Rose in the Wind

Chapter 6

By Devon Masterson

"Cherie," an old woman greeted as she opened the door of her flat. "Cherie, what brings you by here?"

"I missed you," she answered as she walked inside. She took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack. She wrapped her arms around the neck of her grandmother. "How are you?"

"I should be asking you," she remarked as she touched Cheryl’s abdomen lightly. "About three months?"

Cheryl nodded slightly embarrassed. "Almost."

"And who has the honor of fathering my great grandchild?" she asked.

"I don’t want to talk about it."

"Ah, you’re running away again," her grandmother commented as she motioned for Cheryl to sit.

"I’m not running grandmama," she sighed. "I just know when to take a hint."

"Does he know where you are right now?"

"I doubt he cares."

"You’re a crafty one, Cherie," he grandmother chuckled. "He probably couldn’t find you if he wanted to."

"He’s very good what he does," Cheryl argued, "if he wanted to he could. Besides I didn’t actually leave the area until yesterday."

"But you made him think you did?" she asked. Her features softened as she saw her nod yes. "He must have really hurt you."

"It’s my fault," Cheryl sighed. "I actually fooled myself into thinking that he felt the same. He told me he loved me and I believed him then a couple of days later he’s making arrangements to marry some other woman."

"Oh, Cherie, I’m sorry." The old woman consoled her granddaughter.

"I don’t know what I am going to do."

"Listen to me, Cherie, I’m going to tell you something," the woman said. She took a deep breath. "I’m not to proud of my role in this, but maybe knowing this will help you. Do you know why you never met me until you were five years old?"

Cheryl shook her head. It seemed like she knew her grandmother forever. She never realized that it had been that long before she met her grandmother when she was a child. "It’s because I forbid your father to marry your mother. I thought he was too young and impetuous to get married. But he loved your mother. I did everything I could to keep them apart. I just didn’t like the fact that he was marrying a foreigner. It didn’t bother me so much her race, but she wasn’t the woman I pictured for him. One day we finally had it out and I didn’t see him for five years. I was still angry with him when I did see him again, but when I saw you…it all melted away."

"Why are you tell me this?" she asked trying to make the connection.

"I’m telling you this because I think you should go back and face this man, even if it doesn’t work out face him. You’ll be denying your child a father by letting your pride get in the way and that’s not fair to your child."

Cheryl took a deep breath. She had been wrestling with that same guilt. "You’re right," she commented. "Quatre deserves to know his son."

"Quatre?"

"Quatre Raberba Winner," she sighed.

"Of Winner Enterprises?" she asked. Cheryl nodded and her grandmother. "One of the most known and unseen men in the world. I was starting to think he was myth."

"Grandmama, this is between you and me," Cheryl said. "I’m going back."

"Well that was short visit," she smiled. "But I don’t mind because next time I will get to see my cute little great-grandson, right?"

"Oui, grandmama," she promised. Her grandmother helped her with her coat and opened the door.

"Oh, my," the woman gasped as she saw a young man on the stoop about to knock.

"Trowa, what are you doing here?" Cheryl asked in surprise.

"I was just in the neighborhood," he commented.

"I’m going home. Do you care to join me?"

"It’s on the way," he answered.

"Grandmama, this is Trowa Barton. We work together," Cheryl introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Monsieur Barton. Take care of my granddaughter please."

"Oui, madam."

"Bye, grandmama, I will call you when I get back," she replied as she kissed her cheek.

"Bye, Cherie."

The two started down the street in silence. "Did he send you?"

"He only has vague idea where I am," Trowa answered.

"Then why look for me?"

"I want him to be happy and I was in the neighborhood."

***

Ryoko sat on a pillow watching Parker go through was seemed like an endless supply of information. "Success," he commented as he turned his chair around and faced his siblings.

"You found her?" Ryoko asked excitedly.

"Yes, she’s in Paris she arrived there this afternoon," he said proudly as he pulled his headphones out of his ears. He started to peel a banana and broke a piece off. He reached up and a little furry paw took it from him and began nibbling happily.

"So where is she now?" Victor asked as he rubbed his eyes. He had been staring at the screen beside Parker for what seemed like hours.

Parker stood and stretched. "I don’t know. It’s been a month I say let’s just try her cellphone and see if she answers. We could send a false number so she’ll answer it." He handed another piece of banana to his furry friend resting on his head.

"We can use my re-router from that time we pranked Uncle Wufei," Victor replied as he jumped up and ran out.

"Thank you, Parker," Ryoko said as she hugged her big brother.

"I have some news," Ja-Zell commented as she came in. "The baby is Uncle Quatre’s. I heard Daddy saying something to Mom about it. Uncle Quatre and Ms. Winter had some kind of fight and she left."

"Uncle Quatre let Ms. Winter go?" Ryoko asked in disbelief. "So it’s all his fault."

Parker tilted his head slightly and looked at his little sister. "No offense, Ryo-chan, but I think Uncle Quatre is still learning the finer points of being with a woman."

Victor walked into the room and started to hook his re-router to the vid phone. "What are we talking about?" he asked as he joined them.

"Uncle Quatre’s abilities with women," Parker commented.

Victor stood beside his brother and pulled Ricky off his head. He started to pet the ferret as it continued to eat the banana. Parker looked toward his little brother and grunted. "Dad, does the same thing whenever I pet Roger. You guys are so weird," he laughed as Ricky climbed on his shoulder and started to rest on his head.

"You have Dad’s death glare whenever someone messes with your hair," Parker commented.

Victor stuck his tongue out and looked away. "I do not."

Parker put his hand to his head and sighed. "You have to be adopted."

"I am not," Victor replied as he shot his brother a look. "I’m going to tell Mom."

"A true soldier fights his own battles," he said calmly. He looked at his brother with intense Prussian eyes. "You will not tell Mom."

Victor shook his head. "Okay," he sighed lowly then evil smirk crossed his face. He took a deep breath. "DAD!" he screamed.

"I’m sorry," Parker said quickly as he dove on his little brother and covered his mouth, but it was too late. They could hear the almost silent footfalls as they approached the room. Parker quickly stood and helped his brother up then ran to his chair. He tried to look casually as Heero opened the door.

"What’s going on in here?" he asked as he eyed his children carefully.

"We’re just playing, Daddy," Ja-Zell answered.

He raised an eyebrow curiously as he looked around. He saw his youngest daughter hanging up the vid phone. Ryoko smiled as ran to him. "Daddy, do you want to play with us?"

"Not now, Ryo-chan," he replied as he hugged her. "Maybe later."

"Okay," she pouted slightly.

"You guys keep it down in here," he said to rest of the kids then looked at his sons. "And try not to kill each other. We have some where to go in a little while."

"Yes, Dad," Victor and Parker said in unison.

Heero walked out of the room and shut the door. He knew they were up to something. He had been monitoring Parker’s line for the past hour and knew that they had tracked Cheryl to Paris. "He’s getting a little too good."

"I talked to Ms. Winter," Ryoko said once he was gone. "She’s on her way home."

"Well that’s that then," Parker replied. "Mission accomplished."

"We still have to get them together," Ryoko pointed out.

"Let’s leave that one to Uncle Quatre," Ja-Zell suggested. "I’m sure he can take things from here."

Ryoko nodded. He would have to learn to do things on his own without her help. "If he messes up then we’ll do it."

All of the children nodded. "Now for our next mission," Ja-Zell said as she motioned for all of them get closer.

***

Cheryl walked into her apartment and sat down exhausted. She needed to think of her game plan for talking to Quatre. " Hello, Cheryl," Quatre said in the dark.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk," he answered.

This was way too fast for her. "I’m not ready to talk yet, Quatre."

"Then just listen," he suggested as he moved to where she was sitting. "I know what happened. I talked with Ms. Daily. I am not going to marry Ms. L’Engle. I was only going to meet with her to appease my sister."

"Well don’t let me stop you," she commented. "I’m just around for entertainment value."

"Don’t say that," Quatre interjected as he took her hand. "I love you, Cheryl and you’re the most important thing to me. Do you know when the first time I saw you was, after the war that is?"

"When I moved into the office?" she supplied. She was trying to stay angry and distant, but his tenderness was chipping away at her.

He shook his head. "At the Christmas Party in the L2 office."

Cheryl’s eyes widened. "That was ten years ago. I had just started as a Preventer."

Quatre nodded as his cheeks reddened. "You and I danced once. After that I saw you from time to time in the office. I never had the nerve to say anything to you until I found out that you had been promoted to Commander. I knew once we started working together we could get some where."

"Quatre, I…" she touched his face. "I remember dancing with you, but I didn’t think you remembered me, especially when we met in the hall."

"Me being in the hall was no accident," he smirked. "I waited around until you showed up. I was determined to meet you again."

"You’re a jerk," she sighed as she got up and walked out her window. "I wanted to be mad at you and…"

Quatre joined her at the window and turned her to him. "All that matters to me now is that I have you now," he replied as he kissed her deeply. He looked into her eyes as he pulled away. He knelt down.

"Oh, Quatre," she said as she started to sniffle.

He smiled and took her hand. "Will you marry me?"

Cheryl sniffed and wiped her eyes as tears started to fall. "Let me think on it for a little while."

"What?" Quatre asked disappointedly.

"I love leaving you breathless," she smiled as she knelt down as well and kissed him. She whispered her answer into his mouth.

He smiled and took her hand. "Thank you," he said as he slipped a diamond ring on her finger. He scooped her into his arms as she looked at it in shock.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he opened the door.

"To get married," he answered simply. "You didn’t think I’d let you go after I waited ten years to get you, did you?"

"I..Quatre..we.."

"I love leaving you breathless," he smirked as he shut the door.

"You shouldn’t play with me like that," she said disappointed. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he held her.

"I was serious," he replied as he walked down the stairs and to the car. "A private a ceremony with you, me, and a couple of witnesses."

Cheryl smiled and kissed the side of his neck. "I love you, Quatre Winner, who knew you were such a wild man."

"Well you should know better than anyone else," he chuckled.

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Winner?"

"Yes it is Mrs. Winner."

"I accept," she breathed into his ear.

"I got your face painted on my heart

scrawled upon my soul, etched upon my memory.

I got your kiss still burning upon my lips,

the touch of my finger tips is left so deep inside of me,"

–The Cult, "Painted on my Heart"

Another Bond Girl Production

We all know who belongs to who, Gundam Wing belongs a whole bunch of rich influential people and I just have some concepts. Don’t sue me, hire me instead ;p