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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
- 45
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“Equus”
Chapter 46
“Stefan pleaded not guilty.”
The words hit Heero's ears and he felt as if the world stopped on its axis for a moment. He blinked, shook his head and stared back at Duo. “Not guilty?” he whispered.
Duo nodded in confirmation.
“That bastard,” Heero growled, eyes still fixed on his lover's pale features. Snapping from his own anger at Stefan, Heero moved quickly to envelop Duo in his arms. “He won't get away with it, Duo.”
Shaking a little in his partner's embrace, Duo found his voice again. “This means we have to go to trial, Heero. I'll have to go to court and all the horrible details will be brought out into the open. I – I don't know if I can go through all that again.” Duo's voice began to crack.
“Oh, Duo. I'm so sorry, I wish I could make it all go away for you.” Heero's heart bled for his lover. Heero didn't want to go to court either, it was bad enough that Duo had had to suffer through the attack and rape in the first place; now he had to suffer through it a second time?! “I promise you won't do this alone, Duo. I'll be there for you every step of the way.”
“Maybe I should just drop the charges,” Duo whispered.
“Drop the charges? Let that bastard get away with it? Duo, no, you can't let him get away with this,” Heero pleaded.
“It might be better if he did.”
“But why?”
“Because I'm afraid, Heero. I'm fucking scared shitless of having to relive all that horror again, and in front of other people who will look down on me, call me a faggot, that I deserved this! Don't you see, Heero? I'll be the one they will sneer at, abuse and look down upon. I'll be the one they call a liar! I don't think I can live with that.”
Duo's words shocked Heero to the core. “But none of this was your fault, Duo. You didn't ask for him to rape you.”
“Really? Are you sure about that, Heero?” Duo snapped. “Any good lawyer will be able to twist things around. I spent time with him, I talked with him, I didn't rebuff any of his advances. Maybe I did want this, wanted him to take me.”
“No! None of that is true, Duo.”
“People aren't going to believe that, Heero. It's time we faced the facts. We're gay, Heero, faggots, fairies, an abomination in the eyes of God. No one is going to believe it was rape. If he was forcing me I should have been able to stop him; I didn't put up much of a struggle, I didn't manage to fight him off; in the eyes of the public that can only mean one thing – I wanted him, I wanted him to stick his dick up my ass and I enjoyed it!” Duo broke down into a sobbing mess, clinging to Heero with the last of his strength.
Heero didn't know what to do. He was shaken to his very soul with Duo's words. He didn't believe any of it for one minute. There was no way Duo had wanted this. “We will fight this, Duo, fight it together. I don’t care what lawyer he gets or how much they try to twist the truth around, the facts are still the facts. The police have forensic evidence, they have witness statements, we have medical evidence to support your charges against him. He can lie through his teeth, but in the end the truth will come out and you will win this case.” Heero stroked soothing circles on Duo's back as he did his best to comfort his lover. “I don't care what it costs, we will hire the best lawyer to help you in this, Duo. I know the police said that the District Attorney will handle the prosecution, but I think it would be a good idea to talk to Klink about this, see if he can suggest anything. Surely our own lawyer can only be of assistance to the DA?”
“I – I don't know anymore, Heero. I don't know what to do, what to think.”
“Look, you come into the kitchen and I’ll make you a cup of tea. While you drink that and calm a little, I'll call Williams back and see what the process is from here. I'll also give Klink a ring and Doctor Jay too.”
“I don't think it will do any good, Heero. That bastard has already won and he knows it,” Duo stated with a sniffle.
“Here, dry your eyes and come sit down.” Heero offered the vet his handkerchief.
“Thanks.” Duo wiped his face and blew his nose. He allowed Heero to lead him through to the kitchen and sat in one of the chairs. He watched miserably as Heero put the kettle on to boil and made him a strong cup of tea.
“You sit and drink that. I'm going to make a couple of phone calls.”
Duo nodded and watched as Heero disappeared back into the lounge room.
By the time Heero had finished with his calls, Duo had drunk his tea and managed to compose himself. He still had that hollow, empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, but at least the tears had stopped. He looked up as Heero returned and sat opposite him, his face unreadable.
Heero gave a loud sigh before turning his gaze to meet his lover's. “I spoke with Williams and he said the judge has proposed a court date for the hearing in three weeks time. It will be a closed court as he'd said before. Only the judge, the defense lawyer, Stefan, the prosecution - meaning the DA - yourself and me and the police will actually be in the court. The witnesses will be held in an anti chamber and only allowed in to give their evidence, once they have finished they will be allowed to leave. There won't be a jury or anything like that. Williams said the DA is more than capable of fighting this case for you, but if you wish to have your own lawyer you can, but they will have to work with the DA and at the end of it all, the DA is the one who will be doing all the prosecuting, questioning, etcetera. Williams will contact us this evening with the exact date and time of the case.”
Duo nodded, he was still feeling very numb. “Did you call Klink?”
“Hai, I did. I didn't go into too much detail with him but he pretty much said the same as Williams. The DA is a good lawyer in his own right and will be able to represent you well enough. Klink doesn't think it will be to any advantage to have another lawyer there.”
“Okay.”
“I also rang Jay. He wants to see you tomorrow morning.”
“Fine. Heero?”
“Hai?”
“Could you let the others know of the hearing outcome? I don't think I can face any of them right now.”
Knowing just how terrible his lover must be feeling, Heero agreed. “I'll let them know,” he replied softly. He also made a mental note to tell them all not to ply Duo with questions, rather to simply ignore the result and continue on as normal for now. “Would you like another cup of tea?”
Duo shook his head. “No, thank you. I'd rather be alone for a bit if you don't mind. I think I'll take a walk around the property, see if I can clear my head a little before evening consults.”
“Duo? If you'd rather not do the evening consults I'm sure Zechs could do them all or I can call Hilde in to help?”
“Nah, I'll be okay to do them. Actually it will do me good, keep my mind occupied, but thanks.”
Heero got up and walked around the table to stand by Duo's chair. He leaned close and pressed his lips softly to Duo's. “You don't have to thank me, Duo. I love you and I'll do anything I can to help you.”
Duo managed a soft smile.
Once Duo had left to take his walk, Heero went out to the back patio and lined up the punching bag. He gave no thought to his injured hand as he took all his frustrations, pent up anger and disgust at Stefan out on the unsuspecting bag. By the time he'd finished, his knuckles were raw, the stitches in his hand barely hanging on and the bag was definitely looking much worse for wear. With a satisfied grunt, Heero went back inside to clean himself up a bit before heading to the practice to inform the others of the hearing result.
* * *
Duo wandered off along the raceway between the two properties and the paddocks. The air was cool and crisp, helping to clear his head a little. As he wandered his mind continuously turned over the impending court case. Somehow he'd known that Stefan would plead not guilty. He still wondered if he should simply call the police up and drop the charges, that way he could get on with his life, put this behind him and just carry on.
“Yeah, right,” he snorted to himself. Deep in his heart he knew he had to fight, had to go through with this. If he didn't then Stefan would have won. Despite the fact that it seemed to be a lost cause and that Stefan would still get away with his crime, Duo knew he would at least find some form of closure knowing he'd given it his all and fought the bastard all the way. Continuing with his walk, Duo did his best to try and think of anything, anything at all that could help in his cause. The police had said they needed something more, some type of irrefutable evidence that would prove Stefan guilty, but try as he might, Duo couldn't think of anything that would help.
The soft blowing of warm air across the back of his neck jolted him from his thoughts and he jumped when a tickling sensation accompanied the warm air. Spinning around he was surprised to find he was leaning against the rails of Angel's paddock and the mare had been lipping at the stray hairs from his braid at the nape of his neck. The mare had taken a couple of steps back when the human had jumped, but now she gazed curiously at him.
“Sorry, Angel, I didn't mean to scare you,” Duo apologized and turned around to rest his arms on the top spar. Angel stepped forward again and brushed her soft muzzle against Duo's hand. “Sorry, girl, I don't have any carrots for you.”
Angel didn't seem to mind the lack of carrots, she was quite content to stand beside the fence and snuffle over the nice human. Duo sighed and relaxed, his hand coming forth to pet the mare. As he relaxed, Duo's mouth began to move, talking softly to the gray as he petted her. Angel stood calmly and enjoyed the attention, occasionally she would push her muzzle against the nice human or rub her face against his chest. She didn't understand a word of what he was saying but she could sense he was troubled and by making these noises it seemed to help the tension in him.
Duo poured out all his thoughts and feelings to the mare, it felt good to be able to simply ramble. There wasn't any logical sequence to his words, just all jumbled in together and yet it helped him to sort through the chaos in his head. By the time he'd talked himself out the sun was beginning to head for the horizon and the air had taken on a stronger chill. Duo glanced at his watch. “Shit! I'd better get a move on if I'm going to make consults on time,” he told the gray.
Angel wuffled. She knew it was getting closer to dinner time.
“Thanks for the chat, Angel,” Duo said and gently pulled on the mare's ears. Angel pushed him lightly in the chest. Duo laughed and headed back towards the cottage to get ready for consults. He felt much better since pouring his heart out to Angel.
* * *
Heero had found both Zechs and Catherine in the operating room, just finishing up with a cat spay. He waited until they were completely done before stepping inside. Catherine smiled at him as she carefully lay the sleeping cat on a warm blanket on the floor. Keeping his voice neutral, he told them both about the result of the hearing.
“Not guilty?” Catherine growled. “What a low down, evil, conniving worm he is.”
“Not quite what I would have called him, but it was along similar lines, “ Zechs stated with a grin at the receptionist.
Catherine snorted.
“This has hit Duo pretty hard,” Heero went on to explain, “and I think it would be in his best interest if you all continued on exactly as you have before. Don't treat him any differently, be there for him if he needs the support, but give him his space too,” Heero finished.
Zechs placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. “Don't worry, Heero, we will make sure to keep an eye out for him but not smother him.”
“Thanks,” Heero sighed.
“When exactly is the trial going to be?” Catherine asked as she checked on the cat.
“Three weeks is all I know at this stage. Williams is calling back this evening with the date and time; he'll also let us know when we have our appointment with the DA to discuss the case.”
“If Duo needs time off I'm more than happy to cover his shifts for him,” Zechs offered.
“I know Hilde will do the same,” Catherine said with a soft smile.
Heero felt the warmth steal over him with the kind words. Duo was so lucky to have such wonderful staff. “Thank you both for that. I'm sure Duo will appreciate it too, although I'm not sure if he will need time off or not, but I'll leave that up to all of you to discuss and work out between yourselves.” Heero glanced at the clock. “I'd better get moving, I've still got a couple of horses to work before I start bringing them all in and feeding them, plus you will need to start getting ready for evening consults shortly.”
“Thanks for letting us know, Heero. Don't worry, we will make sure Duo is okay.” Catherine gave the rider a hug.
With a smile of gratitude, Heero left the practice and went back to the cottage.
* * *
Duo managed to get through the evening consults without a mishap. His mind switched gears and he forced himself to focus completely on the job at hand. It did help to relax and fall into the familiar routine for a while. It also helped that Zechs and Catherine continued to treat him the same way they always had.
Once the last client had left and the cleaning up was done, Catherine gave Zechs a look and cornered Duo. Caught in the reception area with Zechs guarding the only exit, Duo had no escape. Catherine smiled to her boss and began to speak in a calm, soothing voice.
She explained that they knew of the latest development and wanted Duo to know they were there for him. They wanted to help him in any way they could, whether that be by taking over some of his shifts so he could have time to sort his life out, or stand as witnesses in his case, whatever it was, they would be more than happy to do it for him.
The young vet was touched by the sentiment shown him and had to swallow the lump that continuously formed in his throat. Once all was said and done, he thanked them both sincerely for their offer and despite their insistence that he didn't need to explain himself or any of the case, he went ahead and let them know of his fears.
“Without something concrete, some form of irrefutable evidence, I'm afraid this case is going to be a really tough one to win. I know he's guilty, you all know it too and so does he, but at the end of the day, the way it stands now, it's going to come down to his word against mine,” Duo concluded.
Both Zechs and Catherine looked stunned, the disbelief standing out on both faces.
“I'm afraid that's how the law works,” Duo said and fiddled with the end of his braid.
“It stinks is what it is,” Catherine snapped.
“I agree. The justice system seems to be all geared towards protecting the criminal and punishing the victim,” Zechs snarled.
“I know, but there's nothing much we can do about it. I'll just have to hope that the evidence the police have, combined with statements from any witnesses will be enough to get a conviction,” Duo said in a sad tone.
“I can understand now why so many cases like this go unreported,” Catherine muttered. “I just wish there was more we could do.”
“Thanks, guys. Just knowing you're all there behind me, supporting me is a big comfort.”
Zechs reached over and gave Duo's shoulder a soft squeeze. “We are here for you, Duo. If you need anything, anything at all, just say the word.”
Duo nodded and bit his lip, not trusting his voice.
“Well, I think we should all get going home now,” Catherine stated in a slightly happier tone, trying to lift the sombre mood a touch. “I'll see you tomorrow, Zechs.”
“Have a good night, Catherine. I'd better shift too, Treize has plans for this evening.” Zechs moved from the door frame. “I'll see you tomorrow, Duo.”
“Night, guys and thanks again,” Duo replied as he followed the pair out and locked up the practice.
*
The phone was ringing when Duo stepped out of the bathroom after taking his shower. “I'll get it,” Duo called out to Heero who was in the kitchen making their dinner. “Maxwell Veterinary Practice, Doctor Maxwell speaking.”
In the kitchen, Heero could hear the low murmur of Duo's voice as he conversed on the phone. He was too far away and Duo's voice too low for him to be able to make out any of the conversation or even who was calling. Not that he was in the habit of eavesdropping. A couple of minutes later, Duo stepped into the kitchen. Heero placed their dinner on the table and took his seat.
“That was the DA,” Duo informed his partner whilst he shook a little salt over his meal.
“And?” Heero prompted, picking up his flatware and starting on his dinner.
“The trial date is set for three weeks Monday, ten o'clock in the Salsbury District Court. As Williams' said; it will be a closed court.”
Heero swallowed. “Three weeks?”
“Yeah. The DA want's to meet with myself and the police as soon as possible to go over all the evidence we have so he can begin to compile a strong case against Stefan. I made an appointment with him for Monday at two in the afternoon.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Heero hesitated a touch before he asked, unsure if Duo wanted his presence or not. Or for that matter, did the DA want him there?
A soft smile graced Duo's lips and he raised his eyes to meet with Heero's blue. “If you can spare the time away from the horses I'd really like you to be there with me.”
“Then I will be there,” Heero confirmed firmly.
“Thanks.”
Deciding there wasn't anything more that they could do in regards to the gloom of the court case hanging over their heads, Heero changed the topic to something more pleasant. “Have you given any more thought to my proposal?”
“Aside from saying yes?” Duo replied with a small grin.
Heero gave his lover a mock glare. “Maybe I should rephrase that. Now that you have agreed to become my life partner, have you given any thought in regards to what sort of a ceremony you'd like to have to celebrate? A date? Things like that?”
Duo shook his head. “No, not really,” he said sheepishly. “With everything else that's been going on I had completely forgotten about it. Sorry.”
“No problem.”
“What about you? Have you given it any thought? After all, you should have just as much say in things as me.”
“Aa, no, I haven't.” Heero gave a guilty grin. “How about we make some preliminary plans after dinner?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Then that's what we'll do.”
The pair continued to eat their dinner, discussing general things from Duo's clients to how the horses were coming along to Heero's next planned show.
With dinner finished, Heero fed Smokey and went to take his shower, Duo did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. It took Duo longer than normal with his shoulder still out of action to a point. With a mug of hot chocolate each, they retired to the lounge room, Heero bringing his lap top and a note book with him.
“How do you want to do this?” Duo asked as he settled comfortably into the couch.
Picking up his note book and pen, Heero crossed his legs and looked at his partner. “I'm not sure, I've never organized anything along these lines before.”
“Maybe we should give Zoe a call and ask her for some pointers,” Duo suggested with a smirk.
“No thanks,” Heero replied. “No offense to Zoe, but this isn't a wedding per say, more of a civil service being how same sex marriage isn't legal.”
“Suppose we could always ask Quatre for help.”
Heero snorted. “I know Quatre is a genius when it comes to planning things, but I'd rather plan this between the two of us.”
“Me too,” Duo replied softly and scooted a little closer. “Where shall we start?”
“I guess a date would be a good thing.”
“It might be an idea.”
“When would you like to tie the knot, so to speak?”
Duo thought long and hard. “I really don't know, Heero. With everything that's going to be happening with this trial, I have no clue how long that will take. Given it could take a couple of days or even a couple of months, it might be an idea to put down a couple of tentative dates for anywhere from the next couple of months to a year ahead.”
“I suppose a date will always be dependent on what we wish to have for the after party celebration too.”
“We're gonna have a party?” Duo questioned.
“If you want to do this along similar lines to a proper wedding ceremony, then yes, we should have a reception of sorts.” Heero placed his note book and pen down for a moment so he could wrap his arms around Duo. He placed a couple of feather kisses to Duo's jaw and throat. “I want you to have the best, Duo. I want you to have a ceremony that means something to you and will always be remembered by you.”
The words touched Duo deep inside. “Thanks Heero, but I already have the best; I have you.”
Snuggling close, they held each other for a few minutes. Eventually Heero shifted and reached for his note book again.
“Let's start with something easy then. Venue. Would you like to have a ceremony in a park, gardens, here at the cottage?”
“Heero? Do you think it would be possible to have the ceremony at the back of the farm house? I know Zechs is renting it from you, but the garden there is so lovely with the roses and flowers, plus there's the well off to the side. I think it would be lovely to have it there.”
Heero thought on Duo's suggestion. The garden at the rear of the farm house was a pretty spot. It was small and secluded but big enough to have a few guests. Given the farm house was built from old stone and timber of the area and also bordering on being a historic old building, it would make a perfect backdrop. “I think that would be perfect,” he replied, noting the dreamy look that had appeared in Duo's eyes.
Although they were both men and Duo didn't want to have anything 'feminine' about this ceremony, he could still appreciate the romantic side of things. The garden setting with the stone farm house behind would be a perfect place to seal their love for each other.
“I'll ask Zechs tomorrow if he would mind us using the garden.”
“Thanks, Heero.”
“Right, that's the venue settled. Now for the 'celebrant', guests, food...”
They spent the remainder of the evening tossing ideas back and forth, arguing over some things and laughing themselves silly at others.
Duo began to yawn, Heero watching in amusement as his lover did his best to cover that yawn before his own body decided it would like to join in. “Don't yawn,” Heero muttered, “it's contagious.” He tried to stifle another yawn as Duo snickered at him.
“I think we'll have to call it quits for tonight, Heero. I'm bushed.”
“At least we have something concrete to work with now,” Heero stated with a glance at his list. They had the venue picked out and had decided to have caterers come in and prepare a buffet style spread for afterwards. The caterers didn't need to know what the party would be for and if they did want to know and were bothered by the reason then Heero would simply contact another catering company to do it.
They had also decided to do away with the things like best man, bouquets and the like, preferring to walk together to the well where they had decided they would take their vows to each other. Heero would contact several celebrants from around the area, most did weddings between opposite sex, but Heero had heard that there was a couple that were not adverse to presiding over a civil ceremony between a couple of the same sex.
Peering across at the page, Duo gave a grunt of satisfaction. “So far, so good,” he said.
“The main thing now is just the date. Once we decide on that, I can book a celebrant and we can contact caterers. We will also be able to work out what type of invitations we want.” Heero glanced again to the paper. “Can you think of anyone else for the guest list?”
“Not right now, I think my brain is fried. Read me the list anyway and if I think of anyone we've missed I'll let you know.”
“Okay, we have: Trowa, Quatre, Hilde, Catherine, Treize, Zechs, Otto, Zoe, Michael, Wufei and Meiran. Do you mind if we ask June and her husband?”
“I can't see why not, she's been a great help and a good friend. What about Carl and his girlfriend?”
“Point. I'll add them to the list.” Heero scribbled the names down.
“That's it, Heero. No more, I can't think straight,” Duo complained. “I'm going to go to bed.” He raised himself from the couch and gave Heero's lips a peck. “Thanks. This really does mean a lot to me, Heero.”
“You're welcome, Duo. It means a lot to me too,” Heero replied.
With a smile, Duo wandered off to the bedroom, Heero set the note book and pen down, stretching before getting up and locking the cottage for the night.
~ * ~
tbc...
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Equus