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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
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“Equus”

Chapter 70

Duo filled a bag with things he thought he might possibly need for their trip out to see Comet. Heero was busy in the stables putting together a few items of gear they may also need if the mare proved to be difficult in any way. With the gear in his arms, Heero headed back to the cottage and stepped inside where he caught up with Duo who was just double checking the bag he'd packed.

“Great minds think alike,” Duo chuckled when he spotted Heero's armful.

“I guess so. What did you pack?”

“Just a few small things, sedative, antibiotics, a couple of bandages, creams, powders, you know; basic stuff,” Duo shrugged. “What about you?”

“Halter, lead rope, tail rope, twitch, floating boots, you know, the basic stuff.” Heero grinned and Duo burst out laughing.

“Anyone would think we're expecting trouble,” the vet snickered.

“Better to be prepared,” Heero shot back.

“Yeah, ain’t that the truth. If you got it, you won't need it, if you haven't then you can bet you will.”

Heero scratched his head. “I think you lost me a couple of wills and wont’s ago, but I do get what you mean.” He glanced at the clock. “Quatre should be here any tick. I hope he remembered to pack a hay net for her. Actually, maybe I should go grab a bit of feed, just in case she's hard to get on the float, it might help persuade her.”

“Heero, I'm sure if we have a problem getting her on the float we have enough items and expertise between the three of us to overcome that. Besides, it's too late now anyway, Quatre's here.”

Heero looked out of the kitchen window to see Quatre's familiar Land-cruiser pulling into the yard towing the R.S.P.C.A.'s float. “I'll go out and meet him whilst you get your crutches. I'll be back in a minute to help you and take the stuff out.”

“Okay, Thanks.”

Quatre was just getting out of the cruiser when Heero met up with him. “Afternoon, Quatre,” Heero greeted.

“Afternoon to you too, Heero. Thank you so much for agreeing to come with me and help out. I'm afraid I'm not all that good when it comes to handling horses. Give me a dog, cat, rabbit or the like and I've got no problem, but a horse or a cow, well....”

Heero chuckled. “It's my pleasure to help you out when I can, Quatre. You and the society have done a lot for me so it's nice to be able to help out as a sort of thank you.” Feeling himself becoming a little embarrassed, Heero quickly shut up.

The Inspector knew where Heero was coming from though and didn't press the issue. “Is Duo still okay to come along? I really didn't want to ask him with his still being injured, but I think it would be good to have him there as the society's stand in vet.”

“Duo's more than happy to come along and help out where he can. Actually, I think he would have been quite peeved if he wasn't allowed to come along,” Heero replied with a grin.

“Well, we can't have that, can we?” Quatre grinned in return. “Are you both all set to go?”

“Hai, we are. Duo's just getting his medical bag to bring along and I put together a few things to bring as well. Nothing much, just a few bits we might find handy if Comet is inclined to give us any trouble.”

“Ah, what sort of things? I did remember to put a hay net inside the float and bring a halter and lead rope, but as for anything else I don't know what would be the right things.”

“It's fine. I've got floating boots, tail rope, that sort of thing.”

“That sounds a lot more professional. Thanks, Heero.”

“No problem. I'll go get Duo and the gear, shall I?”

“I'll give you a hand.”

*

“It should be just up here on the left if I have the directions right,” Quatre muttered.

“Slow down a little, Quatre. I think that's the entrance just up there.” Heero pointed to a break in the tree line that had a white fence on either side of what appeared to be a driveway.

Quatre slowed and indicated. As they drew a little closer a sign became visible. 'Palomino Park Agistment Center' was painted across the sign in bold letters. “Yes, this is it,” the Inspector confirmed and turned into the driveway. A short way up a house appeared on their right, Quatre continued to follow the drive though and passed the house. Behind the house the drive opened out into a large parking area with floats all parked along one side and a very large stable complex in the center. A golden Labrador came bounding out of the stables, barking madly and wagging its tail at the same time. Quatre drove the land-cruiser and float in a large circle until they were facing back the way they had come but not obstructing the driveway.

Once Quatre cut the engine the dog's barking seemed to grow in volume. Heero caught movement to the side and nudged Quatre. “Someone's coming out to meet us.”

The three in the car all got out, Duo a little awkwardly as he waited for Heero to pass him his crutches. Quatre stepped forward to greet the woman who was approaching.

“Goldie, be quiet,” the woman told the dog, the Lab falling silent but still wagging his tail. “Can I help you?” she asked Quatre.

“I hope so. I'm Inspector Quatre Winner from the R.S.P.C.A. I spoke earlier to the owner of the establishment regarding a horse we believe is agisted here?” Quatre extended his hand.

“Oh yes, Inspector Winner. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Rosalie Muldoon, my husband and I run this establishment,” the woman replied as she shook Quatre's hand.

“Mrs. Muldoon, this is Heero Yuy, a show jumping rider and Doctor Duo Maxwell from the Maxwell Veterinary Practice,” Quatre introduced the pair.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Muldoon,” Heero said and carefully shook hands.

“Call me Rosalie, and it's pleasure for me too. Oh, Doctor Maxwell, I hope your injuries are not serious?” the woman said as she spotted the crutches and light bandages on Duo's hands.

“They aren't and I'm healing up well,” Duo replied. “Thank you for asking though.”

“Rosalie, I spoke with your husband earlier in regards to the horse Comet that I believe a Mr. Stefan Graves has agisted here?” Quatre said, getting back to their reason for being there. “I don't know if he has informed you of the circumstances or not?”

“Yes, yes he did. Robert isn't here right now, he's gone to fetch some feed, but he did tell me that you would be calling and the reason why.” Rosalie paused for a second and frowned. “I must say, it did come as a bit of a shock to me when Robert filled me in. Mr. Graves always seemed to be a pleasant enough person, although I didn't really get to know him too well. He just came and rode his horse, keeping himself pretty much to himself. I would never have picked him for someone to try and harm another person's horse. I guess it just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.”

“It's been a bit of a trial and as you are aware, I can't go into details. Suffice to say I do have the court order here with me that allows me to remove the horse from the property and take her into the Society's care.” Quatre produced the legal paperwork and handed over a copy to Rosalie.

“Thank you. Would you mind if I took a moment to read through this? It's not that I doubt your word, but I have to be sure this is all legal otherwise I could be in a lot of trouble.”

“No problem at all. Actually, I'd be a bit concerned if you were to just take our word for it and let us leave with the horse without checking our credentials,” Quatre replied with a smile.

While Rosalie looked over the paperwork, Quatre made friends with the dog, scratching the Lab behind the ears and getting a tongue bath in reciprocation.

“It all looks fine to me,” Rosalie said once she'd finished reading and went to pass the papers back to Quatre.

“That's okay, those are your copy, that way if anyone should question you regarding the horse or has any problem with her having been removed, you have the legal documents to prove it was all done above board and legally. It also absolves you from any responsibility.”

“Thank you.” Rosalie carefully folded up the papers and slipped them into the back pocket of her jeans. “I guess you're more than eager to pick the mare up then?”

“If you don't mind, the sooner we can get her, the sooner I can have her back at the center,” Quatre replied, putting on his most charming smile.

“She's down this way in a paddock. Oh, are you intending to take any of her gear? You know, saddle, bridle, rugs and such?”

“No, we won't be taking any of the gear, that will all remain the property of Mr. Graves. I'm not sure what he intends to do with it. I've brought a halter and lead rope with me though so I won't need to use anything at all that belongs to Mr. Graves,” Quatre stated as the three of them fell into step with Rosalie.

The woman led them through the stables and out the other end to where several paddocks were. Passing between them, Heero soon spotted Comet. “There she is,” he said softly.

“Are you familiar with Comet, Mr. Yuy?” asked Rosalie.

“Yes, I am. Mr. Graves used to have her agisted with me a little while back,” Heero replied.

“Actually that's why I brought Mr. Yuy along. He knows the mare so I figured she would probably remember him too and not give us any trouble with loading up,” Quatre confessed.

“Good idea,” Rosalie stated. “I don't think you'll have any trouble with her though, she's a sweet natured mare.”

“That she is,” Heero agreed. By now they had reached the paddock Comet was in and the mare had raised her head in curiosity at the humans standing at her gate. Usually humans meant food, so Comet stopped her grazing and walked towards the gate.

“She's looking well,” Duo commented as his skilled eyes roamed over the brown body. There wasn't anything visible to indicate any form of mistreatment and that made Duo feel a lot happier. Not that he dreamt for a moment that Rosalie would mistreat any of her horses – all of them were perfect pictures of health.

“Hello, girl,” Heero greeted Comet and produced a carrot for the mare who crunched it up eagerly.

“She certainly loves those,” Rosalie commented with a laugh.

“Most horses do,” Heero replied in an amused tone. “I've got several back home that keep me almost bankrupt with what they eat in carrots.”

“Well, gentlemen, not that I'm trying to rush you or anything, but I still have quite a bit of stable work to get through so I'd suggest we get Comet up to your float and loaded on,” Rosalie stated.

“I'm sorry, I tend to forget that other people do have things to do as well,” Quatre apologized.

Rosalie waved the apology off. “Don't worry about it. Here, I'll give you a hand.” The woman picked up a lead rope from the gate and caught Comet. Leading her out of the paddock, she began the trek back towards the stable yard and Quatre's float. When they made it back to the float, Heero fetched the floating boots while Quatre changed the mare's halter and lead rope for the Society's one.

Once the floating boots were on and Quatre had changed over the halter, Duo gave the mare a quick check over, not that he expected to find anything wrong but it was the reason he was here after all.

“In perfect health,” Duo announced after he'd done his basic check of the horse. “You certainly take good care of your horses, Rosalie,” Duo complimented the woman.

“Thank you. I didn't think you would find anything wrong. As Mr. Yuy would know, when you're in the business of agisting people's horses, you have to make sure you have good facilities and excellent care.”

“Very true,” Heero replied with a smile.

“If Duo's finished, I suggest we get this mare loaded up and be on our way. I'd like to have her at the new facilities before evening so she has time to settle in,” Quatre said. “And we've already taken up way too much of Mrs. Muldoon's time.”

Rosalie held Comet whilst Quatre and Heero lowered the tail gate to the float. With everything ready it was time to load up the mare. Heero took the lead rope back and walked Comet in a circle before approaching the ramp. Comet followed calmly enough, pausing for a moment at the base of the ramp to sniff at the strange float. She could smell other horses' scents in there. Heero waited patiently, not rushing the mare, allowing her to chance to sniff and check out the strange float. Once Comet had scented the float, Heero gently pulled on the lead rope.

“Come on, girl. Walk on,” he said firmly and stepped forward. Comet didn't hesitate, she followed calmly behind Heero and into the float. Quatre hooked the tail chain across and raised the tail gate; Duo opened the small front door to the float so Heero could get out.

With Comet secure and nibbling on the hay net, Quatre checked that all doors and the tail gate were secure before thanking Rosalie again. Heero and Duo also passed on their thanks and climbed into the Land-cruiser. Moments later Quatre joined them and they began the journey back to Salsbury.

* * *

“What will happen to her now?” Heero asked as he stood beside Quatre, Trowa and Duo looking over the paddock gate at Comet who had settled in well to her new home at Trowa's shelter and was busy grazing.

“She's not been mistreated in any way so we don't have to worry about treatment for her,” Quatre began. “She will be assessed and the Society will determine what type of home she would be best off with and then offer her up for adoption. The home she ends up going to will depend on the amount of experience the candidates have, what they plan to do with her and their facilities. As you know from when you had Scythe, the Society takes the placing of its rescued animals very seriously.”

“Hai, I know.”

Duo snuck a glance at his partner and knowing there was something going on in that head, Duo decided to try and find out what it was. ”Why the questions, Heero? You asked about Comet and her future when we were at court,” Duo said.

A soft sigh escaped Heero and he gave his lover a sheepish look. “I've been thinking, Comet is a good horse with a lot of potential. I think she could be a good A grade horse, win some big competitions and go on to have an excellent life as a top brood mare once her show career is over. She has a great conformation on her, is sweet natured and highly intelligent; all those are good traits to pass on to a foal. Crossed with the right stallion, she should produce some excellent offspring.”

“Ah.” Now it all became clear to Duo exactly what Heero's interest in the mare was. “Am I correct in saying that you are possibly considering putting in to adopt her for yourself?”

“Aa, yes.”

Quatre and Trowa had watched the exchange with amused smiles on their respective faces. Now Quatre spoke up. “I think that would be a great idea, Heero and I know the Society would seriously consider any offer you were to make for her above any others.” Seeing Heero about to speak, Quatre carried on. “The Society already knows you, Heero. They have you on record from Scythe and they know exactly how well you looked after her. They wouldn't have a problem with you taking her at all, although all the correct channels would still need to be gone through if you are serious about wanting to take her.”

“There's one problem though.”

“Oh?” Quatre raised an eyebrow as did both Duo and Trowa.

“My facilities are currently burnt to the ground. The insurance company has been in touch and have approved everything; in fact, I'm expecting a couple of calls this afternoon from contractors the company has recommended to start clearing away the debris ready to rebuild. Even with everything all go ahead, it will be several weeks before the new stable block is built and ready for the horses to take up residence.” Seeing Duo about to open his mouth, Heero pushed on. “No, Duo. You have already been more than generous in having all the horses accommodated at the surgery stables and whilst I can't thank you enough for that, you also have the practice to consider. Another horse in there just isn't fair to you or the practice.”

“Actually, I was going to suggest something else,” Duo said with a smile.

“Huh?”

“Heero, just listen for a moment. You still have the walk in – walk out stables and yards on the stud property, you could easily move Angel, Wing and Zero back to those as they aren't in work. I know Wing is, but he's not really out competing properly just yet so those stables and yards would be fine for them. The clients' horses and Shini can all still remain in the practice stables which only ties up five of them. I have eight so Comet could also be accommodated in the surgery stables if you wish or you still have one stable and yard you can utilize until the rebuilding is completed.” Duo looked quite smug with having solved Heero's problem for him.

“Ah, you know, that's not a bad idea, Duo.” Heero gave his lover a warm smile before turning to Quatre again. “Do you think it would affect my chances of adopting Comet given the current state of rebuilding and having to utilize Duo's facilities for now?”

“Heero, I don't think the Society would have a problem with it at all. They were very happy with the way you looked after Scythe in all the years you had her. The fire wasn't your fault and you still have facilities at your disposal that are safe and comfortable. If you really are interested in adopting Comet, I'll get the paperwork sorted out for you and drop it around as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Quatre. I'd appreciate that.”

“Good, now that's all sorted out I suggest we go and have some refreshments before Heero and Duo have to get going,” Trowa said in his soft tone.

“Coffee... You read my mind, Trowa,” Duo grinned.

“Come on, this way,” Trowa said with a shake of his head.

* * *

“All sorted out?” Duo asked as Heero returned to the kitchen and the cup of coffee his lover had made him.

“Hai,” he replied and took a seat opposite his partner.

“You going to share?” asked the vet, an amused smile on his face at his lover's distracted air.

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“That could be dangerous.”

“Duo!”

Duo just snickered and Heero couldn't help but join in. Secretly he was pleased to see Duo teasing and joking around again, it showed his partner was starting to return to his normal self again after all he'd gone through these past few weeks. Oh there was still a long way to go yet before Duo would be completely healed, but with Stefan having been convicted of the rape and sentenced for his crimes, Duo's life had taken a much needed turn for the better – and Heero was determined it would stay that way.

“The clean up crew can start in a couple of days,” Heero began. “The guy that runs the business will be coming out tomorrow to take a closer look at the work that needs to be done so he can make sure he has the right equipment on site for the job. He estimates it will take one to two days to get rid of all the debris and leave a clean pad for the rebuilding to commence. I have the builder calling around tomorrow afternoon to go over the original blueprints from the other stables with me. Once we're in agreement with the plans and the site is cleared, he will get his crews mobilized and commence with the rebuild.”

“That's great news.”

“Hai, it is.” Heero put his coffee down and stood up. Walking around to where Duo sat, he lifted his lover up into his arms and sat himself down again with Duo in his lap. Wrapping his arms around the vet, Heero cuddled him close. “Finally it's all starting to come together again and we can start to get on with our lives.”

“Amen to that,” Duo whispered and rested his head against Heero's shoulder.

“Duo?”

“Yes?”

“Now that the trial is over with and everything else is starting to get back to normal, how about we set the date for the wedding and start to get everything organized for it?”

“You still want to get married?” Duo asked in a hushed voice.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?” A cold shiver passed down Heero's spine. “Have you changed your mind?” he asked with a tremble in his voice.

Realizing that Heero had taken his words the wrong way, Duo was quick to clarify. “No, no I haven't. Heero, I want to marry you more than anything, but after all that we've gone through these past few weeks, are you sure you still want me as your partner? I've put you through some pretty awful shit and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want me any more.”

“Oh, Duo.” Heero wrapped his arms tighter around the vet. “I love you more than life itself. I don't care what has happened in the past, we've been through a lot of tough times and we've survived. If anything, those times have only strengthened my love for you. Nothing would make me happier than having you as my partner for life.”

A soft sniffle came from Duo as he fought to compose himself. Heero's words meant a lot to him. “When you put it like that I'd be honored to become your life partner, Heero. God, I love you so much and I couldn't bear to think what my life would be like without you in it.”

“Good. No more tears now, unless they're happy ones,” Heero teased and managed to get a finger under Duo's chin to raise the vet's face. With a warm smile, Heero pressed a gentle kiss to those lips he knew so well, his heart swelling when he felt Duo's lips responding. Breaking apart, Heero located his voice again, although it was slightly huskier. “I'll go fetch the note pad so we can go back over what we'd already decided and expand on our plans.”

“Thanks.”

Placing his partner back in the chair, Heero went through to find the notebook they'd used to jot down their preliminary ideas a while ago. Finding it, he returned to the kitchen where Duo had made them both a fresh coffee and was looking decidedly happier than Heero had seen in some time.

“Okay, we have the venue picked out, the garden out back of the farm house by the well, that's if you're still happy with that?”

“Did you ask Zechs if he minded?” Duo questioned.

“Hai, I did and he said it was fine with him on one condition.”

Duo raised an eyebrow.

“He gets an invite to the nuptials.”

Duo laughed. “Of course he will, and Treize too.”

“That's what I told him.”

“Good. Venue is set then, now for a date. Want to pass me my diary and the calendar?”

Heero grabbed Duo's diary from the dresser and unhooked the calendar off the wall. “We need a date when you're not on call, or the others either if possible. Oh, we have to make sure I don't have any shows on the same date as well,” Heero said as he sat down.

“This could get a little tricky,” Duo snickered. “I thought Zoe was crazy, organizing her wedding around horse shows, but we're just as bad; not only do we have to make sure we don't clash with shows, there's the work as well.”

Heero could see the humor in that remark and chuckled. “Trust us to be different.”

“Not different, Heero. Special.”

Heero's eyes softened as he looked at his partner. “You got that right. You are a really special person, Duo and it's my privilege to be able to marry you.”

“Get away with you, Heero. Stop with all the sappy stuff or you'll have me in tears,” Duo chided, but the smile never left his face.

“Okay, let's find ourselves a date, shall we?”

After a good thirty minutes of suggesting and dismissing dates for various reasons, the pair finally managed to agree on a date that suited them both.

“That was a bit harder than I thought it was going to be,” Duo commented as he sat back and gave a sigh.

“You can say that again,” Heero agreed. “Who would have thought it would be so difficult to set a date?”

“Well, I certainly hope we don't have to do that again in a hurry.”

Heero raised an eyebrow.

“Errr... That didn't quite come out right.” Duo gave his lover a sheepish smile.

“Don't worry, I know what you meant, Duo,” Heero laughed. “The whole purpose to getting married is to stay together permanently.”

“Yeah.” Duo leaned closer to his lover and pressed a kiss to Heero's lips. “I love you so much, Heero.”

“Ditto to that, Duo.” Heero deepened the kiss a touch before pulling reluctantly away. “Let's get this list finished so we can have a little snuggle time.”

“Now that sounds perfect.”

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus