The Greatest of These

All previous disclaimers apply.

“Papa? Papa, where are you? Papa? Father? Father, please! Where are you?” A small voice cried into the darkness of the large house.

“Umm,” Quatre moaned, coming awake groggily. He blinked a couple of times, sighed, and looked at the clock. He could feel Trowa coming into similar awareness as his husband’s arm began to shift from its position spooning him close.

“Did you hear something?” Trowa asked.

“I thought so,” Quatre answered, “Though I don’t hear it anymore.”

“Huh,” Trowa pulled him closer, burying his face in his small, lighter husband’s hair, “Go back to sleep, love.”

“Yeah,” Quatre murmured, “Sleep. Not something we’ve had a lot of tonight.”

Trowa chuckled deeply and pressed his lips to the back of Quatre’s neck. Quatre smiled and was about to roll over to press his lips to his husband’s when the small, frightened voice began to call out again.

“Father? Papa? Please!”

“Briseis!” Quatre gasped. Both he and Trowa were out of the bed and running down the hall in a split second. Quatre reached the door of their oldest daughter’s room and threw it open. He was sitting on her bed in a flash, gathering her in his arms as she came awake, choking on a sob. Trowa calmed slightly when he knew his little girl was in his husband’s arms and slowed slightly. Enough to turn on the light and stop for a glass of water in the bathroom just inside the door. On a second thought, he also wet down a wash cloth. He took a deep breath to calm the anger that always accompanied one of his baby’s nightmares. There was no reason for such a small, sweet baby to have such horrible nightmares.

He and Quatre had adopted Briseis when she was just over six months old. They’d only been eighteen years old at the time and not yet married. But, she had needed them desperately. A baby made orphan by an earthquake, Quatre hadn’t been able to leave her when he’d left the relief workers. So, he’s brought the baby home to his heart and his love. Together, they’d nursed her and brought her back from the edge of death. She had become theirs in every way and the day of their wedding had been made even more special when Relena presented them the official papers that only required their signatures to make her officially theirs. She was the first in their hearts, their eldest, and they loved her beyond all reason and doubt, like parent’s should.

Just under a year ago someone had taken advantage of that fact. Briseis had been abducted at her school, one of her teachers nearly beaten to death trying to defend her. For three agonizing days Quatre and Trowa and their two other little ones had waited. The ransom calls were bad enough, but Quatre had nearly had a nervous breakdown when he had heard his baby girl crying out in pain over the phone. Calling for him when he couldn’t get to her. The doctors had been forced to sedate him. Relena had come over with her own children to watch over Quatre and try to relieve the tension the whole situation was putting on Quatre and Trowa’s sons. One, Judah, was just six months younger and almost her twin, despite being adopted. The other, Taver, was only two years old and very confused as to what was happening. Relena had been a guardian angel to all of them. Then, Wu Fei had called.

The Preventers were taking no chances with the kidnapping of a child of two former Gundam pilots. The Preventers owed them for all of the times they had helped out, but the kidnapping might also be just a cover-up for something far more dangerous that had to do with the pilots. Using all of the resources at their disposal, Sally, Wu Fei, Noin, and Heero had searched out and found Quatre and Trowa’s little girl. They were planning a strike on the kidnappers hide out, but they needed at least one more to assure that Briseis would be safe. Sally had been six months pregnant at the time and unable to join them. That night had been the hardest of Trowa’s life, waiting before the strike, then seeing a man with no heart in his eyes holding a knife to his baby’s throat.

“She’s just a baby. Let her go!”

“I want my money, fag! Give me my money and you’ll get your precious baby! She’s pretty, isn’t she? It’s a good thing you came when you did. Some of the guys were talking about just how pretty she is. And just how much they’d like to have a few minutes with her. Hell, wouldn’t mind taking a minute alone with her myself. You raise pretty kids, fag. Must be because of that pretty husband of yours, huh? Where is he? News said he had a nervous breakdown. Too bad.” He had jerked Briseis around and pressed the knife closer. Trowa had had to clench his teeth and swallow hard to keep himself under control as he watched a thin line of blood work it’s way down his little girl’s neck. Her eyes broke his heart. They were wide and frightened as she watched what the man she had always known as Papa would do. Would he save her? Could he save her? Unconsciously, he set two fingers to his lips.

“Kisses for my girl,” he whispered the familiar phrase, looking her directly in her deep ice green eyes. He watched, amazed, as his scared, brave sweetheart pressed two fingers to her skirt.

“Kisses from my papa. Kisses right back.” The phrase she said so often echoed in his mind. Here she was, the one in danger, trying to reassure him. And he couldn’t stand to see his baby like that anymore. Something snapped in his mind and he became suddenly desperate.

“You’ll get your money, I swear to you. But, please, I’m begging you. Do you see? I’m here in front of you begging for my daughter’s life. Let her go. Can’t you see she’s frightened? She’s just a baby. Let her go and I’ll see to it that you get everything you want. No one will follow you.”

“How do I know you won’t just shoot me in the back? No. Better to kill her, I think. After all, I’m just gonna die anyway. Why give you the satisfaction of my death and having her back? That doesn’t seem quite fair, does it? No. Not fair at all.”

Everything had seemed to happen in slow motion as the man, now obviously quite insane, began to press the knife harder to his baby’s throat. He had reached for the gun hidden in the waistband of his pants, but even as he reached he knew that he would be too late to save his girl’s life. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened until the man slumped forward, releasing his baby. Duo, an addition to the team added so late that he hadn’t even known about him, stood, shaking slightly, a gun still aimed and smoking. The back of the kidnapper’s head was testament to just how dead he was. Duo hadn’t fired a gun, much less killed a man in nearly nine years. He had dropped the gun as if it were burning and fallen to his knees, simply staring at the dead man.

“Help him,” Trowa had delegated to Wu Fei. He himself only had eyes for his little girl. She had fallen to her knees when her captor had slumped over. She knelt on the floor then, her eyes spilling tears as she reached out her arms for him. He had sprinted to her, pulled her away from the corpse and simply held onto her for dear life, reassuring himself that she was alive and well. He could feel her heartbeat as she clung to him, her hot tears soaking into his shirt. She made no sound, but her small frame shook with silent sobs. Trowa was unashamed of the tears that came from his own eyes as he placed kiss after kiss to her dark hair.

“Oh God, oh baby. My sweetheart, my girl. It’s all going to be okay now. Papa’s here. No one’s ever going to hurt you again. Never again. Oh, baby, baby, baby. I’m here. I love you so much. I just love you so damn much.”

“I knew you would come,” her small voice in his ear had been unsteady, but filled with unveiled relief, “I knew you would come for me, Papa. Thank you for coming for me, Papa. I love you, Papa. I love you. Papa?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Is Uncle Duo okay?”

Trowa had turned and noticed just how badly the shooting had affected Duo. He was still sitting on the floor, breathing shallowly, his face deathly pale. Trowa knew something had to be done immediately when Duo had not even reacted to Wu Fei’s gentle prodding, his soft words. Wu Fei had even pressed his lips gently to Duo’s in hopes of a reaction, surprising himself with the actions he had taken. But, Trowa had had an idea and prayed with all his might that it would work before Duo completely broke down. The teams had worked quickly to remove the body and he felt nothing but a small regret about letting his daughter down.

“Bri, baby. I don’t want to put you down. I just want to hold you forever and ever, but Uncle Duo needs you now, okay?”

“Okay, Papa,” Briseis had whispered.

Trowa had blessed his sweetheart’s good soul when he put her down and she immediately ran to Duo, wrapping her arms around his neck. Duo, in contact with the exact reason he had shot, had wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her long hair. Trowa had known that all he needed was reassurance as to why he had shot. He had taken life, an evil life, so that his sweet, innocent niece would live.

“God, sweetheart, are you okay?” Duo had held her out at arms length and surveyed her, “He didn’t hurt you, did he, baby?”

“No, Uncle Duo. He didn’t hurt me.” Briseis had answered, her bottom lip trembling. Her eyes kept darting back to her papa, who was looking as if he was going to swoop her back into his arms any second and never let her go. Duo couldn’t blame him. He pressed Briseis back to his chest for just a moment, cupping the back of her head and breathing in her sweet scent. She was alive thanks to him. That was all he needed to know.

“Go back to your papa now, sweetheart. He needs you.”

Briseis had not argued. She had left his arms and Trowa had swept her back up, feeling his tears start again. His heart broke and he felt real anger for the first time, not fear or worry, at those who had kidnapped his little girl. She was trembling in his arms. So much like Quatre, she had been able to hold back her own emotion as long as someone else needed her to be strong. When she was finally back in the safety of her papa’s embrace, knowing that he would not blame or fault her, she could let her emotions rule. All of the fear, the anger, the terror, and the dread came together as her teeth began to chatter and she slipped into the beginning stages of shock. Trowa had held her closer, using one arm to rub her back, creating friction to warm her. He spoke to her gently as he stepped into an ambulance. They had allowed him to hold her, her face hidden in his shirt, as they examined her. He had sat by her side all night in the hospital when they had decided to hold her under observation for exposure and dehydration. He had been there for the first of the horrible nightmares that made her cry out in the night.

Just as she was still doing, nearly a year later. Trowa gripped the edge of the sink for just a moment to let the anger pass so that it wasn’t present in his eyes when he went to offer comfort. The last thing Briseis needed was to displace his anger with what had happened and mistake it for anger at her. He calmed himself and moved out of the bathroom. The sight that greeted him was enough to make his smile slightly. Quatre was holding their baby on his lap, rocking her and stroking her dark her, so in contrast to his own coloring. Her face was turned into his shoulder, but there were no tears. The only thing betraying how truly upset she was were her shoulders shaking with her silent dry sobs. Trowa moved to the bed, sat down on the edge and moved Briseis’s hair to set the cool wash cloth to the back of her neck.

“What was it, baby?” Quatre questioned gently, knowing that she would tell them. Their family counseling sessions had revealed to them that communication was key in all matters. To heal, they all needed to be able to speak to each other. No matter what she said, no matter how much it broke Quatre and Trowa’s hearts to hear the fear of the men still in her voice, they had to listen. Briseis spoke to them, they listened without pretense or anger.

“It was dark,” she murmured, “There were growls and screams all around me. I couldn’t make them go away even when I covered my ears. And then, I saw you and Papa and Judah and Taver and Jayden and no matter how far or how fast I ran I couldn’t get to you,” She looked up at Quatre then, her bright eyes surprised and a small smile on her angelic face, “But, no bad men, Father. There were no bad men.”

“That’s good, baby,” Quatre smiled, pulling her closer to him again, “That’s so good, baby. You don’t know how happy that makes me. How happy that makes your papa. Baby, it’s so good. So good.” He kissed their daughter’s forehead as she curled her fingers into the fabric of his tee-shirt.

Trowa couldn’t help but smile at the tears in his husband’s eyes even as his own began to gather. Briseis turned to him and he gathered her in his arms as well, silently rocking and revealing to her just how happy he was. They still had a long way to go before all of them could completely heal and move on, but they had come so far. And, they now knew that it would be possible for them to move past the horrible event that had dominated their lives for so long. For the past year, they had dealt with the nightmares, the constant fear. But, if their sweet baby girl could move on with her life, they could now feel no guilt in doing the same. All of the Winner-Barton children had devoted body guards and were loved at their respective schools enough that the teachers were willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe. They could all continue to heal, this time really heal.

“This . . .” Quatre murmured as they made their way back to their bedroom a little while later after seeing Briseis and their boys safely tucked in their beds and peacefully sleeping, “This is such a special night. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fall back to sleep. First, Duo’s call, then Briseis . . . It’s just such a good night, Trowa.”

“I know, love,” Trowa wrapped his arms around Quatre’s waist from behind and kissed the back of his neck, “We lead a wonderful life, my Quatre.”

“Yes,” Quatre agreed, “There’s only one thing missing.”

“What might that be?”

Quatre turned his head and smiled, “Another daughter.”

“Quatre!” Trowa smiled, “Jayden is still just an infant. It’s a little early to be thinking about another baby just yet, isn’t it?”

“Maybe. But, when Jayden gets a little older . . .”

“We’ll talk about it again then,” Trowa amended, allowing his husband to lead him toward the bed for what he knew would be a memorable time as the sun rose. As long as Jayden kept sleeping in his bassinet just to the side of the bed. Well, they would just have to be quiet, “And Quatre?”

“Yes, my love?” Quatre’s face was serene as he laid on the bed and drew Trowa down to lay lengthwise on top of him, closing his eyes with the pleasure his husband’s body on top of his brought.

“I think another girl would be wonderful,” Trowa whispered, just before he covered his husband’s mouth with his own and neither of them thought any more.