I do not own Gundam Wing, Escaflowne, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart, or whatever else you think I might own. I don't make any profit from this, it's just for fun!

This story is dedicated to Dark Angel for getting me interested in writing again, and to my sister who really helped me with my writer's block when I needed her. Thanks!!

The Trouble With the Truth Part Two: Time Marches On.

By: Msmelanie

Chapter five: Distracting Distractions.

"Hilde! you're driving!" Catherine and Relena shouted together.

"Whyy?!" Hilde whined . "It's not fair." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh well...kids, head for the van!"

All the kids ran out the door.

"Careful on that ice, Michael!" Hilde shouted.

 The girls came downstairs, while Relena dangled some extra keys on her finger. "Which one of you wants to drive?"

"We won't all fit in one?" Duo asked.

"Are you kidding? You'll barely fit into your car." Mae Linh replied.

"Yes, one of you must come with us." Dorothy said.

The guys all looked at each other.

"Duo, you're the best with the kids." Quatre stated.

"Not that good!" replied Duo. "You should spend more time with your son."

"Not that much!" Quatre replied. "Heero should, he's got two of the kids."

"What's that matter!" Heero shouted back.

The guys continued to argue back and forth.

Dorothy got tired of the constant bickering. "Be quiet! I'll do eenie meenie minie moe then!"

A few seconds after the victim was chosen...

"Wufei, will you hurry it up! You otokos really take too long!" Mae Linh shouted out.

Wufei stepped into the huge light-green van with the already bickering children. Why me?

The guys went out to the little red car they were supposed to drive.

HOOONK! "Any time you're ready fellas!" Hilde shouted.

Quatre and Trowa took the back seat and Duo took the front seat while Heero drove. Once they backed out of the driveway they followed the girls.

"Wow, this car moves so nice and quiet, I could fall asleep." Duo commented.

"I agree." said Trowa. "It's so smooth, you could work on a laptop easily."

Duo stretched as he began to yawn. "How do you think Wufei's ride is going?"

To Wufei's ride...

"You meanie, give that back!" Dominic shouted

"No, it's mine!" Mingh Loh shouted.

"Is not!" Dominic shouted back.

"Is too!" Mingh Loh shouted again.

"I'm hungry, mom!" Michael moaned.

"Are we there yet?" Dominic asked.

"You already moved that piece!" Rei shouted

"Didn't!" Neo shouted back.

"Did too!" Rei shouted back again.

"Kids, will you please be quiet!" Catherine scolded. "We're getting closer."

Wufei just sat silent, although he secretly wished he could've threatened them with his katana. "Oh, I miss you Katana."

 "Do you still have that old katana?" Mae Linh asked.

Wufei just ignored her question.

Sometime later...

"Ooh! Look at all the lights!" Michael shouted.

"No! Look at all the greenery!" Dominic shouted.

"No, look! Look! A Pizza Hut!" Mae Linh shouted also.

"Children settle down." Relena said calmly. "We're pulling into the parking lot now."

Back to the guys' car...

"That's your turn, Heero." Duo said.

Heero turned and parked in a stall next to the girls' huge vehicle. The girls got out when they saw the guys and filed the kids out.

"Alright, Miss Relena. What shall we do first?" Dorothy asked.

Relena smiled. "Heero, Rei, Neo, and  I will go for the food on this list." Then she moved to Duo. "You, Hilde and Michael will go after the supplies on this list. She moved to Quatre and handed him a list. "You, Dorothy, and Dominic will get the food on this list." Then she moved to Wufei. "You, Mae Linh, and Mingh Loh can get the clothes on this list and..." she moved to Trowa and handed him her last list. "You take Catherine and Jimmy and get the clothes on this list."

Then she moved toward her family. "At 2:00 we meet back here and get the-"

"Christmas Tree!" the kids shouted. Relena nodded her head yes.

Heero motioned to his comrades to come over.

"It sounds like we've been separated out." Quatre commented.

"Yes, so all of you be extremely careful." Heero warned. "This is a perfect time for the scientists to strike."

"Agreed." confirmed Trowa. "Don't get too distracted."

"Be very careful." Heero warned again. "Confirm anything suspicious and you act, understand?"

The other guys shook their heads yes.

"Are you guys done talking yet?" Hilde shouted out to them. The guys broke apart their conversation and followed their families into the store.

To Heero's family...

"Come, Heero. Right is where we'll find the food on this list." Relena ordered.

Heero followed Relena and his children. He noticed his son Neo still eyeing him suspiciously.

"Something going on between you two?" Relena asked as she watched her son glaring at Heero.

"No, mommy. Everything's fine, right...dad?" Neo said sarcastically.

Heero didn't respond.

To Quatre's loving family...

"This kind mommy?" Dominic asked as he held up a brand of cereal.

"Yes, put that in the cart." Dorothy answered. "Quatre, grab that jar of pickles behind you."

Quatre wasn't listening though. He was watching very closely for anything that looked suspicious, and right then he was focused on watching the people moving back and forth.

"Ooh, Quatre..." Dorothy called out a little louder again.

How can I tell what's suspicious when there's too many people to be suspicious of? Quatre wondered.

"Hey-Father-of-my-child!" Dorothy yelled.

That caught Quatre's attention. "Huh?! What?"

"Grab those pickles behind you." Dorothy ordered. "I can't believe you get so distracted by people."

"I'm just watching out." Quatre replied as he grabbed a jar of pickles.

"Oh?" Dorothy replied sarcastically. "You think the scientists are going to nab Dominic in a  supermarket?"

"Maybe." Quatre replied softly. Dominic just giggled at his father.

To Trowa's...family?

"Perhaps a blue and white sweater, Jimmy?" Catherine asked.

Jimmy shook his head yes.

Trowa looked at Catherine and tried talking to her. "Maybe a red sweater would look good on you, Cathy."

"Uuhh..." Catherine muttered. "Jimmy, do you want to look at those sweaters?" Catherine asked as she pointed to a stack of sweaters.

Jimmy shook his head no and picked up the blue and white sweater his mom recommended.

She's ignoring me still  thought Trowa. What can I do?

"Jimmy?" Trowa remarked. "If you like that sweater, go try it on."

Jimmy shook his head yes and went into a dressing room that was near him.

Catherine fidgeted while Trowa looked at her.

"What?" she finally said.

"Talk to me. Are you okay?" Trowa asked.

"I'm fine. It's just...different, that's all." Catherine said.

"We'll get used to it." Trowa replied. "Until then, don't shut me out."

Catherine didn't respond.    

To Wufei's family...

"Mingh Loh, you have to pick a sweater that's not blue or red." Mae Linh scolded. Her daughter always loved red and blue, and she hardly had any clothes that weren't those colors.

Mingh Loh continued to look. "This is nice and it's almost black." Mingh Loh replied as she pulled out another sweater from a rack.

"That's midnight blue." Her mother responded. "No more blue."

"What about this?" Mingh Loh asked as she held up another sweater. "It's burgundy."

"It's still red." replied her mother.

Wufei just looked around at the shoppers, but mostly an old man hanging out by the oranges and a young woman hanging out by the grapes.

"Wufei, pay attention!" Mae Linh scolded.

Wufei didn't hear her. It doesn't take ten minutes to pick out an orange...

"Wufei, can you even hear me?" Mae Linh asked.

"Uh-huh." Wufei replied.

"You have a funny way of showing it." Mae Linh said. "What was the number of the block we parked in?" she asked.

"Uh-huh." Wufei replied. He is still over there...and why it that onna still over by the grapes?

Mae Linh realized Wufei hadn't been paying attention at all. He'll just have to learn the hard way. "Wufei, I'm leaving to find the vehicles, watch Mingh Loh."

"Uh-huh." Wufei replied.

"By the way, you smell..." Mae Linh began.

"Uh-huh." replied Wufei.

Mae Linh continued. "You're very ugly, you're gutless, and I'm going to buy you a pink shirt. Hot pink. Would you like a hot pink shirt, honey?"

"Uh-huh." Wufei replied.

"Honey, I have to go find a hot pink shirt for your father and then I will find the vehicles." Mae Linh said to Mingh Loh as she walked away.

Mingh Loh looked up at her father. "Wufei?"

Wufei still couldn't hear. The old man's finally leaving...and he never even grabbed an orange.

"Father?" Mingh Loh tried again.

Wufei still wouldn't reply. Could the scientists be masquerading as someone else?

"Dad?" Mingh Loh tried again.

Wufei kept looking at the woman by the grapes. Or could they have hired someone?

"Daddy?" Mingh Loh said as she pulled on Wufei's arm.

"What?" Wufei responded, only half paying attention.

"May I have these sweaters?" Mingh Loh asked as she held up the brightest blue and red sweater she could find.

"Go ahead." Wufei replied.

"Thank you daddy." Mingh Loh replied with a smirk on her face.

"Uh-huh." Wufei replied.

"Wow, Mingh Loh! You called Wufei daddy!" Michael said intrigued.

"Where'd you come from?" Mingh Loh asked surprised.

"I snuck away. You can call your father daddy?" Michael asked again.

"Apparently, it's all he responds to. Besides, have you ever heard of a kid who calls their fathers by their first names besides us?" Mae Linh responded.

"Well, I guess not." Michael replied. "I have to remember that. I got to go before I get into more trouble."  Michael replied as he started walking toward the appliance section.

To Duo...by himself?

Oh, geez. If I don't find Michael, Hilde's gonna kill me! Duo thought to himself as he continued to look through the isles. Geez, if only I was paying attention!

Duo moved up and down through the isles. I can hear her now... Duo thought. 'I leave you alone for one minute and you go and lose your only son!'

Duo turned down an isle with blenders and spotted Michael. "Michael! Where did you go?"

"Nowhere." Michael lied.

"Oh, if your mother finds out..." Duo replied.

"Well, I can keep it a secret if you buy me some candy. Then neither of us will be in trouble!" Michael replied.

Duo thought. How come I get the feeling I'm getting the short end of this stick...

Back at the parking lot...

"Stay here with the kids, Heero. I forgot something back on the list." Relena replied as she went back into the mall.

Heero wasn't paying attention. He was on the lookout.

Neo just looked at his father. He's so clueless.

Rei moved up closer to Heero and jumped on the ground to capture his attention. No good.

I haven't seen anything. Why hadn't the scientists shown up? Heero thought.

Rei tried to grab her fathers hand, but Neo slapped it away.

"Don't." warned Neo.

Rei looked defiantly at her brother and grabbed Heero's hand again. Heero didn't even realize what was going on.

"Their not coming." Heero said as he realized Rei was holding his hand.

"Heero!" Trowa called out softly as his family moved toward Heero's family. "Have the others arrived yet?"

"No." Heero replied.

"We're here!" Hilde shouted at the others as Duo and Michael came strolling up to them. "Where's Relena?" Hilde asked.

"She forgot something." Heero said as he tried to shake his daughters fingers off his hands.

"I'm here." Mae Linh said as she walked up to everyone by herself.

"Where's your family?" Hilde asked Mae Linh.

"Oh, I told Wufei I was leaving, that he smelled, and that I would buy him a pink shirt!" Mae Linh replied. "He said 'uh-huh'."

"Wasn't paying attention?" Dorothy asked as her family came trouncing up to the others. "Neither was Mr. Winner very much."

"Well, we were on lookout, right Heero?" Quatre answered.

"Yes." Heero said as he continued to get away from Rei's grasp.

"Onna!" Wufei shouted as he and Mingh Loh ran up to everyone. "What's the big idea leaving me behind?"

"You said it was fine." Mingh Loh replied. "I also bought the pink sweater I promised you."

Duo started laughing. "Man, Wufei! I didn't know you liked that color! Just when you think you know a guy!"

Wufei just sneered at Duo and Mae Linh.

Mae Linh giggled. "Don't take it so hard Chang, it was just a joke! Boy, you really haven't changed much, have you?" Wufei just continued to sneer.

"Alright, I'm back!" Relena shouted. "Let's get in the vehicles and go get-"

"The Christmas tree!" all the kids shouted