July 2000
Category: Adventure, Action, Friendship.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing with them not seeking to make any sort of
money. ((Except for Shelby and Penny.. they're mine. :> ))
Pairings: Those established in my timeline (Companions of Fate) this is
just Duo and Quatre out and about at the moment.
NOTES: As I've said before 4th Colony in L2 is NOT A NICE PLACE!! Things are a little rough going here and it's dark and angsty. Again I will reiterate, THIS IS NOT A BASTARDIZATION OF DUO!!! He's just a little upset at the moment.
Feedback craved and begged for shamelessly!!
"Penny!... Penny darling where are you!" Quatre could hear the woman's frantic voice as he carefully closed the door behind him.
"Hey Shell Bell, I think I gots what you're looking for!" Duo hollered down the dark hallway. The braided boy leaned back and peered into the small face of the little girl he held. The child continued to gnaw happily on his braid.
Quatre sat down the duffles, taking a quick look around. Two large rooms lead off the hallway in which they stood. In one room, very small children played quietly with aged blocks, rag dolls and other broken toys. There was an air of quiet in the room. Not necessarily unhappiness but a certain sense of reserve. Some children played with each other but mostly they each kept to themselves.
Friends disappeared too quickly it seemed.
Quatre swallowed hard and arrested the reach of his hand towards his chest. Turning he looked into the other room. In this room older children sat around. Some reading, others playing with ripped and dirty cards. Though it wasn't as keen as in the streets, Quatre could already feel the competitive air starting to surround the youths. Some kept completely to themselves, tucked away in corners by the windows or the heaters, watching the room with an obvious distrust in their haunted eyes.
Taking a long slow breath to ease the tightness around his heart, Quatre looked up towards Duo. A small woman, with kind brown eyes in a face that would never be called pretty raced up to the tall American.
"Oh Duo!" The woman's voice held such a note of relief that Quatre blinked. This was more then thankfulness for finding the wayward child. This must be Shelby.
"Hey Shell Bell." Duo spoke softly, leaning down to kiss the young woman's cheek. Looking at her more closely Quatre realized the side of the girl's cheek was badly scarred.
"I'm... thanks for coming Duo. Here, let me take her. Penny honey..." The woman began in a gently chastising tone.
The little girl frowned and Quatre had to cover a smile at the mulish expression that came over her small face as Shelby reached to remove her from Duo's hold. Right on cue, as the braid was taken away, Penny's sweet nature shifted and a howl erupted.
Quatre couldn't help himself. He stepped forward automatically to help soothe the upset child but Duo merely reached out and stopped the small blonde. Shelby walked a few paces away from them, bouncing the crying Penny on her hip and talking gently but firmly to the child who cried inconsolably.
"Giving her what she wants won't do any good. Just disappoint her later when she learns the truth."
"But.. Duo..." Quatre began as the child's angry cries grew into a full on tantrum.
"Maxwell's Orphanage doesn't raise spoiled brats." Duo hissed right into Quatre's face, causing Quatre to draw back a little. "The Orphanage can't afford to. She'll cry herself out shortly."
Quatre looked again at the unhappy child, then at Duo who stood firmly between the little Arabian and Shelby. Shaking his head and muttering softly in Arabic, Quatre retreated to pick up the duffles.
Penny howled for a good twenty minutes until she finally subsided into miserable little hiccups. Shelby held up a small rag that had been knotted and Penny took it with a disgruntled sniff, stuffed it in her mouth and began to chew, her bright eyes on Duo's braid.
The rag was a poor substitute for the braid in Penny's mind.
Duo just smiled gently at the little girl and now that she was calm he reached over and tickled her nose. Shelby continued to bounce little Penny on her hip as she now tried talking.
"I'm sorry, my manners are lacking. I'm Shelby." She held a hand, also scarred, out towards Quatre.
Quatre stepped forward immediately reaching to take her hand and introduce himself.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Q..." He caught himself as Duo kicked him hard in the ankle. "Err...FC."
Shelby smiled shyly, ducking her head a little to get her shoulder length auburn hair to cover her scarred face. "Thank you, for coming with Duo to help."
"He was just hanging around Shell Bell, I thought I'd put him to good work." Duo blustered, slapping Quatre hard on the shoulder.
Quatre nearly stumbled under the force of the blow. As Duo took Shelby's arm and walked ahead, Quatre frowned at Duo's back. There was a certain level of surpressed violence in Duo's kick and punch. Quatre couldn't figure out if Duo was putting on a good show or if there was something *he* Quatre, had done.
Shaking it off as tension, Quatre picked up the duffles once more and followed the trio down the hall.
Shelby talked as she laid Penny out on a changing table, getting the little girl cleaned up.
"I...I just didn't know who else to ask for help Duo. Everything was all right until about four months ago, when the second gang formed down at the South end of the city. Now, they're challenging Dingo's Right of Territory and there are fights breaking out all over the place. This street is quickly becoming one of the last unsettled properties but it won't remain that way for long. It's going to become a battlezone, just like the rest of the city."
Penny cooed and kicked at Shelby who tickled the little girl's toes, watching her sadly. Duo rested against the broken dresser, fiddling with the stuffed animal Penny had been clutching when they'd first met. Quatre leaned against the doorjamb fighting the urge to sneak little waves at Penny whenever she giggled at him.
"Vice Minister Dorlain is here to inspect the situation but you know how that goes Duo. The officials will gasp and posture but nothing will get done." For the first time, Quatre heard a touch of bitterness from Shelby. For the most part he'd found the little woman to be very hopeful and gentle, despite her surroundings.
"Vice Minister Dorlain is good at her job..." Quatre started only to shut up at the glare Duo sent his way.
"It's a nice thought FC but none of the officials can do much here. We've had stacks upon stacks of empty promises and lofty theories handed out to us. Doesn't do us much good. Even the paper doesn't last long as fuel for the furnace." Shelby's scarred lips curled in a dark smile.
"Sorry." Shelby immediately ducked her head. "I shouldn't take my frustrations out on you. You fellas came all this way to help. Come on, I'll show you were you can stay and then we can see about getting you some dinner."
"Shell... how much rations you got for tonight." Duo asked quietly.
"About 10 lbs."
"How many mouths?"
"We've got over 40 now Duo. The fighting around the area has increased occupancy." Shelby's voice was sad as she brushed her hand through Penny's tousled hair. "This little one just came to us a few days after I sent that message to you."
Duo frowned and shook his head. "FC and I ate on the shuttle, we're fine. Need help getting dinner pulled together."
Shelby looked hard at Duo who just returned her gaze for a long moment before he looked pointedly at Penny, then back. Shelby's head fell again and her shoulders slumped a little. She looked ashamed. Then she looked up and gave them both a gentle smile.
"Never going to turn down help with peeling potatoes. Come on."
Quatre stood out of the way as Shelby walked by carrying Penny. Duo waited a moment, making certain Shelby was out of range before he rounded on the little Arabian. Before Duo could get wound up though, Quatre held up his hands quickly.
"It's cool. I wasn't hungry anyway."
Duo blinked then his face darkened and he snarled. "What.. too good for potatoes??"
"Duo?!?!"
"Umm.. guys? Do you want to see where to leave your duffles?" Shelby called down from the top of the hall.
Duo and Quatre exchanged glares for a moment longer before Duo snatched his duffle roughly off Quatre's shoulder and stalked down the hall.
End Part 5
(( I told myself I was going to write in larger chunks on this fic but... this is going to sound stupid but I found myself with tears in my eyes as I wrote this part. I simply could not make myself go further in just one sitting. It's an emotional battlezone and I figure that if *I* feel that way writing it, I'd better be sensitive to you folks reading it. Laekin. ))
Laekin
Please send comments to: seregill@aol.com
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