[FIC] That Which Mends 43/?

[skylark92]

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters. I just love playing with them.
That Which Mends
Part 43
Pairings: 2x1x2, past 2xOC, 5xOC, 3x4
Warnings for Overall Series: Angst, Violence, Sap, Lemons/Limes
New AU
BY: SkyLark
Betaed by ShenLong Deb *hugs*
Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm and http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html

[When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse...
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones And I will try to fix you
-Lyrics to 'Fix You' performed by Cold Play]

[Flashback]

"Of all the times to get an engine light," Treize mumbled in frustration as he stepped out of the passenger's seat of the tow truck that had collected them. Dressed in a finely pressed suit, he held a hand to his fiancé to assist her down.

Pulling back the hem of her floor-length red dress with her free hand so her black heels could settle easily on the ground, Middie giggled, "Well, there will always be another founder's ball... and another and another. Look at this as a bit of an adventure."

The Senator shook his head and smiled, "You're right. We don't get to experience excitement like this very often."

A kind voice greeted, "Hi'ya, folks. We'll just get your car loaded up on the lifts to check out what's going on."

When the pair turned to see who had spoken, they found a balding man with spiky white hair where there was any on his head. The Hawaiian-shirted mechanic grinned kindly, "Name's Howard Dawton and I have to brag that I've got the best crew in the city when it comes to fixing up vehicles."

Eyeing that said 'crew,' the Senator and the federal officer blinked in surprise at how almost half the staff couldn't have been more than eighteen.

And yet those boys were keeping up with the older, more experienced of the lot as they worked away in keeping shop and seeing to the repairs on more than a dozen cars that were already lined up.

One of the youngest of the bunch in particular drew Lady Une's attention immediately.

Whistling a cheerful tune as he hopped from station to station to give a hand wherever he could, he had a rope of hair pulled back into a braid that swung like a pendulum past his lower back with his movement. His face was smudged with grease, but he had a smile on his lips and a pair of striking violet eyes that shone like beacons through the grime.

It was those eyes that especially captivated the Commander. Brilliant as they were, there was an undeniable spark behind them that could only belong to someone who had lived a lot of life and came through the other side. And for one with so few years behind him, he was far from finished in overcoming whatever else could be thrown at him.

He would still be smiling... still whistling and challenging for more attempts to be knocked down just so he could get back up again.

"A lot of your staff seems awfully... young," Khushrenada acknowledged aloud.

Nodding, Howard smirked, "Yes, sir. But don't let that fool you. What they lack in years behind them they make up for in their drive to do the best in every job they're given. You won't find another team that's better than they are, I assure you."

Middie faced the old man and smiled warmly, "I believe you." She felt her fiancé's gaze fall on her, but paid no mind to him since she was already convinced there was nothing for them to worry about. Her sentiment was rewarded with a brilliant smile from the shop owner.

If there was anything Treize was sure of, it was to never second guess his lover's opinion. She was rarely wrong in her snap assessments of any situation.

Perhaps they had been fortunate to breakdown where they had, since she was so confidant that there was no concern needed over their vehicle regardless of the fact that they were in a less than pleasant neighborhood.

Without any further hesitance, the Senator signed the forms on the clipboard that were passed onto him and handed over the keys when he was finished.

As their black vehicle was loaded up into the servicing area, Howard called over his shoulder, "Hey, Duo, get a start on assessing what's wrong with our new arrival."

The kid with the thick braid stopped in the middle of his sweeping the floor to spin towards his boss and caught the keys that were tossed to him with one hand. Saluting, he hollered back over the noise, "Sure thing, Howie!" and darted off for the end of the line to get started on his new assignment.

'Duo,' Lady Une's mind repeated as she watched the boy take off.

She couldn't put her finger on why, but she got a feeling she liked him.

The old mechanic glanced over the paperwork and his eyes grew when he read the signature. "Holy sh- um... well, hell," he stammered, his eyes blinking widely behind the glasses he wore. "Senator Khushrenada," he breathed. "I thought you looked familiar, sir, but I couldn't place your face right away. I'm sorry I've been so informal-"

Laughing, the tall politician raised a hand and said, "Don't be sorry. I actually like not being recognized all the time. We'll just be calling a cab to get us to the banquet we were driving to. You have my number to keep me posted on the car."

"Of course," Dawton promised with a bow of his head. "And I'll call that cab for you. I know a good driver who's post is right around the block." In the next blink of an eye, he all but ran for his office.

Middie was holding her clutch in both hands at her waist while their host disappeared, her focus already drifted back to the young man who was now inspecting beneath the hood of Treize's car.

Yes, there was something undeniably interesting about Duo that she couldn't shake.

It was the same feeling she had when she first came across Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Meiran Long, Wufei Chang and most recently the background report of a spitfire weapons analyst named Anna Downs that she was looking into.

Trusting her instinct, the Commander was going to make sure to keep an eye on that one to find out what it was that sparked her interest in this Duo.

Silently observing his wife and following her line of sight, Khushrenada smirked. She was onto something. He knew that look on her face all too well along with the fact that she was looking for another prospect to round off her new division. And far be it of him to set her off course.

"Maybe it actually was a bit of luck that we broke down where we did," he commented as he leaned his head towards his betrothed's.

Lady Une kept studying the teenager's every move, growing all the more convinced that her instinct was right about him. She would have to learn much more about him, of course, but she never shook that gut instinct.

Smiling, she nodded, "Yes... I believe it was."

[End flashback]

* * * *

"Alright," Trowa called to his teammates at the desk cluster. "Everyone ready to sync up for the final scan?" Five affirmatives sounded and his fingers furiously typed in his final command for the evening.

His emerald eyes watching his monitor closely, Agent Night sighed quietly in relief when five other progress symbols appeared on top of one another to confirm their sync to his computer. "We're good," he grinned to the others. "That's all we can do while this baby does its thing overnight."

Following his crash course lesson of deciphering a portion of Sweeney's data, Heero had a sense of satisfaction that he had been able to step in for Anna since she was recovering from her injuries at Wufei's. Then, there was another... satisfaction that he felt after being properly reunited with a certain braided Preventer earlier that day.

Of course, Chang would have preferred that they had taken their 'catching up' time anywhere else. Though his reaction was priceless.

Never before that day would Yuy have ever believe he was capable of letting every guard he had in him down to completely surrender to anyone enough that his dignity and regards for decency would fly right out the window. But then, that was the sort of power Duo Maxwell held over him.

Even more startling was the fact that Heero had no regrets or embarrassment over their being caught in the middle of a very... compromising position.

Bad influence. That's all the still smirking Agent Night was. But then, the once innocent scholar that he had corrupted wasn't exactly complaining, either.

Stretching his arms out high overhead, Duo let out a long yawn and pulled himself onto his feet. "Well, it's been an exciting day, kids." He peered over to the clock and blinked widely. "Holy crap. It's really almost eleven o'clock?" he noted in surprise. "It's only a couple hours from my usual late bedtime. No wonder I'm beat."

Quatre twisted his torso to crack his back as he teased, "Apparently, that's not the only reason you're tired-"

"Okay, let's just never discuss that again!" Wufei growled. "Why the hell you bastards can't get a room like he rest of society..." Shuddering while his crew chuckled, he glared at them and grumbled, "I hate you guys... so very much." His cohorts just laughed with their heads falling back.

Lady Une cleared her throat as she walked towards the cackling brood. At her appearance, they all stood straight as boards at attention. "Nice work, all of you," she smiled tiredly. "I just tied everything with the library up in a neat little bow, so we start fresh in the morning with whatever Sweeney's computer gives up."

Her brown eyes falling to the desks, she frowned, "I'd hate to ask this of any of you, but if one or two of you would be so kind as to volunteer-"

At that, Barton raised a hand, offering, "Way ahead of you, Commander. Quatre and I already made plans of taking watch shifts tonight to make sure we don't get any... unfriendly visits that might interrupt the scan."

Chang's mouth began to open to put his own hat in when Winner insisted, "You be home with Anna, Wufei. Knowing her, she'll push herself if you're not there to keep an eye on her." The corner of his mouth smirking, he added, "Besides, she should get all the loving she deserves after what happened." The pack leader smiled and gave the couple a grateful nod.

Breathing easier, Middie told Rock and Night, "Thank you. I highly doubt the likes of Zechs and his stooges would be stupid enough to try and tamper with anything here again, but I'd much rather err on the side of caution than be sorry." The pair bowed their heads in agreement.

The Commander brought her hands together, ordering, "Get out of here and get to bed, the rest of you. With any luck, we'll finally start getting ahead in this case with whatever will be waiting for us in the morning."

Exchanging their 'good nights' and waves, the Preventers went their separate ways and took to the elevators or stairwell. As the only two in their lift after they shut down their stations for the evening, Heero and Duo stood in their companionable silence for the first couple of floors with small grins on their faces and their bodies close enough that their shoulders were touching.

"Are you okay?" Yuy heard himself ask quietly once the reminder of his lover's desperation during their coupling came rushing back. He had been rightfully worried earlier when he saw how stricken the normally composed agent was following the incident at the library.

Biting his lip, Scythe answered, "I'll be good. Thanks for letting me... you know... get off some stress."

Try as he might to not let on how much he enjoyed the moment, the psych major felt his mouth stretch into a small smile. "No problem," he snickered. Peering from the corner of his cobalt eyes, he said, "You know you can always talk to me if you need it."

Maxwell chewed on the inside of his cheek and murmured, "I'll think about it." He dropped his head to stare at his feet as she stated, "No offense. I just... need more time."

"No explanation needed," Heero assured, his understanding resonating in his calming tone. "That was just a friendly reminder that I'm here whenever you're ready."

The comfortable silence fell over them again as the Preventer processed that. Biting his lip, he snorted softly and nudged the intern with a muttered, "Thanks, 'Ro." His partner smirked back just as the elevator reached the ground level and opened to them.

Minutes later, they were parting ways in the nearly empty parking lot and driving off in opposite directions.

From the whole ride back to his dorm to his falling into bed, Yuy wondered if he shouldn't have insisted on staying with Duo that night. He was clearly shaken about something, but pushing him into opening up would have only guaranteed that he would throw up more walls around himself.

Staring up at his ceiling in his darkened room for almost an hour in deep thought, the scholar finally turned onto his side to close his eyes and answer sleep's call.

* * * *

Not long after Heero had drifted off, Duo was waking from his restless slumber with a start that sent him flying upright in his bed with a gasp. Soaked in sweat, he panted heavily and scanned his dim surroundings as his racing heartbeat hammered in his ears.

Recognizing his bedroom and the fact that he was safe, the agent caught his breath and sighed deeply as he covered his face with both hands.

He tried to sleep. He really did, despite knowing those damned nightmares would be creeping up on him tonight. The last thing he wanted to do was risk waking Anna when she needed all the rest she could get... but he couldn't be alone. Not when those visions were still haunting him behind his closed eyes.

And Fire had promised that he would always have a place to go when this happened...

Survival instinct kicking in, Maxwell threw on a pair of sweatpants, pulled on a plain white tank, stepped his socked feet into his sneakers and had an overnight bag packed before really thinking of what was doing. Wide awake from the ice cold terror that wracked him, he stepped out of his place and locked it behind him.

Traffic was light on the highway to Wufei's house. But then, that wasn't a surprise since it was closing on one o'clock in the morning.

Out of sheer instinct, Duo almost took the wrong exit that would have taken him to Anna's apartment. Catching himself at the last second, he kept on the main stretch for another five turnoffs to pass before turning off.

Exhaustion was threatening to claim him fast when Agent Scythe parked in the driveway of the private estate. Trudging along the rock-paved walkway leading to the front porch, he half-dragged his duffle bag behind him and took the steps with heavy feet. He held his breath when he reached the front door.

Slowly turning the doorknob, Maxwell's violet eyes grew when he didn't meet resistance and the latch clicked open. Bottom lip quivering, his vision clouded over with tears as he sniffled in relief and gratitude for the couple that had left their home open to him.

Walking inside and locking the door behind him, the braided officer kicked his shoes off at the entryway and padded along the carpeted floor for the living room.

The long, couch was set up in wait for him with a small stack of soft pillows and a couple folded blankets... just the way Anna would have her sofa set up should he pay an unexpected over-night stay at her apartment.

Again, Duo felt tears come on as he dropped his bag and closed in on the couch to all but collapse onto it. He pulled the covers over himself, turning onto his side with his head sinking into the pillows.

Eyes closing, his tensions faded knowing that he was safe and not alone.

A much deeper, more restful sleep pulled him in before he could finish tucking himself in for the rest of the evening.

Little did he know someone had snuck out of the master bedroom upstairs to watch him from the shadows of the spiral staircase. At the sound of his first soft snore, the dark silhouette slowly descended with a hand on the railing for support in its careful steps until it stepped into the moonlight that bathed the living room to reveal Anna.

Biting her lip, the redhead fought the aching in her body as she tiptoed over to the couch. Without making a sound, she stretched the blankets out and covered her best friend from his shoulders down like so many other night like this.

Her heart broken that Maxwell had suffered another lapse because of what she had been through, she leaned down despite her sore ribs and pressed a kiss against his temple.

Duo sighed in his sleep as a tiny grin tugged the corner of his mouth at the touch that his subconscious recognized immediately. Smiling sadly, Fire whispered by his ear, "Love you. Nothing's going to get you on my watch, so just rest now."

Taking measured steps and keeping her movements to a minimum so she didn't aggravate her injuries more than she already had, Anna walked back off and climbed back upstairs to rejoin her sleeping boyfriend.

* * * *

"Go back to sleep," Quatre half-growled-half-mumbled as his partially opened eyes glared up at his partner. "I know you're anxious to look over the scan, but it's fine." Burrowing himself deeper against the other Preventer's side, he harrumphed. "Shut that brain of yours down or I'll pull the plug on it."

Smirking, Trowa chuckled quietly, "Yes, love." He shifted on the wide couch in the darkened rec area that they had taken up and peeled his gaze away from the cluster of desks. Forcing his mind to quiet down his thoughts and wonderings over what gems he might be able to pull from the data that was being scanned.

For the whole night, there was no sign of hide nor hair of any potential intruders. But, as Lady Une had suggested, it was better to be safe than sorry.

At least there was the club lock on the stairwell door and the rigged trip wires beyond the elevators and other booby traps that they had set to alert them if anything were to change.

With that assurance, Barton obeyed his fiancé and joined him in the great oblivion as the computers continued to hum a lullaby that saw him off.

Meanwhile, a large folder of data was extracted and added to the lot that was already waiting on Agent Night's hard drive. And beneath the icon of the small manila folder was the title 'Side Projects.'

* * * *

The first rays of daylight came on far too early for Duo's liking. Flopping himself onto his stomach, he let out a muffled growl. "Why must there be mornings?" he complained.

"Because if there weren't and we skipped to the afternoon, you would hate that part of the day too," came a muted, deadpan of an answer.

Violet eyes widening, the braided agent's head lifted in a snap as he frantically took the space around him. The furnishings and layout rushed back to him as the first smack back to the present and how he'd wound up in Chang's living room.

That nightmare.

Shuddering, Maxwell sucked in his bottom lip to chomp down on it hard in order to prevent the whimper that wanted to escape. Violently shelving those dark memories away and closing the door to them, he shook his head of disheveled hair and pushed himself upright on the couch he had crashed on.

It was one thing to move in on Anna's sofa in a time of crisis like the night before. It was another to impose on her now boyfriend. Yes, the door might have been open to him, but that didn't mean he was necessarily welcomed by Chang for anything more than a place to sleep. And Fire surely insisted that he allow that much.

Pushing himself up and onto his feet, Maxwell made fast work of neatly folding the blankets and piled them with the pillows into a tidy stack. On his way from the room, he grabbed the strap of his duffle bag and hurried into the first floor bathroom to freshen up and change into his clothes for the day.

The second he was finished, he would be slipping out of the lakeside home so the happy couple could have the rest of their morning together. That would keep him from having to answer any questions or to possibly have to endure any looks of pity over the fact that he was a grown as young man who couldn't get through a night alone.

When he emerged with his hair pulled back into a fresh braid, Duo was only a couple of steps from the door and had a hand stretched out for the doorknob. "I made enough breakfast for the three of us," Wolf's voice informed behind him. "It'd be rude of you to take off and have it go to waste."

His jaw falling open, Scythe turned in time to see his team leader duck back into the dining room. Stunned by the invitation for a meal, he blinked his enlarged eyes and stared down the hallway. Hesitant at first, he managed to get his feet to move one after another after the other agent.

Each inch he took, the smells of a fine variety of foods filled Maxwell's nose and his stomach grumbled.

Inside the dining room, Wufei and Anna were already seated at the table with their plates as they peered up and acknowledged him with friendly grins, then they went back to eating their helpings of the hearty spread laid out before him.

There were no looks of pity. There were no questions. There was nothing awkward at all that made Duo want to run. All that greeted him was acceptance and the unspoken promise that life would move on as usual

Feeling his throat tighten, the braided Preventer took a seat beside the bruised redhead and began to fill his plate. Noting his former lover's visible blue eye glancing over at him he smirked, "'Morning', Annie. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," she giggled honestly, concentrating on not yelling. "But I'll survive, like we all do every day."

A poignant message, Duo thought to himself. And an intentional one for him to take in. Those were the only words that needed to be said to him right then.

With a lopsided smile, Maxwell lightly nudged his best friend and requested, "Pass me the jam, would 'ya?" Returning the grin, Downs nodded and obliged him as the three agents fell into a lighthearted conversation.

He was, and always would be a survivor of whatever life had to throw at him. Lady Une saw that the first time she laid eyes on him.

Of course, that resilience was going to be a great deal easier with friends like the ones he had been fortunate to have found.

* * * *

Heero had a reason to like Tuesday mornings since he had come to know the Preventers. His light class schedule allowed him more time at the federal building with his friends earlier in the day than usual. And what course he did have was available digitally for him to upload later that evening.

So, the intern reported in at the start of the day to follow up on the progress of Trowa's scan.

"Good morning," Yuy greeted as he rounded the elevator column to find Night and Rock staring at the taller agent's screen.

Slowly, the pair's wide eyes peeled from the computer to stare at him with such fright that the young scholar froze in mid-step as a chill shot down his back. "What's wrong?" he breathed.

With a hard swallow, Quatre straightened himself from his lean over his seated lover's shoulder and replied in little more than a whisper, "One of Sweeney's files caught our eye since it was titled 'New Targets'... and we opened it."

Rounding the desk cluster to approach them, Heero gulped. "New targets?" he frowned deeply. "But that would be a good thing to know what these guys are planning on taking out with whatever weapon they're planning on using, right?"

"That was what we thought at first," Barton responded, peering back at the 'recruit' as he came within a few steps of his work station. "But... it looks like this is more like a little side project for them, instead."

All the more confused, Yuy shook his head, "I don't follow what you're say-" He cut himself off with a sharp gasp when his cobalt eyes fell on the monitor and his feet locked him in place just at the edge of Barton's desk.

Displayed were six opened images of the apparent targets that were stacked up beside one another. They were headshots...

...One of each of the five Preventers... and the sixth at the end of the bunch belonging to Heero.

TBC