A Secret So Sweet

-----part 1-----

Quietly, the cloaked figure made their way up the steps to the small studio apartment. A tentative hand knocked on the door, then pulled back, its owner waiting, anxiously, for an answer.

In a flash, the door opened and the visitor was dragged into the apartment and into a rough embrace.

Zechs removed the visitor's cloak , revealing the dark clothes beneath. He slipped the hair-tie from his lover's braid, then began to unbutton the dark shirt. "Do the others know?" he whispered into Duo's ear.

"About us? Wufei might if he's involved with Treize, but I don't think the others..."

Zechs shook his head. "Not about that." he said removing the shirt and cupping the young girl's breast. "I mean about this. Do they know you're a girl?"

"No." Duo shook her head. "Are you kidding? If they found that out, I'd never hear the end of it. Especially from Wufei."

Zechs picked the girl up and carried her into the bedroom. "Well, that's okay. That way I won't have any competition."

He lowered Duo onto the bed and carefully guided himself into her, slipping a condom on before beginning, at her request, she didn't want to get pregnant and get found out as a result. Then, he made love to her until they were both sated for the time being.

After an hour or so, Duo woke. She got dressed, making sure everything was in place, and raced back to the safehouse. She was just about to open the door when hand tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around and found herself looking right at Wufei.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Same as you, Wufei." Duo said, knowing that Wufei had just returned from Treize's place. 

"You and Zechs?" Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Heero's gonna go ballistic if he finds out."

"What business is it of his?" Duo asked. "Despite what he thinks, I am not Heero Yuy's property."

Wufei nodded. "We'd better go inside."

They walked into the safehouse and headed up to their respective rooms.

*****

As soon as Duo was out of the apartment building, Zechs crawled out of bed, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. He slipped the used condom off, smirking at the tip, which he'd snipped off before Duo had arrived, and flushed it down the toilet before climbing into the shower and washing the sweat from his body. "Let's see how long you can keep that secret now, Duo Maxwell." he said, a wicked smile playing upon his features.

-----part 2-----

Something was bothering Duo as she piloted Deathscythe in yet another battle against the OZ forces. She tried figure out why she was so troubled, but couldn't come up with any answers.

It had been nearly two months since she and Zechs had spent the night. But she knew that Zechs wasn't the problem. He wasn't in this battle, so she wasn't afraid of shooting him down by accident.

"Watch out!" Heero screamed at Duo, just in time for her to turn Deathsycthe around and neatly slice the approaching Aries in half.

"You were almost the late Duo Maxwell, baka." Heero growled. "Keep your mind on the battle."

//Late...// Duo thought, then it clicked. "Oh, dear God... Please.. " 

This time, Heero wasn't watching and Deathscythe was hit. The Gundam crashed into the ocean. Quatre went after Deathscythe while Heero and the others continued their battle against the OZ fighters.

Duo was unconscious when Quatre found Deathscythe. The blond Arabian pilot left Sandrock's cockpit and swam over to Deathscythe. If Duo was injured, this would be the easiest way to retrieve the Shinigami pilot from his Gundam. The water made Duo's clothes cling to his body. This was the first thing Quatre noticed as he swam to shore with Duo. Every so often, he looked back at the half-drowned pilot, to make sure Duo was okay. He got to the shoreline and placed Duo down. He was loosening Duo's shirt when he noticed... "Allah be praised." he said, awestruck. 

Duo opened her eyes and noticed her shirt was undone. "Quatre!" she gasped.. "How... how much did you... What did you?"

"I know, Duo." Quatre replied. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you." Duo nodded. "Not that it matters now."

"Duo?" Quatre asked, concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant, Quatre."

-----part 3-----

"How?" 

"Well, Quatre, you see, when a man and woman..."

"I know that!" Quatre rolled his eyes. "I mean, who's the father?"

"That's person, Quatre." Duo said. 

"It's Heero, isn't it?"

"No!" Duo yelped. "its none of you. I...."

"You're seeing someone."

Duo nodded. "Yeah. And the SOB tricked me. I told him to wear a damned condom. He must've cut a hole in it. Damn him."

"Duo, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Duo admitted. "I know I should tell him off and leave him, but I love him, and ... I'm just so confused right now."

"First thing you'll have to do is tell the others." Quatre told her.

Duo nodded. "Help me?" she asked.

"I will." Quatre promised.

-----part 4-----

"Duo," Heero began as he ran up, "are you all right?"

By this time, Duo had her shirt buttoned up. "Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, in her accustomed voice. "Just a little shaken up. Though I do need a ride back to the safehouse."

"I'll give you ride." Quatre offered.

"Thanks." Duo smiled and followed him back to Sandrock.


*****

"What happened out there?" Heero asked that evening, as Duo was making a snack in the kitchen.. "You spaced out for a moment."

"Just had something on my mind. I'll tell you all about it in the morning."

"Not now?" Heero asked.

Duo shook her head. "I need sleep right now. Good night." she headed upstairs to her room.

*****

Heero and the others were having breakfast the next morning when Duo joined them wearing a pair of straight-legged black pants and her usual shirt, though it was unbuttoned just enough to reveal what she'd been hiding.

No one made a sound for several minutes. Finally, it was Wufei who broke the silence. 

"Figures." he muttered. "So, why the revelation?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Son of a bitch!" Wufei exclaimed. "It's Zechs, isn't it?"

Heero, Quatre, and Trowa stared at Duo. "WHAT?!"

"The only reason you know is because you're sneaking around with Treize!" Duo countered.

Heero, Quatre, and Trowa turned to stare at Wufei now. "HUH?!"

"This just in, Colonel Treize Kushrenada of the Specials has formally announced his engagement to ..." the newscaster on the radio paused to recheck his copysheet, then resumed.... "Lieutenant Zechs Merquise."

"WHAT?!" Duo and Wufei both blurted out.

-----part 5-----

Duo spent the next few months in a state of despondency. She couldn't believe Zechs was going to marry Treize. He had told her he loved her, had impregnated her, and now he was leaving her. 

"I loved your daddy," she told the baby that grew inside her. "I still love him." She got out of bed for the first time since learning of the engagement, and threw on some clothes. "And I do *NOT* intend to lose him to Treize." She stormed down the stairs and walked into the living room.

"It's good to see you've finally gotten over him." Wufei said. 

"I haven't." Duo corrected him. "Get the car. We're going to a wedding."

Wufei knew better than to argue with Duo when she was in a bad mood, so he got the car and drove her to the church where Zechs and Treize were in the process of tying the knot.

She slipped quietly into the church.

"I now pronounce you..."

"I OBJECT!" Duo shouted from the doorway. 

Zechs stared. "Duo?! You're still pregnant?"

Duo blinked. "Of course I am. I still have another two weeks before."

Zechs shook his head. "Treize told me you'd...Duo, I'm sorry. I was angry. I thought you'd... I know I shouldn't have impregnated you the way I did, but I wanted us to have a child and I wasn't about to beg you for one."

"Then, why did you leave me?"

"Treize said he saw you at the clinic." Zechs explained. "He said you... that you had just had... "

"I'd never do that, Zechs." Duo assured him. "I was so heartbroken when I heard you and Treize were getting married."

Treize glared at Zechs. "I tried to save you from yourself. From making the biggest mistake of your life. She's the enemy, she'll hurt you, just like..."

Duo's eyes widened in realization. "Wufei dumped you, didn't he?"

"If you hadn't run into him when he was returning home from a tryst with me, he wouldn't have split up with me."

"Treize, I'm sorry." Duo told him. 

"But it doesn't give you the right to lie about her." Zechs added. "Duo, can you ever forgive me for being a complete idiot?"

"No. I'm afraid that'll never change." Duo smiled, wincing as she felt a strong contraction hit. They'd been doing that off and on all morning, but she thought it was a false labor. This time, she felt something rush out of her and she almost fell.

Zechs caught her, then noticed the fluid seeping out from under the hem of her floor-length maternity kimono. "Get a doctor!" he called, carefully lowering Duo onto the floor while the priest ran to phone for an ambulance. The priest returned momentarily with a cushion for Duo's head. He had the phone with him and was talking to the 119 (1) operator. "Okay," he said, kneeling next to Duo's shoulder and "it looks like we're going to have to deliver this baby here. Do you want me or Zechs to coach you?"

Duo looked up at Zechs. "Please?"

Zechs nodded and took the phone while the priest cleared the church to give Duo a bit of privacy. "Father, can you marry us?" he asked when the priest returned to check up on them.

"Please?" Duo asked.

The priest nodded. "Zechs," he said, "do you take this woman as your wife?" 

"I do." Zechs nodded.

"Duo, do you take this man as your husband?"

Another contraction hit.

"Push." Zechs coached the laboring pilot.

Duo gave another push and somehow managed to say "I do." at the same time.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." the priest concluded, knowing they had no rings at this time. "You may kiss the bride."

Zechs gave Duo a soft kiss on the lips, then sat back and resume his role as her coach.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Duo was resting, quietly, with her baby son in her arms.

-----TBC-----