Woke Up One Morning... Part 28
By the time Heero had finished 'introducing himself' to Krutza, the bastard had as hard a time getting to his feet as I did. Bryant was called back inside to gather our target up. When he came in to observe the bleeding cuts and deep bruises on our swearing 'friend', the ex-military soldier flashed an approving smile in our direction.
Gripped firmly by a shoulder, Jesse is led out of the room first. His brown eyes bore down on me and Heero, which we return with fierce glares of our own.
Any threats of claiming 'brutality' would only fall on deaf ears considering both the threat against me and his connection to the Assembly attack when that proof is provided. Krutza knows that, and that's why he is not saying a goddamned thing right now. Besides, Heero had taken it easy considering how badly I can tell he wanted to unload on the prick. He could have had done worse... much worse.
I just wish to hell that I was able to have enough control over my body to have had a chance to get a few good shots in.
Slowly getting my bearings more and more every passing minute as the drug used on me fades, I shakily get to my feet and walk out into the hallway. I heavily lean against my husband for support. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem with having 'Ro carry me to be as closed to him as possible. But when we're in the presence of others, I would rather crawl on my own power.
The police car sirens had ended some time ago, but their bright red and blue flashing lights flicker through the open door and windows.
Glancing around when we are in the entranceway, I note five cop vehicles parked in the large driveway. Closest to the door is the black rented car that Heero had driven through the gates- its front half crunched up where it struck. Off where the gates once stood, they now lay bent and sprawled out on either end of the opening to the estate.
It's all... quite the scene.
An arm wrapped securely around the back of my waist, my partner assists me in stepping down the stairs to reach the pavement. When I stumble on the last step in a misjudgment of how well I am fairing, he mutters a gentle, "Easy. Don't push yourself more than you're ready."
Taking in the mangled car, I snicker, "That's going to be a fun story with the car rental office."
Heero chuckles deeply along with me, shaking his head in amusement. Of course, the vehicle will be replaced by the Preventers, and the owners in this normally quiet town will have a great tale to share with their buyers at how one of their own cars was used to apprehend a criminal.
Krutza is seated in the back of the red vehicle Bryant had been driving, his head down and his eyes blank of any emotion.
Showing our badges and relaying the events of the evening with the Lugano police, many of whom are still in a wide-eyed daze that something of this scale is actually happening in their peaceful town. That surprise is also melded with relief over our presence and action to keep their people safe.
We're all finally cleared and free to leave the premises with our captive just as the last of the hold the drug has on me ebbs off.
Along with having full control of my body again, I can feel some of the sharp stings from the blows Krutza delivered during our fight for the gun. It's nothing that I can't handle, though. If anything, my chest and back might have a few bruises since he is not strong enough to have done any real damage.
The black car is towed from the lot and I get into the passenger seat of the white vehicle I brought to the estate. Disassembling the wire pack from the cord wrapped around me, I watch as my husband slips into the driver's seat.
Closing the door behind him, Heero turns to wink at me with a proud smile that makes my heart leap in my chest. "I'll properly congratulate you on your good work when we're alone in the hotel again," he promises as a mischievous glimmer shines in his eyes.
"You bet your sweet ass you will," I laugh.
Smirking, 'Ro turns the engine on and maneuvers us around the maze of squad cars lingering around to keep a guard on the house until Wufei, Trowa and Tyson move in to begin ransacking the place. A pair of headlights reaching the bottom of the hill announces their arrival and we pass each other in our descent.
My head falling back on the seat, I close my eyes and let out a deep sigh. "One down," I say quietly. "And a whole shit-load more to go."
Daunting as this whole case seems, one has to look at every capture as a victory. It all brings us closer to seal this mess for good.
* * * * * *
Not bothering to wait until the morning, it was decided by all that Heero would contact Lady Une as soon as we returned to our room while Bryant watched Krutza in his own space. For my part, I just wanted a shower after everything that had happened to feel normal again.
When I step out of the bathroom, wet hair bound up in a towel and my body wrapped in my robe, Heero is seated at the round table in the main room before his opened laptop. "I will be certain to contact the rental store when they open in the morning out there to cover the car they lost," Lady Une's amused tone informs.
Smiling at hearing her voice, I walk towards my husband and take the seat beside him to smile at our Commander on the screen. I wave in greeting, "Hey, 'Ma." Une just laughs, her head falling back.
"Hello, Duo," she replies with a warm grin. "Your husband, here, told me about your close call earlier. While I normally do not condone measures like the ones you took in baiting yourself, I very much appreciate the risk you took to bring Krutza in. I'll be sure to thank you all properly when you return back to headquarters tomorrow for your debriefing."
I've been looking forward to home since Heero and I got here. Even with all of the work that's left, we'll at least be back in our own bed and somewhat of our own routine for a while. My skin is practically crawling in anticipation.
Lady Une cuts through my thoughts as she stated, "I will be contacting Agent Hawk to get to prepare one of our sonic shuttles and Agent Link to ready a team that will help with gathering everything in Krutza's home. Expect their arrival in the Lugano airport around dawn."
Taking on one of her 'motherly' expressions, she tilts her head and smirks, "Until then, you're both under direct orders to get some rest."
Now, that's a command I am more than happy to follow. Saluting, I smirk back, "Yes, ma'am!" Rolling his eyes, Heero chuckles quietly and reaches forward to disconnect the call. In one fast swoop, he closes his laptop and spins to scoop me back into his arms.
I sputter in surprise, "H-hey! I can walk now, you know-" And that is as far as my protest gets when his lips come down to claim mine. It doesn't take long for me to recover from my shock enough to return the favor.
Suddenly, I remember that we're alone and so it's just fine to have him dote on me if he wants.
Pulling back, 'Ro grins mischievously, "I know you can." As he walks us towards the bedroom, he comments, "This is just the start of my congratulating your good work as I promised earlier."
"Well, then," I snicker while wrapping my arms around his neck, "Feel free to congratulate away, husband-mine." His eyes and smile staying locked on me, he kicks the bedroom door closed behind us.
* * * * * *
Adam is like a kid in a candy store going through Jesse's personal files. Eyes wide and hyper as hell, he's been running around the estate with his team skimming over the documents they have been recovering.
With a fistful of papers in his hand, he exclaims, "This is place is a gold mine of information!" he exclaims. He goes and stuffs his findings into the box beside the desk where he is working. "We could unravel so many secrets with these forms when we decode them! Not to mention the data that's on his computers!"
Shaking my head in amusement, I smirk and tape closed one of the many stuffed boxes lining the hallway. It's not been a fun job, cleaning this place out. But Agent Link's enthusiasm has made it tolerable.
Of course, the very first place that I hit when I had the chance was the safe. Much to my dismay, all of the documents inside were scripted in code much like everything else that looked to be important.
After a couple hours of combing the house from top to bottom, we have everything that we need and head back to the airport with our cars packed. More than a dozen agents working together make the load into the sonic shuttle smooth and relatively quick.
The behemoth of a ship will get us back to Maryland in three hours as opposed to the nearly fourteen of traveling that a normal commuter flight would take. And the craft is an absolute bitch to maneuver, something I know from personal experience since I've had to pilot this thing in the past.
I think anyone outside of the Preventer organization would shit a load if they realized that a petite, early-twenty-something like Danielle flies this beast. She has enough experience with it that she could fly the shuttle with her eyes closed. That said, I have no problem trusting my life in her hands.
Her blonde, shoulder-length hair pulled back in a low ponytail, Agent Hawk smiles when we've secured our cargo and prisoner in the back of her shuttle. Dressed in her flight suit that melds against her tiny frame, she asks as the team and I buckle into our seats set in pairs in either row, "All set, then?"
Nodding, I grin from the front of the pack, "All set. Let's get the hell out of here." Several cheers and whistles fill the air to echo the sentiment. Chuckling, Danielle turns to join her co-pilot in the cockpit.
In moments, the engines begin to roar and we coast down the runway. I lay my head back and turn to smile at Heero. Not even bothering to shout over the loud roar from the rockets, I mouth, 'Love you.' A wide smile spreads on his lips as he winks and squeezes my hand quickly before Wufei or Trowa look over from across the aisle.
With a deep sigh, I close my eyes when we reach altitude. Drifting off, there is that calm over me knowing that soon after I wake up, we'll be back in the States
* * * * * *
It's an absolutely beautiful evening in Maine when we touch down. A small army of more agents are waiting in the hanger at headquarters to secure the documents, records and computers that had been confiscated.
As silent as he has been since his capture, Krutza is led away to a holding cell where he will stay until an interrogation team is assembled to meet with him.
Pride made him believe that he was untouchable. Pride allowed him to indulge in his wealth and success without looking over his shoulder enough to see what was coming. So, in the end, pride is what became his downfall.
Well, he sure doesn't have a lot to be boasting about now. It's absolutely shell-shocking for him to have had everything one minute only to lose it all in the blink of an eye. Can't say I feel bad for the guy.
One of the first to greet us, Lady Une smiles when I step towards her along with the team that I have worked with for nearly two weeks now. "I honestly cannot say how proud I am of all of you," she says sincerely.
Folding her arms to back, she comments, "Normally, you know we would have to sit together for a debriefing before you can move on. However, I believe that can wait until you have had a chance to be home with your loved ones for the night. Sleep in tomorrow and we will meet in my office at one o'clock."
My jaw drops at that announcement. Being the family men in our group, Wufei, Bryant and Tyson cannot contain their shock and relief at being with their wives and children.
Usually one of the biggest critics of Une and her decisions, Chang swallows hard and bows his head humbly. "Thank you, Commander," he all but whispers. Tyson and Bryant quickly follow with their own words of heart-felt appreciation.
She simply nods and tightens her smile a bit. Focusing on Trowa, she asks, "Do you have arrangements for a place to stay for the evening? I really would like to get your assessment on everything that happened in Lugano."
Heero and I are opening our mouths to offer our place to our friend when a familiar voice calls, "We do have arrangements, Commander. Thank you for the concern." We all spin to find a certain Arab walking up with Sally as well as Bryant and Tyson's families.
Green eyes widening, Trowa gasps, "Quatre!"
Springing into action, he and the remainder of our team run up to their loved ones for all of the hugs and kisses to fill their hearts' content.
It's as sweet a scene as it is a bitter one that Heero and I cannot be like that around them yet. Shifting to lean up against my side as the others are distracted, my lover gives me a small smile and squeezes my hand.
How he always knows what I'm dealing with, I'll never know. Grinning back, I squeeze back before we release our hold.
Welcomed by the families to partake in some of the reunion, a little more of that void is filled. Before long, I have Tyce and Bryant's youngsters wrapped around both of my legs and another in my arms as we all linger around to have a moment to catch up.
Laughing, Sally shakes her head, "Duo, you always had a way with kids. That's quite the talent. It'll help for when you become a father, yourself." I blink in surprise at that, never having thought of the whole 'parent' thing yet.
'Ro balks the slightest bit, but no one seems to notice. It takes a lot for me to hold in my own laughter at the look on his face.
Though the remark was not something either of us expected, it has managed to get my gears turning. Whether that's a good thing or not, once they get going in a certain direction, they're hard to stop.
Just to be the polite friends we are, my husband and I offer our guest room to Quatre and Trowa for as long as they're in town. They respectfully decline as arrangements for a nice hotel nearby had been made. And they need their time alone as much as the rest of us.
Eventually, we all part our separate ways to return to our homes. During the drive back, I can't help but look over at Heero and smile wistfully. "You should have seen your face when Sally brought up the 'father' bit. I thought you were about to have a heart attack."
Smirking, he keeps his hands on the wheel and peers from the corner of his eye at me and replies, "Well, you were just as taken aback by that comment. It was not exactly something I was expecting to hear so soon after the mission that we just had."
He makes a good point there.
I bite my lip and look ahead to the road. Those damn gears keep grinding their course and after a long silence, I hear myself question quietly, "Do you ever think about it, though? Being a Dad?"
Keeping his own eyes forward, my lover takes a deep breath and admits just as softly, "Sometimes. I've always been a believer in adoption. A lot of children lost their parents during the wars in addition to those abandoned on a regular basis."
My eyes widen to show my shock. Turning to watch him, I have yet another new light shed on the man that I woke up married to one morning. Never before would I have dreamed that Heero Yuy would have ever thought about adopting on his own devices.
Glancing over at me, he adds, "But that's something that would have to be put on the back burner until all of this is over." My smile returns ten-fold at that. So, it's something that is still in consideration with him.
Over the duration of this trip, I have come to three new discoveries when it comes to Heero- he's been attracted to me for 'a while,' he's a true romantic and he has thought of adoption in the past.
Tired but content to finally be back, we pull into the driveway of our beach-front home and carry our luggage inside just as the last sight of sunlight brightens the night.
As soon as those bags fall when we're just past the front door, we both turn to face each other when a realization seems to hit us both at the same time. Our lips curling up in deviant smirks, we bolt for the bedroom together.
Laughing the whole way there, 'Ro just manages to beat me to the dresser and opens the top drawer. Unable to stop myself in time, I wind up wrapping around him as we both sail back onto the bed in another round of hysterics. Tangled in comforter, we face each other when we calm down to simply snickering quietly.
A wide grin on his face, my partner reaches for my left hand and slips my ring back into place. "With this ring, I re-wed," he vows quietly. Blinking my wide eyes, I do not even bother holding back the blush that's coloring my cheeks.
Still a romantic.
I follow his lead with a bright smile of my own. Taking his band, only a hair larger than mine, I slip it back onto his left ring finger and answer in kind, "With this ring, I re-wed."
Leaning in, we seal our pledge with a sound kiss.
Hell, yes, it's great to be back home.
TBC...
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