Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Epilogue ( Epilogue )

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

"Chimaera"
 
October. 2003 - October 2005 ShenLong
 
Epilogue
 
The sun had set casting golden rays across the landscape as the change from sun to moon took place. The earth was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, which seemed to be brighter for some reason this evening. Duo glanced out of the window of the ward he was now in at the shimmering silver of the moon as it rose higher in the sky.
 
He loved looking at the moon from the earth. From down here it looked so peaceful and yet Duo knew it held a thriving colony upon and below its surface. Gazing skyward, Duo's mind began to wander. Beside him, Heero slept, still under the effects of the anesthetic Sally had given him earlier in order to fix up the damage from his assignment at the Glasshouse. When Heero had been brought to the ward, two hospital beds had been pushed together making a larger one, at Duo's request.
 
The moon held many memories for Duo; some of them good and some of them he'd rather forget. Recalling the escapades he'd experienced reminded him of how far his life had come and he couldn't help but smile.
 
While Duo still shuddered at the thoughts of what he'd done during the war, the blood he'd spilled and lives he'd taken, there was one thing that stood out above all else in his memories.
 
Heero.
 
If the war hadn't happened, he would never have met Heero.
 
Duo's mind skipped back over the years, from Heero's rescuing of him instead of killing him to the end of the war and that fateful night of celebration of peace when Heero had disappeared; just when Duo had thought they stood a chance of developing a proper relationship. His heart still ached when he thought of the loneliness he'd endured, the searching he'd done and the final acceptance that Heero wasn't going to come back into his life. He relived the moment in his mind when Heero had finally made contact, the joy and apprehension he'd felt when faced with the return of the one thing he'd loved unconditionally.
 
Duo's eyes began to mist as his mind replayed the events at the scrap yard, working with Hilde and the way his 'sister' had told Heero in no uncertain terms he would have her to answer to if he ever hurt Duo. The first time they had made love flooded his brain and a warmth stole through him. How young and naive they had been, each wanting it to be something special for the other.
 
Learning about his unusual condition had been rather a shock to say the least. Then to find out he was also pregnant had almost wiped out what little sanity he had left. Turning to look at the tiny infant sleeping contentedly in the hospital cot, the tears sprang once again to his eyes.
 
All the stress, worry, aching muscles, cravings for Crunchie bars, mood swings, weight gain and a multitude of other symptoms paled into insignificance when faced with the result of those past discomforts. At the end of it all, Duo had a healthy son, something wonderful created from his and Heero's love. Remembering the look of pure love on Heero's face when they saw and held their baby for the first time, Duo knew it had all been worth it.
 
Nurse Brown's head popped inside the open doorway, interrupting Duo's trip down memory lane. "Everything okay?" she asked quietly.
 
"Fine," replied Duo with a smile as he looked at his son and husband.
 
"I'm off home now. I'll be back in the morning to check on you. Doctor Po will be here during the night if you need anything."
 
Duo nodded and then captured the nurse's eyes with his own. "Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for everything you've done for Heero and me. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty and I know I haven't been the easiest of people to look after; but... well... I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate all you have done."
 
Nurse Brown entered the ward and patted Duo on the arm. "Son, I'll admit it hasn't been easy at times but you have gone through much more than I have. You're one courageous young man and I take my hat off to you. You have a beautiful son and a loving husband. The best thanks you can give me is to raise that boy to be honest, loving and trustworthy, just like his parents."
 
Duo let the tear slide from his eye as he reached out and hugged the nurse. "I never knew my mother, the closest thing I ever had to a mother was Sister Helen at the church orphanage. I loved her dearly, both Sister Helen and Father Maxwell," Duo's voice began to choke a little and he felt the soothing hand of the nurse rubbing his back. "But, you know something? If I was to be given the chance to have a mother again now, I'd pick you."
 
"Oh, Duo." The nurse felt the wet slide of her own tears over her cheeks. "David and I could never have children, but I'd be proud to call both you and Heero my sons."
 
The pair simply held each other for a few more minutes, letting the emotions run free and embrace them, there was no need for any further conversation. Eventually they pulled apart and the nurse gently wiped the salty trails from Duo's cheeks and then her own. Leaning forwards, she pressed a kiss to Duo's forehead. "I'm going back to the mansion now. You rest and remember what Doctor Po said about taking it easy. You're not out of the woods yet, son. Your body has been through a major upset and it's going to need time to recover. I'll be staying on at the mansion for several weeks just to make sure that everything settles down and you get yourself into a routine with Keitaro and don't push yourself."
 
Duo grinned. "Yes, mom."
 
Nurse Brown wagged her finger at the young man. "And no being cheeky either," she said with a smile. "Now, I'd best be going and see if we still have a home to go to after that dog and those two Weiros have been left alone all this time."
 
"Oh, shit. Miracle and Barney. I hope they're okay. We sort of left in a bit of a hurry and I never thought about the animals."
 
"I'm sure they are all fine. Harim would have taken care of Miracle, made sure she went outside to the toilet and I'm sure Quatre and Trowa will be looking after her now. I'll give her a bowl of food and the good news once I get back."
 
"Thanks. Seems I'm gonna be deep in your debt."
 
The nurse laughed. "That's what 'mothers' do, Duo. They look after their young and I've no doubts that you will find that out for yourself soon enough."
 
"Yeah," said Duo softly as his gaze shifted to the sleeping babe.
 
"Rest, young man. I'll see you tomorrow." The nurse turned and quietly left.
 
Duo watched her leave and settled back into his pillows once more. His heart was light knowing Nurse Brown would take care of Miracle and Barney; he was also warmed by the nurse's kind words. Idly his mind began to wander again, this time to his friends.
 
Once Une had gone, Wufei, Trowa and Quatre had stayed for a while longer, each relating their own version of the events that had occurred to them during the day. Trowa and Duo realized there had been a lot more to the hostage situation than had been reported on the television and both sent silent prayers to whatever god they believed in for the safe return of their respective spouses. When Duo related the account of his going into labor, Trowa adding in bits where needed, and their panicked trip to the hospital, Heero almost had a fit. The recounting of the shaving had three men crossing their legs and resisting the urge to scratch. But as Duo began the tale of his epidural and what he'd felt of the C-section, Wufei turned several shades of green, unfortunately the blonde kept demanding more details until Trowa, spotting Chang's pallor, stepped in and shut the blonde up in the most effective way he knew how.
 
He kissed him.
 
Melting into the kiss, Quatre's mind completely forgot about the line of questioning it had been pursuing and changed direction to a new tack, mainly how he could convince his husband to take him to bed.
 
Sally had returned and informed the group she wasn't going to wait any longer to take Heero through to surgery. She wanted to get him fixed up properly and she intended to do it now. Wufei offered his congratulations again and after shaking hands with Heero and suffering a hug from Duo, he took his leave, heading home to write up his report and sleep. Trowa and Quatre also bid the new parents farewell with a mixture of handshakes, hugs and a couple of kisses. Trowa promised Duo that as soon as they got back to the mansion he would contact Hilde and give her the good news, he'd also get in touch with Howard and let him know he had a grandson.
 
Finally the room was clear and Sally was able to check Duo over again. The epidural was wearing off and as the feeling started to return to Duo's legs, he also became aware of the soreness in his belly. Sally gave him a mild painkiller to help with the discomfort and warned him again about moving around. Despite the tenderness of his abdomen, Duo was quite horrified at the amount of flabby skin he found there and bemoaned the loss of his six pack.
 
Sally had told him it was quite natural to have a lot of loose skin, after all, it had stretched considerably to accommodate the growing baby and Duo couldn't expect it to shrink back into shape overnight. It would take time and exercise, but the exercise wouldn't be allowed for some time yet.
 
Grumbling about having a middle that resembled a lump of bread dough, Duo was finally silenced when Heero told him that if they got a flat on the car they wouldn't have to worry as they could use Duo's 'spare tire'. That comment scored Heero a cuff to the back of the head and a promise of no sex at all until Duo's body was well and truly back in shape.
 
When Sally butted in to tell Heero it was time to give him the anesthetic, the Japanese agent offered no resistance; he'd put his foot in his mouth once too often this afternoon and would be glad to escape into the world of unconsciousness for a while. With Heero out cold, Sally departed for the operating theater and Nurse Brown returned to push Duo back to his ward.
 
Heero had been wheeled in to join him in the ward an hour and a half later. Sally had sutured the gash properly, cleaned out the bullet wound and then spent ages removing slivers of glass from Heero's skin. Duo gazed again at the sleeping man. Bandages covered his upper right arm and Duo could see the edge of another bandage around Heero's chest. He wasn't too worried though, Heero still retained that ability to heal fairly quickly so Duo knew his spouse would be back to normal in half the time it took others to heal. He could only wish he had the same ability, he really hated the extra skin around his middle.
 
A soft whimpering noise came from the cot and Duo's maternal instincts kicked in. Instantly he was moving towards the cot and child, shuffling his sore and tired body across the bed to be able to reach into the cot and his son. "Hey, Sunshine. Decide to wake up, did you?" he said softly as his hand gently rubbed the baby's back.
 
Keitaro's eyes opened and he blinked. He couldn't focus properly yet and relied on his other senses to alert him to the world around him. There was an unusual feeling in his belly and he whimpered softly. Something warm and soothing rubbed against his back and a low tone greeted his ears. The sound was the same as the one he'd heard when floating in his small world and it comforted him. He gave a soft sigh and blinked again. Another whimper left his throat and the soothing pressure stopped briefly; then Keitaro felt himself being picked up.
 
Warmth enveloped him, a solid form pressed against his tiny body and his hearing picked up on the steady thump, thump of his mother's heartbeat. It comforted him and he snuggled his little face into the chest he was pressed against. The scent of milk hit his nose and reflexively his mouth began the action of suckling. He tried to push his face closer to the chest he was cradled against, searching for the milk. A deep rumbling noise came from within that chest and Keitaro blinked again.
 
As the baby whimpered again, so Duo leaned a little further over the cot and placed his hands around the infant. Carefully he lifted the baby out of the cot and brought him to his chest where he cradled him gently. Duo pushed the blanket back a little from Keitaro's face and smiled as the infant sighed and snuggled closer to his chest. Watching the little mouth working, Duo realized what it was the baby was searching for and he gave a low chuckle. "Hungry, are you?" he asked.
 
Keitaro continued in his search for food.
 
Duo thought for a moment. He knew Nurse Brown had left some formula made up for Sunshine but it was in the small 'fridge and the 'fridge was in the 'kitchen' a few doors down the hallway. Duo's legs weren't completely steady yet and add to that the stitches in his abdomen as well as the soreness, he really didn't feel up to making a trip to fetch the formula. A light bulb went off in his mind and he looked down to where the babe was nuzzling against his chest. Nurse Brown had said he should try breast feeding Keitaro and while Duo wasn't completely sold on the idea, it looked like he really didn't have much choice at the moment.
 
It was either feed the baby himself or wake Heero up to fetch the formula, and Heero wouldn't be to great on his feet either given the anesthetic and surgery he'd just had, or ring the bell and wait for Sally to come.
 
"I wonder if I can?" he said out loud and looked at the baby again. "Okay, let's give it a try." Duo carefully shifted Keitaro in his arms and then began the task of undoing the buttons on his pajama top. He managed to get the top open and grimaced when he saw the slightly swollen state of his chest. "If anyone suggests a training bra I'll strangle them with it," he muttered under his breath as he shifted position again.
 
With his upper torso now exposed, Duo brought Keitaro back to his chest and pushed the blanket completely away from the infant's face. Trying to remember what he'd read about feeding, he placed Keitaro in what he assumed was the proper position to feed. The baby's mouth began to open and close, searching for the nipple but unable to locate it. Shifting his hand, Duo brought his fingers around to the slightly swollen breast and gently grasped the nipple. He guided it to Keitaro's mouth and rubbed it gently over the baby's lips. Instantly, Keitaro latched on and began to suckle.
 
Duo's eyes widened in amazement as the baby took the nipple in his mouth and began to suck. He could feel the pressure and was surprised that the action didn't invoke a sexual response in him. Whenever his nipples had been sucked before his body had responded by arching and hardening; this, however, was completely different. He didn't know whether to be pleased or horrified.
 
Keitaro was content. Warm milk began to fill his belly and he sucked happily at his mother's breast. A lot had happened to him over the past few hours and while he didn't understand any of it, he felt safe, warm and cared for. His mother's scent filled his nostrils, the familiar sound of the steady heartbeat penetrated his ears, warmth enclosed him and the comforting nectar from his mother's body filled his stomach. He had everything he needed; and more.
 
Duo gently stroked his fingers over the baby's cheek, still in awe of the little person he and Heero had created with their love. "You're such a sweet baby, Sunshine, and I love you with all of my heart," he whispered.
 
Keitaro grunted and sucked harder.
 
With Duo's subtle shifting so Heero began to wake up. He could hear his husband murmuring softly as he slowly rose from the sleep of the anesthetic. His eyes began to open but he didn't move or make a sound. Instead he opted to simply lie there for a moment and watch.
 
Duo had Keitaro in his arms and was whispering to the baby as he gently held him. Heero could hear Keitaro utter a soft grunt in some sort of reply and his heart melted. The scene was so peaceful, so perfect.
 
"Hey," Duo said softly as he realized Heero was awake and watching them.
 
Heero smiled. "Hey, yourself."
 
"How are you feeling?"
 
"Tired, sore but happy," replied Heero. "What about you?" Heero began to shift and sit up.
 
"Ditto to that," Duo chuckled.
 
Heero maneuvered himself in the bed until he was sitting close beside Duo. He gazed lovingly at his son as Keitaro fed at Duo's breast. "Decide to give it a shot, did you?" he asked.
 
"Yeah, well. Sunshine was hungry and I couldn't get out of bed to go fetch a bottle from the 'fridge. I didn't want to wake you or press the buzzer for Sally and I remembered what Nurse Brown said about giving him a couple of feeds myself so he gets all that stuff he'd supposed to, so I thought I'd give it a go." Duo smiled again at the baby still sucking away.
 
Heero placed his arm around Duo's shoulders and snuggled closer to his husband. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Keitaro's head and then partook of Duo's lips in a kiss born of love and passion. "I love you, Duo, more than life itself. Thank you for doing me the honor of marrying me and for caring enough for me to carry and bear my child."
 
Duo didn't know what to say to that, the lump in his throat swelling and the feeling in his chest overwhelming. With tears shining in his eyes he reached for Heero and kissed him long, deep and with every ounce of love he had.
 
When they separated for air, Heero again looked at the scene before him. "You look so beautiful together," he said softly. "You radiate an inner glow." Heero's eyes and tone turned serious for a moment and he looked deep into Duo's eyes. "Do you have any regrets?"
 
Duo looked from Heero to Keitaro and back to Heero again. "None," he said quietly. "Heero, it may not have been the best few months of my life, but I wouldn't have changed any of it. Well... maybe the throwing up part, and then there's the 'bash my insides to bits' part, those I could have done without; but, no, seeing our son and how perfect he is, I wouldn't change a thing."
 
"I'm glad," said Heero and kissed Duo again. "I suppose..." Heero broke off, his brows furrowing into a frown.
 
"What, Heero?"
 
Heero looked up. "I don't know, now isn't really the time..."
 
"Yuy, you started to say something now I want to know what it was," growled Duo as he gently lifted Keitaro away from his breast, the baby having drunk his fill. Carefully, Duo positioned the child on his shoulder and began to pat the infant's back to bring up any wind.
 
Heero chuckled. "You look so natural doing that," he said.
 
Duo gave a soft laugh. "I guess Nurse Brown was right when she said a lot of it would come with natural instinct. Now stop trying to evade the question."
 
Heero met his lover's eyes and swallowed. "All I was going to say was, would you do it again?"
 
Duo stopped in his patting for a moment. "You mean would I fall pregnant and carry another baby?"
 
Heero nodded.
 
Duo thought long and hard for a few moments before replying. "Firstly we have to see how I heal up after this pregnancy. I don't even know if I will be capable of conceiving again." Duo started to pat Keitaro's back again. "But, yeah, if everything goes okay I'd seriously think about it. Besides, I think a little brother or sister further down the track would be good for Keitaro, don't you?" Duo smiled lovingly at Heero.
 
Keitaro chose that moment to bring up the wind.
 
"That better, Sunshine?" chuckled Duo as he brought the baby back to rest in his arms.
 
Keitaro blinked sleepily at his mother and yawned. Duo also felt the effects of the day catching up with him and couldn't hold the yawn of his own. Carefully, Heero arranged his husband and son in his arms, cuddling them both close. Duo's head rested against his chest, tucked underneath his chin and Heero inhaled the scent of Duo's silky hair. Keitaro was cuddled against Duo's chest, his little eyes closed as he went back to sleep.
 
As Heero's eyes also began to close he couldn't help but think of the road ahead. No doubt there would be rocky times, they were bound to clash at some stage over their respective ideas for the raising of their son, but there would also be laughter, love and happiness. They still didn't have a home of their own, Quatre had generously offered the use of the mansion for however long they wanted it, which given the state of their finances would probably be a very long time. The new addition was going to put even further demands on an already stretched budget and yet Heero didn't care. One thing stood out in his mind above all else.
 
He had a loving partner and now a son.
 
Heero was a rich man.
 
~ Owari ~
 
 
 
 
Authors Note: Well, that's it. This fic has finally come to its conclusion. Before I go though, there's a few things I'd like to say.
 
Firstly; I'd like to thank my dedicated beta's Yami_tai and Ryouga. They have put up with my endless spelling errors and bad grammar, correcting it without complaint and offering much in the way of constructive criticism. If it weren't for their skills this fic wouldn't have been half what it is. I am indebted to them both.
 
Secondly; to DBZ Velena who sent this plot bunny to me two and a half years ago. The simple suggestion of "What about a fic where Duo is a hermaphrodite?" grew into the monster you see before you today. I don't think either one of us had any idea it would be this big or this popular.
 
Thirdly; to all of you, the readers out there who have followed this fic from its 'birth' to its conclusion, whether on the ML's, Media Miner, Adult FF Net, GW Showcase or the Gundam Wing Diaries; I thank you. If you left a review be aware that I have read them and very much appreciate every single one, many of the muse's twists in the plot were generated from things said in reviews.
 
Lastly to two special people; Leslie and tk Maxwell777. The support you two have given me throughout the writing of this fic, your suggestions, feed back and encouragement helped me more than either of you will ever know. Arigato.
 
I spent six months researching prior to even starting on this fic. The prologue was first published on Oct 8th 2003 so in a way it seems fitting it should conclude in October 2005. Two years of my life have gone into this fic, two years of research, of drawing upon personal experience to attempt to get it as 'believable' as possible. During this time my first grand child was born and I'm sure the nurses thought I was mad as I sat there with a note book and scribbled down everything that happened from the moment my daughter was admitted until they performed the C-section. Ahhh... the lengths we fic writers go to in order to achieve full factual information. Had someone said to me when I first started writing this fic it would be 127 chapters long (including prologue & epilogue), I would have thought them mad. I'd originally planned for around 50 chapters, tops. For the past 2 years I've sweated, cried, laughed and attempted to murder the muse, but at the end of the day I look back at this 'novel' and I feel a sense of achievement. I'm happy with how it has come out, ecstatic by the number of hits, astounded by its popularity and humbled by all the kind reviews and emails for it.
 
Did I shed a tear when I wrote that final 'Owari'?
 
You'd bet I did!
 
Hugs to you all.
 
ShenLong.