I in no way, shape, or form own Gundam Wing, or make ANY MONEY from it! ^_^ I just like barbaric knights in tight leather jerkins and chains and shackles and sex...and.. omg.. NEVER MIND! **blush** There's none of that this chappy anyway! ^_^ This chapter basically wraps up some loose ends and starts to prepare for the sequel. ^_^ Yes.. sequel. There should be one or two more chapter's of Capture.. and then Cathy and Heero's story.

BTW... I redid my web page.. http://www.geocities.com/leeko_chan/index.html

Go Look! The design is based on one of my tattoos. :)

The Capture - Chapter twelve
By Caliko

He watched quietly from the chair next to the bed, his violet eyes missing nothing. Not one, slight jerk of breath, not one hurried blip on the monitor. Her pulse raced as she relived the night in her head. Helpless, he took her frail hand in his, wishing that he could take the horrible memory away.

Her brother had tried to punish her for falling in with him, the Lord of Death. His method consisted of the most demeaning way possible for a woman - rape. The fact that she was of his blood merely made it more interesting, more taboo.

Duo's hand squeezed hers tightly, and Hilde winced in her sleep. Her feet started to twitch, as if she were running, and low whimpers came from her throat as her head tossed on the pillow. Finally, a scream formed, echoing off of the walls and bashing into Duo's ears.

He jerked forward, carefully avoiding the large white bandage on her leg as he sat on her bed, whispering words of safety and encouragement. After a while, she was still, her breath settling into a deep, even rhythm as she finally rested.

The Earl moved back to his seat, noticing with slight annoyance that her wound seeped. Pressing the call button, he waited for the doctor to come back, once again cursing the name of Schbeiker.

"Duo?" A small voice met his ears, and he turned, not expecting what he found.

Bastion stood in the doorway, watching the strange machines monitor the life essence of his new sister. He was dressed in clean trousers and a shirt, his hair pulled back in a loose tail. His eyes, desperately blinking back tears, showed fear.

"Is Hilde alright?"

He nodded to his little brother, and held out an arm. Immediately, the little boy ran up to him, burrowing into his chest to hide the tears that chose to break out.

"Shhh... It's alright, Bas. She's going to be fine. A little slow for a while, but fine."

"Good! You know, Duo.. I like her." Bas climbed up on his lap, the small action reminding Lord Maxwell of his youth. "She's a lot more fun than Sybil and Patience."

Duo froze at the names, forcing himself to breath slower. Then, he pushed Bas away until he was looking into the boy's eyes. "Sybil and Patience are here?" He asked, trying to keep the shock from his voice.

"Yeah.. I don't like them. They make me take baths and wear these funny clothes.. and they make me go to school! Duo! You have to tell them to leave me alone!"

The child rattled on, oblivious to the disruption he just caused in his brothers mind as the Lord of Hell Keep was caught. He didn't want to leave Hilde's side, but he had just found out that his twin sisters were alive and well. On one hand, he wanted to race from the room, and find the two imps he remembered from his youth. In the other, he was afraid to leave Hilde.

"Bas, why don't you go find them and bring them here, and I'll see what I can do?"

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Cathy pasted a fake smile on her lips during the banquet, determined to ignore the bastard who was glowering at her side. He didn't like the fact that he was stuck being married to her any more than she liked being married to him. More to the point, he finally realized that the tradition of locking your wife away while you partied was just about over. You can't do that when they had a position in government.

She smirked down at her food, then laughed when Captain Richards leaned over to whisper something in her ear.

Hearing the rich tones, Lord Yuy's hand tightened on his wine glass, shattering the delicate stem. He didn't want her, yet tradition stated that she belonged to him. Yuy's did NOT share their wives with the world!

:::How dare she flaunt herself!::: He thought, letting the empty glass remnant fall to the table. :::And what is she wearing?:::

He glanced over to her, his lips tightening over the draped gauze that hung by thin straps from her shoulders. They were nearly transparent, practically begging the observer to use his imagination on what lay beneath. That dress alone was enough to make him lock her in his room! It invited a man to spend too long in thought of her willow-like body!

Heero looked up, curious as he saw where Trowa's eyes were. A strange look lay on his face, one that had nothing to do with lust. Looking closer, he was intrigued. He was looking at his wife as if he had seen a ghost.

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"I am NOT going back, Duo." Eighteen year old Sybil snorted, her eyes dancing as she watched him grind his teeth. "And neither is Patience. Isn't that right, Patience?"

"Damn straight. We, brother dear, have a life, and we're not about to throw away all of our training just so we can be locked up in the nearest tower."

"It's not like that anymore!" Duo protested, "If you haven't noticed, my own wife went into battle?"

"HA!" Patience snorted, "I would LOVE to see you try to keep Hilde home! She'd kick your butt!"

"You know her? I should have known." He groaned as they started to laugh openly, then sat down and placed his booted feet up on the end table.

"Leave them alone, Husband." Hilde said, her voice raspy with lack of use. "You won't lose them again." She smiled weakly, as Duo's eyes flew to her.

"You're awake!" Lord Maxwell blinked, pushing back tears of relief.

Hilde, seeing them, slowly lifted her hand to his, gaining strength with each moment. "What happened?" She asked, wondering how she came to be on the ship.

"You don't remember?"

"Hil, we have to go finish up today's work. We'll see you at lunch tomorrow, alright?"

"Go, Sybil, Patience. I need to speak to your brother, anyway."

Duo watched them leave, dragging an whining Bastion away. Just as they went through the door, he grabbed hold of the doorframe, holding his thin body inside the room. "WAIT! DUO! You forgot to tell them!"

Duo smirked, then looked at the older twin. "Make sure he washes behind his ears."

Bastion's look was priceless as Patience returned her brothers grin. Without warning, she yanked while Sybil pried his fingers loose. Soon, the sounds of outraged screeching were fading away, only to disappear totally as the elevator doors were closed.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Hilde asked, rubbing her leg.

"No." Duo turned from the door, the subject closed. With a serious face, he sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her hand from her bandaged thigh. "Don't touch it. It needs to heal."

"It itches! What did happen?"

"Your brother made it into camp and attacked you while you slept." He didn't expand on it, knowing that if she didn't remember, it would be a blessing. "I was on the other side of the camp, looking into his distraction when I heard you scream. He escaped before I got there, and I was too busy trying to get you to one of your doctors to worry about him just then."

Hilde closed her eyes against the sudden flashes of memory. "I can remember bits and pieces. I remember holding him off with a knife, and the crazed look he had in his eyes. I remember the terror, and the white hot pain of getting cut... but nothing else."

He looked her into the eyes, and for the first time in his life, he lied. "That's about it, woman. One of your soldiers chased him off before he could kill you."

"Remind me to thank him, when I get back." She yawned, stretching her arms as she fell back. "I don't know why I'm so tired!" She said, blinking.

Duo started smiling, thinking about what the Doctor had let slip earlier. "Well, the loss of blood will do that to you." He said, "That, and your pregnant."

"Excuse me?" She was totally awake now, and sitting back up. "Can you repeat that?"

"You, Lady Maxwell, are pregnant. You didn't know?"

Duo leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Letting his hair form a curtain around their faces, he lightly touched her lips with his. Then, pulling back, he grinned at the shocked expression on her face.

"It's... it's too early to know that!" She insisted, her eyes flashing disbelief.

"Not according to Dr. Talbert. He said that the body produces something called a hormone almost immediately. He said that you are at least three weeks along."

"But.. but.. Oh my god.. Duo.. I fought like that!" Guilt colored her words as her hands lovingly covered her belly.

"It's alright, Hilde. The baby's fine. Of course, I forbid you to ever do it again!"

"Don't ruin this with chauvinism, husband." But she was smiling as she lay back in the bed, awed wonder still in her eyes.

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Heero followed Trowa on silent feet, wondering what secrets the other man held. They moved leisurely through the gardens, their way lit only by the silvery moon. And then, he turned, meeting Heero's eyes.

"Where did you meet her?" Trowa asked him, his face blank.

"She's part of the Alliance. Where do you think I met her? She arrived in Lord Maxwell's camp the same night we defeated Will Schbeiker. Now, why don't you tell me why you kept staring at my wife?"

"Let us just say that she reminded me of someone I once knew." Trowa turned to walk away, deciding to leave the past alone. Nothing could come of this.. obviously, it was merely coincidence.

"Who?" Heero pushed, refusing to allow him the refuge he sought.

"My mother." Trowa spoke softly, turning back to the other man. "When I was a small child, I had an older sister. She was about two years my senior, and I worshipped the ground she walked upon. My father was often out, fighting the border war, and I was placed in the girls nursery. She disappeared when she was five. She was playing hide and seek with our other sister, and just never came back."

"You thought my wife was this missing girl?"

"Hnnnnn... up until you said that she was part of the alliance. I don't see how they could have watched us for over seventeen years without contacting us first."

Heero nodded, not convinced. Slowly, the mystery of the missing women's whereabouts was coming together in his mind, and he did not like what he was finding.

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A/N - Ok... I need ideas.. how should I kill Will off?? I mean.. he can't be allowed to run loose! He's a Nutter, for god's sake! <G>

~Caliko