Category: Angst, AU Part: 12/? Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 Rating: R (?) Disclaimer: Standard. You know them all by now so I won't bore you with a repeat. Archive: The End (http://www.oocities.org/maxwellcave/fanfics.html), Shades of Color (http://www.fanfictiongw.homstead.com/Shade_of_color.html), The Best of Yaoi/Fanfiction (www.bestof.iwarp.com.), anyone who wants it Notes: This takes place in a world of my own making, where things can and are twisted into strange things. So what doesn't seem possible is. There are M/M relationships in this fic (I'm very much a 1x2/3x4 fan.) so if boys being together (and I do mean together) bothers you don't read. Twisted Fates Part Twelve By SilverLady "Daddy?" "Yes, Ken?" "When are those men gonna leave?" "When the storm is over." "Oh." Pause. "Daddy?" Duo sighed. Ken had been in a talkative, questioning mood all morning. "Yes?" "When is the storm gonna be over?" "I don't know." "Oh." "Why do you want to know? Are you anxious for them to leave?" "No. I like them. I don't want them to leave." Ken walked around the counter to watch Duo as he carefully poured the muffin batter into the tins. "They help you so you don't have to work so hard." Duo smiled at the statement. He'd been surprised when Trowa had come down that morning and had offered to tend to the animals. The only thing he admitted to not knowing how to do was milk the cow, but he'd insisted that Duo show him. Then, later that morning, Wufei had offered to chop and collect firewood. He had told Duo that it was the least that he could do in exchange for the hospitality that Duo had shown them. "So, you think I work to hard?" "Uh huh. But now you don't have to." "Ken, I'm sure they have homes and families that they need to get back to. It's nice that they are willing to help, but don't get used to it." Ken sighed. "I know." Duo reached out and ruffled Ken's hair. "That's 'cause your smart, right squirt?" Ken ducked away from Duo's hand. "Daddy. You'll mess up my hair." Duo smiled. "Sorry. My mistake." Ken walked over at sat at the table. "Daddy?" Duo let out a breath of air. "Yes?" "What's wrong with the pretty one? How come he's sick?" "The pretty one?" "Uh huh. The one with the yellow hair." "Blonde." "Uh?" "He has blonde hair." "Oh. Is that what it's called?" "Yes." "Well?" "Well what?" Ken huffed in exasperation. "What's wrong with him?" "He has the flu." "Is that what makes his tummy feel all funny?" "Partly." "Only partly?" "Yes. He's also going to have a baby and that isn't making him feel any better." "He has a baby in his tummy, like you?" "Yes." "Does his baby have a daddy?" "Yes. Trowa is the baby's daddy." "He's lucky. How come our baby don't have a daddy?" Duo winced at the question. "It's just the way things worked out." "Oh. Does that make you sad?" "Not really. We'll do fine without him." "Okay." Ken played with the things on the table for a minute. "I can take him something to eat." Duo smiled. He knew Ken was bored, being cooped up in the house. "I'll make him some toast for you to take to him, okay?" "Yea! I'll get the butter." Scrambling down from his chair, Ken ran into the small room where they kept things that needed to be cold. Ken paused as he was searching for the butter. "What about the other one? Does he have a baby too?" "No. He hurt his leg." "Do you think he would like some toast, too?" "I don't know. He's probably still sleeping. Why don't you wait until the muffins are done? Then he can have some of them." Duo deliberate didn't say that Ken would be the one to take them to Heero. He still wasn't sure if he wanted Heero to know about Ken and he was afraid he would figure it out if he saw the little boy. "Okay. That sounds good." Ken carefully set the butter on the table. "Got the butter. Hurry up and make the toast." Duo laughed. "I'm making it as quickly as I can." ***** Quatre blinked in surprise at the little face that was peering over the edge of the bed at him. "Hello," he whispered. The little boy smiled. "Hi." Quatre studied the boy for a moment. He was surprised that, except for the unusual violet colored eyes, he was a miniature version of Heero. How odd. "Who are you?" "My name is James Kentaro Maxwell, but my daddy calls me Ken. Who are you?" "I'm Quatre." "I brought you some toast." Ken indicated the small tray that he'd put on the bedside table. "I thought you might be hungry." Quatre slowly sat up. Luckily, this time the room stayed where it was supposed to. "That was very nice of you." The little boy grinned, studing Quatre with wide eyes. "My daddy says you have a baby in your tummy like he does." "That's right." Ken frowned. "Do your eyes still work?" Quatre blinked at the strange question. "Yes. Why?" "Just wanted to know. My daddy's don't work no more. I thought maybe you were just like my daddy. I know most people's eyes still work and that my daddy is different cause his don't. He got sick and when he got better they didn't work no more. I don't remember cause I was little then, but I have to help so that he don't hurt himself, so you have to make sure you put everything back where it belongs so that Daddy can find it and so that he won't fall over it." Quatre was surprised at the sheer amount of words that had come from the little boy. "I'll be very careful." "Kay. That's good. You will tell the others too, right? I don't want my Daddy to get hurt no more." "I will." Ken smiled. "I like you lots better then the other men that came here. They were bad. They hurt my Daddy and messed up the house real bad. I hid from them so they didn't hurt me. Daddy made me hide when you came cause we were afraid that you were more bad men who would hurt Daddy, but you're not, you're nice men." Ken blinked at Quatre. "You won't hurt my Daddy will you?" "No. I wouldn't want to hurt your Daddy." "Kay. Are you gonna eat your toast?" Quatre slowly picked up a piece of toast. Taking a careful nibble, he was glad when his stomach did not protest. "This is very good. Did you make it?" "I put the butter on it. Daddy made it though. I'm not allowed to do things with the oven yet." Ken watched as Quatre took another careful bite of the toast. "Are you going home to your family when the storm is done?" Quatre sighed. "I don't have a home anymore." "How come? Did some bad men mess it up?" "No. I had a fight with my father and I left." "How come you fought with your father? You shouldn't do that." Quatre smiled slightly. "I know. But he didn't like the person I feel in love with. He wanted me to leave him and marry someone else." "But you didn't did you?" "No. I left instead." "Did the person you love come to?" "Yes." "The baby's dad, right? Trowa?" "Yes." Ken nodded. "That good. The baby should have a dad as well as a daddy. I don't have a dad. He had to stay behind when my daddy left. I don't know why he couldn't come too. Daddy won't say. But I know my daddy was sad that he didn't." Ken tilted his head to one side. "I think he still misses him. Lots." Quatre looked at the little boy. "Maybe someday, you'll get to meet your dad." "Maybe." Ken sighed. "I better go help daddy. He's making muffins. I'm going to take some to the man with the hurt leg." "Heero?" "Is that his name? I guess that's who it is. My daddy says he would probably like the muffins better than toast." "Probably." "Good. Bye." With that Ken turned and ran out of the room. "Bye." Quatre called after him. Slowly he shook his head. I hope my baby isn't that full of go. I'll never keep up. ***** Duo paused outside the door to the small bedroom. Ken had offered to take the muffins to 'the man with the hurt leg that Quatre says his name is Heero', but Trowa had come into the kitchen and asked if Ken could help him find some things he needed in the barn. Ken had been torn. He wanted to help Trowa, but he wanted Heero to get his muffins while they were still warm. Duo still couldn't believe he'd opened his mouth and offered to take the muffins up for him. Ken had been please, not noticing how much the idea bothered Duo. He'd happily followed Trowa out of the kitchen, leaving Duo standing there. So now, here he stood. Warm muffins and butter on a tray to take into a man he hadn't seen in nearly six years. And he was afraid. Afraid of how Heero would react and afraid of how he would react. Duo sighed. Just go in there and get it over with. It's stupid to be pussyfooting around in your own home. Drawing in a deep breath, Duo knocked on the door. "Come in," came a gruff, tired voice. Pasting a grin on his face, Duo opened the door and entered the room. "Hi. I thought you might like some muffins." ***** Heero had been lying in the bed, bored and achy, when the knock had come at the door. "Come in," he'd called, hoping that maybe Trowa or Quatre had decided to stop by. The door opened and a figured walked into the room. "Hi. I thought you might like some muffins." For several moments, Heero could only stare in shock at the man that had entered the room. He was taller than the last time Heero had seen him and he'd lost that little boy look. The distinctive braid was longer than it had been and there was an odd look in the blue-violet eyes that hadn't been there before. But even with the changes, Duo was still as beautiful as he had been the first time Heero had seen him. Then the anger began to rise as he remembered how Duo had walked out on him. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he growled. Duo managed to not loose the smile. "This is my home." "What?"