Warnings: uh… therez gonna be some squicky material in this chapter dealing w/ child prostitution. Don't like, don't read. I don't know how many times I can say it.

Chapter 2:

"Tessa?" A cold chill ran down Duo's spine.

"Duo? Oh dear God… Duo Maxwell?" she asked, and suddenly both she and the braided man looked very pale.

"Mom… how do you know Duo?" Ryan asked, looking between the two, comprehension dawning in his eyes as Duo shook his head as if in denial.

"No…"

"Duo… I… I never had the chance to tell you—"

"NO!" he turned to run, only to have Heero catch him.

"Duo! Duo! Calm down! Duo! Tell me what's going on!" the Japanese man snapped, trying to bring his husband back to himself. "Oshiete, ore no itoshii (tell me, my beloved)," he whispered, taking the violet-eyed man's chin in his hand, forcing their eyes to meet. He fell back into Japanese, which for some reason, always seemed to get through to Duo when he was upset. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, what didn't you have the chance to tell him?" Ryan demanded, a knowing tone in his voice. "Didn't have the chance to tell him he was going to be a father, is that it, Mom?" he was stepping back. "Is that why he looks like me!"

"Duo is your father, Ryan…" she admitted. "And that is why you look like him."

"Liar!" Duo wheeled around to face the woman, desperation in his eyes. "There's no way… I… I can't be, Tessa… I was too young…"

She gave an ironic smile. "You were always ahead of your time, Duo…" She took a deep breath. "You disappeared before I found out."

"What are you two talking about! You're only twenty-six, Duo! You told me yourself!" Ryan shot, pain in his voice. "He can't be my father! He's only thirteen years older than I am! He would've had to have been thirteen when you—" he broke off, shuddering.

"Twelve…" Duo corrected, throat tight. "I was twelve when I got off L2…"

A disgusted look crossed the boy's face as he looked between his mother and Duo. "What the fuck were you doing? Fucking someone half your age!" he blurted.

"Ryan, language!" Tessa shot.

"He was half your age! You were twenty-four when you had me… if he was twelve…" the violet-eyed boy looked vaguely ill. "That's sick…"

"Ryan, you don't understand!" the blond woman protested, deep brown eyes filled with tears.

"Then explain it to me! Make me understand!"

"Tessa, don't!" Duo interrupted. "God, he's only thirteen… he doesn't need to know…" he pleaded.

"Hey, you were only twelve when you were fucking my mother!" Ryan shot back.

"Ryan—"

"—Language!" Tessa and Duo looked at one another almost in horror as they realized they'd finished the admonishment in unison.

Duo took a deep, shaky breath. "I was a lot different from you."

"I'm not as innocent as you seem to think. I've been on the streets, remember? I've seen stuff—"

"You were born and raised in this house in the best part of one of the most well-off cities in the world! You know nothing about real life and I'm not going to be the one who strips every bit of innocence you have from you! You've spent a couple of months on the streets. You were alone on a mark, you've been alone out there! You still have no idea what humanity is capable of!" the braided man shouted, catching his son completely off guard.

Heero seemed to have all the pieces in place. "Perhaps we should go sit down somewhere and try to talk about this rationally?" he suggested. "And I do believe an introduction is in order. I'm Heero Maxwell, Duo's Avowed," he held out his hand.

"Altessa Morel. It's a pleasure to meet the American Chief of Preventers," she gave a small bow rather than taking his hand.

Ryan looked a little surprised and a little irritated for not having realized it earlier.

"Do you have anywhere we can sit down, Tessa?" Duo asked. "I'm not feeling very well at the moment…" The admission was more telling than his physical appearance. The braided man was ashen, shaking and cool to the touch. It was something neither Heero nor Duo himself had ever really figured out, but for whatever reason, whenever Duo was under extreme emotional stress, he got very cold. The best Sally had been able to surmise was that it was something akin to shock.

"Yes, of course," she quickly lead them into a sitting room of some sort. It was tastefully furnished in dark woods and blue hues but no one was really in a state of mind to appreciate it. Reflexively, the violet-eyed man slipped off his shoes as he sat down next to Heero, curling up against his husband, allowing the other man to support him. It was a position which the Preventer Chief still felt honored to take. So few were the people Duo would allow to help him…He wrapped an arm around his beloved, holding a hand in his own. Both hands were rough and callused, and they both knew every callus, cut and crack on one another's hands. All were quiet for a moment as Duo regained his mental footing and stopped shaking so hard.

"You can't lie to him, itoshii…" Heero whispered softly.

"I don't want him to know…"

"Don't want me to know what?" Ryan asked, conflicting emotions raging inside of him as he watched the two men curl into one another as if they were halves of a whole. He knew instantly that his dream of his mom divorcing his stepfather and marrying his real dad would never come about. "Whatever it is… I can take it…"

Duo buried his head in Heero's chest. "Shinigami… Ryan, I've done so many things in my life I'm not proud of… things that I'm downright ashamed of… I don't want you to know those things about me…" he took a tremulous breath. "Maybe it would be best if Heero and I left and just forgot about this…"

"NO!" Ryan leapt to his feet. "I don't wanna forget about this! I've always known that my real dad was out there! I… I'm not sure how I feel about your and my mom's relationship but I don't want to lose you!" Violet eyes bore into their mirror, pleading. "I just found you…"

"Tessa?" his tone was one asking for permission.

"I have no problem with you being a part of Ryan's life, Duo. He's been begging me to find you for years…" she admitted, the chuckled humorously. "And to think all this time you were right under my nose…"

" 'Ro?"

"Whatever you want, Duo…" he assured, hugging him.

"What about Heath?" Ryan wondered.

"Who?" Duo's mind was still somewhat off-kilter.

"My husband," Tessa replied. "Heath Morel…" Duo froze at the name, but made no other outward response. A slight tightening of his grip on the braided man's hands was Heero's only response. "Oh, dear… Heath is not going to like this… I'm certain he'll raise custody hearings and…"

The violet-eyed Preventer winced. "That's not going to reflect well on either of us, or on him. Maybe if we just discuss it with him?" he offered tentatively.

"No. Heath is very possessive."

"Maybe he'll reconsider when he realizes he'll be going up against the Hand of the Preventers as character witnesses," Heero pointed out. "Your husband is well off, Mrs. Morel, but compared with infallible character witnesses like myself, Lady Une, Quatre Winner and Relena Dorlian… he's not really going to stand a chance. Though I have to agree with Duo. A trial could bring some very… dark things to light. It'd be best to go around it if at all possible. A settlement," he suggested. "Or just take it to family court, have a quick DNA test done, and let Ryan decide for himself who he wants to be with. He's old enough, and blood really does hold a great deal of sway. No matter how old Duo was when he was born, the truth is he never had a chance to exercise his paternal rights because he didn't know he was a father. That is no one's fault."

"Questionable past," Duo pointed out.

"War hero," the shorthaired man retorted softly.

"My age? Ability as a parent?"

"Duo, you train agents for a living. You spend at least ten hours a week at the Maxwell and Helen Memorial Orphanage a week. An orphanage, which need I remind you, you founded and has the highest rate of adoptions this side of the globe? A few rocky places in your past are not going to overshadow all the good you've done," Heero sighed. It was a very old argument. Duo's insecurities ran deep and they could be very frustrating at times, but the Prussian-eyed man couldn't admit that he didn't understand where they stemmed from. "Honestly, I think you could probably win custody hands-down if you took this to court. We can call Quatre and have him look over it, but I'm sure he'll tell you the same things."

"You really know all those people, Duo?" Tessa asked, somewhat surprised. Heero pulled out his wallet and handed it over, showing a group picture from their Day of Vows. It was hard not to recognize some of the people in it, and the blond woman handed it back. "But how…? How could…"

"How could a whore from L2 have gotten so far?" the braided man asked the question he knew was weighing on her mind.

"A what?" Ryan asked, reminding them of his presence.

"Heero's right. I can't lie to you… I won't. You may hate me for telling you this, but I was a prostitute when I was younger. Your mom was one of my regulars," he admitted, sitting up a little straighter, awaiting his son's judgement. He took a deep breath and met his son's eyes squarely.

It was all Ryan could do not to run from his father's eyes… his eyes. Violet orbs that were so much older than his true age, that held such pain and, in their depths, strength and love. Eyes that had seen so much… Hands that had done so much, and at twenty-six, when he should've just been finding his place in the world, he had long ago established his place. It was very humbling.

"I… I want to try it… I want to stay with you, Dad," he offered tentatively. He wanted to make those eyes shine in pride, shine in love. He wanted those violet eyes, so like his own, to look at him the way his stepfather's never had.

Duo gave a final questioning look to his Avowed, but Heero merely smiled softly and laid a tender kiss on Duo's hair. "Whatever you want, itoshii. Whatever you need."

The braided man pulled away from his husband and opened his arms. Ryan's brilliant smile made him look exactly like his father had when he'd been younger as he ran to his father's arms.

So this is what a dad's arms should feel like, Ryan thought to himself, taking a deep breath and letting the scent of his father envelope him. He feels like…home.

My son… Duo thought a little awed, feeling wetness gathering at the corners of his eyes. My baby… Okay, God, you've won… This is a miracle.

To be continued…