Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 1 Blood on the Window ❯ Deranged ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I closed my eyes as the hot water ran over me, feeling as if it were washing away my sins. I felt cleaner in body and soul after washing my hair-which she'd loved so much.

On the other hand, Heero was pleased. He always told me I was too much of a saint and that he was going to tear me into hell with him if I didn't watch it, but I knew better than that. I knew that he was just testing me. I just wished he wouldn't test me with such dirty things.

Of course, Kayla was better than having him set me up with some guy. I didn't doubt Heero could do it, and I didn't doubt his ability to fast-talk me into a corner.

Not that I hadn't had fun. I'd had a blast with him at the bar. After the fight, everything had seemed right. I hadn't really hurt the guy-just injured his pride. He deserved that after treating Wufei the way he did…

I jumped at the pounding on the door, "Hurry up, Duo, or we'll miss mass."

I closed my eyes, leaning against the wall again.

Wufei never went to mass without me. I knew that for a fact….

"Duo?"

"I'm not going," I informed him, wondering how pleased that would make Heero.

"Why not? We always go. I look forward to it…" that sounded sincere.

I sighed, "All right, give me a few minutes."

"All right."

I shook my head.

When Trowa got here, it'd be better-and Quatre. They'd both bring their kids and Hero would settle down.

.

Heero met Duo and I after mass, sitting in his car directly in front of the church. He looked slightly petulant and impatient as people stared at him in dismay.

Duo's face broke into the first true grin I'd seen on him all morning and he slid into the passenger's seat, "Hey, Heero." he greeted.

"Hey," Heero replied, "I have a job."

"Where at?"

"Upper east side," he replied, meeting my eyes as I got in, "Are you coming?"

"No?" I asked, blinking at him, then Duo, "Aren't you dropping us off at the house?"

He looked at me as if the thought had never crossed his mind.

"It's fine," Duo brushed the matter aside, "You don't need to drop me off."

Heero gave me a pointed look, "If you're not going, why don't you take a bus back to the house?"

"Because your girlfriend will ask me why I didn't go home." I returned, not sure I liked this.

"Have it your way," he muttered, "I know you don't like to watch."

Duo laughed, smacking him in the arm as a chill traveled down my spine.

Heero flashed a grin at Duo, then took off.

.

I grinned as a warm spray of blood hit my face-and Duo's. I watched him carefully as he blinked and it connected in his mind what had happened, passing him a paper-towel before he could touch his face with his hands, knocking the body over and prying the bullet out of the brick wall.

"You sick mother-fucker," Wufei said to me, his voice shocked as he stared at me.

I flashed him a grin, tilting my face so I knew the blood was even more in evidence, "What?"

"Ahhh!" he said something about reaping your own rewards in Chinese, pacing away some before focusing on Duo.

Duo had wiped his face and was offering me the paper-towel.

"Thank you." I said cordially, indicating the casing on the ground next to him, "If you'd be so kind?"

Duo leaned over and scooped the thing up, pocketing it and looking back to the body. His eyes were somber and I could tell he was praying.

"Let's go." I said shortly, grabbing him by the arm before stopping and pulling out a dollar bill.

"What are you doing?" Duo asked blankly.

"It's called a calling-card." I replied, flashing him a grin as I got one without my prints on it, "I'm a cheap killer." I dropped the bill next to the dead-man's head and shoved Duo down the alley-way toward where my car was parked.

"Why did you kill that man?" Wufei asked as we slid into the car. He was much more at ease with the fact that I was an assassin than with the fact that I killed. He could ask me how a job went when he hadn't witnessed it, and he could listen to gory details when he hadn't seen the person's eyes.

"Because I was given six-thousand dollars to do it." I returned, pulling into traffic, "Which I'll split with you fucks since you were with me."

"I don't want any." he said evenly.

"Good. More for me and Duo."

"Um…" Duo started.

"The man was a sinner, consider it his penitence and donate it to your church."

Duo didn't reply.

I sniggered, "Or put it in a saving's account for when the F.B.I. break the encoding Trowa put on our files. That way when they come after us with torches we don't burn."

Duo looked away, and I could see Wufei in my review mirror, staring at the floor.

"Speaking of the fucker," I went on, "He should be just about to land. Shall we away to the airport? There's a little girl I'm dying to see."

"Gladly." Duo replied.

.

"Tio!"

I smiled as my daughter squealed in delight, running off through the crowed to jump into Heero's arms.

"How was your trip?" Heero asked me as he hugged me, still holding my daughter.

"Passable." I replied easily, moving to hug Duo, "I see he got to you." I added, indicating Duo's throat-which was covered in hickies.

Duo's expression was shocked for a half a second, and I realized that he'd forgotten. He looked away from my eyes.

I laughed, moving to hug Wufei, "I thought I'd asked you to watch out for Duo, what the hell?"

Wufei laughed abashedly, "Shit happens."

Alex gasped at him, "Tio!"

"What?" he asked, blinking at her.

"That's right, Alexia, Tio Wufei said a bad word."

She nodded, her eyes intent on Wufei's.

"Should I smack his mouth?" I asked her.

She broke into naughty giggles at this and met my eyes, nodding.

I moved to smack Wufei, who broke into laughter and dodged out of my way.

I grinned at him, "Watch your mouth, or I'll give you chillé."

"You've been in Mexico too long." he informed me.

"Couldn't be because my daughter's grandmother lives there, could it?" I returned, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Every other word you say is Spanish," he countered, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Tio, is that bad?" Alexia asked him.

He blinked, focusing on her and smiling, "No, it's fine!" he said, offering his arms to her, "At least for you. You speak pretty-Spanish. Your dad, however…"

She giggled, giving me another guilty look as she moved into Wufei's arms.

"And how is Abuela?" Duo asked curiously.

"She's fine." I muttered, "She wants you to come down and visit again soon."

He smiled, "I'll have to work on that. As it is, I had to take a second job to get here."

"What?" all three of us demanded this of him at the same time, staring at him in shock.

"I would have paid for your ticket!" Heero accused.

It was the first sign of remorse I'd ever seen Heero show to Duo, and that had both me and Wufei's attention more firmly than Duo's announcement.

Duo dropped his eyes, shaking his head.

"How are you making rent?" Heero added.

Duo laughed nervously, moving around them to take Alexia from Wufei, smiling at her and talking to her quietly.

"Duo," Heero stated, his tone warning.

"Tio's talking to you," Alexia said with a frown, glancing at Heero and leaning to Duo's ear, "Did you make him mad?" she whispered.

"Don't worry about it, honey." he replied.

"Yes, he doesn't want to talk to me." Heero informed the girl.

"Don't put her in the middle," I snapped at him, moving forward to take my daughter from Duo, "She doesn't understand what's going on, so don't confuse her by trying to get at Duo."

Heero gave me a look.

Alexia frowned, moving up to wrap her arms around Duo's waist.

Duo had been about to say something to Heero, and at this gesture, he focused on the girl immediately.

"And don't use her a shield," I snapped at Duo.

Duo jumped guiltily, looking up to the three of us.

"If you had to take a second job to get here, how the hell are you paying rent?" Heero demanded.

"I'm not." Duo replied, focusing away from us.

"So where the fuck are you gonna live?" I snarled.

Duo shook his head, still avoiding eyes, "I'm going to talk to my landlord when I get back. He's a reasonable guy, if I offer to pay back what I owe…I mean, I have two jobs, it'll only take a month or…"

"So where is all your shit?" Heero snapped at him.

"I have everything of worth with me," he muttered, looking to Heero's feet. Heero stared at him before turning to me and throwing his arms in the air, "Just like that!" he snapped, "I suggest we all come together for a visit and he drops his place to live like nothing!"

"Well," I muttered, "You kinda have that sway over him."

Heero was furious at me for that.

Wufei stepped forward and rested a hand on his arm, "It's all right. You heard Duo, everything he owns of value is with him."

I glanced to Duo, who had my daughter in his arms again and had walked away. He was agreeing with her that we all had potty-mouths.

"Yeah," Heero muttered, calming himself, "He can live with me and Relena."

.

"Here's your cut."

I turned to blink up at Heero from my book as he signed a check and pulled it from his checkbook, passing it to me.

Twelve-thousand.

"I can't take this!" I protested, trying to pass the thing back at him, "You said the job was six, that's only three…I…that's four times as much…" I didn't want him to give me money…especially that amount. I didn't even really want the money from today's job. I hadn't done anything.

"You were with me yesterday, too." he snapped at me in irritation, refusing to take the slip of paper back, "Yesterday's was worth Eighteen. Cut it in half and you have nine. Get it?"

"Heero, I didn't do anything!"

"You helped me out!" he snapped back, irritation clearly written on his face.

"How? Taking the trash-bag out? Picking up your shell-casing? Really…"

"You were second eyes to watch for people," he snapped.

"What are you two bickering about?" Relena asked, coming into the kitchen to blink at us. Alex was a step behind her, holding an empty cup.

"He's not letting me give him his cut," Heero snapped at her.

"I didn't do anything!"

Relena looked between us, then turned and took the cup from our niece, "Go wait in the living room, all right?"

Alexia nodded, blinking at us before turning and disappearing.

"Listen to me, jackass," Relena said calmly, moving up to my face, "Heero told me what you said, and you'd better take your half of the fuckin' job, because you can't live with us forever, and I'd imagine you want your own place."

I stared at her, "What?"

She looked at me a minute before focusing on Heero.

"I hadn't told him yet." Heero said evenly.

"Told me what?" I returned, "What do you mean, live with you? With this money I can pay my frickin' rent…"

"I don't want you going back there." Heero announced after taking a breath, "They charge too much rent and there's no jobs."

I blinked at him. I had two jobs. What did he mean…

"He wants you to live with us." Relena explained, "And I agree with him. You're always so depressed when you go back to that colony-and where you live? If you had to get two jobs…I mean, really, Duo. I could afford this house on my own pay-check if Heero didn't have his job…"

I stared at the two of them, feeling both embarrassed and pleased-and embarrassed for feeling pleased.

"Just stay with us for a while," Heero encouraged, "Like Wufei did. You can get a job here and then get your own place…but you'll be here."

I blinked at him.

"Tia 'rena?" Alexia said curiously, appearing in the door, "I'm really thirsty."

Relena smiled at her, "Sorry, I was talking to Uncle Duo." she moved to the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of juice.

"Please?" Heero muttered quietly to me, "It would ease my mind."

"So you can take care of me?" I spat, "Poor pathetic Duo?"

When I was suddenly pinned to the wall by my throat, I realized I'd went too far. I broke away from him, not meeting his eyes. "Fine, I'll stay." I snapped.

"Sounds like we're twisting your arm," Heero snapped, "Christ, stay where you are if you don't want to live here."

I couldn't meet his eyes again, but something else had occurred to me.

I wanted to be here.

"Just go cash that fuckin' check."

I turned and met his eyes.

He shook his head at me, turning and storming from the room. Relena followed him.

"Apa said he's gonna give Heero chillé if he keeps talking like that," Alexia informed me, carrying her cup carefully over to sit in the chair next to mine, "I told him not to give you chillé, though, because you don't use bad words."

"What did he say to that?" I asked, moving to sit next to her and stare at the check, swallowing my anger so I could talk to her.

"He said that you're an adult too, but you know that I don't like bad words, so you don't use them when I'm around, and that if he gives you chillé it's because you said something really bad." her innocent eyes met mine, "You wouldn't say anything really bad, would you? I don't want Apa to give you chillé."

I smiled, loving her logic, "No," I agreed, studying the check again, "I wouldn't say anything bad."

"'kay." she said happily, taking a drink of her juice and starting to kick her legs, "I went to kindergarten." she informed me.

"My goodness!" I exclaimed, though we'd had this conversation before, "You can't be old enough for school yet!"

She giggled, "I told you before, Duo! You told me only big girls can go to school. I'm a big girl, huh?"

I laughed, kissing the top of her head, "A very big girl." I agreed.

.

"So how are you, really?" Hilde asked me, studying my eyes, "I can see that Alexia's fine, but are you all right?"

I nodded, looking away from her eyes, "Leticia's family excepts me like she's still there."

"Well," Hilde muttered, patting my leg, "She just left you. She's not dead, and chances are she's coming back. They probably don't want to alienate you."

"Actually," I smiled slightly, "They're all really disgusted with her and will probably disown her if she comes back."

Hilde blinked at me.

I sighed, shaking my head, "I can't stay there much longer, though. They all look alike…and…"

She smiled at me, "Physical or emotional?"

I made a face, "A little of both."

She nodded, hugging me, "You just need to get laid, that's all."

"Now you sound like Heero." I admonished, rising to my feet to find my daughter, "He said that same damn thing to me not ten minutes before you got here."

"So it's true." she replied easily.

"Or it's a conspiracy, which I'm more apt to believe." I gave her a look, moving into the kitchen.

"We'd conspire to get you laid?" she asked in disbelief.

I turned and met her eyes, "You've seen Duo, haven't you?"

"What?" Duo asked, rising slowly to his feet. Alexia was in his arms, sound a sleep.

Hilde came around the corner-and stared at him.

"Oh, hi, Hilde." he said, smiling at her and perking up some, "I was wondering if you were coming over today."

She moved across the room and forced his chin up-at which point Duo seemed to remember again that his throat was covered in hickies.

"Heero!" Hilde shouted, turning for the door as Heero came down the stairs.

"Shh!" I cautioned her, looking to my daughter.

"Yeah?" he asked, moving into the kitchen and giving Duo a dark look.

"What the hell do you smoke?" Hilde snapped at him.

"Shh, you'll wake the girl." Heero snapped at her, eyes on my child.

I didn't comment on this use of a shield. She was sleeping, after all.

Heero moved across the room and took her from Duo, "I'll put her on your bed, all right?" he added to me, starting for the hall.

Hilde turned on me, gesturing after him.

I grinned slightly at her, "I just got here today, don't look at me…why don't you ask Duo, who-you know, has the hickies."

Hilde's eyes narrowed and she turned to give him a look.

He laughed nervously, "I'm…I'm going to the bank."

He disappeared before she could protest, snatching up Heero's keys on his way out the door.

Hilde turned back to me.

I snatched my cell-phone quickly from my pocket, paging down to Wufei's number and hitting dial, passing it to her, "Talk to someone who can give you answers."

I darted from the room.

"Trowa!"

.

I could not believe that Trowa had set Hilde on me. I shut the front door to Heero's house firmly, glaring at the guy-standing still as I could, seeing as I was buzzed.

He flashed me a grin.

"Tio!" Alexia jumped to her feet-she'd been sitting at Trowa's feet.

"Hey, angel," I muttered, kissing her as I lifted her into my arms, "How are you?"

And evidently I opened a can of worms with that one. She started jabbering at me, and it only took a moment for my irritation with Trowa to ebb as I nodded and encouraged the girl on, sitting on the couch with her. She continued yammering at me. As she started to speak faster, however, more and more Spanish words snuck in. I knew most of what she was saying just from association with Trowa, who'd been with a Mexican woman for years and picked up on her speech habits. But when she threw in something about "cochino" I was completely lost.

"What?" I asked, blinking at her.

Trowa started laughing, "I am not a pig!" he protested, "I only got a little soup on my shirt!"

I blinked at him.

"You had to change the shirt," she protested, "Abuela says that means you're a cochino."

Trowa huffed at her.

"But it's okay, daddy," she said reassuringly, "Tio Fei is a pig, too. See?" she pointed at the red stain down my shirt.

"I spilled my drink!" I protested instantly.

"Drink?" Trowa asked, focusing on me suddenly.

"I am a bartender," I muttered at him, "I have to make sure it tastes like it should from time to time."

"Come here, baby." Trowa muttered, extending his arms.

I blinked at him in astonishment as Alexia moved to him and he pulled her into his lap, meeting my eyes and shaking his head, "I don't want you around my child," he said quietly in Chinese, "When you're drunk."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" Alex asked, frowning at Trowa.

"I'm not drunk!" I spat back, sitting upright.

"I couldn't figure out why you weren't standing up straight, and now that I know…"

"Tro," I said seriously, meeting his eyes, "I'm not drunk."

"What is he saying?" Alexia whined at me, "I hate it when he speaks more languages!"

"It's nothing for you to hear," Trowa informed her, "if it were, I'd have said it in Spanish. Now go on," he pushed her off his lap, "Go find Tio."

A mischievous grin lit her eyes and she moved across the room to pull herself on to my lap again.

"Alexia Rosa." he said evenly.

Alex hopped off my lap, casting me a scared look.

I raised an eyebrow at Trowa.

"Go find Tio Heero."

"You only said to find Tio." she pouted at him, her lower lip sticking out, "You didn't tell me to find Tio Heero."

"Go."

Alex ran off up the stairs.

"What the hell is your problem?" I demanded of Trowa, rising to my feet, "And why are you sending her after Ro when he's not here?"

"Heero is here," Trowa said, giving me a blank look.

"His car is not." I said pointedly.

"Duo took it." he muttered, eyeing me narrowly.

"Whatever," I muttered, starting off up the stairs.

"I just said…"

I turned and gave him a nasty look, pulling off my shirt, "I'm not drunk, and I'm not going to bother your daughter."

Trowa sighed in disgust.

.

"Just a minute," I said into my phone as Alexia came into my room with her head bowed, "What's the matter, Baby?"

At her vanity, Relena had been brushing her hair. She stopped to look at the girl.

Alex climbed onto the bed and crawled across it to sit next to me, she had tears in her eyes, "Apa is mad at me." she said.

"Is he?"

"I'm talking serious business, Sir." my potential client snapped at me.

"And I'm busy, so your serious business will have to wait."

The man went quiet.

"He called me Alexia Rosa." Alex explained, still pouting.

In the back of my mind, I remembered Trowa telling me that his daughter was a drama-queen, and if you gave in you'd open the waterworks. I sat up, studying her face, "I don't think he's mad at you. I just think he told you to do something and you didn't do it."

"He said to go find Tio, so I went to sit on Fei's lap." she explained, climbing into my lap, "And then he got mad at me."

I exchanged a look with Relena in the mirror, then realized I was on the phone, "I'll call you back." I informed the man.

"Excuse…"

I shut my phone before he could say more, tossing it onto my pillow and focusing on the five year old again, "Why didn't he want you on Wufei's lap?"

"I don't know," she pouted on, "He said something about a drink…"

"Evidently," Wufei said, knocking on the door-frame as he ducked into my room, "I'm drunk."

Alex giggled at that.

I raised an eyebrow at Wufei.

"Trowa realized I'd had a drink."

"Where is your shirt?" Relena demanded of him, her tone skeptical.

"I took it off, because evidently I'm a pig for having spilled on it."

I blinked at that as Alex giggled more.

"I see," I muttered, switching to Chinese, "You realize that Letty was a drunk, don't you?"

"What?" he demanded.

"Leticia was drunk all the time," I explained, "She would get drunk and be a complete bitch to Alexia."

"I heard my name!" Alex exclaimed, looking to Relena.

Relena smiled, "He's just saying what a sweet girl you are."

Alexia giggled and leaned against me again.

Wufei looked from her to me, then back again.

"And you can't even stand up straight," I added, "So what the hell did you think Trowa would think?"

"I'm not drunk!" Wufei snapped in English.

Alexia giggled more, turning to look at me, "Drunk is bad, huh?"

I nodded, not really thinking about what she was saying because I was glaring at Wufei.

Wufei had a sheepish expression on his face.

Trowa came up behind Wufei then, and shoved him into the bedroom to take his place at the door and cross his arms as he glared at me.

"What?" I demanded evenly, resting my chin on his girl's head.

"I'm not happy." he returned.

"Couldn't tell, Mr. Sunshine." Relena said dismissively, then looked at all of us, "This is a bedroom, gentlemen. And my personal room. If you don't mind?"

Wufei just rolled his eyes as he always did, but Trowa had started backwards.

"Where's Duo?" I added, looking behind Trowa. I'd figured they'd all come up if one did, and I wanted to ask Duo if he wanted me to call him my partner. I knew he was annoyed at me for the way I'd reacted to hearing he'd skipped out on rent, but…well…

"He took your car and went to the bank," Trowa was confused.

"So where did Hilde go?"

He shrugged.

Wufei chucked, the sound evil, "She got a bit angry at me."

We all focused on him.

He shrugged, "I said a few things for adult ears only and she went to hunt me down."

Alex sighed, starting to climb off my lap as we all focused on her, grumbling about adult talk and pouting openly at Trowa as she started down the stairs.

We blinked at Trowa.

He grinned at me and shrugged, "Her T…aunts and uncles make her leave the room for adult talk."

"Lover," Relena said sweetly, indicating my phone, "You're going to lose your contract."

I sighed, grabbing it and raising it to my ear as Trowa and Wufei started from the room.

Fuck it, Duo could deal.