"The Meaning of
Life"
Written By: SkyLark
Pairings: 1x2x1
Warnings: AU, Neko, male pregnancy, sap, angst
Rating: R
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
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters.
I just love playing with them.
Third fic in the Neko series
"The Meaning of Life"
“The appeal was approved?!” Septum exclaimed, his face red
as he rose from his leather chair. Propping his hands at either side
of his desk, he leaned over the intercom before him. “What could
Danielle have possibly brought to the table that would allow that
to go through?!” he shouted.
Over the line, his assistant’s voice answered nervously,
“I… I don’t know, sir. The message just came in, but
the Justices would not elaborate at this time what is so new to the
case that they agreed to rehear the trial.”
Slowly sitting back down, the prosecutor dry-washed
his face with his hands. With a deep sigh, he worked to control himself
enough to say calmly, “All right. It is what it is and we will
have to deal. I’ll be pulling the team together so that we can
go over this and prepare. I want further information on when we need
to be back in court as well as what you do know for a board meeting
in an hour.”
The relief was more than evident in the young woman’s
voice as she responded, “Very good. I will have everything prepared,
then.” Not waiting to give the man a chance to say anything further,
in the fear that he was still less than pleased over the situation,
she disconnected her end of the line to end the call.
Leaning back heavily in his chair, Septum rocked his
seat back and forth a bit as he folded his arms across his chest.
Deep in thought, he chewed on the inside of his cheek as he mulled
over the disturbing news he'd received.
It would have been a grave understatement to say that
he was unhappy. He was livid. No, he was enraged. More so than he
ever had been.
After finally having his victory over Danielle Yuy-Clark
and her equally successful husband, they were trying to rip the rug
right out from under him again. So, it was pretty clear that they
were more than sore losers if they felt the need to make such a bold
move.
But then there was something that actually had Septum
worried… the Supreme Justices agreed to the appeal. Even if the
rare appeals that were heard before the judges did not change the
initial ruling, they were still compelled by something new in the
case that they wanted to review their decision to deny a neko to marry
a human.
That unknown ‘something’ worried him. That
‘something’ would remain unknown until they were back in
the High Courts, as such was how an appeal worked. Which ever side
of the court appealed had the burden of changing the Justices’
opinions, and so they had the right to withhold whatever new piece
of information they had until the trial.
Whatever that ‘something’ was, Septum would
have to think on his feet. That was to his advantage, as he was the
best at that in the business. He would just rather not have to make
his case in such a manner.
Running a hand over his dark hair, the lawyer sighed,
“What the hell do you two have up your sleeves?” That very
question was going to have him on edge until the next time they all
met once again.
In the end, Septum decided that there was little more
that he could do aside from preparing himself with what he did know.
Everything else would be revealed in time. He would be patient until
then.
Smirking, he was already looking forward to making Danielle
and Trent regret trying to cross him. He did not care what it was
going to take- they would both be terribly sorry for testing him this
way.
* * * *
Danielle laughed, “I just wish I could have seen
Septum’s face when he got word about the appeal being approved.”
Rubbing her hands together, she leaned back in the couch and smirked,
“I want to make that man regret interfering in our lives the
way he did.”
Beside her, Trent chuckled and shook his head, “I
would just be happy to have all of this behind us with a win. Septum’s
losing to us again would just be the icing on the cake.” Raising
a finger of warning to his bride, he stated, “Let’s just
not lose sight of the fact that we still have to get our case together.
The odds are still against us in this hearing, even with the pregnancy.”
Seated across from them on the love seat, Duo looked
over to his ‘husband’ with a nervous frown. With a squeeze
of their joined hands, he faced his ‘in-laws’ and announced,
“Actually, there is something that I needed to discuss with both
of you about our case.”
Their eyes meeting the violet gaze on them, the lawyers
blinked in surprise. Danielle tilted her head and replied, “Yes,
Duo. Whatever concerns you have, we’ll be happy to help however
we can.”
His throat tight, Duo swallowed roughly. Confused himself,
Heero frowned as he watched his partner. Giving the neko's hand a
reassuring squeeze, he asked softly, "What is it, love?"
Clearing his throat, the neko announced, "I decided that I would
really like to exercise my right to defend myself in this appeal."
At the stunned, wide eyes on him all around, he explained, "I
know that it's a risk, but I really want to have my own voice heard
by the Justices."
Nearly winded by the news as though a fist landed in his gut, Trent
stammered, "Duo... you really don't know Septum and the punches
he'll be throwing. He'll be pulling out everything he has to make
sure the ruling sticks while being able to attack you, personally.
That kind of stress would not be the best thing for you or the babies
when you're so late in your pregnancy."
"It's not like I'm completely helpless," the neko retorted
almost heatedly. Taking a deep breath, his arms and tail wrapped around
his swollen stomach as he forced himself to calm down.
Biting her lip, Danielle said quietly, "Duo, if this is because
of how we let you down this last time..." Her voice trailed off
when a small sob caught up with her and her cobalt eyes filled with
tears.
Instantly, the braided teenager was on his feet and kneeling before
her as he told her sincerely, "You did not let me down in that
first trial. There was not a thing that either of you did wrong in
defending me."
Hardly keeping the shimmer in his violet gaze back, Duo continued,
"It's just that... this may be the last shot I have to finally
be able to get my own feelings across..." Pointing to his chest,
he whispered, "From here. And I know the odds are against me
in this, but I would still like to go out knowing that I spoke on
my own behalf."
Behind the neko, Heero remained in his seat while fending off
the watery shield in his own vision. At odds with his personal feelings
on the subject, it took every ounce of strength in him to keep in
his place. But, this was what his 'husband' needed to get out. And
so, he let him go on.
Forcing a deep, relaxing breath, Duo looked from one lawyer's face
to the next as he stated, "Besides taking care of my family,
I am going to be devoted to defending other people without voices
so that they can be accepted. How can I do that if I don't even try
to do the same for myself? I need to do this and defend what is the
most important thing to me."
Right then, both Danielle and Trent's eyes widened as a new light
dawned on them. Had there been any further argument against the boy's
wishes, they were cleared away in that moment. Still, the decision
was not theirs to make.
Slowly raising her head, the red-haired young woman looked to her
son and asked, "What do you think, Heero?" Ears drooping,
Duo turned his head back over his shoulder to face his partner.
Clearing his throat, the artist ignored the stray tear that had found
its way down his cheek. Resolved, he nodded firmly in a clear voice,
"I think that Duo should go through with this. He would
never endanger himself or the babies if he didn't think he was up
to this."
In a rush, the neko breathed out a deep sigh mixed with a whimper
before he moved back to his husband's side as quickly as he could.
Wrapping him up, Heero kissed the top of the neko's braided head as
he sobbed in relief against his shoulder.
What lay ahead may be more than a little frightening, but it was the
right thing to do. Even if the outcome of the appeal did not turn
out how he wanted, at least Duo would have his own voice heard.
* * * *
Zechs chewed on the inside of his cheek worriedly after waving his
son and Heero off as they headed back to their college campus. Turning
to face Danielle, he asked, "Are you sure this is a good
idea, letting Duo defend himself?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Danielle admitted as she and her
friends stepped back into the house. "But, I can understand his
wish to do so."
Much as she wanted to protect her son from what may come of his decision,
even Noin nodded, "So can I." Looking down to Danny, she
smirked, "We all just have to keep trusting him, right?"
Grinning from ear-to-ear, the boy cheered, "Yep! I know my brother.
He'll do great!" The pairs of parents chuckled at the little
neko's enthusiasm.
Trent piped in, "We'll all have to make sure that those boys
know we have that same conviction leading up to this appeal. Now that
it's scheduled less than a week away, they'll need all of the support
that they can get."
No argument rose from that sentiment.
* * * *
Later that evening...
Blinking in shock, Susan frowned, "Maxwell's defense is
making an appeal that has been approved?" Her eyes narrowing
in thought, she shook her head, "What in the world could be so
new to their case that would have the Justices willing to take another
look at their ruling?"
With a shrug, Bobby pushed himself from her office door frame
that he had been leaning against. "Don't know," he answered,
"and it doesn't matter. By the morning, the announcement
will be on every newspaper stand and in every news broadcast."
As he approached the desk his best reporter was sitting behind, he
smirked, "And we are going to have a seat in that closed-door
hearing along with a few other journalists."
Gasping, Weathers nearly fell back in her seat. Emerald eyed widened
anew, she sputtered, "H-how did you manage to pull that off?
We were never able to have access to a High Court case like this before."
Her editor-in-chief waved a hand and responded, "I pulled some
of the right strings. The fact that you had the first story out that
opened up this whole commotion in the first place was a huge help.”
Still mentally reeling over what this meant for their
publication agency, Susan’s slack jaw snapped closed. Never before
was a tabloid columnist able to set foot in the prestigious double
marble doors of the High Courts. Something like this was truly the
opportunity of a lifetime for whomever that lucky person that filled
their one seat was.
Bobby’s smirk grew as he leaned forward further
to announce quietly, “I was able to make it that you will be
the person representing us in the court room.”
All sound at that moment stopped as Weathers stared
in disbelief at the man across from her. When the ringing in her ears
finally died down, she fought to fill her lungs with air. “W-what
did you just say?” she breathed, not able to believe that she'd
heard correctly.
Straightening himself, the editor repeated, “You
are going to be filling the one seat that we have for the appeal of
the century. There is no one else that I, or anyone above me, feel
more comfortable in giving the responsibility to.”
Finally regaining her senses, Susan blinked rapidly
and began breathing normally again. This was, indeed, a huge responsibility.
And it was one that she had been working long and hard to earn. She
swallowed roughly and made a couple of failed attempts to speak before
she whispered, "I... I don't know what to say."
Raising a dark eyebrow, Bob responded coolly, "Just
say that you won't allow your feelings or conscious get in the way
of this story. Since your return from you little break a couple of
weeks ago, you've been the Susan I always knew when it came to your
work. I certainly hope that will remain the case in this situation."
Without hesitating, the blonde reporter nodded, "Of
course." Pulling her shoulders back to sit up proudly, she promised,
"I will not let you down with this."
A small smile tugged the man's lips as he told her,
"I know that you won't. Because this is a High Court case, part
of the agreement in having a seat available to us was that we will
give an accurate telling of what actually happens in that room. Whatever
personal spin you want to spin on whatever happens after the fact
is up to you from there."
Susan smirked, "And I do not need to know what
your advice would be on that- the juicier the better."
Chuckling, Bob winked, "That's my girl." As
he turned to head from the room, he tapped the edge of her desk and
stated, "The appeal starts next Thursday bright and early. It
should wrap up in plenty of time for the following week's publication.
Make sure that your story is in my email for editing before the weekend."
"Never missed a deadline before," the journalist
grinned. "Hell would have to freeze over for me to miss this
one."
On his way to the office door, the editor smiled back,
"Good to gave you back, Weathers." That said, he stepped
through the sliding door and out into the hallway.
As soon as the door slid closed after him, his star
reporter sunk heavily in her seat to reel over her new assignment.
The High Courts. She- Susan Weathers- was actually going
to be sitting in the courtroom of the Supreme Justices for one of
the most anticipated hearings of her lifetime.
...A hearing that may never have come about
had been had it not been for her influence.
Growling deeply, Susan placed her finger tips against
her temples at that nagging thought. She had done so well to hold
off her guilt over the first trial. Over the last couple of weeks,
her writing had never been better- her stories never more captivating.
Now, with such a huge honor of an assignment, she was
not about to allow her conscience to get the better of her. Not a
chance.
Other journalists would have killed to be in the position
that she was in. And Susan was not about to allow guilt to ruin the
opportunity for her. No way.
Hand trembling a bit, Weathers reached over to her top
desk drawer to remove her bottle of antacids that she had not used
in some time. Just in case.
* * * *
"So how is Duo?" Ashley asked, blinking her brown eyes in
worry as she and the remainder of their class stepped out at the conclusion
of their lesson. Easels under their arms, she and her friend headed
out onto the campus grounds as she commented, "No one has seen
so much as a piece of fur of him since the semester started."
The Japanese youth grinned warmly, "Duo has been pretty much
under the weather these last few weeks. And now with the appeal coming
up, he's just trying to keep his head between that and his own classes."
Understanding that, the slight brunette replied, "I see. Well,
tell him that we all wish you both the best of luck with the hearing
and hope to see him soon."
Heero smiled, "Thanks, Ashley. Please tell the others that I
am sorry I won't be able to join them for lunch as we normally
would. I really should be heading back to my dorm to check up on Duo
now that my classes are done for the day."
Grinning, the girl responded, "Okay. Give him a hug for me."
At the corner of the path they had been walking, they parted ways
at the fork. Waving with her free hand, she called, "Have a good
day, Heero."
Her classmate waved back, "You too." Continuing his way
down his path leading to the parking lot, the young man breathed a
sigh of relief. Even though the semester was only three weeks in,
it was becoming more and more difficult for him to come up with reasons
to why his lover was nowhere to be seen.
Thank goodness the cat would be out of the bag in a less than a week... figuratively
and literally.
* * * *
A large spread was waiting for Heero when he returned to the dorm
room. Duo was just finished setting the table when the artist entered
the room and flashed him a brilliant smile that glowed as much as
his skin.
Chuckling softly, the Japanese young man asked, "To what do I
owe the honor of all of this?" Carefully lowering his backpack
and folded easel, Heero padded across the living room towards the
table to look over all of the sandwich and soup fixings that covered
the surface.
"I was going out of my mind from boredom being stuck inside waiting
for my afternoon class," the neko admitted with a shrug. A slight
blush colored his cheeks as he shrugged, "And I thought you might
like a prepared lunch to sit down to after your busy morning."
Heero rounded the table to wrap his lover up and kiss him soundly.
When he pulled back, he grinned, "This is very nice. Thank you."
There was movement from the swollen belly between them.
Lowering himself to his knees, the artist snickered, "Yes, and
I did not forget any of you." He placed three quick kisses over
where his babies were 'playing.' As he rose to his feet, he frowned
in worry at the grimace of pain on his 'husband's' face.
Duo reassured through a grunt of discomfort, "I'm all right.
Just feels like a basketball team in their right now." When the
movement eased off, he was finally able to take a deep breath and
relax again.
"Well, that was fun," the braided teenager smirked sarcastically
as he rubbed his abdomen. Kissing his lover's cheek, he announced,
"I have to run to the bathroom. Help yourself. I'll be back in
a minute."
Quickly landing a slap to his partner's rear as Duo moved past him,
Heero smirked, "Hurry back." Anxious to sample some of the
food that had been prepared, Heero took his seat to the sound of his
stomach growling.
Filling a large bowl with the steaming Tuscan soup, he cooled a spoonful
before tasking it. A moaned hum escaped him and quickly, he finished
off another spoonful. No one made Tuscan soup the way Duo did.
Moments later, his plate occupied by a couple of sandwiches, the artist
straightened in his seat rigidly at the sound of a startled gasp from
the bathroom. Springing to his feet, he ran for the closed door in
the hallway with a frantic, "Duo?!"
The door opened to reveal two large, wet violet eyes. "We have
to call Hilde," the neko whimpered. "Now."
TBC
chapter 24
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