Eternal Flame

Disclaimer: I don\'t own the G Boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier ne? :) I do however own Shane, Paul, Colin, Mickey, Benny, Toby, Fayah and any other unfamiliar characters that crop up. I also own the plot if you can call it that.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, OC, Lemon, Lime, abuse, violence, language.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xS, OC x OC and maybe some more... check each part to be sure ;)

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com
http://sweetlysour.net
http://www.adult-fanfiction.org
http://www.theforsakenwk.com/

Status: Work in progress.

Beta: DBZVelena... *huggles*

Author: ShenLong

Authors notes: *sigh* Well here I am again caving into pressure. I know it has taken a while to get to this and for that I apologize but I could not come up with a plot I deemed worthy enough.... until now. This is yet another sequel... this time to United Hearts. I did promise I would write the wedding for you all and I intend to do that. For those that haven\'t read United or Lost Souls I recommend that you do, otherwise this sequel will not make much sense. All of your favorite characters are back and up to as much mischief as possible.
This is set fourteen months after the end of United and all the children are older now. The Gundam Pilots are all 20yrs, Shane and Fayah are 16, Paul is 15, Colin is 14, Mickey is 12, Benny is 10 1/2 and not forgetting that little rascal Toby who is 10.
Thank you to all those who supported me through the writing of United, I hope you enjoy this just as much.


\"Eternal Flame\"

Started April 2003 ShenLong.


Chapter 15

Wufei stretched, the warm sun bathing his body as he lay upon the golden sands. A shadow appeared over him and icy droplets of water were sprayed over his skin. Wufei yelped.

\"Oh donbe sbe such a wuss Wufei.\" Sally laughed as she picked up her towel from the sand and shook it, scattering fine grains over the Chinese man and adding to his discomfort.

\"Onna!\" He growled as he raised himself to his elbows and tried to give her a glare. The sweet smile that was returned told him the glare was no longer an effective tool. He sighed in momentary defeat. Looked like he would have to find another tactic to employ in making the woman listen to him.

Sally dried herself off and spread the towel next to her husband and lay upon it, folding her arms behind her head and staring through dark glassed eyes at the cotton clouds that drifted over head. \"Mmm... I could get used to this,\" she murmured.

Wufei turned to stare at her graceful form and felt his breath hitch. She was simply stunning in her pale blue bikini, the dips and curves of her body covered with just the right amount of flesh, her damp golden locks sticking to her salty skin. Wufei couldn\'t resist. He leaned over and placed a kiss to her neck and then her lips.

Sally returned the kiss. When they broke apart she lowered her sunglasses and looked over the top of them. \"What was that for Mr. Chang?\"

\"I felt like it.\" Wufei reached for another kiss.

Sally eagerly let him plunder her mouth, the usually stiff and shy man was beginning to relax and loosen up, losing some of his inhibitions and becoming more free with his gifts of affection. It was a good sign and one that Sally was eager to encourage. \"Have I told you how much I love you Mr. Chang?\"

\"About as many times as I have told you today Mrs. Chang.\" Wufei began to nibble along his wife\'s throat.

\"How many days did you say we had left here Wufei?\"

\"Another three.\"

\"Then let\'s make them three to remember.\"

Wufei gently scooped Sally up in his arms and carried her towards their bungalow that sat on the fringes of them trm trees overlooking the beach on the island of Tahiti. The place had been perfect for their honeymoon and Wufei had yed yed every moment so far, exploring and learning even more about his lovely wife and delighting in the returned explorations of his own mind and body. Entering the bungalow he headed straight for the bom, om, feeling his swimming trunks shrinking by the moment. He deposited Sally on the large bed and gazed at her. Time to put some of his new found knowledge into practice.

\"Ohhh... Ohhh Wufei... I didn\'t know you could do that with.... ahhhhh....\"

~ * ~

\"Leith?\" Paul staggered to his feet then felt the world begin to tilt on its axis as Duo\'s words hit home.

Duo quickly grabbed Paul\'s sagging form and sat him on the couch, shoving his head between his knees. Shane looked shocked, Fayah had gone pale and gripped Shane\'s arm tightly. Benny and Toby looked on in silence.

Heero was beside the young teen moments after Duo. He placed an arm around Paul\'s shoulders. \"You okay Paul?\"

Paul wished the world would stop spinning, darkness invaded the edges of his mind and he fought to stay conscious. His head was jammed between his knees and the blood once more began to circulate. Slowly things began to come back into focus and his brain stopped see-sawing.

Quatre appeared in the doorway with a glass of water, Trowa and Howard right behind him. All looked visibly shaken.

\"What happened?\" Shane managed to ask as he calmed a trembling Fayah. \"Is he...\"

\"NO!\" screamed Paul and jerked upright, knocking the glass of water from Quatre\'s hand. \"Don\'t say that! Don\'t you dare say that!\" Wildly he looked about the room.

Toby gave a frightened cry and ran to Trowa who picked up the terrified child, hugging him close to his chest. Benny followed his *brother* and stood next to Trowa, holding onto his *fathers* strong arm.

Fayah went to pick up the broken glass, Quatre assisting her while Duo and Heero did their best to calm the frightened teen.

\"I\'m not sure what happened, the hospital didn\'t give out much on the \'phone. They said...\" Heero paused as he recalled the call he had received moments earlier. \"They said he was in pretty bad shape, they needed to get him into surgery but he kept calling for you. They got my cell number from him and called. I\'ll take you there now.\"

Paul\'s heart was going a mile a minute, his chest constricted with pain and breathing was becoming difficult. He vaguely heard Duo\'s voice call out from somewhere in the distance but it seemed so far away. Slowly his focus returned and then; he collapsed.

\"Paul... Paul...\" Duo called tot he teen, trying to bring his mind back to the present. Those blue eyes were vacant, staring right through Duo. \"Shit! He\'s going into shock.\" Duo began to move forward to where Paul was beginning to sway on his feet making it just in time to catch the youth as he fainted.

Quatre and Fayah had picked up the last of the broken glass as Paul passed out. \"Take him through to one of the bedrooms Duo.\" Quatre\'s voice was steady.

\"I\'ll take care of the rest of this mess Mr. Winner,\" Fayah said.

\"I\'ll help.\" Shane took the remains of the glass from Quatre\'s hand and smiled at the blonde.

\"Thank you.\" Quatre turned and motioned for Duo to follow him.

Duo scooped Paul up into his arms, Heero right at his side and followed Quatre out of the room and up the stairs to the first floor. Trowa watched them go, whispering to Quatre as he passed. \"I\'ll take care of the terrible twosome and help to clean up.\"

\"Thank you Trowa.\" Quatre gave his boyfriend a squeeze to the arm and ruffled Benny\'s hair then continued on his way.

Once the four were gone Toby relaxed a little and raised his face from the strong chest he had been snuggled close to. \"Is Paul gonna be okays?\"

\"Yes Toby. He\'s just had a rather nasty shock.\"

\"Guess I didn\'t help any wiv my question.\" Shane looked a little sheepish. \"I didn\'t think...\"

\"It\'s okay Shane, you weren\'t to know.\" Trowa\'s green eyes were steady as they met Shane\'s brown. \"I don\'t really know much myself, the call was pretty brief and I only caught the one side of the conversation.\"

\"Does yer know what happened?\" Fayah had finished mopping up the spilt water with a cloth that Kent had brought when he\'d heard the obvious upset. The butler\'s uncanny intuition in these types of situations serving him and the expensive carpet well.

Trowa moved to the couch, Toby still in his arms and Benny right by his side. When they were comfortable he relayed what he knew. \"Heero\'s cell \'phone rang, all we really got to hear was where, how, what and We\'re on our way.\"

Shane shook his head. \"Poor Paul.\"

\"I think he is just badly injured but what from or how I don\'t know.\"

\"Is he gonna die?\" Benny whispered, his big gray/blue eyes wide and teary.

\"I don\'t know Benny.\"

\"He can\'t die, him an Paul only jus gots tagether, it wouldn\'t be fair ta Paul.\" Toby\'s voice was muffled as his face was still pressed against Trowa\'s shirt.

Trowa stroked the wild mop of brown hair. \"I know Toby but sometimes these things happen.\"

\"Well they shouldn\'ts. Paul only wants ta be happy, same as the rest of us.\" Toby\'s young mind couldn\'t grasp the prospect of losing someone he knew. Death had surrounded him many times on L2 but he didn\'t know the people and so his mind had done the one thing that young minds tend to do to protect the fragile psyche. It buried the visions and memories deep into the recesses of the brain, slammed and locked the door and placed a \'do not open\' sign on it.

\"I don\'t wants Paul\'s friend ta be hurt.\" Benny\'s small voice piped up.

Fayah reached her arms around the small frightened boy and pulled him close. Gently she ran a soothing hand in circles agaihis his back. \"None of us wants Paul\'s friend ta be hurt Benny but we hafta face the fact that he is and now Paul is gonna neel oul our help an support ta see this thing through.\"

\"Fayah\'s right Benny. You need to stick together and help Paul through this.\" Howard had stood by helplessly as the drama had unfolded. He felt out of place, unable to much in the way of comfort or console.

Shane lowered his own hand to Fayah\'s shoulder and squeezed gently. He smiled at Howard trying to let the man know that his presence was appreciated.

\"Yer gonna be there an help Paul ?\" Fayah asked.

Benny nodded. \"\'Course I will... Tob will too, wont\'cha Tob?\"

Toby nodded, Trowa gave Fayah a look of gratitude. Sometimes it was easier for one of the boy\'s fellow *family* to comfort them. They seemed to draw more strength from the old *gang* even though Trowa and Quatre\'s concerns were more than welcomed. Duo had tried to explain it to him one day and Trowa thought he understood.

\"I\'ll go see if there\'s any more news and what Heero and Duo plan on doin.\" Shane stood up and left. Five pairs of eyes watched him go.

~ * ~

As consciousness returned to Leith he wished it hadn\'t. He hurt. Every part of his body felt on fire. He tried to open his eyes and slowly the lids parted and allowed some vision to focus. He was on the floor. On the floor? Where? He forced his brain to work and tried to recall where he was and what had happened.

He drew a blank.

Leith groaned as the pounding in his head got worse, he tried to raise a hand to his face and screamed in agony as the sharp pain shot up his arm. Panting heavily he lowered the partially raised limb and tried to move his legs. He couldn\'t feel them.

Panic began to set in. Leith\'s mind refused to cooperate, the burning pain that wracked his body threatening to send him into oblivion again. Then he heard a noise. It sounded like someone calling his name. He opened his mouth and yelled. The noise that came out was more of a strangled whisper. \"Help....\"

\"Leith.... Bob.... Anyone in there?!\"

Leith tried again, this time with a little more success befhe whe went into a coughing fit. Whether it was the coughing or his feeble call that alerted the voice to his whereabouts he was sur sure and nor did he care. With darkness tingeing the edge of his brain and spots dancing before his eyes he grimly hung onto the little control he still had, the sound of someone getting closer the only thing keeping him conscious.

\"Leith?!.... Bob?!.... Where are you?... Oh my god!\"

Leith managed a whimper as his eyes focused long enough for him to register the features of their neighbor Albert Perkins.

\"Oh Shit! Leith... hang on there son, it\'s going to be all right.\" Albert Perkins tried not to vomit as he took in the scene. With his hand over his mouth he dashed back out of the room and into the hallway, running through his own front door and screaming for his wife to ring an ambulance.

Cindy Perkins took one look at her husbands face and knew it was serious. She reached for the \'phone and dialed the emergency number while her husband grabbed their first aid kit from the bathroom and charged back out. She relayed what little information she had and hung up, then she went in pursuit of her husband.

The explosion hadn\'t been all that loud but enough to shake Albert\'s room and disturb his watching of the game on televisionowinowing his neighbors were usually quiet he went to investigate. The acrid smell that hit his nostrils as he approached the Martins\' door would haunt him for some weeks to come, but not as much as the sight in that small room would.

Quickly he reentered the apartment and went back to Leith. \"It\'s okay son, help is on its way, I\'ll look after you until they get here.\" Albert surveyed the wreckage of what was once a neat, tidy office. The desk that usually housed Bob\'s computer was a mess. Wood splintered and scattered around, the smoking remains of the hard drive lay in pieces around the room, the books had been blown from their book case with the force and lay in tattered ruins on every available surface. The chair that Leith had obviously been sitting in was outside, smashed against the wall. The screen was nothing more than an empty shell, some wires melted together, the glass completely shattered and a large volume of it crunched under his feet as he moved towards Leith.

Leith was lying on his side amongst the debris, the smaller of the bookcases had fallen and lay across his legs, pinning him to the floor. Shards of glass stuck out from various points in his body where the blood ran freely. One arm was twisted at an awkward angle and Albert knew it had to be broken. He gently lifted the bookcase from Leith\'s legs and tried to get closed to the youth and asses the damage. The bile rose in his throat as he saw the black charred marks that adorned the upper torso, arms and throat of Leith. With a shaking hand he reached forwards to slip his fingers under the curtain of hair that lay across Leith\'s face. A small cry escaped his lips as the teens face came into view. Judging by the damage in the room Albert thought it was a fair bet that the computer had exploded and given Leith\'s medical state he had been sitting in front of it at the time and taken the brunt of the explosion.

\"Oh my god Leith...\" tears tric fro from Albert\'s eyes as he reached for his first aid kit and observed the pitiful supplies it held. There wasn\'t much he could do but he couldn\'t sit here and do nothing. A small gasp behind him alerted him to Cindy\'s arrival.

\"He\'s not...\"

\"No.\"

\"What...\"

\"Go to the bathroom and get a towel, soak it in cold water and bring it back here.\" Albert gave his wife the instructions and while she was gone he quickly set to work, shoving the horror to the back of his mind for now. Gently he cleaned as much of the debris away from Leith as he could thanking the powers that be that the youth had passed out. When the wet towel was handed to him he carefully placed it over the upper torso and draped it over Leith\'s face, mindful of the glass that was buried in various parts. He didn\'t attempt to remove any of the shards in case he made the bleeding worse. Better to wait for the ambulance officers. He sent his wife back out to keep watch and escort the medical team to the apartment as soon as they arrived. A soft moan indicated Leith was returning to the current world.

\"Leith.... Can you hear me?\"

A soft grunt. It hurt too much to try to talk.

\"Is your dad here?\"

Leith managed to squeeze out a barely audible \"No.\"

\"Just hang on Leith, the ambulance is on its way.\" Albert\'s head jerked up as he heard the distant wail of sirens and gave a mental sigh of relief. \"Not long now Leith... It\'s going to be okay son, just hold on.\"

Leith lay quietly. He hadn\'t the energy to scream even though he wanted to. Everything hurt and he couldn\'t remember why. A strangled sob forced itself from his throat. \"Paul....\"

The ambulance arrived amid a flurry of flashing lights and sirens. The officers jumped out and grabbed their equipment, following Cindy who led them to the apartment. Quickly they took in the scene and spoke with Albert, trying to get an idea of what had happened. Albert couldn\'t tell them much and Leith was slipping in and out of consciousness and couldn\'t remember anyway.

Deftly the officers took charge. They checked Leith over, took his vital signs and began the arduous task of getting him ready to transport to the hospital. The towel was replaced with ice packs, bandages secured where needed ansplisplint applied to the broken arm. The gurney was brought up and the medics managed to gently lift Leith to the soft stretcher.

\"Which hospital are you taking him to?\" Albert asked.

\"Mercy General.\" The medic paused. \"I need some information. Are you his father?\"

Albert shook his head. \"No I live next door. I heard a loud bag and came to see what happened. You saw for yourselves what I found. His dad apparently isn\'t here and I don\'t know where he is.\"

\"Have you got a contact number?\"

Again Albert shook his head. No I don\'t but I can try and find one. If Leith wakes up again I\'m sure he will be able to tell you it.\"

\"Thank you Mr....\"

\"Pns..ns... Albert Perkins.\"

\"Thank you Mr. Perkins. We will see what we can do but if you can find a contact number we would be grateful as the hospital will need all his details as well as consent for surgery.\'

\"I\'ll do what I can.\"

The medic\'s left, maneuvering the gurney between them and through the small curious crowd that had gathered. They loaded Leith into the ambulance and one officer climbed in the drivers seat while the other stayed in the back with Leith. The engine roared into life and with a flick of the switch the sirens and lights came back on and the machine eased away from the kerb and began its journey to Mercy General Hospital.

A black clothed figure pulled his hat firmly over his face to hide the confident sneer, pocketed the small camera, slipped away from the crowd and melted into the shadows.

Medic officer Tim Wood checked the youth\'s vitals again. He was losing blood but Wood was confident that they would make it to the hospital before it would become a problem. He was more concerned about the burns to the kid\'s upper body and the shock he would no doubt slip into than the loss of blood. A soft murmur alerted him that Leith was awake. Instantly he whipped out a small pen light flashlight and shone it in Leith\'s eyes, noting the reaction of the pupils to the stimulus.

\"Leith... can you hear me?\"

A nod.

\"I\'m medical officer Tim Wood. You\'ve had a very bad accident and you\'re in the ambulance, we\'re taking you to Mercy general Hospital. Can you remember what happened?\"

\"No...\"

\"Leith, I need a contact phone number, your dad, mom or next of kin?\"

\"Mom\'s dead. Dad\'s..... I dunno...\" Leith\'s mind was fuzzy. The medic\'s had given him some form of pain killer and it was beginning to kick in. \"Paul.... Ring Paul...\" He battled the drug to try to stay awake.

\"Who\'s Paul? You\'re brother?\"

\"Boyfriend....\" Leith whispered. He could feemselmself slipping again and quickly reeled off the cell phone number that Paul had given him, hoping the medic could hear him and note it down. With a sigh he allowed the darkness to claim him once more.

Tim Wood frowned as he jotted down the number. He would give the information to the doctor at the hospital and see if they could contact this Paul person, hopefully they would be able to shed some light on the youth\'s parent\'s whereabouts.

The ambulance pulled into the emergency bay and the medic\'s quickly pulled the gurney and its patient from the inside, met at the door by two nurses and a doctor. Tim handed over the paperwork and filled the doctor and nurses in on what he had found out. Theth wth was wheeled into a trauma room and transferred from the gurney to the small bed. Thanking the medic\'s the nurse showed them out and left the doctor to work in peace while she tried to contact someone who could give them more information on the boy she had been told was known as Leith Martins.

Ten minutes later she had spoken with someone called Heero Yuy who was apparently the person Paul\'s guardian?... father?... and knew the patient quite well. She wasn\'t sure just how these people fid ind in the equation but they were on their way in and would no doubt be able to fill in the blanks when they got there. Meanwhile they needed to asses the damage to the teen and make him as comfortable as possible until they got the consent they needed for any surgery deemed necessary.

~ * ~

Paul began to shake uncontrollably as the shock set in. His mind ran in circles \"Leith.... Leith.... Leith....\" he whispered continuously.

Heero stood by the bed and took a firm hold of Paul\'s shoulders. \"Paul! You need to get control of yourself. We have to go to the hospital.\"

Paul\'s eyes focussed on Heero. \"The hospital...\"

\"Yes, we need to go and see if he\'s okay and what is wrong.\"

\"Oh my god... Leith!\" Paul drew on the reserves that had frequently helped him during his street times. With a grim determination he set his jaw and looked into Heero\'s eyes. \"I\'m ready.\"

\"Then what are we waitin fer?\" Duo\'s face was equally as grim but his amethyst eyes burned fiercely.

\"Leave Shane and Fayah here if you wish Heero. They are more than welcome to stay.\" Quatre spoke softly.

\"Thank you Quatre. That would be much appreciated.\" Heero, Duo and Paul left the bed room and headed back down the stairs, Heero snagged his jacket from the coat hook and fished in his pocket for the car keys. Duo ducked along to the games room to let Shane and Fayah know what was happening and ran into Shane on the way. He quickly filled Shane in and after extracting a promise that both he and Fayah would be on their best behavior he trotted off back to the front door and Heero.

Paul climbed into the car and buckled up silently. Heero got in behind the wheel and Duo sprinted around to the passenger side, Quatre hot on his heels. \"Good luck guys. Give me a ring if there is anything I can do....\"

\"Thanks Quat. We\'ll call yer and let yer know what\'s happening as soon as we knows anythin.\" Duo clipped his own seatbelt into place as Heero dropped the clutch and sped off down the driveway. Quatre watched them go, worrying his bottom lip between tee teeth. When the tail lights had gone from his view he walked back inside, contemplating the shocking end to their dinner.

~ * ~

Bob Martins looked up as the door to his cell opened. Quickly he sat up on the small cot and faced the person silhouetted in the doorway.

\"The boss thought you may want to see these.\" The voice was clipped and cold as the person tossed a folder to the small table in the cell. He turned and left, an evil chuckle coming from his throat. \"Enjoy....\"

The door clicked shut and Bob sat in silence. His eyes moved from the door to the folder on the table. He forced himself to stand and move to the table, the knot of fear twisting in his gut. His hand shook as he snatched up the folder and retreated to the bed again. Taking a deep breath he flipped the folder open, several photographs slipped from within and spilled over the bed and floor.

\"Oh my god!\" The room spun and Bob fainted.

As Bob\'s unconscious form hit the bed so the folder slid from his hand, the last photo stuck inside and facing the prone man. It showed a bleeding and burnt youth being loaded into an ambulance.

~ oOo ~

This chapter is dedicated to ay cly close friend of mine who was a paramedic. Most of the medical stuff in this and the previous fic\'s were based on the knowledge he imparted to me. Unfortunately he was taken from us very suddenly on Aug 14th. At just 34 he had his whole life to look forward to. So to my dear friend Ash, this one\'s for you buddy!