Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Price They Paid ❯ Trials and Tribulations ( Chapter 23 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Price 23

Betaed by Skippyscatt

The papers did come on Wednesday, along with a summons to come to court.

Heero bit his lip and sighed. "We have to go to court. Relena didn't say anything about that. I
don't wanna go." There was more than the suspicion of a whine in his voice.

Zechs hunched a shoulder irritably. "I don't want to go either. The last time I went to court they
made me wear a jumpsuit. I do not look good in orange."

Heero smirked at him slightly. "I wouldn't think so, with your coloring. I always have to be
careful not to break the leg irons. It's a real nuisance."

Zechs slapped his hands onto his knees as he stood up. "I'm going to talk to the warden. I'm not
showing up in court looking like anything less than what I am. And neither are you."

Heero just raised his eye brow and shrugged. "And what am I?"

"A decorated war hero." Heero snorted. "You are. You have a battle ribbon for every battle you
were in. And a decoration for courage above and beyond. As well as several 'bullets' for being
wounded. I'll have to check exactly, but they will be appended to your record."

Heero managed to look skeptical. "And that'll help . . . how?"

Zechs gave Heero a rather disgusted look. "Terrorists don't get medals. Think about it."

~ * ~

The trip to the court house later that day was accomplished in Relena's very pink and very
recognizable limo. Zechs smirked at Heero before they got in.

Heero had been relieved to find out that they wouldn't be required to wear either jumpsuits or
chains. Instead they both wore conservative suits, silk shirts and ties. He wasn't happy with the
shoes however. He didn't like slip-ons. Never mind that his cost over $1000.

Zechs had hand picked their wardrobe himself. He'd sent for the manager of one of the most
expensive and exclusive stores in the area. When the man arrived Zechs had explained that
Heero needed a decent pair of shoes. The man had measured Heero and then produced from a
trunk the very pair of shoes Zechs wanted. Heero had looked at them asked if they'd fit and
shrugged when Zechs asked him if he'd rather have something else.

"If you like them, they're fine with me. I don't care."

Zechs sighed. Heero really didn't care what he wore. As long as he was covered, he was happy.
Although he was beginning to develop some sense of style, after all he had realized that orange
was not a good color for Zechs.

Zechs on the other hand was somewhat of a clothes horse and it showed. Now they both looked
like up and coming young executives, Heero didn't wonder about the hanging suit bags that the
chauffeur was carrying.

~ * ~

Duo and Wufei met them at the door of the court room. Heero blinked slowly. They were both
wearing uniforms. He didn't recognize the type. Then he saw the WEI logo on the breast
pockets.

They all went into the court room together. Zechs and Heero first, then Wufei and Duo. Zechs
settled into one chair and motioned Heero into the next one. Next to Heero was their lawyer.

Duo and Wufei sat in chairs behind the barrier and just behind Heero and Zechs.

When the bailiff called 'All Rise!' the room stood in respect, although Heero heard some
grumbling at the rear.

Then the judge came in, Heero smiled, it was Judge Randolph. Duo and Wufei both gasped
softly. Then all three of them smiled, the judge had looked them over with a kindly twinkle in
his eyes.

Judge Randolph called the court to order and settled himself to listen to the reasons that Heero
Yuy-Winner and Zechs Merquise a.k.a. Milliardo Peacecraft should be kept in 'durance vile'.
The entire room erupted when the Prosecutor announced that he had no arguments against early
release of either of the defendants.

The bailiff shouted for order, which he got after his second demand. Everyone in the room
settled down again and waited.

Judge Randolph asked the defense to present their case.

When the lawyer stood up Judge Randolph greeted him as 'Judge Mundel' and requested to
know why he was representing the two men.

"Your Honor, there has been a grave miscarriage of justice. These men are not and never have
been in positions that make them chargeable under the Conventions of War Act. Neither of them
was ever in command of more than one thousand men, nor were they responsible for their
actions under the statutes applicable to their case.

"As we will see, each of them answered to a higher power. And none of them was in command
of more than five hundred men and that only applies to Colonel Merquise. Even then it was only
in the last stages of the war.

Then he went on to prove that the actions of both of them were more the actions of hero's. All
the attempts to destroy Earth that they had nearly sacrificed their lives to stop. All the schemes to
use weapons of mass destruction, vile diseases and bombs, that they'd all foiled were brought to
the fore. Admittedly some things were glossed over a bit, but that had happened in cases much
more prominent than theirs.

By the time Judge Mundel got through talking Heero and Zechs both looked like heros' rather
than terrorists. Of course the man pointed out that Zechs had never been a terrorist, he'd been a
member of the authorized military of the government of the time. Heero had been a 'hero of the
people' which made the audience snicker slightly and Judge Reynolds bang his gavel and
demand 'Order in the court room.' He threatened to clear the room and everyone settled down
again.

After some discussion at the Bar, Judge Reynolds decided to allow vids from security cameras
and news releases to be entered into evidence.

A few bits were shown in the court room and the judge had to clear the room. All reporters were
sent to a viewing room and the rest were sent into another court room where they could see the
vids on a few small screens set around the room. When the last vid was seen Judge Reynolds
requested a short recess for himself and left the bench. Some people had already left the viewing
areas for the restrooms. Reporters were frantically trying to either get in or out of their assigned
room.

When he returned, he called Zechs to the bar for a consultation before he was allowed to testify.
It was unusual but not unheard of. Zechs stood fiddling with the end of his braid, head bent
listening to the judge as he asked questions. Most of his answers were accompanied by nods, a
few by shakes, of his head. At the end of the side bar he returned to his seat and patted Heero on
the shoulder.

Heero had been looking uncomfortable since the courtroom had been cleared. Duo and Wufei
had had to leave with the rest of the spectators, even though they'd managed to sit quietly. Duo
had paled and Wufei had scrunched down in his chair when the clips had started.

When they'd had to leave, everyone could tell that Duo was glad to go, his backward glances to
Heero not withstanding.

Then the judge did something unprecedented, he called Heero to the bench. Judge Mundel went
with him and stood at his side as Judge Reynolds asked him several questions.

When he finally called an end to the side bar, the judge banged his gavel, demanded quiet and
told the remaining people in the court room that his findings were that there must be a judicial
review of both trials.

Judge Mundel looked very satisfied but the Prosecution objected.

"Your Honor, we resent the implication of impropriety in any proceedings related to the
sentencing of Masters Yuy or Peacecraft."

Judge Mundel smirked slightly and replied. "Motion to dismiss. As you can see, the prosecution
can't even get their names right. Mr. Yuy-Winner and Mr. Merquise have a right to be tried
under their correct names and, as the prosecution is well aware, Mr. Merquise is really His
Highness. And was tried in absentia while he was on Mars, attempting to further the welfare of
mankind. Much to his own determent."

Judge Reynolds nodded then made his remarks to the public in general and the prosecution in
particular.

"I've reviewed all the pertinent paperwork on the trials. I've been expecting this for some time. I
will now hand down my decision. Both trials are suspect. There will be a judicial review of those
proceedings to begin immediately. In the mean time both Mr. Yuy-Winner and Mr. Merquise.
Also known as His Royal Highness, Milliardo Peacecraft will be released under their own
recognizance. Dependant on a few conditions. Neither of them is allowed out of the city without
notifying this court at least 48 hours in advance baring emergencies. Both young gentlemen are
to reside together in any of the Peacecraft residences available in the city. Also, they will be
under house arrest, so they need security, that security will be provided by WEI, inc. Security
Systems Division. If and when you are seen on the street you will wear uniforms provided by
WEI. That is all."

He banged his gavel and motioned to the bailiff to call the end of the session. The bailiff called
'all rise,' everyone who was left in the room stood and watched as the judge stood and left the
room.

~ * ~

"Well, that went very well indeed. We need to get you into those uniforms quickly before the
reporters get restless. Come on. We have to hurry."

Heero tugged at Zechs halting him for a quick question. "Um . . . what the hell just happened?
Are we free or what?"

Zechs shrugged. "I feel Relena's heavy hand. We're not free yet, exactly. Come on. If we're
supposed to put on some obnoxious uniform, we better act cooperative."

They were led into a small consultation chamber and handed suit bags. The bags the chauffeur
had brought with him.

Zechs unzipped his and pulled out a uniform. Heero did the same. Then they just looked at each
other for a second. Heero started stripping down, followed shortly by Zechs.
When they got into the uniforms, Heero realized that they were the uniforms he and Quatre had
discussed months ago.

The shirts were 100% cotton and slightly loose under the arms. The jacket was carefully tailored
to hide a side arm and made from the thinnest and best of the WEI bullet resistant fabrics. The
pants had just enough ease to make it possible to indulge in some heavy gymnastics without
nasty surprises, but tight enough that they looked good. The boots were standard combat boots,
polished to a high sheen. The soft brown and buff coloring looked good on almost everyone.
Heero ran a hand down the sleeve with satisfaction.

Zechs turned arms out to the side. "What do you think?"

Heero nodded. "Good, you'll give Wufei wet dreams."

Zechs started to make a sharp comeback then got a funny look in his eyes. "You think?"

Heero smirked. "I know. But what the hell is this?"

Zechs looked at the object Heero was holding. He glanced at the thing the chauffeur was handing
to him, it was similar.

"It's a false front. It's easier to put medals and awards on it then fasten it to the front of a jacket
rather than fasten everything to the jacket itself."

Heero eyed his with a sour expression. "I look like some sort of freak. What is this one?"

Zechs looked at the ribbon Heero was pointing to. "That's for the battle over Victoria. And that
one . . . " Zechs pointed to another. "Is for . . . um . . . that dam in the Czech. states? You've got
a real collection."

Heero examined the front Zechs had fastened to his own jacket. "That one is for Victoria also.
And that one?"

Zechs looked down and Heero flipped the end of his nose with the pointing finger. "Gotcha!"

Zechs jerked back and laughed along with Heero. If anyone else had done that he'd have been
highly insulted, but with Heero it was different. Any joke from him was welcome.

"Yeah I'll get you back sooner or later, see if I don't."

Heero shuddered dramatically. "Oooo, I'm so scared. . . . Come on. We better get out there
before that lawyer comes in to get us."

Zechs thanked the chauffeur for his help and asked him to take care of their discarded clothing.
The man just smiled and nodded, then started picking up the carelessly discarded things. Heero
stopped him, rummaged in his pants pocket and stuffed something into his new pocket. Then he
turned, squared his shoulders and followed Zechs out the door.

They were met by Duo and Wufei, Duo was grinning fit to split his face. Wufei was a little more
reserved just smiling and nodding to them.

Heero looked from Duo to Wufei then back. "Oh, no. He. Did. Not."

Duo rocked from heel to toe a few times then snickered, "Yurp, he sure did."

Zechs looked from Duo to Heero then realized what Heero was talking about. "Chang, who are
you responsible for?"

Wufei bowed solemnly to him but he had a twinkle in his eye. "I'm supposed to be guarding
you. And you better mind me."

Zechs snorted. "I'm so scared, as Duo would say."

Wufei smiled. "Well, just now you better be. The ravening horde awaits. Come on, we better get
it over with."

So they went out, but found that the reporters were busy fawning over Relena who was making a
speech about how happy she was that she and Zechs were finally reconciled. Zechs snorted
softly and edged the group toward a side door.

Thankfully they were able to sneak out that way, but not before Relena made a point of saying
that she had always felt that something wasn't right in how both Zechs and Heero had been made
examples of. They managed to get out before she included the words 'injustice' and 'scapegoat'
in one sentence.

Zechs sighed in heartfelt relief when he saw the limo they were going to use. It was black,
discrete, sleek and silent. Also big enough that the four of them didn't have to sit in each other's
laps. Although that didn't stop Heero and Duo from doing so. Or rather Duo sitting in Heero's
lap and as he cheerfully remarked 'snogging the hell out of him'

~ * ~

"Excuse me, sir. Which residence would you like to go to? There are four within the city limits
proper and another that is just outside the city proper but within the area thought of as city."

Zechs pushed the intercom button and replied. "Are you telling me we're allowed to choose
one?"

"Yes, sir. Miss Relena said to make sure that you understood that you can go to any of the
residences that fit the parameters set up by the judge. That includes that really nice hunting lodge
on the out skirts of town. Miss Relena made sure it was included in the list."

Zechs shuddered suddenly. "Yes, we'll go there. Come up on the north facade please."

The driver replied "Yes, sir" and shut the connection with a soft click of closing circuits.

They rode in silence for most of the ride. Duo asked about a building once and Wufei admired a
park. Heero just held Duo and wondered how long this could last. He'd always known he would
never have peace, he only made it for others. He knew he had to satisfy himself with scraps.

When they reached the residence, Duo squeaked, "It's a palace. What are you doing with a
palace?"

Zechs smiled at him so gently that Duo knew he'd just said something stupid. "Duo, it's a
hunting lodge. It's much too small to be a palace. It only has 45 bedrooms. And the ball room is
small. Come in."

Duo eyed Heero who poked Wufei, who was standing examining the lodge with a sour look on
his face.

Zechs turned and when he saw the look he couldn't help a slight feeling of . . . disappointment?
"Something?"

Wufei turned to him and snorted. "Hunting lodge my foot. That's the old imperial residence. It's
a gem of it's kind. And I know about the 'bed rooms,' but never mind that. It's very fine. You
shouldn't denigrate it so."

Zechs shrugged. "It's been the prime residence of the crown prince for centuries. It was built in
the late twenty-first century, copy of the Biltmore. Come in before they think we're not going
to."

They entered the residence and Heero reached for a gun he didn't have. There had to be twenty-
five people standing in ranks looking at them. Zechs made a slight bow, barely more than a nod
of his head. All the servants bowed deeply or curtseyed. Wufei bowed, Heero scowled and Duo
gave a shamefaced wiggle of his fingers.

The servants filed out and a lady, obviously the house keeper walked up to Zechs and curtsied.

"Sir, we are so pleased that you have chosen to come to us. We . . ."

Zechs held up his hand. "We are all exhausted. Could we please go through the greeting speech
later? I'm sorry to be rude but, please show us to our rooms."

The lady smiled gently. "Very well. My name is Mrs. Callander. If you need something, just
ring. The staff is very well trained and you won't see much of any of us, unless you want to. I
understand that you prefer to care for yourself. And I'm sure that the other young gentlemen
won't appreciate servants creeping up on them. Cleaning will be done between the hours of ten
and two. Leave your dirty clothing in the hamper, it will be taken away and either left on the bed
or put away at your pleasure. Anything you want changed just tell me. If you want, I'll come to
you every Monday with a report on household conditions. And a menu for the week. Snacks will
be available on request. Unless you would prefer to cook for yourselves?" Zechs shook his head
with a smile. He wasn't about to try to cook for himself.

As she was talking, she led them up the curving staircase and down a hall. She stopped at a door
at the head of the stairs and opened it.

That was when Duo and Heero realized that what Wufei and Zechs had referred to as bedrooms
were really suites. Each suite had two bedrooms with attached bathrooms and sitting rooms, they
were connected by a larger sitting room called a public room.

Duo goggled at the room behind the open door. It was huge, filled with furniture. All of it
comfortably arranged into conversation groups. Zechs just nodded. "Thank you. You will place
Chang Wufei in the suite across the hall and Mr. Yuy-Winner and Mr. Maxwell in the Princess
suite. Instruct the staff that no one is ever to try to wake any of us without due precautions.
Which include not touching us. Do you understand?"

Mrs. Callander gave him an odd look but nodded her head. "Yes, sir. I understand. The staff will
be instructed."

She showed Wufei to his bed chamber and then took Duo and Heero to theirs. She curtsied to
each of them Wufei bowed slightly in return and Heero nodded the way Zechs had. Duo smiled
hesitantly and was given a gentle smile back.

~ * ~

After unpacking and taking off their uniforms, Heero and Duo got dressed in jeans and t-shirts.
Duo spent sometime examining their rooms and marveling over the setup. They'd had nice
rooms in Quatre's large house but nothing like this.

This house was a copy of the Biltmore estate in the old American state of North Carolina. There
had been a few changes but not that many. It was huge, old, and very beautiful. It was also so
elegant that Duo was afraid to touch anything for fear of breaking it or being accused of trying to
steal it.

Heero was impressed with the house but not intimidated in anyway, after all it wasn't trying to
kill him.

Wufei found the house beautiful, warm and inviting. And very like the house he'd grown up in,
at least in feel, if not in architecture.

Zechs settled into his rooms, for the first time in his life in a place that was actually his. He'd
never lived in most of his houses, he'd always been in hiding or in the military. This house was
one that he'd lived in and loved. Now he was happy to be able to stay here again.

He wondered what Relena had promised to whom to get this done. Zechs was no fool and he
knew that machinations of this quality were costly and not in money. Relena had called in favors
and promised things in order to make this possible, he just hoped she didn't wind up regretting it.
He had hoped that Relena would never have to become a political creature but evidently she'd
had to do so. He bit his lip, then went to be a good host to his three friends. The only friends he
had. He had to smile at that.

He settled at the desk in the large morning room and booted his computer. He stopped for a
moment to admire the polished titanium case and smile. He'd been delighted when Heero had
given it to him. He knew that he'd bought the components but too many times things he'd been
promised had not been forthcoming. Even though he'd paid the price for them.

He spent the afternoon taking care of estate business that had been too long neglected. When he
finished, he felt like he'd fought a major battle. He went in search of his guests meaning to
apologize for neglecting them.

Instead he found Wufei in one of the salons reading a book with a cup of tea beside him. When
he sat down on the love seat across from him, Wufei took off his glasses and smiled.

"Thank you for the book. I had a copy of this, but somehow it disappeared along the way."

"You're very welcome. I'm not sure but I think that Relena did it."

Wufei smiled, "and where did she get a list of my favorite books?"

Zechs grimaced then sighed, "From me. I wondered what she was up to. She's doing her best to
make up for sacrificing the Gundams but I'm still put out about it. I can't help but feel that
something is breathing down the back of our necks. Something with rather big teeth."

Wufei nodded. "I get the same feeling. It bothers me that Quatre doesn't seem to be worried. Nor
does Trowa. Something's in the wind, and I don't think it is entirely kosher."

Zechs accepted tea and sipped. He and Wufei were in agreement on a lot of things.

They sat in companionable silence Zechs just relaxing and Wufei reading his book.

~ * ~

"Heero this room is just huge. And what are we supposed to do with that other bedroom? I'm not
sleeping away from you any more. Anyone who tries to separate us again is in for a world of
hurt. All we did and this is the thanks we get? They try anything else and we'll go to the L2
cluster and disappear." Duo grabbed Heero's hands and tugged, Heero put his arms around Duo
and held on. "Promise me. Please. I don't think I could stand it."

Heero kissed Duo on the temple. "I promise. If there's anything I can do to prevent it we'll never
be separated again. L2 it will be."

Duo cuddled against Heero and sighed. "How long do you think we have until someone comes to
look for us?"

Heero led Duo to the door took a small brass tag from the inside and put it over the outside door
knob. He then shut and locked the door.

"You're armed?"

"Yeah, got permits and everything. Left it in the closet though"

"Ought to get it. Anyone comes in, shoot them. In the leg preferably. Make a good impression.
Come on."

Duo blinked then ran after Heero. Only to be scooped up and thrown onto the huge bed. He
yelped. Heero pounced.

Heero took hold of the neck of Duo's shirt and ripped it from neck to hem. Duo clawed at
Heero's shirt so Heero ripped it too. The pieces of both shirts flew in every direction. Heero
yanked at the button on Duo's jeans and it popped into the air, plopping onto the carpet
somewhere close by.

Duo reached out and unbuttoned Heero's button fly with the clever fingers of a pickpocket. It
didn't take either one of them much longer to be naked. Heero sat back on his heels for a few
moments to admire Duo who was sprawled across the mattress in wanton abandonment. Duo
eyed Heero through heavy lidded eyes and licked his lips.

Heero smirked at Duo and leaned in to take the first kiss from him. Duo locked his hands around
Heero's head and held him refusing to let him draw away until they broke apart to pant for air.

Heero took control and pinned Duo to the bed, gently pulling his boxers down his thighs to pull
them off, he took a moment to kiss the high arch of one foot while Duo moaned softly.

Duo lay back and enjoyed it as Heero kissed and licked his way up his leg to the knee, when he
got there Heero gently pushed until Duo flexed his leg. Placing his foot flat on the bed, Duo
waited for what Heero would do next.

Heero settled onto Duo's chest, gently pulling the trailing braid out of the way.

"Duo, I love you so much. I missed this. I missed you. We . . . "

Duo put a finger on Heero's lips. "We were so worried about things we . . . just didn't. Now we
can. And I'm gonna . . ." Duo rolled Heero over and straddled his hips. "And I liked that shirt.
We should have done this first."

Heero smirked. "I'll buy you a new shirt. I . . . we . . . should have waited until after supper."

"Fuck supper."

"I'd rather fuck you"

"Ok"

So Heero gently made Duo ready. He pinched Duo's nipples gently until all Duo could do was
moan and clutch at his shoulders in an attempt to get him to do more. Heero's hand slid in
between Duo's legs and Duo yelled as Heero penetrated him with one slick finger.

~ * ~

Zechs flinched as a particularly loud wail drifted in the open French doors. Wufei continued
reading, placidly turning another page.

"Is he all right?"

Wufei looked up "If you mean, is Maxwell uninjured, yes. All right? I have doubts." He returned
to his book.

Soon the faint thumping noise made Zechs stand and begin pacing restlessly. Wufei shook his
head, got up and poured a glass of wine. He just stood in Zechs' path and waited for him to turn
and come back to him.

He handed Zechs the wine and again returned to his book, hiding the slight smirk behind it.

This time you could tell it was Heero because it wasn't so much a scream as a hoarse bellow.

The thudding continued until Zechs wondered what the hell was going on. No one could last that
long.

Evidently he'd said that out loud as Wufei said calmly. "Heero has amazing endurance. In all
things. And Duo is astonishingly . . . er . . . persistent."

Zechs nearly dropped his glass, Wufei was taking the whole thing with a calm bordering on
boredom. "Wufei, you can't . . . I . . . ." He stopped talking before he started stuttering.

"We were confined on one of Quatre's smallest estates. It was almost impossible to get away
from each other. And we did stay in safe houses together on a few occasions. Even more
confining. I'm just glad that they feel like it. They didn't for quite a while. Wasted opportunities
. . . Damn!"

The last exclamation was brought out by an especially loud bang from overhead. Wufei followed
Zechs out the door at a dead run.

"Zechs wait!"

But Zechs had already thrown the door open expecting to see, he didn't know what. Not what he
did see. Which was two pistols pointed precisely between his eyes. He froze, Heero froze, Duo
swore.

Wufei looked in the door himself and smiled, Duo was flat on his back, one leg trapped under
Heero. Heero was half on one side, half on his belly. Both of them were stark naked in the
middle of the broken bed.

Zechs blinked. That bed was solid wood, he wasn't quite sure what kind, but it was hard. "Umm
. . . you broke the bed? Oh . . . sorry . . . you can put those away. Sorry I . . . interrupted you . . .
excuse me." Zechs slammed the door and looked at Wufei, then his face turned scarlet.

Wufei bowed slightly and moved his hand in a 'you first' gesture.

They returned to the sitting room and Zechs poured himself another glass of wine.

"Well, that was . . . different. Did they . . . you must . . ." Zechs sighed and shut up before he said
something to insult or embarrass Wufei.

"I'm used to it. They do that from time to time. I'm glad to see that they are happy here. I knew
that they would be. Duo was so miserable with Heero imprisoned that I was truly afraid for him
a few times. They had so little time together after the war. It was horrible."

Zechs shook his head. "How . . . I mean, you were together at . . . what was it called? Where you
were under house arrest."

Wufei shook his head. "Didn't have a name. Quatre bought it specially. Our captors had a list of
requirements that I think they hoped we couldn't meet." He smirked in a rather self satisfied
way. "But we did. So they proceeded to make us as miserable as they could."

"I see." Zechs frowned thoughtfully.

"No, I'm afraid you don't see." Wufei sounded bitter and disgusted.

"Then explain it to me."

So Wufei did.

"We had no peace, ever. There were guards everywhere, all the time. We weren't supposed to
leave the grounds except to go to debriefings at ESUN headquarters. But we were never taken
there together. They'd only take two of us at a time while the rest of us stayed at the mansion.
We didn't even get to go out into the grounds without an escort. We ate together, we could watch
vids together. But we couldn't sleep together. We weren't supposed to indulge in perversions. So
Duo, Heero, Trowa, and Quatre were miserable. They spent what together time they could sneak
fucking like weasels, with me as look out. We also weren't allowed excessive physical activities.
They were afraid we'd 'over do' it and hurt ourselves. Luckily they didn't understand how much
exercise my katas are, nor that tai chi and yoga can keep a person in top physical shape. And the
guards did their best to destroy our self-respect . . . until Duo . . . er . . . blew up the barracks.
They suspected but couldn't prove that one of us had done it. Then things got better in one way
and worse in another."

Zechs looked up from where he was contemplating his wine. "How was that?"

"Our guards realized that we were for real. Good in that some of the subtle abuse stopped. Bad in
that they were now afraid of us. Nine months of never knowing when someone was going to
open the bedroom door or the bathroom. Check over our belongings for contraband and just in
general make pests of themselves.

"At least I finally got them to stop confiscating my books for censoring, of all things."

"How did you do that?"

Wufei looked Zechs straight in the eye. "I made them pay for a twentieth century volume of
poetry. It was worth about eight thousand, until some fool black lined it."

Zechs winced. "That was outrageous."

"More that outrageous. My father had given it to me."

"If I'd been in . . . I honor you all as soldiers should be. That behavior was unacceptable. Truly
dishonorable. But . . . they were . . . " Zechs trailed off as he struggled to explain the
unexplainable.

Wufei helped him out. "None of them wanted to admit that what the professors did was real.
They want peace without cost. It's not possible."

Zechs finished his wine. "Exactly." He looked at his watch. "Bed?"

Wufei shook his head. "I think I'll read for a little while longer. It's nice to have a place to read
that is not in my bed."

Zechs turned at the door. "I'll say good night then, I enjoy reading in bed. It's . . . decadent."

~ * ~

Heero put his gun away and turned back to Duo. "I think we scared him."

"Who?" Duo carefully rolled off the bed to see if he could fix it.

"Zechs. He had a really weird look on his face." Heero lifted the heavy bed frame so Duo could
look under it.

"I don't think we scared him so much as startled him. I mean, breaking a solid teak bed, then
drawing down on him. Startle a stone statue." Duo wriggled under the bed.

"What's up under there?"

All Heero could see were Duo's feet. "Slats are pine. We broke two and the rest shifted. The box
springs fell through the frame. You've got hold of the edge of them as well as the frame of the
bed."

Duo crawled out and Heero let the bed down. "I'll ring for one of the servants to come and
replace them."

Duo shrugged. "Might as well wait. We'll only break them again. I want . . . m m mfff."

Heero pinned Duo to the bed and gave him what he wanted. Three times.

~ * ~

Breakfast the next morning was interesting. Zechs kept his nose in his paper, Wufei smirked at
Heero until Duo raised an eye brow at him and then Wufei smirked at Duo.

"Zechs."

Zechs raised his head and gave Wufei a deer-in-the-headlights look. "No. You're too young. I
don't . . . I . . . oh, shit!" Zechs threw down his paper and left the room.

Duo looked at Wufei with wide eyes. "What the hell was that about?"

Wufei pinned Duo with a stern look. "He desires me. But he feels unworthy, or too old. I'm not
sure which. Or perhaps both. Do. Not. Pick. At. Him."

Duo held up his hands in a 'no threat' sort of gesture. "Wouldn't think of it. It's not like you're
an innocent or anything. Not with the four of us around. Right Heero?"

Heero just grunted something that sounded vaguely like 'hint, tie' and picked up the front page
of the paper.

Wufei followed Zechs out onto the terrace surrounding the Olympic sized pool.

"Are you all right?"

Zechs shook his head.

"I'm a fool."

"Could you tell me exactly what happened in there?"

Zechs found that he couldn't look at Wufei. "That's why I'm a fool. My name sounds . . . it's
stupid."

Wufei nodded wisely. "Ah, your name sounds like sex, if you're not listening particularly."

"And it's not as if that particular joke didn't make regular rounds. Even Maxwell. Sexy Zechsy.
You're much too young."

Wufei fired up at that and gave Zechs an ear full.

"I'll have you know that I'm not only well trained in sexual arts, I'm a widower. So get over it."

Zechs demanded an explanation so Wufei obliged him.

He explained that he'd been betrothed to Merian at 12, and married shortly thereafter. They had
of course lived with his parents.

Then he shocked Zechs to the core by admitting that one of the reasons that he and his wife had
not gotten along was that he found her physically uninteresting.

Then he told Zechs he had had extensive training in pillowing and pleasing both men and
women. When Zechs gave him another startled look, he smirked.

"Contrary to popular belief my culture didn't expressly forbid homosexuality. It was discouraged
in favor of bisexualism. Men loving men was reserved for warriors in battle field conditions and
older men who'd already done their duty to the family. It was kept as discrete as concubines
always are. And of course as the Sun of the Dragon Clan I was trained in all the arts. I sing,
dance, draw, paint, do calligraphy and sumi-i, play shakuhatchi and three kinds of chess. I know
eight 'ways' of martial arts, not including weapons. And I am not a virgin, either way."

Zechs sprang up in a fury. "Who dared? I'll hunt them down and . . ."

Wufei stood up and put his arms around Zechs. "Be calm. One of my teachers of each sex. It was
carefully arranged and most discreetly done." Wufei hushed and petted Zechs until he calmed
and sat back down.

"So you've had lovers?" Zechs couldn't help the jealousy he felt.

"No. I was broached and that is all. I am not experienced, only educated. I know what goes
where and what feels good. But I've never felt the need to utilize my education. I'm not . . .
promiscuous." Wufei smiled at Zechs as he settled on the love seat with him.

Zechs couldn't help pulling Wufei against him. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like a fool. My . . .
education was mostly from dormitory and barracks room talk until I was much older than you.
Treize was my first and only lover. And we hid in corners . . . you can imagine the strain and we
finally broke up. Then we didn't get along and he . . . used me in ways that I can never forgive."

Wufei made a face. "I know. Come, we better get back inside. You shouldn't skip breakfast.
You'll be ill."

So they went back inside to finish their breakfast.

Duo smiled at them and poured tea for them. Heero pushed the still warm dishes in their
direction and rang for more toast.

After breakfast they all went their separate ways.

~ * ~

Duo wandered down the path toward the edge of the estate. He could go wherever he wanted to
because he was free, due to Heero's sacrifice. So he walked wondering what he was going to do
until he and Heero could start a real life.

Duo let out a startled yelp, he was on the edge of the WEI training grounds. He could even see
the building at the start of the obstacle course. He realized that he was just behind the motor pool
buildings. And on his left was the old warehouse that Mick kept his Leo in.

Duo headed for the warehouse, but he stopped in at the motor pool to let them know that he was
on the grounds. It wouldn't do to ignore the proprieties, he didn't need to cause trouble in the
ranks.

So he spent an hour gossiping with the guys in the repair bays, enjoying the companionable
discussion of hoists and servo motors.

Then he went to the warehouse to see the old man and his Leo. Only Mick wasn't there. The
only person there was a young man who was trying to charge the old batteries one more time.
Duo managed to stop him before he connected the cables and blew himself and half the building
into pieces.

"Hey! Don't do that! You'll blow yourself to hell. Those batteries aren't meant to be connected
to DC. You gotta use AC."

The guy looked up. "Hi, Major Maxwell . . . Gosh, thanks. I don't know a lot about this thing.
All I know is ol' Mick is on his last legs. Some shit he got in space or something. He really
wants to run this suit one more time before he goes. So a bunch of us were going to move it over
to the main group and see if we couldn't do something with it."

Duo brightened. He could do this, working on a Leo wasn't nearly as complicated as working on
a Gundam. He thought quickly.

"Look. Leave it right here. I've got time to spare and I'm bored. Heero's bored too. We'll get it
up and walking like a champ in no time. We'll need . . . get me a pad, will you? I'll make a list
as soon as I'm done with my Eval. Ok?"

Duo was already looking the old suit over and making a mental list of what might be needed to
put the thing back on its feet for one more mission. Mission: make Mick happy.

The boy dithered for a moment then decided. "Yeah, that'd be great. My name's Lukas, John
Lukas. But most people call me Luke. I'll tell the guys and we'll do whatever you need. We all
like Mick. He's sorta . . . off, if you know what I mean. But he's harmless and he'd do anything
for us. Shirt off his back, ya see."

Duo nodded at the guy. "Yeah, I know. I've met him a time or two and heard around about him.
You know where he is now? Hate for him to catch on."

Luke sighed, "He lives with his son. Other side of town. He's in bed for the rest of the week. His
son called us and practically begged us to get that creaky antique to make one more walk. Before
the old Aussie's heart gives out. We gotta get it goin'. Please Major."

The kid nearly had tears in his eyes. Duo just patted him on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad. Heero
and I'll get it going. We need parts, though. You got a way to get them? If not, is there a
machine shop . . . never mind. Stupid question. Just . . . Here start sweeping." Duo handed the
boy a broom and showed him where to sweep.

Then he called Quatre, or tried. What he got was one of his secretaries, aids, or whatever they
called themselves these days. The man just stated his name and waited.

"Jeffries."

"Ummm, yeah. Jeffries. This is Duo Maxwell. I need to speak to Q . . . I mean Quatre. Could
you connect me, please?"

"I'm sorry. Mr. Winner is out of touch. He's working on a classified . . . he's on the new colony.
I'm your contact. I'm to get you whatever you need. Period."

Duo bit at his lip for a moment, he wanted to be working on the colony, but he would stay
wherever Heero was. He thought for a few seconds while Jeffries waited patiently.
"Ok, here's the deal." Duo filled the man in on what was going on. Ending. "I want you to get
hold of the old man's medical records and find out what's up. Also, I want a full shop in here as
soon as you can get it. And parts. For a Leo. I'll let you know exactly which model as soon as I
can. You got all that?"

When Jeffries said he did, Duo hung up and started crawling all over the Leo.

What he found made him groan. It was junk, literally. It needed so many parts that it would have
been easier to just find one that worked. But the cockpit gave that a big nuh-uh, it was as bad as
if not worse than Deathscythe. Pictures were stuck to parts of the frame, parts that couldn't be
removed without damaging the pictures and other modifications that just said. 'This belong
along Mick.' Duo could hear the old man now, rambling along in that Aussie accent, telling
stories of war and battle, peace and friendship. They'd get that Leo to walk if Duo had to rebuild
each and every part himself.

Duo made his list and sent it to three people. Jeffries, Heero, and Mr. Lyons. He hadn't been in
his office much in the last month, but he'd kept up with his work via computer and phone calls.
So he pulled Mr. Lyons out of his hat and put him to work.

~ * ~

Heero opened his mail and instantly groaned, he hadn't done anything with it in a while and he
now had several thousand mails. He knew that most of them were spam, junk or flames, but he
just couldn't bring himself to delete the whole que there might be something important in there
somewhere. So he started by deleting everything that he knew was spam or junk, that got rid of
more than a quarter of it.

Then he started reading the rest. Or at least starting to, a lot of this got deleted after only a few
words. Most death threats he forwarded to a special box for attention by WEI experts. A few he
just snorted at and deleted. Some he answered and the rest he just trashed. After two hours he
finished with the first in box. He had two more to go. But the other two were different. One was
known only to the other pilots and the third was known only to his investment counselor.

Heero reread the last mail in his personal box and smiled. He shut down the computer and went
to find Wufei.

He found Zechs too and that was all right.

"We're needed. Come on."

Wufei didn't ask any questions. He just got up from his chair and followed Heero. Zechs trailed
along curiosity eating at him.

Wufei followed Heero into the grounds. "We need to follow this path. Duo gave me precise
directions in his mail. I'm not exactly sure what we're needed for but he's wound up over this.
So we'll just go see what's what."

Zechs listened in some amusement as Heero finished filling Wufei in, falling into the shorthand
that they'd used during the war. He had absolutely no idea what Heero was talking about but
Wufei did.

"Ok, now that you're through being cryptic. What is going on?" Zechs shouldered a branch aside
before it could hit Wufei.

Wufei filled Zechs in as best he could. "Duo wants us to work on some project he's come up
with. I don't care what it is, Heero says he's really excited about it. That's good, he hasn't cared
much about anything. Now that he and Heero are together again expect some trouble. Heero isn't
as stoic as everybody thinks he is. He just . . . you say missions and he's like one of Pavlov's
dogs. J messed him up fairly well in that respect, but he's getting better. Now that the war is
over. I can tell. So I just . . . damn it, I'm babbling. I don't babble."

Wufei shut his mouth with a grim expression. Zechs grinned at his back and decided to give Duo
all the help he could. Zechs realized that he felt happier than he had in a long time. Whatever
Duo's project was it was good for all of them.

Then they got to the warehouse and saw that Leo. Wufei blinked and said some very bad things
in Mandarin. Zechs agreed with him in German and Heero followed suit with a spate of Japanese
that would have blistered paint, if there'd been any left on the Leo. Duo bounced towards them.

"Hey, guys. Isn't it great? It's a great project. I'm . . . un . . . guys?"

~ * ~

Hey, la. Another chapter done. Thank you to Skippyscatt, who took time out of her busy holiday
schedule to beta this. Next chapter won't be out until after Christmas.