Guardian's Betrayal

Disclaimers: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Notes: Quatre and the guys are about to enjoy a movie together when the doorbell rings. Quatre’s e she shows up in this part. And like I said before, he isn’t a nice man. And Quatre doesn’t know that he isn’t a test tube baby in this fic, no one has told him the truth about his mother.

Guardian’s Betrayal

Part One


Quatre looked out the window, watching as a snowflake fell from the sky. He hated winter, always had. It was just so cold. He liked warmth. Winter reminded him of how alone he was, made his loneliness grow. He had no one to warm him during the cold nights, nobody to snuggle up to at night for comfort. He sighed, feeling miserable.

Duo slapped him on the back, pulling him out of his thoughts. Quatre turned, smiling. The wars were over, and the pilots were here on one of their rare visits. Quatre made it a point to make sure they all got together every now and then. He didn’t want to lose his friends. But one pilot never truly left his home. Heero Yuy was always coming and going, never telling Quatre when he would show up, or when he would leave. But Quatre didn’t mind, at least he got to see Heero, if only he could do more though.

“Hey, Quatre.” Duo said cheerfully. “Come on, the movie’s starting.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Duo grinned and Quatre followed him over to the others. Duo plopped downthe the few pillows that he had arranged on the floor, right in front of the big screen TV. He grabbed some popcorn out of the bowl in front of him and shoved a whole handful into his mouth. Then he pressed the button on the remote to start the movie.

Quatre sat on a chair to one side of the sofa that the rest of the guys occupied. Wufei at one end, with Heero at the other, and Trowa in the middle. It was rare to get Trowa to come to one of these reunions . . . he was so busy with work for the Preventers and his girlfriend that he had little time to visit. He never stayed as long as the others, but he did join in with all the activities, probably as a way to make up for his absence the rest of the time.

“How did I get talked into watching this foolish movie?” Wufei asked. “I don’t even like these classic horror films from the twentieth century. Who cares about some knife wielding maniac murdering groups of stupid, horny teenagers?”

Duo looked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at the Chinese ex-pilot. “Well, you bet me that if I won that little chess game, I would get to pick theie tie tonight. You lost.”

“I did not believe that I would lose.” Wufei answered. Then he took a sideward glance at Trowa. “And I would have won if Barton hadn’t butted in and helped you.”

“Hey. I asked, and you said you didn’t mind. Don’t blame me.” Trowa replied, rasing his hands in mock surrender.

Quatre smiled despite the confusion in his own heart. He could see Heero at the end of the sofa, just staring at the screen, as if it really ’t m’t matter to him what was playing. He didn’t even seem to want to be there.

He thought back, trying to determine when he had fallen for the Perfect Soldier. Maybe it was all that time he had spent with Heero after the Zero System incident. He couldn’t truly figure out when it had happened, when he had first become attracted to Heero. All that time, his heart had been clouded with love for Trowa. But of course, that love hadn’t been real. He had just manufactured it out of admiration of someone that was able to kill without remorse, out of guilt for nearly killing a friend.

And now, without those false emotions, he had come to the realization that he loved Heero. Trowa had been a crush, an unattainable desire that Quatre no longer truly wanted. Trowa was happy with Midii, and Quatre wouldn’t want him to be anything but happy.

Heero was all that he wanted now. But that would probably never happen. Heero didn’t have emotions. He had locked them up long ago. They were just a distraction to him that he had gotten rid of years ago.

“Hey, Quatre, you ?” ?” Duo asked.

Quatre blinked and looked up. He hadn’t even realized that the others had been staring at him. “Fine, why?”

“Well, I asked you a question, but you were just staring into space.” Duo replied. “Something on your mind?”

“No.” Quatre answered quickly, not wanting anyone to worry about him. “I’m fine. Really I am.”

Duo raised an eyebrow and parted his lips as he began to say something. But thankfully, his words were stopped short as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.” Quatre announced, jumping from his seat. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry about any more of Duo’s questions.

The moment he opened the door, he froze at the sight of the person standing before him. Fear crept into his heart, stealing his breath away. “Uncle Keith?” Quatre gasped, forcing his body to not shiver.

“Qu.” .” The older man replied, stepping into the house.

He stood there for several minutes, just staring at the other man, still holding the door open. He couldn’t believe how scared he was. But he had good reason to be afraid. As he stood there, a memory arose in his mind, reminding him of just why he felt so afraid.


*Flashback*


Quatre’s father needed to go away on business, so the ten-year-old blonde was sent to stay with his relatives for a few days. Father said that he didn’t want to burden the servants or any of his sisters with Quatre, and that it would be a good time for him to get to know his Aunt Almira’s new husband, Keith Larson.

So Quatre went, obeying his father’s wishes, although he would much rather have stayed at home. Aunt Almira was his father’s sister, and she was nice to him, treating him like any other child, although she and Quatre both knew that he was a test tube baby, just a creation of his father’s. So, he would try to be on his best behavior, if only because she was kind to him when other people weren’t.

At first, Quatre had fun at Almira’s home, playing with children that had no idea that he was a test tube baby, being treated just like any other child. He enjoyed it immensely, finally finding a place where he wasn’t called a freak or told that he was less than human.

Almira was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, in his opinion. Although, Quatre knew that if he ever saw a picture of his mother, or actually the woman that had donated her DNA to help create him, he would think her more beautiful that Almira. But since he had never seen one, his father long ago hiding all her pictures, Almira was the most beautiful. Her hair was golden brown, so beautiful as it hung in long curls to reach the center of her back. Her eyes were blue and as clear as crystals. Her features were delicate, her skin like porcelain with a hint of rouge on her creamy cheeks.

And as beautiful as she was, Almira was even more kind and loving. Never once did Quatre feel out of place when she was around, like she had known him for his entire life, and that this wasn’t their first meeting. Then his happy visit was destroyed one night, as he stumbled upon a most unexpected scene.

Quatre awakened, his throat parched. It wasn’t too late yet, just early evening to most people, but Almira had set an early bedtime for Quatre. Still, the darkness of the house worried him. It was still early, so why were all the lights out? He knew that neither Almira nor Keith went to bed this early.

He stumbled through the dark house, heading to the kitchen for a drink of water, when he heard muffled cries. Curious, he followed the sound into the kitchen. As he stepped into the room, he gasped at the scene before him. Almira was on the floor, her face covered in bruises, her lips bleeding, her golden brown hair matted with blood. Keith was standing over her, his hands balled into tight fists.

Quatre watched, frozen in place, as Keith raised his fist, delivering another blow to Almira’s already bruised body. Quatre leapt forward, knowing that he had to do something to stop this. He couldn’t let Keith hurt his aunt.

Unfortunately, Keith was a much larger and stronger man than the ten-year-old that was attacking him. Quatre kicked him, bit him, punched him. He did everything he could, his eyes brimming with tears at the thought of anyone he cared about getting hurt.

Keith merely picked Quatre up and tossed him across the room. Quatre landed hard, his young back screaming in pain as he crashed into the kitchen table. For a moment, blackness clouded his vision, a sharp pain jabbing through his skull.

When he looked up, much to his dismay, Keith was standing over him. “This is none of your business!” Keith shouted, his breath foul with the stench of alcohol. “Stay out of it!” He said, as he proceeded to pick Quatre up by the front of his pajamas.

“Please . . . Please, don’t hurt him.” Almira whispered, her pleading voice laced with fear and pain. Even though her own body was broken and battered, she still stood up for Quatre, trying to protect him.

Keith simply dropped Quatre and stalked out of the room, pausing beside Almira to give her one last kick to the stomach. “Next time, do as I say!” He said, before turning away and walking from the room.

Quatre crawled over to Almira, gently laying his hand on her arm, his only hope being that he wasn’t causing her any more pain. He gasped in shock when his hand came in contact with her, as her emotions poured into him. He had always been able to sense emotions, to feel another’s pain, but never before had it been so clear to him. It was almost as if the pain was his own.

Almira looked up at Quatre, placing a false smile on her bruised face. “Are you okay?” She asked, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Quatre frowned. Here Almira was, worried about him, when it was obvious that she was hurt badly. His sore back and throbbing head were nothing when compared to ahe che cuts to her face, all the wounds that marred her beauty.

“I’m fine.” Quatre said, carefully helping his aunt to sit up. He glanced to the door, then back to Almira. “Does he do this often?”

Almira looked up at him, her smile slipping away. “Please, don’t tell your father about this. He wouldn’t understand.”

“I don’t understand.” Quatre replied. “Why do you let him hurt you?”

“It’s not that bad.” She said, an obvious lie. “He was just angry, and the alcohol affects his judgement. He didn’t mean to hurt me, not really.”

“But he still hurt you.” Quatre replied.

“Quatre, please, I love him. Please don’t tell your father. He’d make me leave Keith and I don’t want to. I love him.”

“Even after what he did to you?”

“Yes. Now, please, promise me that you won’t tell your father.” She pleaded, her eyes filling with tears.

Quatre hated to see his Aunt like this, hated to see and sense her pain. So, he agreed, his mind clouded with worry for that one brief moment. “I promise.” He said quietly, already regretting that he had agreed.

The next morning, Quatre was sent back home. And less than a month later, Almira was found dead, apparently after a fall down a flight of stairs. But Quatre knew better, he knew that Keith had killed her. For months afterwards, he cried himself to sleep, blaming himself for his Aunt’s death. If only he had told someone, anyone. Even if Almira hated him for it, she would still be alive. But he hadn’t told, so all that he had left of her were a few cherished memories and a great deal of guilt.


*End of Flashback*


Suddenly, Quatre became aware of several pairs of eyes watching him. He brushed off the memories, and turned to see the other ex-pilots staring intently at him. “Who’s that?” Duo asked, before stuffing more popcorn into his mouth.

Quatre closed the door, forcing a smile on his face. “This is my uncle.” Quatre replied. “Keith Larson. Uncle, these are my friends, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, and Heero Yuy.”

“Ah, the other ex-Gundam pilots.” Keith replied, reaching out in a friendly gesture to shake hands with each of them.

“It’s nice to meet ya.” Duo said cheerfully, as he shook hands with Keith. The others also s han hands with the man, although no one else seemed quite so vigorous in his shakes as Duo had.

Quatre turned to Keith. “What brings you here, Uncle?” Quatre asked, trying desperately to keep the fear from his voice.

“Well, Quatre my boy . . . seeing as you’re still a minor, the law states that you need a guardian to manage your finances. Despite being a pilot, you are not of legal age to manage a business on your own. Until you turn eighteen, I have custody of you and my word has more authority than yours does in the Corporation.” Keith replied.

“What?” Duo gasped.

“Do you have proof of this?” Heero asked calmly, without a hint of emotion.

Keith reached into his jacket and pulled out a set of folded papers. “Yes, I do.”

He handed them over to Heero without delay. Quatre watched as Heero glanced over the contents of the papers. “Seems to be in order. This documentation does say that Mr. Larson is Quatre’s legal guardian.”

Quatre nearly fell over in shock. No, this had to be a mistake. He couldn’t live with this man, not with this bastard that had killed his Aunt.

Quatre turned to his friends, knowing that he had to get away before he collapsed in front of them. He was feeling quite faint now. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go to bed early.” He turned to his uncle. “If you’ll follow me, Uncle, I’ll show you to your room before I retire for the evening.”

Keith bent slightly and picked up a suitcase that was beside his feet. He took the papers from Heero, then followed Quatre up the stairs.

As Quatre walked through the hallway, heading for a room, which unfortunately was right next to his own, thoughts entered his mind. If Keith stayed, the r pir pilots were sure to discover just how horrible Keith was. Quatre hadn’t set a predetermined date for the other ex-pilots to leave this little get-together, for all he knew, the guys could end up there for weeks. And undoubtedly in those weeks, Keith would drink, and if he drank he would become violent.

Quatre shuddered at the thought of a fight breaking out between one of the ex-pilots and Keith, and then his thoughts grew even more grim. If Keith did start a fight with one of the other ex-pilots, he could be killed. No matter how much Quatre despised the man for murdering his aunt, he still did not want to see him come to harm, whether it was his own fault or not.

“Here is your room, Uncle.” Quatre said, opening the door for Keith.

Keith stopped in front of Quatre, standing in the doorway to the room. Quatre turned to leave, when h’s h’s arm flashed out. Keith pressed his hand against the doorframe, his arm blocking Quatre’s passage. He leaned over, quietly whispering into Quatre’s ear. “You’ve grown into such a fine young man.” He commented, his hot breath causing a shiver to run throughout Quatre’s body. “Very pretty.”

Quatre watched in shock as Keith turned and walked into the room, casting a smile in Quatre’s direction. Quatre turned and ran to his own room, throwing the door shut before he crossed to his bed. He threw himself onto the bed, burying his face in the soft pillows as he sobbed. This couldn’t be happening. No, Keith couldn’t be here. It had to be some awful nightmare. Who knew what this monster would do, now that he had control over Quatre’s life.


*****


Duo let his smile slip as Keith and Quatre walked away. Duo did not like this man, not one little bit. There was just something about him, something that told Duo that Keith wasn’t all he seemed to be.

“I think I’ll do like Quatre and go crash.” Duo announced, taking a few steps away from the others.

“What about the movie? I thought you wanted to watch it.” Wufei replied.

“Nah, I’ve seen it before.” Duo replied, going up the stairs.

As he stepped into the hallway that led to the various bedrooms, he caught sight of Quatre and his uncle a few doors down. Duo ducked behind an open door, making sure that he wasn’t seen as he spied on his friend.

There was just something about the way that Keith leaned over Quatre that made Duo want to punch his lights out. It didn’t seem right, the way that he whispered into Quatre’s ear. Duo wished he knew what Keith was saying, what exactly had passed through his lips.

To his surprise, Duo watched as Quatre ran to his own room, throwing the door shut behind himself. However the door didn’t close, it hung open slightly. Duo saw this and quickly crossed the distance, chancing a glance at the closed door to Keith’s room as he passed by it.

He reached out, slowly grabbing the edge of Quatre’s door as he peeked into the room. His heart twisted when he saw Quatre. The blonde was laying on his bed, his face buried in the ows ows beneath him. Duo could hear the muffled sobs, could see the way his body shook.

Silently, Duo stepped bafeelfeeling like he had no place intruding into Quatre’s life. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn’t do anything without Quatre’s say so. Quatre would just have to come ask for help first. Hopefully, if he really did need some, he would come to Duo, or one of the others.


*****


Wufei stepped up behind Duo. He had been worried when Duo just left like that. And now, here he found his love peeking into Quatre’s bedroom.

Wufei watched as Duo stepped back away from Quatre’s door, silently pulling it shut. He reached out, laying his hands on Duo’s shoulders, smirking as the American jumped slightly.

“Geez, Wufei. Go anve mve me a heart attack why don’t you?” He said, covering his chest with his hand as he turned to Wufei. His face brightened a s a sly smile.

“What were you doing?” Wufei asked, raising an eyebrow.

Duo’s smile vanished. He closed his eyes a moment, then just turned and walked away, going to Wufei’s bedroom. It was no surprise to see Duo walk into that room, in fact that was where Duo had been sleeping ever since they had arrived. Sure, Quatre had given Duo a room of his own, but it was much more to both of their likings to share their room. But it wasn’t to Wufei’s liking to see Duo so quiet. It was not a good sign.

Silently he sighed, then followed Duo. As soon as he set foot in the room, a set of warm arms wrapped around his body. He smiled at Duo, returning the embrace eagerly. After a moment, Wufei pushed Duo away, needing an answer to his earlier question.

“Duo, what were you doing?” He asked again.

Duo looked away. “I just don’t trust that Keith guy. I walked up here, with every intention of going to bed, when I saw Quatre and Keith in the hallway.”

“You spied on them?”

“Well, nothing really happened.” Duo replied. “Keith leaned over and whispered something to Quatre, then Quatre took off running to his room. I checked on him, Wufei. Quatre’s crying his eyes out. Whatever Keith said to him was enough to make him cry. And I know Q. He doesn’t just cry for no good reason, no matter what anybody else thinks. It had to be something pretty bad to make him start sobbing like that.”

Wufei held up his hands, trying to calm his energetic lover. “Duo, I believe you. I know that Quatre is stronger than he seems, stronger than even I have given him credit for in the past. He has proved that many times over.” He sighed, as Duo turned away from him to nd snd sit on the bed. “But you can’t interfere in his life if he doesn’t want you to.”

Duo slumped forward, resting his arms on his knees, his back hunched over. “I know. I’m just worried about him.”

Wufei sat on the bed beside Durapprapping his arm around him. He did not like seeing Duo like this, not one little bit. There was obviously something that Duo was keeping from him. “Why does this worry you so much? Quatre can take care of himself, and if not, he has us here to help him. Why is this so upsetting to you?”

Duo’s voice came out in mumbles as he continued to stare at the floor. “I’m just worried, Wufei. There’s something about that guy. That look in his eyes, I’ve seen it before, countless times in the eyes of men who wanted to hurt me when I was nothing but a street rat. But I saw that look aimed at Quatre today, and I didn’t like it, not one little bit.”

Wufei pulled Duo closer to him, surprised that Duo had mentioned his past. In the months that they had been together, it was very rare for Duo to ever talk about anything painful. Their conversations always remained in the here and now, and sometimes included the future, their future. “We cannot interfere. If Quatre needs us, he will have to ask.”

“I know. I know.” Duo agreed, although only halfheartedly. “Can we just go to bed? I’m very tired all of a sudden.”

Wufei nodded. “As you wish.” He replied, giving Duo a quick kiss to his cheek before the both hem hem changed into their bedclothes and climbed into bed.

Duo, as usual, snuggled close to his lover, pressing his face against Wufei’s chest, his arms secure around the other youth’s frame. It wasn’t long before the both of them had fallen asleep, content in each others arms.

To Be Continued . . .