Helen shivered under the thin emergency blanket and pulled it more tightly around her body. The storm outside was slowing down; she could no longer hear the wind howling outside. Her Gundam was next to useless when it came to protecting her from the cold, especially since it was turned off. All it did was protect her from the wind. But the wind, Helen knew, was always the worst part of winter. She should know; she'd been living in Toronto for most of her life. She decided that she was very grateful her cockpit wasn't blown open to let the wind in.
Sighing, Helen sat up and stared at the controls of her Gundam. She turned on the power and tried to send out an emergency signal to the base. There was a beeping sound and Helen cursed as she looked at the monitors. The data displayed that all communications, radar, and tracking systems were down. There was no way for her to get word to the base. Worse than that, there was no way for her to tell if there was a place with shelter anywhere close. She turned on the monitors and saw that the storm had reduced itself to a light flurry.
She turned off the power again, gathered her emergency things from the storage compartment and opened the hatch. There was no use in staying there. She just hoped no one would find her Gundam. But, the area she had landed in was pretty isolated, she doubted that many people came through there.
She took a brief look around when she got outside, and found the general area where Jason had landed.
Her first order of business was to find him and make sure he wasn't dead. After that, they could come up with a way to get back to the base. She headed towards where Jason landed, not even looking back at the Gundam Tyrant, lying down in the middle of the trees.
~~~
Jason mumbled something inaudible as the girl named Brittney helped him to his feet.
"You're nuts," She scolded. "Why aren't you wearing a jacket in this weather? Didn't you know there's a blizzard headed this way?"
"No," Jason murmured.
"Well, you should at least know better than to wear jeans when it's this cold."
"Hun, why?" Jason wondered. He always wore jeans, no matter what the weather was like.
"Where are you from? The tropics? If you wear jeans in the cold they freeze up and give you a really nasty rash between your legs."
"Ouch,"
"Yeah, ouch," Brittney snorted. "It's no fun. People end up walking around with their legs spread apart like penguins."
Jason chuckled at this. "I'd like to see that."
"Wow, you really are from the tropics, aren't you?" Brittney asked, amazed.
"Something like that. I'm from Texas."
"Well, that explains a few things. But I haven't heard you say 'y'all' yet." She observed. "Sorry. Where are we going?" He asked, as Brittney continued to help him through the snow.
"There's a cabin not far from here." She explained. "You can contact whoever you're here with from there."
"I was here with Helen, but it was an accident." He said stubbornly.
"Yeah sure, whatever," Brittney rolled her eyes. She had no idea what he was babbling about. She heard someone speaking behind them.
A man's voice said, "I saw it land over here, hurry up guys!"
Brittney frowned and struggled to get them moving faster.
"Slow down, will ya? What's the rush?" Jason complained, stumbling through the snow.
"You're frostbitten," Brittney said. "We've got a first aid kit at the cabin. I can fix you up there."
"Frostbite? Is that why my fingers are turning purple?"
"Yes,"
"Ouch, frostbite hurts."
"I know. If it gets really bad, they might have to amputate."
Jason gulped, "My dad would kill me if I lost a finger."
Brittney started to laugh. "Don't be such a wimp. It's just minor frostbite on your ears and fingers, and possibly your toes. You'll be fine when you get to the cabin. It's nice and warm in there."
"Ok," Jason yawned. He was tired again, and he wanted to go back to sleep. But Brittney kept him moving quickly, gripping his arm tightly so he didn't fall face-first into the snow.
~~~
Heero, Duo, Wufei and Joel arrived back at the base first, since the other four were at the colony waiting for Noin's rescue shuttles. They had agreed to help getting all the civilians to another colony where they would be taken care of until they could get back on their feet.
All the civilians would be set up with temporary rooms there. All, that is, except for Alexis, who insisted on returning to the Preventor base with David. Her parents were very laid-back about the entire thing. They agreed that Alexis should be there to comfort David after the death of his foster parents.
When Joel arrived, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. They had failed their mission. The base was still there and they had destroyed a great deal of the enemy fighters, but not enough.
As soon as he appeared, his mother was there to sweep them all away to the infirmary for treatment. Joel didn't need treatment, but he did need rest. He wanted so badly just to curl up on the ground and sleep. The adults didn't complain when Sally told them all to get checked out in the infirmary wing, but his father was a little frustrated. Still, he knew better than to argue with his wife about those types of things. It was almost useless.
In the communications room, Noin and most of the girls were already trying to track down the fallen suits. Hilde, Dorothy, and Midii were hard at work, and didn't even look up as the others returned.
Duo returned from the infirmary and found his wife pounding the keys of her computer. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck. Hilde didn't even flinch.
"We'll find her, I promise." He whispered. He ran his hands through her now shoulder-length blue hair.
"You know Duo, sometimes I almost wish we hadn't found her again. At least then she wouldn't be in this mess."
"Hilde," Duo sighed. "You don't meant that." He gave her a hug and sat down next to her to help.
~~~
Gary wandered through the halls of the Preventor base. He was aware of what had happened to Jason and that girl, Helen. But he was rather upset because he had to squeeze the information out of people who were running around. No one came to inform him. He thought he had a right, as the man who fathered Jason for fourteen years, to know what was going on with him, but he thought wrong. These Preventors cared very little about some poor civilian from Earth. Pluto was padding down the hall at his side. At least the dog knew whom he belonged to. It seemed to Gary that his son was a little confused as to who his parents. He was immediately star-struck by his famous biological parents, but what did they ever do to raise him? Nothing! Gary was the one who bought him his first bike, bought him all his clothes, met his girlfriends, and dealt with the police on occasion. That was his job, and he was good at it, damn it!
He had at one point hoped that Jason would come to his sense, but he followed Heero's orders without question. Gary was a little jealous that Jason was much more obedient with Heero and Relena. But then again, Jason did what they wanted and now he was lost or possibly even dead because of it!
Fuming, Gary stormed down to his room to sit and worry about his son. He had already lost his wife; he didn't want to lose his entire family.
~~~
"This is just not my day," Helen muttered. She could feel the frostbite creeping upon her, and she rubbed her hands together to keep the circulation going. She had been travelling through the snow for hours, and still had not found anywhere for her to rest; and there was no sign of Jason’s Gundam either.
Grumbling about the cold, she stopped to warm her hands and feet. She didn’t have any more protective clothing, so she would have to make due with what she had. She felt sorry for Jason; he was wandering around in that muscle shirt.
Helen crossed her arms and buried her hands in her armpits to keep them warm. She ducked her head under the wind as she continued to trudge through the snow. Around her was a vast, endless forest of evergreens and birch trees, their white, papery bark flapping around in the wind as it peeled off the trunks. She knew it would be a bad idea for her to fall asleep now; she might not wake up. So, she kept going until she saw the welcomed sight of a trail of debris. Trees were crushed and the snow had been packed down or pushed aside. She followed the trail until it led her directly to the Gundam Morpha.
Squealing with delight, Helen raced for the Morpha and opened the hatch. "Jason?" She called. She looked inside but there was no one there. She looked around, but if there were any footprints, they were already covered by the snow.
Cursing, Helen crawled into the Gundam and closed the hatch. It was the best she could do. She needed to rest now. After she regained her energy, she would set out to find Jason once again. She just hoped the enemy hadn’t found him yet.
~~~
What Brittney described as a cabin, was actually a rather large log house. It was well heated and cozy, with many windows and skylights to catch the sun at any given time of day. Of course, the sun was almost nowhere in sight at the moment.
Brittney brought him through the double doors at the front and sat him down in front of the already lit fireplace on a huge armchair.
On the floor in front of him was a rug made out of some sort of animal pelt, and a few deer heads hung on the walls.
"My dad used to hunt," Brittney explained when she saw him eyeing the trophies. "Those were some of his prized catches."
Jason nodded and mumbled something under his breath. He held his hands near the fire as he watched Brittney strip off the winter garments.
She pulled off the red coat and hung it up, and then she shed the woolen hat, which was now sopping wet with melted snow. In her hair were half-melted crystals of snow and ice. Underneath that, she was wearing snow pants overtop of black corduroy pants. Jason realized that she had on layers of clothes under her coat as well, and at least three pairs of socks and gloves. But despite the heavy clothing, her face had taken on a pinkish glow and she sniffled a bit; like her nose was runny.
"It wasn’t that cold out there, was it?" He asked as he saw the amount of clothing she had on.
"I was out there for a long time, I was skiing with some my friends. You’re lucky I found you on my way back, or you could have froze to death." She disappeared for a moment and brought him a blanket and a first aid kit. She went right to work bringing back the circulation in his fingers.
"Is this your place?" He asked, before coughing into his shoulder.
"Yeah," Brittney answered. "I used to come up here with my mom all the time, now I just come up here sometimes to visit friends."
"What happened to your mom?" Jason wondered.
Brittney lowered her eyes. "She’s dead." She answered quietly.
"Oh, I’m sorry." Jason sighed. "My mom’s dead too. Well, at least my foster mom is."
"You were adopted?"
"Yeah."
"Hm," Brittney had nothing to say to that.
"So where is everyone? Are you here by yourself?" Jason wondered, as he looked around the huge but empty home. His vision was clearing a bit, but it came with nasty headache.
"For now I am." Brittney answered.
"Isn’t that kinda lonely?"
"Yea, but I spend a lot of time with my friends, so it’s not that bad."
"Shouldn’t your dad be up here with you or something?"
Brittney snorted. "My dad is a lazy asshole who spends all his time picking his nose and getting women pregnant."
"Uh…I take it you two don’t get along."
"I’ve only met him once."
"Oh, so if he’s so lazy, why does he have this huge house for you to live in? And why do you have his kills hanging on the wall?"
"Those weren’t shot by my father."
"But you said…"
"The man that shot those is the man I have accepted as my father since I was five years old." She snapped. "Now if you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about it."
"Yeah, sure. I understand." He looked up at Brittney and finally got a chance to study her. She was tall and slender, with slight curves, but nothing extremely voluptuous like Jasmine. Her straight red-brown hair was long and came down to just past her shoulders. Hey eyes were big and bright, in a rich shade of amber that he had never seen before. The lashes were thick, and her heart-shaped face complemented her full lips and perfectly curved nose incredibly.
Jason grinned; he was incredibly lucky to be saved by an adorable ski-bunny. Still, he thought, she’s not Helen.
Brittney stood up and disappeared into what looked like a kitchen. Also nicely decorated with cedar floors and furnishings, an island in the middle and trimmed with all the accessories. Whoever provided for the girl was doing a good job.
Jason looked up and stared at the rafters in the high ceiling. He wouldn’t mind living there, that was for sure.
"I’m making some hot chocolate." Brittney announced. "Can you feel your fingers yet?"
Jason looked at his fingers and wiggled them a bit. The color of the tips had turned from purple to blue, and was gradually returning to their original color. "Yeah, thanks Brittney."
"No problem, uh…" She stopped. "Oh my god! I don’t even know your name!"
Jason chuckled. "Jason," He introduced himself, holding out his frozen hand.
"Brittney." Brittney took his hand, shook it, and then paused. "You’re hands are like ice!" She exclaimed. She quickly shoved his hands under the blanket he was currently wrapped in and then dashed off to get the hot chocolate.
Jason smiled and leaned back in the armchair. He would enjoy this place for a while; Helen would never fuss over him like that. He decided to milk it for as long as he could.
~
"So, is there any way we can contact this Helen person you say you were with?" Brittney asked as she sipped the last of her hot chocolate. She was sitting on the couch next to Jason’s armchair and holding up a quiet conversation with him.
"I don’t know, her communication system probably isn’t working. What kind of equipment do you have here?"
"Just a phone," She laughed.
Jason sighed, that wouldn’t do. He needed a proper satellite communicator to contact the base in outer space.
"Well, I’m sure she’s probably looking for you. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to."
"Really? Thanks Brittney." Jason smiled. "I appreciate it."
Brittney smiled back, and then saw him shiver. "Are you cold? You can come sit over here closer to the fire." She patted the seat next to her on the couch.
Jason thought this over for a moment. If went and sat over there, he might not be able to keep himself from flirting, even if he was trying to snag Helen. But then again, Helen wouldn’t care, and she wasn’t there so there was no harm. Jason grinned and sat down next to Brittney on the couch. He stared at the fire in silence for a moment, before it was beginning to become awkward. He shifted his attention to her face, and the way the firelight danced off it. Jason smirked to himself; Helen or not, the girl was almost irresistible.
Brittney noticed him looking at her. "What?" She asked.
"Nothing," Jason sighed, he decided to start up a conversation with her.
"So who pays for all this?" He asked, eyeing the house.
Brittney smirked. "My substitute father, Armand."
"Armand hun? He takes good care of you."
"He always has, since my mom died."
"What about your real dad? What happened between you guys?"
Brittney sighed before she decided to share. "My father was forced to marry my mother after he got her pregnant. But before I was born, she found out the marriage was not legal because he was already married with two kids. My mom was furious, and I guess kinda stupid too. She really loved that pig, but after she found out, she dumped his sorry ass and got on with her life. She raised me on her own until she was killed when I was about five. She had been dating Armand for a while then, when it happened. After she died, Armand decided to take care of me. When I was eleven, I learned about what my father had done to my mother, but I wanted to meet him for myself; I wanted to know the truth…" She paused.
"And…" Jason urged.
"And I got the truth." Brittney laughed bitterly. "He has two other kids, a boy and a girl. Both by different mothers. He spends all his time sitting in front of the TV while his son sends him money. The entire time I was there, he hardly said anything to me. I asked him about my mother, and his exact words were ‘I would have killed her myself if I had to stay with her any longer’." Brittney’s eyes started to water. "He said the only thing she was good for was in bed. I couldn’t even stand to think of him after that for a long time. Armand took care of me, like he always had."
"I’m sorry," Jason sighed. He let Brittney fall into his arms and he gave her his shoulder to cry on. "I really shouldn’t have brought it up."
"No, it’s OK Jason. I don’t mind. It just…hard to remember it sometimes." She wiped her tears away and laughed. "You must think I’m such a crybaby. I’m sorry for breaking down like that. It must have made you really uncomfortable."
"No, not really," Jason admitted. "I don’t mind at all. It’s not a sin to cry, you know."
"Yeah…thanks Jason." She looked at her watch and sighed. "It’s late. I’ll show you the guest room, you can stay there tonight."
"Ok," Jason got up off the couch, followed her to the staircase, and then up to the second level. She showed him the guestroom that was complete with his own bathroom, and said goodnight. Then she disappeared into the darkness down the hall.
When Brittney got down the hall and into her own room, she carefully picked up the phone and dialed it.
~~~
"I hate snow!" Helen cried loudly as she stepped out of the Gundam Morpha and continued on her way. The wind had died down, but the temperatures had dropped dramatically since night had fallen. Cursing and shivering, Helen kept walking through the snow, lifting her feet as high as she could to get through the deep drifts. Where the hell was she? Somewhere far north, that was for sure. She decided that she didn't like the north. She looked at the endless forest ahead of her and sighed.
She was about to keep walking when something caught her eye. She looked up and saw a faint flickering light of a house or something not too far away. Jumping with joy, she started to run, as fast as she could manage, towards the far away lights. People at last! Maybe they would have a way for her to contact the base, and then help her find Jason so they could get out of there.
~~~
Jason was awakened early the next morning by the sounds of shuffling coming from downstairs. Groaning and complaining to himself about having to wake up early, he crawled out of bed and pulled on his muscle shirt and jeans and went down the stairs.
Brittney was there, pulling on her winter gear.
"Where are you going?" Jason mumbled tiredly. He noted that the sun had still not risen. It was way too early to be going out.
"Well it's about time you woke up." She grinned. "Come on, you wanna see something cool?"
"Hun? Why are you going out so early in the morning?"
"It's not early in the morning, and I'll show you."
"But, it looks kinda cold out there."
"Oh, here." She sighed as she threw a coat and other warm clothing at him. Mumbling in defeat, Jason pulled them on and followed Brittney outside.
"What time is it?" He asked as he followed Brittney outside.
"Mm, about ten o'clock in the morning. Why?" she said as she slipped on her gloves.
"What! Then why the hell is the sun still not up?"
"Stupid, in this part of the world and at this time of the year, the sun is only up for about six hours a day. And half the time, that is in the middle of the night."
"This is so messed up." Jason groaned. "Where am I anyway?"
"Brittney chuckled, "The Yukon Territory, in what used to be Canada."
"Canada! No wonder it's so cold!'
Brittney only sighed as she walked out onto the back deck and sat down in her chair.
Jason kept his head ducked under the icy wind as he followed her. "What is so interesting in your backyard?" He asked sourly.
"Well, why don't you look up and see?"
Jason slowly raised his head and nearly jumped out of his skin at what he saw. "Holy f*cking shit!" he cried in amazement. "What the hell is that?"
Brittney giggled and followed his gaze. "Aurora Borealis, The Northern lights. Most people agree that it is the most beautiful sight in the world."
"Wow," Jason gasped. He stared in awe at the gorgeous display of multi-colored lights in the sky. It looked like a curtain that stretched across the entire sky, swirled with oranges and reds. But was moving, like the curtain was swaying in the wind, and the colors shifted to violent reds and deep purples, the lights were moving frantically and shifted, they were so full of energy! The curtain continued to move and the color switched to blue and Jason could not peel his eyes away.
"I used to watch these lights all night with my mom." Brittney sighed. "It was the special thing that we did. I thought you might like to see them before you left."
"Wow, this is amazing! How the hell did those get there?"
"I don't want to bore you with scientific mumbo-jumbo about magnetic fields and shit like that. The truth is, no one knows for sure, and I don't care. Aren't they cool though?"
"Yeah, I can see now why they are considered the most beautiful sight in the world." Jason grinned and sat down on the loveseat next to her to watch them. "This is incredible…" There were no words to describe the sight. He knew Helen could probably see them from where she was too. He knew she would enjoy them as well. He almost wished she were there with him. He would have liked to see her face at that moment.
But then he realized he had someone better than Helen there with him. He had Brittney; she was cute, sweet, and tough. He liked Brittney alright, so why couldn't he get his mind off Helen? He shook his head clear and smirked at the beautiful redhead next to him. Oh yeah, at least Brittney actually liked him. There was no harm in flirting, no siree. He shifted closer to her on the loveseat and casually put his arm around her shoulder.
Brittney looked shocked as her face shot up to look at him. Jason just kept staring at the lights in the sky; he had to remain casual.
"Jason?"
"Thanks Brittney, this is really cool." He said to her, looking down at her for only a moment. Finally, Brittney gave up and sighed, leaning against his shoulder. Grinning from ear to ear, Jason leaned back and settled into a comfortable position. He was enjoying himself there, and he was going to sponge off this cutie's hospitality for as long as he could.
~~~
It was a few hours before David, Jasmine, Trowa and Quatre finally arrived back at the base. They had to stay at the colony until all the survivors were safely on their way, and then they had to figure out their own way of getting back to the base. David and Jasmine's Gundams were both in bad shape and would never make it all the way back to the base. Plus, they had Alexis to bring with them.
"Well, I wonder how Noin feels about having another civilian running around the base." Jasmine chuckled. "She certainly didn't react well to Seth."
"Noin's always been very concerned about the safety of the civilians." Quatre answered. "I'm sure she won't mind once she knows the situation.
"Yes, but until then…" Jasmine giggled as she hopped out of the carrier shuttle and went to unload her Gundam. There was already a swarm of mechanics waiting to fix it.
Jasmine noticed that the others had arrived before them. But that wasn't surprising, not only were Jasmine and the others further away, but they had been stalled as well.
"Hey guys!" Seth came running into the hanger. "Its about time you got here! Noin is already setting up a search party for Jason and Helen."
Jasmine looked up and smiled at the energetic redhead. "Well, then I guess we won't want to keep her waiting. I'll go report in for us." She turned behind her to David. "Dave, take care of the mobile suits for me will ya?"
"Sure thing, Jazz."
"Thanks." She hopped off the platform and ran past Seth to find Noin. Seth looked slightly confused before he turned and ran after her as well.
~
Jasmine quickly told Noin that they were back, and was excused to get some rest. Smiling, Jasmine thanked the older woman and started to go towards her dorm room. "I am so sore…" She moaned as she stretched her aching muscles. She was just arriving at the dorms when she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey Jasmine, wait up!"
Jasmine turned and saw Seth coming up behind her.
"What's the rush?" Seth asked.
Jasmine only sighed and walked into her room. Seth followed her. "Just a little stiff." Jasmine answered when she realized he wasn't about to leave her alone. "You're lucky you don't pilot a mobile suit." With that she fell backwards onto her bed and welcomed its softness.
"You guys were out there for a long time." Seth remarked, looking around her room. He finally chose to sit down next to her.
"Is that all you want; to make small talk?" Jasmine hissed. But to her surprise, Seth wasn't scared off like most people would be. Instead, he only laughed.
"Wow, you certainly are grumpy. I know the perfect remedy for that."
"Oh really?" Jasmine raised her eyebrows curiously. "Do tell,"
Seth grinned and cracked his knuckles. "A massage!"
"A massage?" Jasmine raised her eyebrows even more in question.
"Yeah, I have magic hands you know."
Jasmine couldn't help but giggle. It was such a pathetically obvious attempt at flirting. But then again, she hadn't been able to flirt for a long time, and Seth was a perfect person to brush up her skills on. It couldn't hurt, so she agreed. "OK, Mr. Magic hands, let's see if you speak the truth." She rolled over onto her stomach and allowed Seth the shakily place his hands on her shoulders.
Now I have him running scared… Jasmine thought with a sigh, and just when I was starting to have fun…
~
Seth was startled when she agreed to let him give her a massage to relax her tense muscles; but he was also thrilled. Oh yeah, this is the perfect way to get on her good side. Just as long as her father doesn't walk in on us... Seth cringed at the thought. In the short time that he had known Wufei Chang, he had learned not to piss off the stoic Chinese pilot.
Seth carefully placed his hands on Jasmine's shoulder and easily found the knots. He gently began to rub them and loosened the knots in her shoulders. He smiled as he heard Jasmine's moan of approval as he made his way down her back.
Seth moved all the way down to her lower back and then worked his way back up. He brought his hands up to the base of her neck, his thumbs making slow, steady circles on her shoulder blades. She was relaxing more now, and when Seth leaned over to see what she was doing, he realized that she had fallen asleep with a smile plastered on her lips.
Seth grinned and gave himself a pat on the back for a job well done. She looked so cute when she was sleeping too. Her expression was so very different from the one she upheld when she was awake. There were no secrets with someone who was sleeping. Seth studied her lips for a moment, examining every curve, every crease, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. He really, really wanted to know.
Gathering every ounce of courage he possessed, Seth leaned down, being careful to put as little weight as he could on the edge of the bed. He brushed a loose strand of ebony hair out of her face and softly pressed his lips against hers. They were so warm and inviting, he had to resist himself so he would not go further and wake her up. He didn't want to go through the embarrassment of her waking up to him kissing her. Not to mention the fury that he would surely face.
Flustered, Seth sat up quickly and quietly turned and left her room blushing.
If he had turned as he closed the door, even if only for a second to study her face, he would have seen Jasmine's smirk grow wider, and the twinkle in her eyes as she peeked at him before the door finally closed. Jasmine grinned and shifted her position to hide her face in her pillow. If anyone came in, she didn't want him or her seeing her grinning like a maniac in her sleep.
~~~
"Is this the base?" Alexis asked as she looked at the hanger and all the huge mobile suits.
"Yeah, this is the Preventor Outer Space Headquarters. It's where we've been for the last few months."
Alexis sighed and followed him out of the hanger. "Are you sure they don't mind me coming with you?" Alexis asked nervously.
"Don't worry about it, Alex. There are so many civilians running around here at the moment that I don't think you will bother anyone."
"A civilian? Is that what I am now?" Alexis growled.
David looked up at her, startled, and then was relieved to see that she was only kidding. The sparkle in her eye gave her away.
"You know that's not what I meant." David sighed, apologizing anyway. "Even though you're not a Preventor, there's no reason to think that you should be treated any differently from anyone else."
Alexis chuckled. "You're so cute, David."
David blushed and continued on his way through the halls.
"There you are David!" The two teens stopped suddenly and turned to come to face with Dorothy Catalonia-Winner.
"Hi mom," David said with a small smile. Dorothy eyed the two blushing sixteen-year-olds for a moment before she decided to speak. "I see you brought your girlfriend along." She chuckled.
"Girlfriend?" Alexis blushed.
"Why yes. Why else would you be here, kissing the sense out of my son?"
Now both David and Alexis went beet red. "Y-you saw that?" David stuttered.
"Oh yes, David, we saw it all." Dorothy smirked impishly. She had that glint in her eye that made most people nervous. "I just wanted to compliment you on that glorious battle." Dorothy gasped dramatically, getting a few slightly frightened glances from the teens. "It was truly beautiful."
"Thanks…mom…I was just going to show Alexis the quad."
"Wonderful idea David. I won't bother you. Just wanted to make sure you weren't dead."
"Yeah…sure mom." David grabbed Alexis's hand and started to pull her down the hall.
"Oh, and David?"
"Yeah?"
"Just make sure Wufei doesn't catch you doing what Joel and Indigo were doing in there the other day…"
"Hun? What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you hear?"
David sighed, most people didn't realize it, but Dorothy had a real weakness for gossip.
"Well, maybe you should ask Joel what they were doing." She laughed. "And get a picture, I want to see how red his face goes…" She thought abut that for a moment before she turned on her heel and walked away.
"Wait a second! Mom!" David called after her exasperatedly. He shared a look with Alexis and then shrugged off the strange encounter to bring her down to the quad. What could possibly be going on between Indy and Joel?
~~~
Joel waited until his mother was a safe distance away from the entire infirmary wing of the base to get up. He threw his blankets off and carefully peered out the door. His father and Heero were in another room just down the hall, and he would have to sneak past him. If they saw him going through the halls when he was supposed to be resting they would get suspicious. He could still recall his mother's words. She was so concerned about him that she forced him to go into one of the infirmary rooms and get some sleep.
Joel had noticed her tone and reluctantly agreed. After watching him pretend to sleep for a while, Sally had left to continue with the rest of her duties.
Now that he was free, Joel quickly dashed down the hallways, doing his best to avoid catching his father's attention. He crept down the hall and found the room he was looking for. He didn't even bother to knock as he threw open the door and let himself in.
She was sitting up in her bed, reading a book. Joel smiled as her head shot up and she looked at him in complete shock.
"Joel! You're OK! I was so worried that you were hurt. I heard what happened to Helen and Jason…"
Joel didn't answer her as he approached the bed, and sat on it, facing her. Indigo stopped talking for a moment to stare at him. "Joel I…"
This too, Joel ignored as he brushed a stray strand of hair of her face and pulled her against him for a demanding kiss. Indigo quickly gave in and returned it with equal enthusiasm.
However, when they broke apart, she started up her incessant babbling again. "Do you think Jason and Helen are OK?" she asked quickly. "What happened out there? What went wrong?"
Joel put a finger to her lips to silence her and then kissed her again. "Jason and Helen can take care of themselves." He said.
"What about the mission?" Indigo asked, this time barely above a whisper.
"It was a failure. We were lucky to get out alive. That sewer turkey tricked us. The database was just a trap."
"So then…Jason was right."
"Yes, unfortunately." Joel hissed. His face darkened as he thought of how they had been fooled.
Indigo's eyes also narrowed. "I should have been there to help. If I hadn't gone back for that disk, I would be OK right now and I could have helped you."
"There wouldn't have been much you could do." Joel said. "We were completely outnumbered."
Indigo nodded sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't help." She looked up and her eyes were brimming with tears.
Joel was momentarily shocked, and then drew the girl into his arms. He couldn't help but smile as she snaked her arms around his waist and pulled herself closer to him.
"They'll be OK," Joel promised her. "Those two can take care of themselves. Right now we have to concentrate on finding them, and on how we're going to end this war."
Indigo nodded, keeping her head buried in his shoulder. "I feel so useless here" she hissed "I don't like being stuck in this bed"
"But you're healing quickly." Joel pointed out; "You'll be back in business before you know it. Then you can vent and blow up anything you want."
Indigo giggled and then smiled brightly. "Yeah, and you'll be right there to help me, won't you Joel?"
"Of course I will. No one hurts my Indy and gets away with it."
Indigo chuckled again and pulled them both down to lie down on the bed.
"You need rest," She explained when she saw the protesting look on his face.
"But what if someone comes in?" he asked.
"I don't even care anymore." Indigo murmured.
Joel couldn't help but smile as he gave in, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
~
Unbeknownst to them, there was a shadow watching them from the doorway. Wufei Chang stood at the threshold watching the display between the two young teens. He remembered how different he had been at their age.
When he had first seen their innocence he was disgusted by it. They were average, normal teenagers and nothing more; and they displayed their weakness through their emotions for each other. A soldier had no need for such emotions. But…they deserved a normal life, the life that he had been denied. It wasn't fair of him to try and take away what little of their innocence they still held within them. Although he didn't really approve, he decided that it was for the best to let them do as they desired.
"Joel and Indigo…together?" he almost laughed at the thought. "Trowa will not be happy about this…"
