was too chaotic to make much sense but after a while she began to get a sense of what was happening. She heard voices, some of them close, some from cockpit speakers and they changed with the different sequences. She realized suddenly that she knew several of the voices.
With no idea how long she watched and listened, she got no sense of the battle over all as a coherent event. Instead, she was experiencing it as a soldier might, in chaotic episodes and sudden brutal encounters. She found herself on one side of a duel in space, and recognized with some difficulties the voice of the young man behind her, somehow rougher, younger, more edgy and intense. She saw a sudden attack and almost felt the reflexes that followed with beautiful precision. She heard a voice crack with tears.
And then the sequence changed to another. And another. And then she found herself looking out of the screen and a huge chunk of some man-made object, accelerating towards the blue sphere. She saw a beautiful white and blue machine in front of her and the toss of a massive weapon from her "hands" to the other. She heard another voice she recognized accept a mission and watched as the man-machine plunged after the massive object. Her eyes strained through the red haze of re-entry, and when it seemed beyond reach, saw the great flash of energy, and explosion that whited out the screen, and then through the waves of dispersing energy, saw an impossible return.
The sequences ended. The screen went black. The room became still and quiet.
She was numb, yet her heart raced and for a moment she could only concentrate on forcing it to slow down. Swallowing hard, Sallah finally turned almost impossibly wide eyes on Wufei, struggling to find words to respond to all that she'd just seen and heard. "I... had no idea... Even my imagination couldn't have..." she said and then broke off, looking away.
Wufei's face had, when she turned, been a still mask, behind which un-guessed thoughts and memories flickered far below the surface.
"You wanted to know if Heero has changed. Many times, Sallah. As have I. As have the others. The children..." Wufei's gaze strayed to some middle distance and then returned. "I don't know what the others see, but I see a self from a million years ago. A self that has never existed. What Heero sees?" Wufei shook his head. It was almost a shudder. "I can't guess. Has he changed? Is it you? It could be. But try and understand." He gestured briefly at the blank screen. "What is there after that? To go back to? This new... life... carries a great and terrible hope that was never meant for us."
Wufei fell silent as if he'd revealed a great deal more than he wanted to, but his integrity would not allow him to deny it once it had been expressed.
Sallah gazed at the blank screen, then looked back to Wufei. Clasping her hands behind her back, she said quietly, "I will try to be more understanding... I... thank you for showing me this." She looked away again. "I know this... new life... is sometimes overwhelming for me. I didn't fully consider how it was affecting the rest of you."
Wufei took a breath and took the disks, locking them away carefully. Then he went to the door and unlocked it, and then came to stand in front of her.
"Don't be more understanding," he said. "Be difficult. There are enough people in the world who do and think as they are told. You were not brought here from your world to be another one like that."
"Ah, right," Sallah said with a slightly wry grimace. "Hard habit to break, unconsciously following orders... it's been taking a bit of getting used to. I didn't mean to seem like I was just worrying. I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, and if there was anything I could do to... help? I'm not sure if that's the right word for it," she said, and then sighed softly.
Wufei watched her for a moment. "I'm not certain about what is going on. Something is. Do you think you are too weak to be of any use in it? I used to know someone who would say... it doesn't matter how weak you are, if your heart is in it. You have to decide that for yourself."
Sallah shook her head. "Weak? No... I just... at times it feels like I'm... being taken care of. And I've been letting it happen a bit, I think. But I want to help you all, to contribute however I might be able. I refuse to simply sit back and watch things happen if I can do *anything* at all..."
Wufei nodded as if it was close enough to something he'd been waiting for. "I said the same once," he said softly. Then he moved toward the door and held it open for her.
"Thanks," Sallah murmured automatically as she moved past Wufei into the hallway. Then she paused a moment, looking back at him. "I really do appreciate you showing me that. I... I meant it when I said I didn't doubt you all were the best, and I'm even more sure of that now. And that goes for taking care of the boys, too."
Wufei's eyebrows rose in surprise at the last comment. "Hn," he remarked.
He dropped his gaze and closed the door behind him.
"I suppose the tea's cold by now," Sallah said as she walked back towards the kitchen. "If you don't mind company a bit longer, I'll make more..."
Wufei bowed his head slightly. "I don't... mind. But I have some things to do before we leave. I should be back in a couple of hours." He left the kitchen through the door to the garage and Sallah heard the sound of his bike taking off a few minutes later.
Sallah sat back down at the kitchen table as she waited for the teakettle to come to a boil. Resting her chin on one hand, she tried to mentally absorb all that she'd been shown and told. Thus lost in thought, she didn't even notice as she began to idly but gently rub where Wufei had grasped her wrist.
TBC
End of Part 11
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
fenwyck@radiks.net,
sablexo1@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.