Last Time: Things started looking up when Duo and crew bumped into Quatre and Heero, both very much alive though Heero seems badly injured. But, on the other hand, Wufei and Trinity are now at the mercy of the space pirates. Can Duo and team reach them in time?

Chapter Sixteen

Halos Of The Sun

~*~*~*~

"Renee?" Duo asked.

"Yeah?" She asked, without turning. They were still making their way forward. They'd even found another bound merc in a cabin. Belle had made a joke about Wufei leaving them bread crumbs to follow.

"Can you, y'know, tell if Trinity's okay?" His voice was quiet, worried.

She frowned, but shook her head sadly. "I can tell you she's alive, but that's all. I'm not an empath, so I couldn't tell you beyond that."

"And is she up ahead?"

Renee shrugged. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

"But before... you could tell where she was, right?"

"I was far enough away to just point in general direction. I'm too close to her now, and she's too... massive."

"Huh?" Duo almost paused, looking at her. She looked back at him

"Remember, I told you earlier that her gift is just so *large* it overshadows everything around her. She's on this ship, but more than that, I can't tell. Her presence just leaks all out, over everything. In essence, she's blinded me with her light."

"Oh, yeah," Duo nodded. Renee had a troubled look on her face as she explained, and that expression just didn't sit well with Duo. "Something wrong with that?" His baby was special. But he already knew that.

She shook her head no, but then relented. "Mister Winner, according to the Newtype Registry, is a fairly strong empath. I'm talking about the upper fifty percent, maybe even the upper twenty-five percent. The fact that she's stronger than him without being registered makes me worried. The fact that she's not on the registry at all is slightly troubling. But the fact that if he's close to her, she completely masks his signal? That's scary. That much power, without anyone knowing she even exists? If something were to happen and she decided or was forced to use her gift *against* someone? Earth and the Colonies would be defenseless. She quite possibly could be the most powerful New-type ever found, Duo. That's what's wrong."

Duo nodded. "I understand, but you don't know Trinity. And you don't know me or Quatre or Wufei or Heero, or anyone that loves her. If you did... you wouldn't be so worried."

"I don't know," Renee whispered, even as a thought struck Duo.

"Hey, Quat? Buddy, any help from you?"

"Hm? What?" Quatre was near the back, him and Relena helping support Heero, who was very, very weak.

"Can you pinpoint anything from Trin?"

Quatre's face scrunched in thought. "I've been keeping my shields as strong as possible, especially after that broadcast of hers completly ripped through them, but I'll see."

He paused, him and Relena giving Heero a short little rest. Quatre closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them again, the blue-green color sparkling and swirling with un-told emotions. "She's okay," he sighed. "She was very upset about something, but she's calming down now. There's alot of fear and guilt from her, but I think she's going to be alright."

Duo sighed in releif as they all set out again. Renee touched his shoulder.

"You have faith in your lover, do you not? Just believe that he will take care of her."

Duo cracked a grin. "He's the one that needs protecting, not my girl. She's something special, even without the empathy. She smiles at you, and you can't deny her anything. All this curly gold hair, and those big huge eyes, with her long lashes just blinking up at you."

Renee smiled wistfully. "My baby was like that. She had what her daddy called 'puppy dog eyes'. So big and innocent, but sparkling with mischeif."

"That's what I say about Trinity. Puppy Dog Eyes are a legend in our extended little family... especially hers. I always said she learned it from Quatre. If... If you don't mind me askin'... what happened? Your children?"

Renee swallowed. "Lyle, I had to watch him die of that damned sickness. My brother-in-law refused to give us the cure unless my husband agreed to help him spread the sickness among the lower class. He refused." She swallowed back tears. "The day after he died, we took Lysia Grace and were going to get off the colony, though we weren't supposed to leave. We were going to take some of our friends with us. The lived on the streets of New Utah, and there was a riot when the others caught us trying to leave. My husband was shot and killed in front of me, and Lysia fell from my arms, and hit her head. I just managed to hear someone check her pulse and say 'This one's gone', before my friends managed to pull me away. I escaped that day, but everything I loved died on L2."

"You..." Duo gulped, an odd feeling setteling over him. "You said New Utah?"

"Yeah... you've been there?"

"Once," Duo said, looking away. "Once, a long time ago."

"You don't sound like you liked it very much."

"Oh, on the contrary," Duo said, unable to lie- or withhold the truth. "New Utah changed my life, for the better. That's where I adopted Trinity."

"Adopted?" Renee pulled up short. "She's adopted?"

Duo nodded. "She was about four when I found her, lying sick, left for dead in a gutter in some back alley of New Utah. I was in a very bad spot in my life. I had nowhere to go, nothing to do. I was heading out to alley, because I planned to kill myself that day. Until I found her. She saved my life as surely as I saved hers."

"Can... can I see that picture again?"

Duo reluctantly acquiesced, knowing and dreading the drama he felt about to unfold.

Renee stared at the smiling little girl on the screen. At the brown eyes so much like her own. At that smile, that now that she tought about it looked so much like Lyle's. Her curly hair, but in her father's pale honey brown. It had been so many years, she'd forgotten what her baby looked like, but she could see the little similarities now that she was looking, little things that reminded her of her family, of her husband's family. Her mouth fell open in a tiny little gasp as the realization hit her.

Her baby was alive? And healthy? And happy? And... an empath? Her baby was *alive*.

Her breath caught in her throat, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at the picture.

"That... that's my..."

Her sentence was cut off as Duo put his hand over her mouth. She looked up, confused.

"Don't finish that," he begged. "Please." his eyes showed all the mixed up emotions inside him. "Not yet, please. I just wanna get my baby girl back safe."

She nodded silently as his hand slipped away. Lysia's safety was priority. She would have to wait for confirmation or denial. It could wait.

"Duo?" Quatre pushed his way forward through the group, leaving Trowa to help Relena with Heero. "Duo, what's wrong? You're panicing, what happened?"

"Not now," Duo shook his head, pushing back all the emotions inside him. "Not now, not yet." He took a breath, looking at Quatre. "Later, Quat. I'll tell you later. Just... I want my baby girl."

He turned, taking off at a run down the hallway.

"Duo," Renee took off after him, even as the truth in his words hit her. Whoever this child was... it wasn't her baby girl... not anymore. Trinity was Duo's daughter... and no matter what... Lysia Grace *was* dead. No matter what DNA said, no matter what her heart said, she couldn't regain what she'd lost... and she most certainly couldn't do to Duo what had been done to her. Tears slipped down her eyes. "Slow down," she pleaded, fighting her own emotions. "Wait for me."

"Duo?" Quatre called after them, the emotions from the two pounding at him. "Come on... we've got to catch up to him," he told the others.

Heero pushed Trowa and Relena away.

"You two go, I'll catch up."

Relena looked at him, eyes wide. "No, Heero, you can barely stand up. We can't just *leave* you."

Quatre stopped, turned around, aqua eyes meeting Prussian blue. "Heero?" he asked, worried.

"Go," Heero told him. Quatre stared into Heero's eyes for a moment, tears sparkling there but refusing to fall.

"Go," Heero repeated. "Quatre, go. Trinity needs you *now* and I'm just slowing you down. I promised I won't leave you alone- and I won't, now *go*."

Quatre nodded once. "Okay," he whispered,pushing past Relena, leaning up to place a kiss against Heero's lips. Trowa looked a little shocked, and Relena positively horrified. Anna and Eric merely blinked, not knowing that it was anything unusual. Belle cocked her head almost curiously before placing a hand on Quatre's shoulder as the blond leaned back.

"Let's go."

Tears sparkled in Quatre's eyes even as he turned to follow down the way Duo'd went.

"I'll watch after him, 'Ro," Belle said, meeting her partner's eyes. Heero nodded.

"Thank you," he replied. "I just found him. I wanna keep him. Please, take care of him, Belle."

She smiled softly.

"Five by five, 'Ro. Remember that, 'cause that's what I promise. Five by five."

TBC.......

AN: Okay... so.... how was it? The entire chapter was kind of like a cliffhanger. What's Duo going to do about Renee? (Okay... show of hands: how many of you *really* saw that one coming?) And can anyone say wow.... what's up with Heero and Quatre? And what will Relena have to say about that? And.... what's happening back with Wufei and Trinity? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Reviews are welcomed and cherished.

PS... just in case anyone's wondering about the whole 'five by five' thing, it means 'okay' or 'fine' or 'alright'. Belle's promising Heero that everything's going to be okay. It will have more meaning and relevance in Empathy, when we learn more about Belle's whole role in Heero's life.