Welcomed Invasion

Sunrise/SOTSU
Agency and its associates own GW...not me.

This is the third part to Welcomed Invasion (subtitled Maxwells\' House).

I knocked on the door and when it opened I saw his friendly face, grinning at
me. "Hey Heero." He turned his head for a second. "Hildie!
Sweetheart! Set another plate! We got company!" His tone was loud but
cheerful." He stepped aside and I entered the house and felt my legs being
attacked.

"Uncle Heero!" I could only smile stiffly. Children made me nervous.
I was amazed at how Duo was able to scoop up the trio of two-year olds with his
arms. The three boys began whining.

"They get that honestly enough." I joke.

Duo starts laughing and winks at me. "Yea. You should hear their
mother-owe!" I look over to see Hildie who\'d holding his braid; obviously
she\'d just pulled on it.

She smiles at me. "How come you show up at dinnertime?" She giggles a
little. "I know my cooking isn\'t that good." She pulls Duo\'s braid
again to stifle a comment.

"I was in the neighborhood. I can leave."

"Nonsense. You\'re always welcomed." She gives me a hug.

I\'ve never been good with intimacy but I still hug her back; the kids have
begun jumping on the couch. Duo and Hildie wrestle with the three and carry
them to the table. I half-smile, and am mildly amused. I step out of the way to
allow the two other older children to pass me. They were identical boys who
were 4. They greet me briefly and run to join their siblings. After they
settled the kids in I go over and take my usual seat.

When Duo and Hildie first met it was something uncertain. And then one day out
of the blue Duo announces to the rest of us pilots he was gonna ask Hildie to
marry him. A year later the twins were born and Duo joked to Hildie it was a
good thing he wasn\'t called Six or something. Two years after that came the
fraternal triplets. To that Duo said it was only natural for three to come
after two, and Hildie swore off any more kids. But here they were now, two
weeks away from having another, Hildie being glad it was only one this time and
finally a girl. I laugh to myself thinking of how Wufei once compared the
couple to rabbits.

It wasn\'t really strange to me how all of my comrades had found happiness in
marriage. Quatre and Catherine had become almost inseparable after Trowa\'s
untimely death and were married now with a son of their own, respectively named
after the deceased. Wufei, after much agonizing contemplation, took the leap
with Sally and they had a son and daughter of their own. But did I feel out of
the loop? No way. I had resigned myself long ago to never marry or have a
family. It was the only thing that made logical sense to me. It was too
dangerous to be around me for too long. I was unstable and families need
stability. Besides, if I wanted enough family bliss all I had to do was hang
around the Maxwells for a few hours.

I sat back and ate while I observed the family situation, which I had gotten
quite used to. Duo was trying to get the youngest of the triplets to eat his
carrots, while the other two kicked each other under the table. Hildie was
trying to stop that fight while at the same time scolding the twins for having
a \'seefood\' battle. I scratched my ear as the volume level at the table was
increasing. Duo looks at me and grins, genuinely happy. "Is this not the
greatest thing? I could have a hundred of these."

Hildie\'s eyes grow wide all of a sudden. "She\'s kicking." Duo forgets
me all of a sudden as is kneeling down to his wife\'s swollen stomach, rubbing
it with his open palm. I avert my eyes, feeling a little uneasy

"Hey there\'s my little girl. It\'s your daddy. I\'m glad you\'re realizing in
this family you need to find your voice early or you\'ll never get heard. Keep
up that kicking because you\'ll need it having five older brothers." He
places his ear to Hildie\'s navel as if listening to the baby\'s words. He looks
up at Hildie. "She\'s says they better not even try pushing her
around."

Hildie rolls her eyes, as her face turns red. "Well she\'s telling me that
she\'s tired and wants to sleep."

"Good night my little angel." He kisses his wife\'s stomach.

"Yuck! That\'s gross daddy!" Yells both of the twins.

Duo just stands up, his hands on hips stance, "You\'ll be thinking
differently in twenty-years. I\'ll guarantee you." The two boys look at
their dad like he\'s an alien. The kids have finally quieted down and the mood
gets more serene.

"So how are the missions going man? I can\'t believe you\'re still doing
them."

"Okay I guess Duo. They seem to blend in one after the other."

"So have you seen Relena?" I clear my throat at Hildie\'s out of
nowhere question. I feel like telling her it\'s none of her business.

"Last night."

"Then you should really be having dinner with her don\'t you think
so?" She looks at Duo as if she expects him to back her up.

"Oh no. I\'m not getting into this. Come on boys. It\'s time to get ready
for bed." For once the kids actually listen to their dad and follow him up
the stairs. I rise out of my seat and begin helping Hildie clear the table.

"You didn\'t answer my question Heero."

"I don\'t really intend to."

She breathes a sigh. "I\'m not tg tog to bring you down Heero, but Relena\'s
one of my best friends and you know how I hate to see the way you just come and
go with her. She\'s been in love with you forever you know."

I contemplate the woman\'s words; they\'re nothing new to me. I told her that
Relena was a big girl and knew what she was getting and didn\'t seem to mind so
that\'s all that mattered. Hildie agreed with me but made it clear that if I
ever hurt her friend that she would track me down and skin me alive. I believe
she could be quite capable of it also.

I get irritated at her constant nagging of making Relena an honest woman but
I\'ll never say anything insulting to Hilide because I like her. She\'s a good woman
and I\'ve never seen Duo happier than when he is with her and the kids. She
finally gets the hint that my silence is an absolute and says nothing more. Duo
comes into the kitchen and tells her the kids want her to read them a story.
They kiss each other briefly before shavesaves.

"Hildie\'s been giving you the third degree about Relena huh?"

"It\'s her house. She can say whatever she wants." I reply as he
reaches in the fridge and pulls out a couple of beers. I catch the one he
tosses to me and we go out to the patio.

"I tell you Heero in that last month of pregnancy, all those hormones and
stuff. It can get rough man."

"That\'s more informatthanthan I need to know." I tell the ex-god of
death flatly.

He chuckles. "I talk to much I know. But I\'m telling you Heero, no matter
how scary it is at first, finding that special someone and committing the rest
of your life to them is, well, there\'s no words to describe how great it can
be. And then when the kids come-wow-it makes it all the better."

"If you\'re trying to convert me, it won\'t work."

"I know I know," he chimes. "I\'m just saying-aw hell, Heero.
You\'re gonna do what you\'re gonna do so I\'m not wasting anymore of my
breath." I take a swig of beer as Duo takes a swallow of his. "The
weather is starting to get nice Heero. We\'ll have to bar-be-q soon. Duo\'s
famous baby backs with his special sauce."

I just about spit my beer out of my nose. "I thought Hildie shot that
recipe and put it six feet under."

He pounds on his temple with his index finger. "It\'s all up here baby, all
up here."

"That\'s even scarier." He smiles and laughs a little as we watch the
sun go down together.

To be continued...