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Claudine	By : Naomi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1214 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Claudine
- 1
Claudine

DISCLAIMER: I think it
is too obvious for me to bother and say it, but still: don�t own them. But, and
that�s a BIG but, I claim right of owning Claudine. She�s mine. Not yours.

WARNING: This story is
told from the POV of a little girl! What kind of warnings do you expect?! Just
a little OOCness, original charecter, yaoi... you get the picture, right?

AUTHOR�S NOTE: Don�t
ask... don�t even BOTHER to ask... I have no idea how I came up with this. It
was in the middle of my directing class, while the lecturer was making this big
thing out of Francois Truffaut, that I got this idea... It has NOTHING to do
with directing actually. I think it�s my psychology studies of children that has
given me the idea... I dunno. And you probably don�t care that much, so just
read the result and stop wondering where it came from.

Enjoy!

Naomi

clasclass=MsoBodyText align=center dir=LTR style='text-align:center;line-height:
12.0pt'>CLAUDINE

*   *   *

AC 202.

The bell rang throughout
the halls of Memorial Heights Elementary School and the large yard was soon
filled with dozens of little running feet, as the young students hurried to
make their way home, clutching to their large, colorful, school bags.

Among the large crowd of
young children, walked three small girls, about six or so, wearing their little
skirts, which were part of the issued uniforms. Although all three girls were
wearing the same outfit, one of them still looked different. Her cloths were
shabbier, warn-looking. Her bag, unlike the other two girls, was older and much
less colorful. It was standard-issue, not one of the tag-name products the two
others were carrying. But nevertheless, the young girl was radiant, her large
indigo eyes were sparkling in the late noon sun, her hair, golden brown,
gathered in two long pig-tails, was swinging from side to side as she walked,
chatting along.

�That�s not true! Tracy
was lying. Her mommy didn�t buy her anything because her birthday is only next
week!� The little girl spoke up in determination, positive that her argument
was true.

�No she didn�t!� Another
girl, one with shinning golden hair and pretty green eyes, contradicted.
�Tracy�s mom bought her Emily because her birthday is TODAY!�

Large indigo eyes
widened in pain, and the little pig-tailed girl ped ped in her tracks, stunned.
�I thought that... I thought that it was next week...�

The second girl, who
walked beside the blonde one, rolled her eyes. �Ch! Don�t be stupid, Claudine.
Tracy�s birthday is today! Didn�t you buy her a present?!�

Claudine�s eyes dropped
down in shame. �Um... I can still buy one... I�ll just tell my daddy.� Her head
jerked up, face covered with resolve. �I�m gonna come. Just after I�ll tell my
daddy.�

The blonde girl chuckled
and continued walking. �I heard that Tracy didn�t want you to come.� She let
out in a snobbish voice. �That�s why she told you it�s next week instead of
today.�

Small tears threatened
to come, and the girl clutched her fists. �That�s not true! Tracy�s my friend!�

�Angela didn�t mean to
say that...� The other girl let out apologetically, looking angrily at her
blonde friend.

�Yes I did. My mom said
that Tracy�s mom doesn�t want you to come. She says that she hates your daddy.�

�No she doesn�t!�

�My mom says that
EVERYBODY hate your daddy.�

�Stop that! My daddy is
the best!�

�Oh yeah, then how come
he didn�t buy you an Emily too? Everybody has them.�

�He�ll buy me...�
Claudine muttered silently, letting her gaze down. �All I have to do is ask! I
just didn�t ask. That�s all...� >

Again Angela chuckled.
�You didn�t ask because you knew he won�t buy you anything. Your daddy is a
meany.�

�He is not!� Claudine
shouted, jumping up at the blonde girl and pulling her backpack down, nearly
causing the other to fall back. �My daddy is not a meany!�

�Hey! Stop it!� Angela
yelled as Claudine kept pulling her down forcefully. �Stop it! Stop it! I�m
gonna tell my brother and he�ll come and hit you!�

�Take it back! Take it
back! My daddy is not mean!� Flaring indigo eyes burned with anger and tears as
she kept punching the other girl�s schoolbag.

A car�s horn was heard
from nearby and alree ree girls looked up in the gate�s direction.

�Mommy!!!� Angela called
as she recognized the car. She jerked herself out of the pig-tailed girl�s
grasp and hurried to run towards her mother. �Mommy!�

Claudine watched with
tearful eyes as her so-called friend walked into the car, sobbing and pointing
at her as she explained what had happened. She let her gaze down, sighing
sadly.

�She didn�t really mean
it.� A weak and yielding voice spoke from behind.

Claudine didn�t bother
to turn and accept the small apology. �I�m not gonna be her friend any more.�

The girl from behind
sighed sadly and shook her head. �I�ll see you tomorrow Claudine.� She mumbled
and hurried towards another car, parked not so far away.

Claudine watched her
sadly, eyes longing as she watched her speak with her mother in the car, and
then drive away.

She continued to stand
at the gate, as the yard gradually emptied. She was left alone in the school,
standing by the gate, waiting. Her deep purple-blue eyes studied the empty
parking lot as the sun slowly set behind the nearby buildings.

It was late in theternternoon when a lone figure slowly walked up towards the school.

Claudine�s eyes winded
in joy and a wide smile spread on her small features. She bounced up in the air
and then opened in a run towards the slowly approaching figure.

�Daddy! Cut it out!
Lemme finish!�

�Um!� Again he tried to
grab her fingers, but she pulled back just in time. �Daddy! I didn�t fight when
you did my makeup!�

At that, he stopped his
silly game and let her work.

�Can I look now?� He
asked after a while.

�No, not yet.� She
answeredkingking a brush and a few little red ribbons from her kit. �I have to
do your hair first.�

�My hair!? What�s wrong
with my hair?� He questioned in mock-hurt.

Claudy didn�t even
bother to answer and rose up a little higher, brush in hand. She combed his
messy dark brown hair, but whatever she did, it always returned to look messy.
Fed up with that, she grabbed a handful of thick brown locks and clipped them
up with her red ribbons. Her daddy made a sour face as he felt her do
unspeakable things to his hair.

Once done with that,
Claudine took a step back to examine her work with pride. �Okay, now you can
look.� She informed him after taking a good look at her fine work, a wide grin
plastered on her features.

She watched with growing
anticipation as her father opened his eyes. Her smile grew as those pools of
dark blue mystery revealed themselves to her. Combined with the eye shadow she
had administrated, her father�s eyes seemed to be brighter than usual. It was
like watching two shining sapphire jewels.

�Well?� She asked
impatiently as her father reached for the small mirror, and just stared at his
reflection. She sat by his side once again, looking at his reflection as well.

And she decided he was
beautiful. The eyeliner she had sloppily put on gave him such an exotic look,
and combined with the powder on his face and his glossed lips, he looked like
an angel. Her beautiful father was an angel.

�I look like a girl.�
Her father finally stated, reaching up for the ribbons in his hair.

�Hey! Don�t take them
off!� She protested as he began to unclip the ribbons. While she must admit
that he looked far better without them, it still annoyed her that he took them
off. She worked hard to put them there! Does he think it�s easy to tame that
hair of his?!

�Not fair!� She called,
pouting, folding two arms over her chest. �It was hard to put them there!�

She smiled as he heard
him chuckle at her remark. �Yeah, well, sorry Claudy, I don�t do little red
ribbons.�

She stuck her tongue out
at him, still pouting.

Again he chuckled and
ruffled her head. She took the opportunity to catch him off guard and grab the
ribbons, jump up and put them in his hao:p>o:p>

�Hey!� He called, trying
to gently push her off.

Claudine ignored him and
continued her work.

�You�re not getting away
with it...� He warned in amusement, wrapping his arms around her small waist
and then lifting her up in the air, head down, leg pointing at the ceiling.

�Daddy!� She whined, her
hands still fiddling with his hair. �Put me down!�

He ignored her, and
proceeded in getting up, spinning around.

�Daaaaaaaddyyyyyyyyy!!!!�
She called, laughing hard as he pasted his lips to her exposed tummy, blowing
air into it and thus tickling her. �Daddy! Ha ha ha! Daddy! Cut it out!
Hahahahahaha! Daddy!!�

Their little game was
interrupted by a knock on the door. Claudy was finally able to breathe when her
daddy put her gently down on the floor and went to answer the door. She whined
in protest as she saw him take the ribbons out again, putting them in his
pocket just as he unlocked the door.

She watched from the
living room as her daddy opened the door, and her eyes widened in pain as she
saw a woman standing there. It was a rather young woman, but still, she looked
much older than her daddy. She was wearing this bright blue office suit,
holding a small handbag, which totally didn�t match the suit. She was clutching
the handbag tightly, holding it close to her as if nervous or something. She
had short black hair, which gave her a nerdy look in Claudy�s opinion. She
looked very edgy and her pale and small face gave her such a pathetic look,
Claudy decided that she didn�t like her.

�May I help you?� Her
father asked politely, his voice faltering and he reached one hand into his
pocket, playing with the small ribbons inside.

The woman just kept
gaping at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. She ran her eyes up
and down his form, examining everything- from his bare feet, the dark
sweatpants and white tank top he was wearing, to the exotic makeup on his
features. All in all, she seemed to be breath taken by his tempting looks.

�Um... ye�yes.� She
finally answered, swallowing and looking around nervously. �I was, I mean I am,
I am looking for, um, Heero Yuy?� She glanced over his shoulder, seeing the
little girl standing in the back, glaring at her. She hurried to look back at
the young man in front of her, her eyes never really meeting his. �Um, I�m a
friend of-- I mean, um,� She took a deep breath, her sweaty hands clenched
around her handbag. Another deep breath, and she was able to look him up in the
eye. �Christa sent me.�

Heero�s eyes widened
painfully and he looked down at the floor, eyes suddenly sad. �Come in,
please...� He mumbled, opening the door wider and stepping aside so she could
enter.

The woman took another
deep breath, held her head up high and walked in, trying to ignore the little
girl who kept glaring at her. She turned to look at the young man, watching him
as he closed the door. Her eyes drank his sight hungrily, and suddenly her
small and shriveled face flushed and she looked down at her feet. �I�m sorry if
it�s a bad time... Christa didn�t say... I mean, um...� Heero turned to look at
her and the small woman flinched at the sight if his piercing eyes. �I had
na---no idea you had a child at home.�

�It�s all right.� He let
out quietly, walking up to her, scratching the back of his head as if sheepish
or something. �I apologize about the mess. Christa didn�t inform me you were
coming.� He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the eye shadow
off. �If you don�t mind waiting a minute, I can go change.�

�No! It�s okay. We can
get, I mean... we can get right to it!� The woman hurried to blurt out,
blushing furiously.

Heero nodded. �All
right. It will be just a sec.� He walked past her and towards Claudy, still
standing in the middle of the room, watching them with angry eyes. He knelt
down in front of her and took her hand, looking up into her flaring violet
eyes. �Claudy, why won�t you go and play outside for a while? We can play
later, okay?�

Claudine shook her head
stubbornly.

Heero sighed, cupping
her small hand in both his palms. �Claudy, please. Do you want me to take you
to Mrs Winslow?�

Again the girl shook her
head, yanking her hand out of his grasp. �No! I want to be with you!�

In the back, the small
woman flinched. She looked down at her handbag, trying to avoid the burning
rage in the little girl�s eyes. She took her time tok ark around the apartment,
while the father tried to convince the child to step outside. She noted the
furniture was old, and so was the TV set with an antenna on it. The kitchen was
joined to the living room, separated by a long counter, two chairs by it. Even
the refrigerator was old and she caught the glimpse of a small laundry room,
which had no drier but a rope with cloths drying on it. As she took in the poor
but yet warm look of the small apartment, and her features softened in sympathy.
She took another deep breath and turned to look at the living room again.

�Claudy... please. It
will only be a short while. I promise I�ll make it up to you, okay?�

Claudy looked down into
her father�s eyes, and her heart clenched at the utter pain and plea she saw in
there. His desperate voice, faltering as if tears were threatening to come to
him, was more than enough to break her heart. She sighed sadly, looking down.

�Okay.� She let out
miserably. She smiled weakly as he caressed her cheek tenderly and got up.

�I�ll call you, okay?�

�Yeah, okay.� She
mumbled, getting off the couch. She stalked over to the door and sent her best
death-glare at the lady, causing the old broad to flinch and look away.

The door slammed shut
after the little girl, and Heero looked up at the lady across the room, smiling
apologetically. �I�m sorry about that.� He mumbled, and gestured at the
hallway. �This way, please.� He invited and waited for the lady to walk first,
escorting her from behind.

*   *   *

One small rock r
ar
another were thrown in the air, some hitting the metallic garbage can, some
missing it and some getting dumped inside. On a tall stone fence, about four
meters from the said trash container, sat Claudy, her feet dangling down the
tall fence, swinging lazily from side to side as she threw the rocks. By her
side lay a large pile of small stones, and on the other side was a small brown
paper bag.

It was late evening, and
the skies were dark. Not many people were around, most of them out on this
Friday night. The street lamp was the only light to accompany her, beside the
lights coming out of the tall apartment complex they lived in. It wasn�t a
good-looking building, it looked old and neglected. But still, it had a large
yard surrounding it, surrounded by the other buildings around. She could see
their apartment from where she was, the light in the living room still on, but
the rest was dark. Even her father�s bedroom window was dark. There was light
in it at first, but then it was turned off.

Claudy continued
throwing the rocks for another half an hour, after already being outside for
half an hour more. At least it gave her time to go to Old Pete�s store around
the block. He was nice enough to let her buy and putting it on her tab. Now,
after an hour of waiting, she could see the light in the stairway and a few
seconds later, that lady came running down the stairs and out of the building.
Her suit was all wrinkled and messy, like it was put on with a hurry. Her short
short hair was messy as well. She was clutching her handbag tightly, looking
around nervously as she ran, looking as if someone was chasing her. Guilt was
all over her shriveled features
and she looked like she thought someone was watching her, for she kept looking
around guiltily.

Claudy jumped off the
fence, a few rocks still in hand. She threw the rocks at the lady, one by one,
causing the woman to shriek and cry out, startled.

�This is for my daddy!�
She yelled at the lady.

The woman, shaking with
shock and fear, just ducked her head between her shoulders and ran away,
hurrying to get into her expensive car and drive off.

Claudy threw a few more
rocks at her retreating car. �Don�t you make my daddy cry!�

*   *   *

When she got back home,
her daddy was in the shower. She closed the door behind her, holding her small
paper bag, and slowly walked into the hallway. She stopped by the shower�s
door, just staring at it, eyes filling with tears she hurried to wipe away.

She walked further down
the hall, passing by her own bedroom, but entering her father�s bedroom
instead. She saw that the white sheets on the small double bed were all messy
and tangled. She walked over to the bedside, where her father�s nightstand
stood, and looked sadly down at the bed. She reached down and ran her fingers
over the sheets, which were still warm. She sniffled, smelling her father�s
sweet scent, which still lingered to the sheets.

Claudine then turned to
look down at his nightstand. She saw a large stack of money lying there, by the
night lamp. But it was not unusual. She was used to seeing money there.

Lifting up her paper
bag, she pulled out a small bottle and placed it gently by the money. It was a
bottle of shaving cream.

Once done with it,
Claudy squashed the bag in her hand and ran out of the room. She slammed her
bedroom�s door behind her and threw herself at the bed, crying herself to
sleep.

*   *   *

The next day, Claudy was
sitting in the living room, placing makeup on her different dolls. Her daddy
was in the kitchen, sitting by the kitchen table, working on his laptop. In the
background, on the stove, some soup was boiling. The table was also packed with
books. Heero had tons of books all around him. Thick books, which looked old
and shabby, like they�ve been read a lot of times. Some of them were open in
front of him, and some still lay on top of each other in large piles.

Claudy knew that they
were not ordinary books. They were computer books. Her daddy worked for a large
computer company. He was a technician and also a programmer. When he to to do
technician stuff, he had to go to work, but he he was programming, he did it
at home on his computer. That way, he could be with her and take care of her.
The problem was, that he had to do A LOT of work, and he would sit around with
his books and computer for hours on end.

Claudy shifted her gaze
away from her working father and back to her game. She continued to play
silently, not wanting to bother him while he worked.

�Claudine, pills.� Heero
suddenly spoke, turning a page in one of the really thick books.

Claudine sighed and put
her dolls aside. She looked up at the clock in the kitchen and sighed again.
Lunchtime. Pill-time.

Reluctantly getting up,
Claudine made her way into the kitchen. She inhaled deeply, taking in the
delicious smell of the soup her daddy was making. Her mouth began to water and
she just now realized that she was hungry.

�They�re on the right
shelf.� Heero informed her when he saw her stop and hesitate, his nose still
inside the book.

�I know.� She answered
with a sigh. She went over to a set of three small shelves her daddy had once
build, and took her bottle of pills. She opened it with ease, glaring down at
the hateful blue and orange pills. She gasped as she saw that there were little
pills left. Maybe enough for three days or so.

Heart clenching
painfully, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes resting on her father�s
figure. His back was facing her, and so he could not see the worried look on
her small face. He continued to work, talking silently to himself as he read
and reread a paragraph, and then scribbled something down on paper.

Claudine looked away,
unable to face her hard working father. She looked down at the nearly empty
container in her hand, and sighed sadly. Her daddy didn�t have enough money to
buy her more pills. The fact that he was working so hard on a Saturday
was enough to prove it. If she�ll tell him that she�s about to run out of
pills, he will only be upset. He�ll also have to work harder to get the money
quickly.

Deciding that she will
be able to hold on until the end of the month, merely a week away, Claudy took
her pill like a good girl and kept quiet about them being on short supply. She
placed her cup of water in the sink, and was about to wash it, just as the bell
rang.

�I�ll get it!� Shelledlled happily, skipping her way towards the front door. She unlocked the door
and opened it widely, grinning. She was now looking at a tall blonde woman,
about her father�s age. She was very beautiful and looking very sophisticated.
She was wearing an elegant, dark red, office suit, her
hair was held up high with a twist, and she also had a pair of fashionable
glasses.

The woman smiled down at
the six-year-old girl, her smile kind and sweet. �Hello Claudine. How are you?�

�I�m okay.� Claudine
answered casually, still smiling.

�Is your daddy home?�
The woman asked sweetly, looking up into the apartment.

Claudy nodded, stepping
aside so the woman can enter. �Dad! Christa�s here!� She announced as the woman
walked past her and towards the kitchen. She closed the door, locking it like
her father taught her, and went back to her play station. She heard her daddy
greet Christa and she heard her pull out a chair and sit by him. As she played
with the dolls, giving them different hairstyles, she listened with half an ear
as her daddy and Christa discussed work.

They were talking about
this program her father was working on and they consulted each other about
various things. After some minutes Claudy tuned off the computer-talk and
concentrated on her game. That was until, she heard her father raise his voice
at Christa.

�No. No way. I�m not
doing it.�

Curious, Claudine ceases
her play and turned around, looking up in the direction of the kitchen table.

Christa leaned forward,
towards Heero and laced her hands in front of her face. �Heero, the guy is
preparing to pay A LOT of money. I know you need it.�

�I don�t need it THAT
much.� He answered, getting up, collecting two coffee cups form the table and
walking over to the sink.

Claudy watched as
Christa rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, two arms over her chest.
�Don�t bullshit me, buddy. We work together and I know EXACTLY how much you
make.�

Heero dumped the dishes
into the sink and whirled around, glaring at his partner. �There are lines that
even I won�t cross, Christa. Not for all the money in this God damned world.�

Now Claudine was
confused. She knew that this fight had to do with work, and that her daddy
worked very hard to get money, so why won�t he do it? Her daddy never EVER
refused ANYTHING Christa offered him.

�We�ll split
differently. Seventy-thirty, instead of our usual arrangement.�

�No.�

Christa sighed. �Okay,
eighty-twenty, but that�s as low as I get for fixing this up for you.�

�You might be willing to
step this low, but I�m not.� He spat, sitting down again.

Christa frowned. �Ouch.
That hurt.� She sighed, looking at him lengthily. �You sure about this?�

�Positive.�

She sighed again,
running a hand through her hair, pushing up a few stray hairs. �Fine. I�ll tell
the guy. But I think you�re making a big mistake here.�

�Let me be the judge of
that.� Heero spat back, glancing in the direction of the living room.

Claudy smiled at him and
waved her hand as their eyes met. But her daddy hurried to look away, again
glaring at Christa.

�My mom is taking me
shopping today. We�re gonna buy the dress for the recital.� Tracy informed her
friends in a sweet voice, while they were playing on the swing sets at school.

�Are you gonna buy the
pink one with the blue ribbon?� Angela asked, her feet playing in the sand as
her swing stood still, her white polished shoes shinning in the mid noon sun.

�No, I�m gonna buy the
other one, the white one with the silver stars.� The little girl answered with
a shrug. She turned to the girl standing behind her, pushing her swing to give
her more momentum. �What about you, Claudine, which one did you buy?�

The little violet-eyed
girl shrugged, pushing the swing again. �I�m gonna buy one tomorrow.�

�But the recital is in
two days!� Another girl called, worried. �What if you won�t find one?�

�I�ll find it.� Claudine
answered quietly, her hands pushing Tracy on the swing once more.

�Oh really? What color?�
Angela asked, while another girl pushed her swing.

�Purple. And it�s gonna
have shining blue stars on it.�

Tracy laughed. �I didn�t
see any purple dress with blue stars and me and my mommy were in EVERY store in
town!�

�I�ll find one!� Claudy
called, angry, pushing the swing so hard, she nearly made the other girl fall.
�Get off! It�s my turn on the swing!�

Seeing that they are
outnumbered, the snobbish girls relieved their places. Claudine took her place
on the swing, swinging as high as the sky. She closed her eyes, leaning
backwards, feeling the world turn upside down. She let the wind caress her,
wondering if this is how it felt like to be flying. She kept rocking higher and
higher, trying her best to escape her problems. The truth was, that she didn�t
even tell her daddy about the dress. He knew about her ballet recital, but she
didn�t tell him about the dress. She knew he was still short on money, and she
didn�t want to be a bother.

But everybody else is
going to have a brand new dress! And if she will come with her old dress, the
one from last year... they�ll make fun of her. It was hard enough to be in
Angela�s and Tracy�s gang, and if she�ll show up wearing a dress that looked
old and too small... Just thinking of it brought tears to her eyes.

Claudine continued to
rock higher and faster, nearly touching the skies, her long braid dangling down
as she leaned her head back, looking up at the blue skies, her eyes tearful.

*   *   *

�Daddy?�

�Hmm?� Heero looked up
from his meal and at the little girl sitting across the table. �What is it?� He
tried again as the small child kept silent, looking down at her untouched meal.

�Do you remember about
the recital?�

�Hmm hmm.� He nodded,
wiping his mouth with a napkin. He then smiled at her. �Don�t worry, honey,
I�ll be there.�

�Oh, I know. I know...�
She mumbled, picking on her food with her fork.

Heero watched her,
confused about her sullen behavior. �Claudy?�

The little girl looked
up, indigo eyes filled with crystal tears. �Ye... yes daddy?� Her voice
faltered on her trembling lips.

�Is there something you didn�t
tell me? Is something wrong?�

�Oh? Uh, no. Nothing is
wrong.� She hurried to reply, wiping away her tears. �It�s not that important.�
She added quickly, digging her fork into her meal.

�So something is
wrong, am I correct?�

�It�s not important,
daddy.�

�It�s the dress, isn�t
it?�

Claudine closed her eyes
in shame, putting the fork down. She bowed her head and nodded ever so
slightly.

Heero sighed quietly,
putting his own fork down. �You said it�s okay if you go with the old dress.
Did you change your mind?�

It was a while before
she was able to speak without knowing she will burst into tears. She opened her
eyes, but wasn�t able to look up at her father. �No... I�m sorry. I said it�s
not that important, but...�

�But?�

�But everybody else is
gonna have a new one and I---�

�Claudy, you should have
just said you wanted a new one.�

�But you don�t have
enough money!� She burst; tears running freely down her cheeks. She looked up
at her daddy, and immediately regretted bursting out like that when he visibly flinched.
�I�m sorry, daddy. I didn�t mean to yell.�

He didn�t answer, his
face more or less stony. He looked at her lengthily, thinking, before he
finally spoke. �Will it be okay if I�ll fix the old dress?�

Claudy�s eyes grew wide
and a smile tugged at her lips. �Fix it? You can really do that?�

He nodded, shifting a
little in his seat, as if uncomfortable or something. �Sure. Will that be okay?
We can make it look like a new one.�

�Really?!�

He smiled at her.
�Really really.�

Claudy grinned and
jumped out of her seat, hugging her father tightly. �That�ll be great daddy!
Can we make it purple? And with blue stars? Can they shine?�

He chuckled weakly at
her burst of enthusiasm, and slowly placed her back down on the floor. �Well,
I�m not sure about the purple part, but I can add stars.�

�Will they sparkle?� She
asked, voice hopeful.

�How about we go to the
store tomorrow and see what they got there, okay?� He offered instead, ruffling
her golden-brown hair.

�Maybe we can add a
purple ribbon instead, huh?� She asked, settling back in her seat.

�We�ll see, Claudy.
We�ll see. Now eat up, okay?�

Claudine smiled and
picked up her fork, picturing her brand new dress as she ate.

*   *   *

The next day they went
to the mall and Claudine got to pick out all the accessories she wanted on her
dress. They bought a bag full of shinning blue buttons in the shape of stars,
and a large red fabric, which will be tied up as a ribbon. She also picked up a
purple lace-work skirt, which was mostly see-through. Her daddy promised to sew
it up instead of the old white skirt.

�Aa.� He answered,
getting up.

Claudine walked after
him into her room. �Can I wear my hair in a braid?�

Heero hurried to say his
goodbye and kiss her goodnight, and then reluctantly left.

*   *   *

�No! No! Let him go! Let
me go!�

The woman, Mrs. Winslow
and the man laughed at her mockingly.

�Daddy! Daddy! Run away
- fast!�

But they were still
laughing, standing at her father�s bedside, their laughter overpowering her.
Smothering her soul.

The black mist covers
the canopy bed, blocking her view.

�DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!�

*   *   *

Days past. Claudy was
released from the hospital after a three day treatment, and after her daddy
bought her the pills. He bought a large stack of them this time, and also other
pills, different ones, the doctor advised him to buy. When she had woken up the
second time, her father was waiting for her with a present. It was a large rectangular
box, about three quarters of her size. When she opened it, she was looking down
into large g gla glass eyes, and thick locks of blood-red hair. Emily. Her
daddy bought her an Emily!

She thanked him again
and again, hugging him and kissing his face over and over. She didn�t let go of
the doll ever since. She played with her all the time, slept with her at night
and brushed her hair in the morning. She couldn�t wait to go back to school and
tell EVERYONE that she had an Emily. Even Angela didn�t have one yet, because
her mommy didn�t want to spend so much money on a mere doll.

Now, after her first day
back in school ended, Claudine was walking towards the gate with her friends.

�Did you hear that
Ricky�s mom was a Beauty Queen?� One of the girls asked.

Angela snorted and
pushed her long golden hair aside in a snobbish motion. �Humph! Who cares! My
mom is be loo looking than her mom.�

�I think Tracy�s mom is
pretty.� Another girl commented.

Angela snorted again.
�Then you�re stupid. My mom is better.�

Claudine tried to ignore
the pointless conversation, as the girls argued over whose mom is the most
beautiful. She never had a mother, not that she could remember, and it bothered
her when such conversations were raised. Not wanting to feel an outcast and different
from the group, Claudy silently spoke up: �My daddy is beautiful too.�

The girls stopped in
their tracks, just gawking at her, completely stu.Tracy was the first one
to react. �Humph! Don�t be stupid, Claudine, daddies can�t be
beautiful.�

�Yeah.� A few other
girls agreed.

�How should you know!?�
Claudine burst angrily, glaring at Tracy. �You don�t even HAVE a daddy!�

The group gasped at the
cruel remark.

Tracy�s pretty little
face went red and she clutched her s. �s. �Well... well... well you don�t have
a mommy!� She shouted back.

�I don�t care! My daddy
is better than ALL your stupid mommies! And he�s more beautiful than them too!�
Claudine rage, nearly crying.

�That�s not true!�
Another girl whined, clearly hurt by what Claudy had said.

Seeing that this was
going to get into a serious fight, Claudine immediately regretted starting She She didn�t want to loose her friends over something she knew was true.
As long as she knows the truth, it�s okay. That�s all that matters. She knew
how disappointed her daddy will be if she�ll start a fight. She had learned
from him that it is best to do whatever one can to stop a fight from happening,
so she changed the subject.

�Hey, I got an Emily.�

Immediately the small
fight was forgotten.

�You do?!�

�A real one?�

�Is she pretty like on
TV?�

�Can we see her?!�

�Why won�t we go and
play with her now?�

Claudy grinned at the
excited voi She She was about to ask them over to her place, when Angela opened
her mouth and, head held high, said that:

�My mom will NEVER let
me go over to her place. Why won�t we all go to my house and play there? You
can bring your doll, Claudy.�

Feeling kind of
disappointed, Claudy lowered her head and nodded. �I guess we can do that.�

�Yeah! That�ll be
great!� A girl called. �Angela has satellite TV too!�

Claudine sighed sadly,
closing her eyes to try and stop her tears from coming. Isn�t there ANYTHING
she could do to please her friends? Or maybe they weren�t friends at all?

*   *   *

While waiting for her
daddy to come and pick her up, Claudy decided to climb up on the low brick wall
by the gate, and tried to walk on top of it, her arms spread out for balance.
She played a little, walking back and forth, humming to herself a littleg
sg
she had made up.

�Hello, sweetie.� A
voice came from behind her, a woman�s voice. She turned and looked down at a
woman, thirty or so,ringring a black suit and holding a thick folder. The woman
looked down at her folder, at a picture attached to it, and then turned to
smile up at the girl. �Are you Claudine?� She asked, smiling sweetly.

Claudine managed to sort
of nod. She wasn�t really supposed to talk to strangers.

�Hello, Claudine. My
name is Patricia Clark. I work for city hall. I�m here to speak with you.�

�I�m not allowed to talk
to strangers.� Claudy informed her, preparing to continue her game.

Claudy shook her head,
still playing.

�Well, our job is to
make sure that children have a good home.�

�My home is good.�
Claudy informed her casually.

�Well, that is what I
want to talk to you about. Can you answer a few questions?�

�I�m waiting for my
daddy. He�s supposed to pick me up now.�

�Does he always pick you
up from school?�

Claudy nodded. She saw
the woman look down at her watch and then around at the empty schoolyard. She
frowned, looking back up at the girl. �And is he always this late?�

Claudy shrugged,
continuing to walk back and forth on the brick wall. �Sometimes he�s tired, so
it takes him a while longer to walk all the way from work. But he always
comes.�

�Is he always tired?�

�He works really hard.�

The woman nodded,
writing something in her folder. �And when he picks you up from school, what do
you do then?�
Claudy sighed, a little
annoyed from all the questions. But she didn�t have anything better to do,
so... �Well, if it�s Friday, then we go shopping and sometimes we get pizza and
bring it home. If it�s a normal day then we go home and then I do my homework
and play and have dinner.�

�Does your daddy help
you with your homework?�

Claudy nodded, biting
her lower lip, nearly loosing balance as she continued to play. �Well,
sometimes he goes to sleep until it�s time to make dinner, then I have to wait
with my questions. Or sometimes he�s too busy working on the computer, so I
don�t want to bug him.�

�Uh hu.� The woman let
out thoughtfully, writing again. �And does he always cook do do you eat pizza
a lot?�

�Nah, my daddy cooks.
He�s a really goook; ok; you should come and taste his food! We only have pizza
when he�s really REALLY tired. But it doesn�t matter HOW tired he is, he ALWAYS
reminds me to take my pills. He thinks I will forget, but I don�t.�

Again the woman smiled. �Did
he remind you to take your pills last week, Claudine?� She asked, face now
grim.

Claudy stopped in her
tracks, and looked down at the lady, gaze piercing. �It�s not his fault I got
sick again. He told me to take the pills, but I didn�t because... because there
weren�t any. It�s not his fault!�

�Why weren�t there any
pills? Did he forget to buy them?�

�No! NO!� The girl
called angrily, stomping her foot on the brick wall. �He didn�t know they were
out... I didn�t tell him. It�s not his fault!� She jumped off the fence,
landing right in front of the lady, glaring up at her. �He�s a good daddy! Why
does everybody think he�s bad?! He�s good! He really is!� She cried, wiping her
tears away quickly.

The woman looked down at
her in sympathy, placing her hand on the small shoulder. �No body�s saying that
he isn�t. But you got really sick, Claudine, and we need to know why.�

�It�s not his fault!�
Claudy continued crying, looking up at he lady with tearful eyes. �He works
very hard to get the money... and... and he doesn�t have enough to eat and...
and he didn�t buy shaving cream and his toothbrush is broken, but he won�t buy
a new one!� She wept, wiping her tears furiously, but they just kept on coming.
�And he�s always so sad... I didn�t want to tell him so he won�t be any sadder!
And the ladies, they come but they don�t help! They just come and leave, all
the time, and he�s so tired!�

By now, the lady�s face
turned into a mask of stone. She brought the girl closer to her, hugging her
with one hand, while the other stroked her hair. �Claudy, would you say that
your daddy needs help?�

Sniffling and wiping her
last tears away, Claudy nodded. She looked up at the lady, indigo eyes
shimmering with tears. �Can you help my daddy?�

The woman just tapped on
her head lightly, and wiped her small tears away with a white handkerchief.
�I�m gonna try, okay?�

Claudine smiled weakly
in response.

�Are you going to be all
right? Do you want me to wait for you until your daddy comes?�

�No, it�s okay.� Claudine
answered with a light smile.

�All right then, I have
to go.� The woman informed her, looking down at her wristwatch. Claudine
watched her leave in her car and then returned to wait for her father, hoping
the tears will dry until he�ll get there, so he won�t know that she cried.

*   *   *

�Angela invited me to
her place.� Claudine stated quietly over dinner.

�That�s nice.� Her
father commented, bringing his fork up to his mouth. �Do you want to go?�

�Hmm hmm.� She answered,
nodding.

�But I thought you
didn�t like Angela.�

�She�s all right most of
the time. It�s just that she thinks she deserves everything.�

Heero chuckled lightly
at the insight.

�It�s not right for
people to want EVERYTHING. They should be happy with what they have, right?�

Her father smiled at
her, eyes shinning with pride. �But it�s okay to want something, remember
that.�

�I know.� She answered
casually, digging into her salad. �So are you gonna take me?�

�Uh, it depends when,
Claudy. I got a lot of work to do.�

�Is tomorrow okay?� She
looked up at him hopefully. �It�s Friday, so I can go to her straight after
school.�

�You don�t want to go
shopping with me?�

�Just this once, I
promise.� She let out, looking away, suddenly feeling as if she had hurt him.

But he just nodded and
smiled. �All right. Tomorrow is good. How about you ask her to��

The phone rang, and
Heero looked up, sighing.

�I�ll get it!� She
hurried to say and before he could protest, she jumped out of her chair and ran
to the living room, answering the phone.

It was a woman, and she
recognized her voice. It was that Patricia lady from before. She was asking for
her daddy. �It�s for you.� She said, as if it wasn�t obvious, and handed the
phone to her father, who was just coming from the kitchen.

�Go finish your meal,
Claudy.� He said when he took the phone from her.

Claudy walked back to
her seat.

�Hello?�

She watched as her
father�s features slowly paled, as the woman probably introduced herself.

�Yes, that�s right.� He
answered quietly, glancing up at Claudy. He listened to the lady once more, and
then spoke with a sigh. �What about?�

Claudy pretended to be
looking at her plate as her father�s eyelids slowly closed, and he turned so
his back was facing her. He brought he receiver closer to his mouth, speaking
more silently, but she could still hear his faltering voice.

�No, no. I can explain.
There�s no need for you to�� Again he listened to the lady, his shoulders
tensing. �Yes.� He finally answered sadly. �But it�s---� Again he was
interrupted, and he sent a quick, sad, glance up at Claudine, before turning
again. �Yes. Tomorrow will be fine.� He answered with a sigh. �Yes, the address
is correct.�

Was the lady coming
over? Claudy wondered, looking puzzled. But she told the lady everything was
fine! Why does she have to come and make her daddy sad too?

�You too, miss.
Goodbye.� Heero finished the call, and put the receiver down. He kept looking
down at the phone, eyes dull, body numb. She heard him take a deep breath,
probably trying to calm down before he turned to face her. She followed his
slow movements with her gaze, watching him as he walked back to the table, and
sat down. He just kept sitting there, unmoving, his eyes sad and haunted.

�Finish your meal.� He
mumbled when the little girl didn�t stop looking up at him.

Claudy sighed and did as
told, not daring to look up from her plate. They continued to eat under heavy
and suffocating silence.

*   *   *

Friday afternoon, and
Claudy was holding her father�s hand, standing in the bus station in front of
their building. Angela�s house was pretty far away, and her daddy didn�t want
her to walk that far, so he offered they take the bus. While she loved the idea
of riding the bus, she knew that he will probably walk all the way back home,
to save money, and it spoiled her fun.

She felt her daddy let
go of her hand as he checked his wristwatch for the billionth time, taking a
deep breath as if to calm his nervousness. She looked down at the footpath as
she heard him tap his foot on the stone pavement. Sighing, she looked at Emily,
held secured in her arms, her long, curly, red hair teased by the wind. She
petted her doll�s head, trying to ignore her father�s growing tension.

A few minutes later and
the bus arrived. They waited for a few passengers to come off, and while
Claudine walked up to the bus, climbing right after her father who was
currently paying the driver, she bumped into someone and dropped Emily.

�Sorry!� She apologized,
looking at the woman who she had bumped into. She was bending down to pick up
Emil from the floor.

�No worries, it was my
fault.� At the sound of her voice, Claudine realized that it was not a �her� at
all. It was a man. Smiling sheepishly at her mistake, she smiled at the
longhaired Mister who was handing her the doll.

He smiled back at her,
and then proceeded in getting off the bus.

�C�mon, Claudy.� Her
father called, reaching for her hand. She took it, mind numb as she they walked
to the back of the bus, her eyes glued to the young man she had just bumped
into. He was standing in the bus station, looking down at a piece of paper in
his hand, and then up at their building. As the bus drove away, she saw him
walk up to their building. It was so funny. She thought he was a girl. That
long braid of his sure confused her. She wondered why a boy would have such
long hair. It was even longer than hers!

�Daddy, can boys have
long hair?� She asked, turning away from the window and looking at her father.

Heero nearly flinched at
the question. �If they want to.�

�Oh.� She let out
thoughtfully, realizing that he will not elaborate on the subject. He just kept
looking down at his watch, his foot still tapping nervously on the floor.

*   *   *

They walked the short
distance from the bus station and to Angela�s house. As they got nearer, Claudy
was beginning to have second thoughts. What if Angela�s mom won�t let her in,
because she was here with her daddy? What if she�ll yell at her daddy and say
mean things to him? What if this was a bad idea, and her daddy will only get
sadder?

She hugged Emily close,
squeezing her father�s hand, wishing to God that everything would be okay.

They arrived to a large,
three story, house, which was surrounded by a beaul gul garden and a two-car
driveway. There was a large, red, jeep parked there, along with a shiny
Mercedes. They walked up to the large wooden door, and Claudy stayed close to
her daddy, holding his hand tightly, afraid of what will come.

Heero knocked on the
door quietly, taking a deep breath as he heard the lock turn.

A woman opened the door,
smiling. She was obviously Angela�s mother. She was also blonde and had the
appearance of a Barbie doll. She was wearing an apron over her colorful
flowered dress, and was holding a kitchen towel in her hands. Once she saw who
was standing at her door, her smile quickly faded.

�Hello.� She greeted
coldly, her piercing green eyes looking Heero up and down.

�Hi.� He replied weakly,
pushing Claudy forward a bit. �Will it be all right if I pick her up at eight?�

The woman examined the
little girl, who was looking up at her with a pair of intense violet-blue eyes.
She forced on a smile and looked back up at Heero. �Sure. The other girls are
already here.�

Claudine noticed that
she was speaking very quickly, as if out of breath, and she kept wiping her
sweaty hands with the kitchen towel. Her face was also a little flushed, her
shoulders tense.

Looking over at her
father, she thought he looked a little tense as well. Maybe even a little...
shy? Is that it? Was he embarrassed? From Angela�s mommy?! But why? Once they
were such good friends... She came to visit her daddy EVERY week.

�Go on, Claudy. Have
fun.� Her father encouraged her, nudging her gently into the house. �I�ll be
here at eight, okay?�

She merely nodded, still
eyeing the lady suspiciously, an image of Tracy�s mom suddenly flashing in her
head, but she had no idea why. They didn�t even look alike. She shrugged it off
and stepped into the house.

�Victoria!� A male voice
called from within the house and Angela�s mom flinched, clutching her fists
around towel.

�Well, good day to you.�
She hurried to say her goodbye, unable to look into the young man�s eyes.

�You too.� He mumbled,
already backing away.

She hurried to close the
door behind him, and ran back to the kitchen.

�I think the cake is
burning.� The voice called again and Claudy saw Victoria run into the kitchen,
where Angela�s dad was, sitting in his wheelchair. She walked past the kitchen
and up to Angela�s room, where sounds of laughter greeted her.

�Hey Claudy!�

�Cool doll!�

*   *   *

�Good afternoon.� Patricia
greeted as Heero opened the door for her.

�Um, yeah, hi.� He
managed to somehow reply, opening the door wide enough for her to enter. He
took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he saw her standing there, a
briefcase in one hand and a folder in the other, just looking around at the
apartment.

�Sorry about the mess. I
just came back from work.� He explained apologetically, picking some toys off
the couch.

�It�s all right.� She
assured him, smiling, sitting down in an armchair Heero had just cleared up for
her. �I usually clean up my place on Fridays too. You should see it in
weekdays, it�s a horrid mess!�

Heero forced himself to
chuckle at the small joke, but he was too nervous to really do so. He sat down
on the sofa, rubbing his sweaty palms against his knees, trying to dry them
off.

�Well,� The woman began,
adjusting her glasses, crossing her legs one other, folder and pen in hand.
�Like I told you earlier on the phone, we have been keeping an eye on you two
ever since Claudy ended up in the hospital. Twice.�

Heero winced, looking
away in shame.

Clark sighed, looking at
him intensely, tapping her pen on her folder. �I�ve spoken to Claudine the
other day, about how things are at home.�

Heero�s head jerked up
and he looked at her, eyes wide.

�By what I heard from
her, I feel that there�s is a need for further investigation.�

�I don�t hurt her.� He
hurried to say.

�No one is accusing you
of hurting her, Mr. Yuy.�

�And she�s well fed and
clothed... I give her everything she needs! I... I take care of her. I really
do...� He continued to mumble, eyes filling with unshed tears, voice weak and
faltering. �I did everything I said I will... just like I promised. You can�t
take her away from me!�

Patricia swallowed,
looking sorrowfully at the weeping man. �I�m not saying that we�ll take her
away.�

�I�m good to her. I
really am... I give her everything she needs...�

The woman sighed
heavily, leaning back in the chair. She placed her pen thoughtfully on her
lips, looking at Heero in calculated look. �What about what you need,
Heero?�

At that, he fell silent,
his gaze dropping down, looking at his fidgeting hands. He sniffled, and wiped
the tears away, taking a deep breath in order to calm down.

�I don�t need to ask
Claudy to know that you are not doing so well, Heero. It�s clearly showing.�

�It doesn�t matter. I�m
used to it.� He muttered, still not looking up at her.

Patricia sighed again.
She looked down at her folder, flipping through some pages, reading some lines
here and there. �When we started this, you agreed to all of our terms. The
doctors, the pills, the schools, everything. We had no doubt that you will take
care of her every need, but you seemed to have forgotten a part of our deal.�

Heero closed his eyes
sadly.

�The part that says you have
to take care of yourself as well. What good will it do if Claudy will lose
another father?� She felt her heart clench as the man across the room flinched.
She sighed, leaning forward, elbows resting on her knees, supporting her chin.
�You need to start taking care of yourself, Heero. In the rate you�re going,
you�re soon to collapse. It�s not the war anymore. You don�t live for yourself
anymore. You have Claudine to think about too.�

�I know that...� He
whispered and looked up at her with tearful eyes. �I�m doing the best I can.�

�But it�s not good
enough.�

Heero whimpered, his
head dropping down in defeat. He buried his face in his hands, trying to regain
his composure. �What else can I do?�

At that broken question,
Patricia leaned back in the chair, her back upright, two arms on the arm sets,
her fingers digging into them. She switched her legs, uncrossing and them
crossing them again, looking down at the broken man with a weird gleam in her
eyes.

�One weekend.�

Heero looked up at her,
confused.

�One weekend with me,
and I�ll make them forget the whole thing.�

Heero just gaped at her,
eyes wide with shock.

Patricia smirked. �You
have quite a reputation in this town, Mr. Yuy. I think you know what I�m
talking about.�

At her cold expression,
he let his gaze down in shame. �How can you... how can you possibly ask this of
me? Is this what this is all about? What about Claudy? Isn�t she more
important?�

The woman�s stony face
remained, and her eyes kept bearing holes into him. Her leg tilted up and down,
over and over, in an impatient motion.

Heero sighed heavily,
looking down at the floor again. �What guarantee do I have that you will keep
your part of the deal?�

The woman smirked. �I
guess you don�t. But you will have the power to ruin my reputation if you�ll
speak about it.�

Heero chuckled bitterly.
�Hn. Very funny. I may ruin your reputation, but then my crimes will be exposed
and I�ll loose Claudy anyway.�

Again the woman smirked.
�Guess you�re right. Is that why you haven�t told on any of the other women?�

Heero shook his head and
looked up at her, eyes firing. �I don�t want to be responsible for the breaking
of more families. Those women come to me, and it�s their business. I�m
not going to be the one who will take responsibility for their actions.�

�Hmm.� Clark let out,
smiling again. Her features soften and she bent down, putting her folder into
her briefcase.

Heero watched her,
shocked.

�You�re a good man,
Heero.� She spoke, getting up, tucking her small briefcase under her armpit.
�And I know that you�re a good father. Consider the case closed.� She sent him
a last smile, before she let herself out.

Heero just kept sitting
there, frozen, staring numbly at the door.

*   *   *

�Did your daddy bring
you here?� Angela asked matter-a-factly as she brushed Emily�s hair.

Claudine nodded, sitting
on Angela�s large pink bed, watching the blonde girl as she played with her
doll.

�I hope my dad yelled at
him.�

�No he didn�t!� Claudy
burst, jumping off the bed.

The other girls in the
room looked up from their games, watching the two rivals glaring at each other.

Angela snorted and
shrugged, turning back to the doll. �Well, he should. He doesn�t like your
daddy either.�

�That�s because my daddy
was a good friend of your mommy and your daddy wasn�t!� Claudine spat back,
anger flaring in her deep purple eyes.

Angela gasped painfully
and whirled around to glare at her, face pale. �Well... well... well I should
hate you too, because... because you made my parents fight all the time!�

�No I didn�t! I didn�t
do anything!� Claudy cried back, fighting back the tears.

�Yes you did! It�s
because your daddy is a slut!�

Shocked gasps were heard
in the room as the little girls gaped at Angela, shocked at her language.

�Angela, you�re not
allowed to say that about anyone...� One of the girls mumbled, face pale.

�Why not? That�s what my
dacallcalled her daddy.� The girl answered snobbishly, still brushing
the doll�s red hair.

�You can�t call him a
slut! Don�t call him that!� Claudy screamed in anger, yanking Emily out of the
girl�s grasp.

�What�s a slut?� Another
girl asked, confused.

�It�s something bad that
you�re not allowed to call people.� A different girl answered, glaring at
Angela for swearing.

�Not it isn�t,� Angela
protested. �You can call Claudine�s dad a slut.�

�SHUT UP BONEHEAD!!!�
Claudine threatened, hitting the blonde�s head with her doll. �Shut up! You�re
mommy is a slut! You�re a slut! Everyone here is a slut and I�m not going to be
your friend anymore!!� She yelled, sobbing. �I�m not gonna play with you
anymore! I hate you! I hate you!!!� She grabbed her doll and ran out of the
room, nearly tripping as she ran down the stairs.

�Claudine? What�s
wrong?� Victoria asked as she ran past the kitchen.

Claudine didn�t answer
and just ran out of the house, crying. She didn�t need them anymore. She didn�t
need people who called her daddy bad names! She didn�t need them at ALL. All
she really needed was her daddy. That�s all. She knew he was not the bad man
everyone said he was. She knew that. And she won�t be hanging around with
people who called him bad names. Not anymore. She had thought that Angela was
somehow okay, deep inside, but she was wrong. She could see how much the girl
hated her. How she used her and pushed her around. She will have none of that
anymore. None of that!!!

�Claudine?� A small
voice called from behind.

Claudine, who was
sitting on the edge of the footpath, crying, didn�t even bother to look up. �Go
back and play Sarah. You don�t have to come...�

�But I want to.� The
small raven-hairedl sal said, coming to sit by Claudine, hugging her knees. �I
don�t want to be with Angela. She says bad words.�

Claudine chuckled
bitterly. �And she doesn�t even know what they mean...�

�Do you?� Sarah asked
hesitantly.

Claudy shook her head.
�But I don�t care WHAT they mean! She was cruel for saying it in the first
place!� She sighed and looked down, hugging her knees and leaning her chin on
them. �I�m not gonna be her friend anymore.�

�Me too.� Sarah agreed,
smiling slightly and putting a hand over Claudy�s shoulder. �I never liked the
way I had to push her swing all the time...�

�Hey...� Another voice
called from behind, and both girls turned. Their eyes widened as they saw Tracy
standing there, looking apologetically at them.

�What do you want?�
Claudy snarled, glaring at her.

�I�m sorry, Claudine. I
didn�t like it when she said bad things about your daddy.� The girl sighed and
took a step closer, her head bowed. �She used to make fun of me, because I
don�t have a daddy anymore.� She looked up at them, anger in her pretty green
eyes. �And I don�t like it when she says bad things about other people�s
daddies!�

�Tada!� Duo called as he
bounced over to the two, holding a HUGE white teddy bear in his arms. �There ya
go!� He said, handing the bear to Claudy and ruffling the top of her head.

�Thanks daddy Duo!� She
called and hugged him tightly, still holding the bear, which had made it quite
difficult.

�How about we try the
roller costar next?� Duo offered as he loaded little Claudy over his shoulders,
and Heero took the bear.

�Oh no, she just ate.
She is NOT going on the roller coaster.� Heero remarked, shaking his head.

�Oh! Why not?!� Both Claudy and Duo whined.

Heero rolled his eyes.
�Maybe later.� He promised, not wanting to look like �the bad guy�.

�Can we try the bumping
cars then, daddy?� Claudy asked, looking down at her daddy, eyes pleading.

Heero nodded.

�Alright!� She called
and Duo let her down quickly, before she�ll jump off of him. He watched her run
towards the bumping cars section, and chuckled.

�Where on L2 did she get
all that energy from, eh?� He muttered, shaking his head.

�From her father.� Heero
snarled with half a smile, walking beside Duo.

�Oh? Really? Which one?�
Duo asked slyly, taking Heero�s hand in his as they walked. He looked down at
the two sparkling objects in their laced fingers, watching as the golden rays
of the setting sun shone on the two golden rings. He smiled.

�Hn. Baka.� Heero
snorted and rolled his eyes, squeezing Duo�s hand tightly.

�Ah, well, guess it runs
in the family...� Duo replied smoothly, leaving Heero�s hand and putting it
over his husband�s shoulder. He leaned his head towards Heero�s and whispered
in his ear. �Hey... Hee-chan..?� He nibbled softly at Heero�s earlobe.

�Hmmm?� Heero purred,
closing his eyes, tilting his head back a little.

Duo smiled slyly,
exhaling into Heero�s ear. �Race you to the cars...� He whispered so
seductively, that it took Heero a few seconds to comprehend what he had just
said.

�HEY!� He called as Duo
opened in a run, disappearing in the same direction Claudy had just did. �Chk!
Baka!� He grunted, but ran after him anyway, following the sound of Claudy�s
laughter, where Duo probably was.

�Ha ha ha! Daddy!
Hahahaha... Daddy! Tell daddy Duo to stop tickling me! Hahahahaha!�

Heero smiled and shook
his head, approaching the two. Duo was holding Claudine up in the air, tickling
the poor thing until she was out of breath.

�Hahahahahahaha! Hey!
Stop it! Hahahahahaha!�

�Duo, that�s enough.�
Heero reproached, trying to get Claudy out of him grasp.

�Ooh... trying to mess
with me, are you, Hee-chan?� He asked, eyes sparkling in amusement. He looked
down at Claudy and winked. �Why won�t we teach daddy a lesson, ehy?�

Claudy grinned as he put
her down. Both winked at each other in silent agreement, and Heero knew that
they were up to no good.

�Oh no you don�t...� He
warned, staggering back when they looked up at him, mischief in their eyes.
�Stay away...� He threatened, but smiled nevertheless.

�Charge!� Duo called and
the two leaped forward, running at Heero. The poor man tried to run away and
avoid their tickling fingers, but Duo jumped up at him, tackling him to the
ground.

�Tickle attack!� Claudy
called as she too jumped at him, tickling him everywhere.

�Hahahahahaha! Get off!
Hahaha! Get off! Duo! Omea o korusu! Hahahaha! Stop it... Claudy...
Hahahahaha...�

Claudine just grinned
and continued to tickle her daddy as he struggled to break free. His rich and
bubbly laughter was like music to her ears. She could never get enough of him
laughing.

�Hahahahaha! Duo! I�m
going to kill you!�

*   *   *

Claudy held onto her
daddy�s hand, looking around in pride. They were standing in the entrance of
the concert hall, where Claudy�s annual recital was taking place. She looked
down at the mfamifamilies around, eyes glistering with joy.

�Found our seats!� She
heard a voice call at her and her daddy, and turned around to look at the
speaker. She smiled as she saw him hold their tickets and a program, and in his
second hand, a bag of popcorn.

�Chk! Baka, this isn�t a
movie, it�s a ballet recital...� Heero snorted, squeezing Claudy�s hand.

Duo pouted. �But they
were selling it right outside...�

Claudy giggled at his
whining voice. She looked up at her daddy and grinned as she saw him trying to
stifle a smile. He then turned to her, kneeling down, her hand still in his.
�Go on now, Claudy. I�ll see you at the break, okay?�

�Ah shit! How do you
turn this thing on?!� Duo�s voice called, while he fumbling with his digital
camcorder, inspecting it from everywhere, scratching his head and frowning.
�Ah... heck!�

Claudy chuckled and
shook her head. �Take the cover off the lens, daddy Duo!� She called, and Heero
chuckled.

�Oh!� Duo let out as he
did just that. �Fancy that...�

Again Heero shook his
head in amusement and turned back to face the little girl. �Try to give him a
good show, eh? So he won�t rant about wasting money on the camera...� He spoke
in amusement. �We�ll be hearing about it for days...

12.0pt'>OWARI.

I know I usually don�t
ask for this, but- fanart will REALLY be appreciated...

Check out the scene that got �cut out� in the editing room...

Naomi

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Claudine