New Haven

Chapter Forty-Two: Tutors 1
Katey stood shyly beside the woman as she moved to the kitchen. “If you would take a seat.” Katey motioned to the barstool chairs. “We have spring water, filtered water, pepsi, diet-pepsi, orange and apple juice, milk and beer. But I don’t think I should offer you that.”
Violet laughed. “No you shouldn’t.” She looked at the young lady before her calmly. “I watched my husband burn to death before my very eyes.” She told Katey quietly. “Anything you tell me will be in confidence. I’ll have a diet-pepsi.”
Katey turned and looked the woman in the eyes. “The world is not a pretty place. I know about that personally.” She told the woman as she set the diet-pepsi on the counter in front of her. “I want to make it better. What Duo is doing is a start. What he does for a living is something that I want a lot.”
“Well I am here to help you get there. I am also going to help with this project as much as possible as well. I guess we have to start with the basics.” Violet said with a shrug. “We’ll just base it in the medical field so that you will be ahead of the par when you actually apply to university.” Violet grinned at the girl standing before her with a small grin.
“I would like that. I am sorry that you lost your husband.” Katey murmured sadly.
“I am living with it. Believe it or not what Duo does is just as important as being a doctor like myself or Quatre. He keeps people alive until doctors can save them and start the healing process. I think people forget about that side of the medical profession. I think that you will be a welcome addition to the field.” Violet looked over at Katey as she sipped her pop. “I saw you working after the explosion. You will make a welcome edition to the paramedic core. In fact Lieutenant Copling, one of the head scene commanders, seems to think so as well. He said that if you want to join the junior group he would put in the good word for you.”
Katey settled on a chair beside the woman. She looked at the hands and reached out hesitantly to touch them. “The fire may have hurt you but the memories are more hurtful than it ever was.” Katey looked up into surprised gray eyes. “Sorry.” She muttered letting go of the crippled hands. “Damian and Duo are like this as well. We have a tendency to say things that mean something but are a little to close to the matter.”
Violet looked down at her hands. “Doctors do too. Don’t worry about it. I think that we will get a long just fine. We seem to understand each other quite well.”
Katey grinned as she scratched Jerry Lee’s ears.
Chapter Forty-Two: Tutors 2 & 3
“Dr. Beauchamp.” Trowa greeted the asian woman quietly.
“Lieutenant Barton, it’s a pleasure to actually meet you.” Dr. Beauchamp murmured. “Miss Barton.”
Angel looked up with interest. “Quatre said you have a doctorate in zoology.”
“Yes. I love animals. But I also love humans.” Amiee said with a grin. “I love to see people grow into who they are.”
Trowa blinked. “People like that are hard to find in this day and age. They usually only think of themselves.”
“That is odd.” Aimee murmured. “I thought I just met a whole family of people who care.”
“Yes well we are a unique family.” Angel said with a giggle. “It’s rare that you find men that have seen the worst of life that still want to live the lives that they do.”
Amiee blinked. “You do have a point.”

Duo settled into a chair by Roaul. He watched as Sakura stood before the man.
“His name is Brussels.” Sakura said in her Dad’s pompous voice.
Duo hid a grin at the sight of her using Wufei’s words and stance. He looked up into laughing black/brown eyes.
“Really?” The man murmured at the pompousness of the young lady.
“People say she has my energy and mischief. But,” Duo looked down at Sakura. “She is very much like her father. Though she is a quick learner.”
“Duo-Daddy.” Sakura stomped her foot. “You ‘eren’t suppos’ to tell him that.” She scowled at Duo in anger.
“Sakura I have told you before there is no foot stomping in this house.” Duo said in deceptively soft tones.
Sakura’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry Duo-Daddy I didn’t mean too.” She shouted and threw herself into Duo’s lap.
Duo winced in pain and sighed. “I know munchkin. But you have to remember that you can’t stomp your feet in an apartment. It is very loud for the people down stairs and they are working with things that could hurt them. It may startle them and cause them to hurt themselves.”
“I’ll try not to do it again Duo-Daddy.” Sakura whispered into his chest.
“Sakura what is your favorite game? Do you think we could play it?” Roaul asked her as he watched her with Duo. He saw a very loving father.
Duo grinned. “Why don’t you go and get the snakes and ladders and show Mr. DeSantez how good you are with your numbers?”
Sakura made an abrupt mood change and charged into her room for the game.
“She is incorrigible and has more energy than you can imagine. She has a tongue in her mouth like her father. Loves a good joke like me. And unfortunately her mother’s combative nature.” Duo grinned unrepentantly at the man. “You will have your hands full. But she is the sweetest little thing I have ever seen in all my travels and I have traveled all over the place.” Duo’s grin slowly disappeared. “I remember you. You were a good man to have at your side during the war. I also saw you save a lot of children from a fate that most people would ignore. Welcome to this home. You do anything that hurts her I will hurt you worse than you can imagine. That is if Wufei doesn’t get to you first.”
Roaul gave a slight smile. “I love to teach like you love to save life. I don’t think you will have a problem.”
“I’m glad we understand each other.” Duo said with a grin as Sakura set up the game to play with Roaul.
Chapter Forty-Two: Tutors 4
Wufei settled back on the couch with Damian as Johnny Cantry settled in the chair that Damian had recently vacated. Wufei looked at the man who looked nothing like his uncle.
“I know that I don’t look like Miles. I look like my mother’s family.” He told the two with a grin. “But I can teach you everything that you need as well as anything about how to work with wood as well. Miles will also be able to help with that as well. He promises that he will fill the afternoons with all the carpentry that you need.” He looked down at his hands. “I think that with both me and my uncle teaching you everything that we know you will make an amazing carpenter when we are through or anything else you want to be.”
Wufei gave a slight smile. “I would think he wants to when his girlfriend’s son is practically a brother to him. But I understand that he is a very giving man that wants to see the world get better. Duo’s project slammed into are lives and made the impossible into the possible. None of us would be together right now if not for him.”
Johnny looked at him with interest. “Why do you say that?”
“Duo got to know Wufei because of the project. The project got them to find out about my problem which got me out of it and we are becoming a big dysfunctional happy family.” Damian informed his new tutor with a grin.
“It is true.” Wufei murmured. “It is why we are all living here so happily.”
“So I guess we have to start with the basics and go from there.” He looked at Damian calmly. “Don’t worry about it. There are a lot of people that don’t know this because of the war.”
“Yeah well the war seems to be around still.” Duo muttered as he joined the two on the couch. “It just seems to be targeting me at the moment.”
Wufei growled and pulled his love close carefully. “No it just seems that way. What do you think of Roaul?”
“He should work well with Sakura. She’ll have him eating out of her hand soon.”
Wufei chuckled. They had found tutors for the children now it was only a matter of getting everything running on schedule.