Author: Zazu

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Kids

Pairings: 1+2+1, 5+R, 3+4+3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity, and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events are purely a coincidence.

Notes: Not beta-read. This is a part of the babysiting adventures universe, inspired by Sharon's prompt "Babysitting adventures for uncles Heero, Duo, Trowa and Quatre. Wufei and Relena are the parents, of course". I should state now that the little drabbles in this universe will not be chronological at all!

Communication Black Out

"Leila..."

"I want Baba!" the little girl cried. "Where is he?"

Duo sighed, kneeling in front of the little girl curled up on the couch. Wufei had gone into communication black out and the first step under protocol was to protect the families of the agents in question. It could be something as simple as broken equipment, or something as terrible as agents being held hostage, but whatever it was, Preventers protocol didn't allow for chances to be taken.

Wufei had gone on a mission and had gone into black out twenty four hours ago. They'd been forced to keep Leila home from school and Relena home from work. Leila had been told that her Baba was stuck at work, and wasn't it great that Uncle Heero and Uncle Duo were staying over to keep her and Mommy company?

She'd been excited at first, but once she was told she didn't have school even though it was show and tell day, and once she'd noticed several other preventer agents in her home, she'd realized something was wrong and taken to badgering those she knew for answers.

"Leila was good!" she sobbed. "Why doesn't Baba want me?"

"Honey..." Duo rubbed her shoulders lightly. "Your Baba loves you, you know that."

"Then where is he?" she wailed. "I want Baba!"

Duo looked up at Relena, who hadn't slept well and had dark circles under her eyes. She sat down next to her crying daughter and pulled her up. "Sh..." she whispered. "Baba will come home soon."

"You don't know that!"

Relena bit her lip at that statement and shared a look with Duo.

"Come on, baby," Duo said. "Let's go play. We'll draw something for Baba to see when he comes home."

"Don't call me that," she said, throwing a bit of a tantrum. "Only Baba calls me that!"

"Okay honey," Duo said. "Come on, didn't you get some new pencil crayons?"

Someone else appeared, two people, and Duo looked a little relieved. Perhaps Quatre and Trowa could help out.

"Uncle Meow!" Leila ran to him and he gathered her close. "I want Baba. Take me to Baba, please?"

"He'll be back soon," Quatre said, rubbing her back as she hiccupped.

But she pushed him away with a glare that was very similar to Wufei's. "You're lying! You don't know that! You lie like Uncle Duo, Mommy and Uncle Heero! Lying bad!" With that, she ran out of the room. Shortly after, the door was slammed shut and they knew she'd gone into Wufei's study.

Duo slid an arm around Relena's shoulder. "It's okay," he whispered. "She's too young to really understand."

"She's not the only one who wants Wufei home," Relena said softly, leaning against Duo.

"I know." Duo shifted, so Relena lifted her head. "Let me make you something to drink," Duo said.

Heero came through then with a tray of mugs. "Already done," he said. "Leila's back in Wufei's study, isn't she?"

"Didn't you hear the door slam?" Trowa asked dryly. "She's upset with everyone."

Relena sighed. "Let me go to her. I don't want her to be all alone. I'm sure this is all just protocol but it doesn't make me any less anxious for Wufei to be out of communication black out."

But the moment she stood, the alarm came on, startling everyone in the living room. Heero tapped into his microphone. "What is it?" he barked. Then, his head shot up. "Study," he said shortly, immediately making his way there.

The door was locked but it took Duo little time to pick it. If Relena had the moment to say so, she'd have commented that Wufei would have been angry Duo could get in so easily. But the door was opened and then they saw it.

The window was standing open, child-lock removed. And just as Relena was about to panic, Heero held up a hand.

"Meyers got her," he said, going immediately to the hall to open the front door. Leila was squirming, but she stilled the moment she saw the anger in her uncle's face. Before Heero could speak, though, Relena had taken over.

"Leila Chang! How dare you!" she said angrily. "Do you know what could have happened? You do not climb out of windows! You don't go anywhere alone!" She took her daughter from Agent Meyers, looking her in the eyes. "Why are you such a bad girl today?"

Leila burst into tears again, but another voice cut in.

"Agent Chang!" Agent Meyers said where he was standing at the front door, looking out at the driveway. Wufei was getting out of his car, looking tired, irritated and worried all at once.

"I'll go to headquarters once I've seen my family!" he snapped into his communicator before shutting it off. He went straight to his family with a glance at Heero as he passed, nodding in thanks for his appearance in his home.

"Baby," he said, and Leila looked up in the middle of her sobbing, eyes widening.

"Baba!" She grabbed him as Wufei lifted her up and hugged her tightly, wrapping his other arm around Relena.

"Baba is here," he soothed as she sobbed against him. "Right here."

Relena was crying too, and she occupied his other shoulder until Leila lifted her head and pressed her small hands on his cheeks. "Where did you go?" she cried. "Leila was good. I thought you didn't want me!"

"Baba was at work, baby, and of course Baba would never not want you!" Wufei assured her, kissing her forehead and wiping her tears from her cheeks.

"I wanted to go find you," she said between hiccups. "I thought the bad people got you!"

Wufei wished he had it in himself to tell his little daughter that he'd always come home, but that would be almost a lie. He didn't know that.

"They weren't good enough to get Baba," he finally said, kissing her nose. "No more crying now. Baba is home. I have to go back to work but I promise I'll be home for a late dinner."

"No!" Leila cried. "Don't go, please Baba!"

"Wufei..." The look he gave Relena and the words to their daughter was reassurance enough, and she could tell that he was physically fine. But letting their daughter go now would only make it harder for the little girl who wanted just a little more time with her Baba.

"Okay," he sighed. "Baba will watch you until you fall asleep. It's nap time, okay? Uncle Duo will stay with you after, and you have to promise to be good. Then Baba will come home and tonight you get to sleep with me, okay?"

She studied him for a long moment. "Promise?" she asked in a small voice.

"Promise."

She nodded and buried her face against his shoulder again. Wufei took Relena's hand and turned to the rest of his family. "Thank you," he said. "For being here."

"Don't be, Wufei, we wouldn't be anywhere else," Quatre said. "We'll clear out the place for you. Go spend a bit of time with your family."

Squeezing Relena's hand, he nodded gratefully and led her up the stairs to Leila's room. Relena got a cloth to clean Leila's face, and Wufei laid her down on the bed. He was too dirty to sit with her, so he sat down on the floor and watched as she curled in close to him so that his hand was on her head, gently stroking.

"Sleep, my little one," he murmured. "I promise, Baba will for sure be home for a late dinner."

She nodded, reaching out to take a handful of his shirt before she closed her eyes.

Relena, on the other hand, didn't care if Wufei was dirty. She knelt and hugged Wufei from behind, knowing that Wufei wanted to comfort her too, but needed to comfort Leila first because the child was too young to wait any longer. She nuzzled her husband gently, his solid presence enough until he could deal with the aftermath at the office, have dinner with Leila and then gather her close in bed tonight.

"Okay?" she whispered.

"Yes," Wufei turned and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry."

"You couldn't help it." Relena knew that for a fact. It was on her tongue then, to plead for Wufei to take on a job that had less risks, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I wonder...if I should apply for a different position. Do something else," he whispered as if reading her mind. "I have you and Leila to protect, to think of..."

She didn't speak, knowing that she would never forgive herself if she somehow affected Wufei's decision on such a large matter. Wufei knew her views on this issue, and she'd promised never to speak of it again.

Wufei sighed as Leila fell asleep, but he didn't move. "I just want to protect you both," he whispered. "I want to make the world a better place, safer place."

"I know," Relena assured him.

"But is it the right thing to do?" He pulled Leila's slack hand from his shirt and then turned to pull Relena close. "What did I put you two through today alone?"

"She removed the child-lock and climbed out of your study window," Relena said.

"I'll punish her for that, but not today," Wufei said. "Our baby is growing up, isn't she?"

"Time is flying," Relena agreed, tucking the blanket a little closer under her chin. Someone tapped at the door and they looked over to see Duo.

"Heero will go with you to headquarters," he said softly. "Quatre, Trowa and I will stay."

"Thank you," Wufei said.

"I'll go make dinner with Grace," Relena said. "Duo, you'll stay with her?"

"Of course," Duo yawned. "I could use a nap myself, if you don't mind me sleeping on the floor?"

"I'll get you the sleeping bag," Relena said, getting up from the floor. Wufei followed suit and watched as she left the room before clasping Duo's shoulder with a hand.

"Thank you, brother," he said softly. "I'm sorry if Leila was...difficult."

Duo smiled. "You kicked some ass?" he asked.

"Extra hard for breaking my communicator and leaving me in black out for so long," Wufei replied. "I need to go explain myself now."

"Don't be too hard on Leila for trying to find you," Duo said, unable to resist standing up for Leila no matter how much he disagreed with what she'd done.

Wufei smiled. "Seeing a bit of yourself there?"

Duo grinned. "Maybe."

"Then I'll talk to Heero about your punishment."

Duo's eyes widened. "What?"

Wufei squeezed Duo's shoulder again before walking out, speaking over his shoulder. "Don't think that I don't know you were the one who taught her to open the child-lock."

OWARI

 

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